Why are there so many people who seem to give shit about whether a slow triathlete rides a Litespeed Blade with 10sp Dura Ace or a 20 year old Schwinn 7 spd ?
Why does it matter? I haven’t heard any reasons, only that they think slow triathletes shouldn’t waste money on expensive bikes. Why do you care? What makes it a “bad thing” that I’m slow, but that I want a great bike?
Here’s a better question… What exactly is a poseur? Assuming two triathletes have the exact same bike… say, a P3 that cost exactly the same amount and has exactly the same components… Where’s the line between them that defines which one’s a poseur and which one isn’t?
Is a poseur a state of mind? I.e., I buy the bike because I want people to think I’m fast, even though I’m not. Is that what a poseur is? Or do I achieve “poseur-ness” simply because I own Kestrel Airfoil Pro, and I typically finish MOP to BOP?
Is this “poseur” shit simply something so that people can complain because other people make more money than they do? What is the deal? Why do you care? Is it to make you feel better about yourself?
The next level of this would be why does anyone else care, if anyone else care’s, about how everyone else does what, how, and why?
Seems like lots of folks have an interest in other’s desires, goals, and their approach to life to the point of absurdity. But since we are all human that makes us individually unique. So we all have the option of expressing our personalities differently. Otherwise, this would be a pretty boring place to hang out.
I’m a roadie. we have our share of poseurs too. I just live and let live. better than wasting one’s money on an SUV.
steveperx’s analogy about the 2 identical P3s is a good one! and, as with everything in life, there is no clearly defined answer. truth often has a large degree of fuzz factor. the guy on the Kestrel finishing at the back may have been hit by a car, and bought the Kestrel to reward himself for just frickin’ surviving.
It beats me. A few weeks ago, there were posts a’plenty about the increasing problem with obesity. Now, people are raggin’ on folks who are at least getting out and getting some exercise. It doesn’t matter what the price tag of your ride is as long as you–
Because it’s funny that someone would invest soooo much money into something even though they can’t tell the difference. Their splits would be the same on a 10 year old Trek or a Cervelo. I personally enjoy beating people that have all the equipment in the world but can’t race worth a s##t…
You should enjoy beating people that trained as hard as you did, regardless of the equipment they have…
but that’s impossible to tell. What is easy to tell is the guy with the $3000 bike, Ironman Look pedals and shoes can’t keep up. We are all competitive and in my opinion it’s just another aspect of being competitive “I can still beat you even though you have top of the line stuff”
To me, a “poser” is someone who is representing himself as someone s/he is not. There’s an element of intentional deception there. Having a nice bike doesn’t tell anyone that I am fast, or even that I think that I am fast. Have you talked to me? If you did, you wouldn’t hear me dropping podium placings or times on you.
Besides, If I got upset that someone who “looked” fast wasn’t, then I should be getting upset at the people riding not-so-great bikes that post great times. Hey…wait a minute…ummm, nevermind.
Back to the deception angle. All this nonsense about people using equipment that is not “commensurate” with their performance level is a load of crap. Now, if someone lies to you and tells you that s/he is fast when s/he’s not (or tells you they’re slow when they’re not), that’s a different story.
Granted, I really don´t mind about the equipment, but I do mind about the attitude, I guess I would like to have the 3000 dollar bike and the performance of the guy who just beat me… I´m gonna have to work hard to obtain both
I used to ride in T-shirts cuz I didn’t want people to think I was trying to buy speed. But then I was speed-skating and not bicycle racing. I know now why people ride with those funny shirts. When I was skating, even though I was just an average skater, I couldn’t see putting myself at a disadvantage right from the start. At the level I skated at, I had to buy the good stuff.
Moving on to bikes, for a person just starting out, it seems to make sense to put some dollars into a bike cuz they will get better if they stick with it. When they do get better, if they bought a cheap bike, they will probably buy something better later, so why waste the money on a cheap bike and put yourself at a disadvantage right from the start?
I would feel funny riding a $4000 bike and being a MOP rider, but that is me and that’s why I ride a $1400 bike hopped up a little. Do I smirk at the slower riders with a great bike? maybe a little, but if it gets them off of the couch, more power to them.
I can reply on my own behalf, and I think that I might speak for others here… Posers are usually not talented. They do not annoy me so much as the do make me laugh. They attempt to make up for lack of talent by buying the best stuff as to look good. Thus…vanity is an unlikable trait.
Just ask them.