The Chainlink

So yeah, last night I rode out to meet a buddy for a beer, and a fellow in the bar commented to me how the lack of clipless pedals and the "loud" lighting on my road bike precludes me from being a true cyclist. Also, he mentioned that I ordered a Newcastle instead of PBR, so I wasn't "keeping it real".

I didn't want to get into a whole debate with the guy because since he had obviously had a few too many PBRs, the discussion would go nowhere. I did ascribe the pedals and the lights to the same factor, my almost getting hit by cars in the past. My bike does have SPDs, but I choose to ride with the adapters on them so I don't have to lock my feet to the pedals as doing that makes me nervous about close calls with cars. The lights are somewhat obnoxious I guess, but they have the same effect as that laser bike lane thing, so for me, the tradeoff is a good one.

The one thing I couldn't even counter on, was that not drinking PBR makes me a fraud as a cyclist. Most of my bike-related choices are very pragmatic, I don't drink PBR not to make a political or social statement, I just happen to prefer various other beers. Not to knock anyone who enjoys that beer of course, I just didn't realize it was such a hot button for some people.

So then, should one compromise a bit to be official in the cycling community, or was my next-stool neighbor last night just a blue ribbon snob?

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I presume by "loud" lighting the guy was talking about your Down Low Glows. I think those things are fantastic. My wife rocks a set (in hot pink) on her bike. Having those makes you an urban biker by definition, even if you live out in the middle of Wyoming. But for the hassle of having to remove them when I lock up, I'd use them every day when I ride to work.
Yeah, it had to be the DLGs, they do draw attention though, which to me riding at night, is ALWAYS a good thing. Anything I can do to minimize odds of being hit by cars.

Joe said:
I presume by "loud" lighting the guy was talking about your Down Low Glows. I think those things are fantastic. My wife rocks a set (in hot pink) on her bike. Having those makes you an urban biker by definition, even if you live out in the middle of Wyoming. But for the hassle of having to remove them when I lock up, I'd use them every day when I ride to work.
It runs on a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery that is included. I get about three to three and a half hours at full brightness per charge, then it starts dimming. It is a bit pricey though, if i remember right it ran about $120. More info at rockthebike.com

BK said:
This is the first I've heard of the DLG. I found a couple of YouTube clips on them and they look pretty convincing. I'm lazy, Vando, what was the $, what kind of batteries power it, and how much run time will you get out of your batteries? Thanks.
Vando said:
Yeah, it had to be the DLGs, they do draw attention though, which to me riding at night, is ALWAYS a good thing. Anything I can do to minimize odds of being hit by cars.

Joe said:
I presume by "loud" lighting the guy was talking about your Down Low Glows. I think those things are fantastic. My wife rocks a set (in hot pink) on her bike. Having those makes you an urban biker by definition, even if you live out in the middle of Wyoming. But for the hassle of having to remove them when I lock up, I'd use them every day when I ride to work.
Doesn't having brakes make you not a real cyclist these days too?
No, that makes you not a dead cyclist these days.

START SARCASM
Oh snow, how I missed you!
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Jason Ward said:
Doesn't having brakes make you not a real cyclist these days too?
I heard having handlebars that are longer than than the width of both your hands makes you not a real cyclist too.
And if you have drop bars, they have to be at least a foot lower than your saddle, mandatory, son.

Jon said:
I heard having handlebars that are longer than than the width of both your hands makes you not a real cyclist too.
I hate PBR. I think it tastes like piss. I would rather pay the extra two bucks for the New Castle. Good Call. I don't get it either. I honestly think trust fund college kids drink it to feel cool. I mean, like whatever you want, but to seriously enjoy PBR I feel like you have to have brain damage.

this kid sounds like he just had too much to drink. ha.

-kyle
ok, enough about the pbr, what I want to know is was your Newcastle served room temp? Last time I ordered one they gave me a cold bottle with a chilled glass. Morons.
Not to get too OT, but this is a good question. It is hard to get the ideal temp for beer. Too cold and the taste kinda flattens out, too warm and most people find it unpalatable. Purists say "real" ale should be at what they call "cellar storage temperature", which is colder than room temp but not as cold as a typical beer from the fridge.

To answer your question, the Newcastle was served cold. Not to blame the barkeep though as most people would send a beer that is just cool back. They have to serve it that way because in the US, mainstream drinkers prefer their beers and ales colder. For the record, this is so pervasive that I have just learned to enjoy my Newcastle cold. I may not dig PBR but I'm not a total beer snob either. :)

GabeW (not the other Gabe) said:
ok, enough about the pbr, what I want to know is was your Newcastle served room temp? Last time I ordered one they gave me a cold bottle with a chilled glass. Morons.
I only ask because I used to wrench on an old MG midget (how I miss that car) and would enjoy a newcastle in the hot summer garage. I used to joke that the reason British beers were served warm was because Lucas (company that made the electrics for british cars) also made refrigerators.

And their vacuum - only thing Lucas made that didn't suck.

Now were really off topic.

But your right, cold is king in the US.
GabeW (not the other Gabe) said:
But your right, cold is king in the US.

I think that's because it doesn't really matter or even helps when drinking Bud, Miller, or Coors. They don't really have any taste so there's nothing to get hidden when they are served chilled.

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