What kind of biker are you?

[Maki]

This discussion came up elsewhere and I would like to carrry it on here on kiwibiker. There seem to be people areound who think that those who just ride their bikes on fine weekends can hardly call themselves bikers. The real bikers are those who use their bikes as a primary mode of transport and ride on most days, rain or shine. What do you think?

Would you agree that the skills of someone who rides every day will in most cases be superior to those who only ride on some weekends?

Do you think that people who ride rarely are more prone to accidents than those who ride on most days?

Would you agree that measuring someones riding experience in terms of total km covered is meaningless? Would someone who rides 20 km a day in city traffic for 50 days (1000km total) not gain a lot more valuable experience than someone who takes a 1000km road trip along highways?

[Headbanger]

I'm an owner.

[98tls]

There seem to be people areound who think that those who just ride their bikes on fine weekends can hardly call themselves bikers.

Theres the problem right there,who cares what they thnk.

[vifferman]

Would someone who rides 20 km a day in city traffic for 50 days (1000km total) not gain a lot more valuable experience than someone who takes a 1000km road trip along highways?

Maybe.
I commute almost every day by bike (except when it's laid up getting the forks overhauled). However, partly because of this, I very rarely ride in the weekend, and because I'm an antisocial arsehole, I don't tend to do group rides. As a result, I've found my open-road skills get a little rusty. Going 110km/h on the motorway's not the same as riding at open-road speeds on a two-lane carriageway, with varying radius corners, a variety of road surfaces and conditions, and at times limited visibility. So while my handling skills are OK, and my traffic skills ina variety of weather contitions well honed, it takes me probably 30 minutes to get my mojo back on a fast, twisty road.
Ten years or so ago, I was doing much less around town riding, and there was more variety. Overall, I'm probably a better rider than ever, but not as good as I could be.

[Headbanger]

Theres the problem right there,who cares what they thnk.

Me, keeps me awake at night. thats why I'm so nice and polite, so people will like and approve of me.

Also, I like to drink the blood of chickens.

[Subike]

I ride my bike when ever my budjet allows me to ride it,
When my health allows it,
When the weather is such that I would enjoy the ride..
That may mean that it is weekends, when I am not working,
Summer when there is no snow, ice or rain,
The temperature is such that I am not going to freeze,
I dont think it has anything to do with how often you ride that makes you a biker or not.
It is an atitude, a life style, a passion,
It is not milage clocked up in all weather condition just because it is your daily transport,
Its not showing off your most powerfull, shinnyest, newest, iron horse at the local on a Sunday afternoon,
Its not having a vest full of Ralley badges to flaunt at the bar,
IMHO, it has many forms, being a biker, as such you could not isolate it into one corner, thats what the gov wants to do with all our live so they can control it.
Freedom to ride when you like, what you like, how you like, thats a biker.

[Headbanger]

I just consider myself a pretty shit rider and try not to do any cunning stunts that end in getting killed.

I ride when I want to.

[PirateJafa]

Whether you ride your bike seven days a week, or just in the summer weekends makes no difference to the "kind" of biker you are in my view.

However I will mock mercilessly any fag with a clean bike.

[Maki]

Very intersting....

Thanks to all that responded so far. What you have and have not written reveals a lot...

[Cajun]

i use to ride every day, but where i live in relation to where i work (2.9kms) now, its pointless and not good for bike doing small trips like that.

So now i am only a fine weekend rider.

[MadDuck]

However I will mock mercilessly any fag with a clean bike.

So anyone who takes pride in looking after one of their major assets (and means of much joy) is a "fag" and should be "mocked"

Thats interesting.

[Drunken Monkey]

Different types of riding, innit? Some skills cross over, some don't. I was mostly only a fair weather rider, I don't mind admitting it.
I rode for enjoyment, and I didn't find riding in the rain very enjoyable. However I also enjoyed the convenience of getting to town quickly at peak hour and not having to find a park, so when I visited customers in town, I did ride sometimes.
I don't think lane splitting up the southern motorway at 8:30 in the morning lends much to keeping the rubber side down on the coro loop on Sunday arvo, and keeping the front pinned nice and tight coming over John Deere at Pukekohe wasn't much use for "keep alive" skills on Symonds St.
In saying that, some saddle time is better than no saddle time. You're always working on throttle/clutch control, braking skills, etc...

[PirateJafa]

So anyone who takes pride in keeping in one of their major assets (and means of much joy) is a "fag" and should be "mocked"

Indeed.

___

[Chrislost]

I like to ride slowly and with only one knee on the deck at a time.

fkn speed lmits and cars and trees and...

[NDORFN]

I only ride some fine weekends. My total KM's are probably less than 3k. I couldn't give the tiniest shit how anyone's skills or "Bikerness" compares to anyone else's except for MotoGP. And my bike is generally clean as a whistle except straight after a ride.So bascically, I share fine weekends evenly between other hobbies, my family (gets first priority), and my bike. I'm about quality riding not quantity, I only compete with myself when I'm riding, and I love looking after my bike (she's getting better with age). What does that make me? An anti-biker?