Getting into the subculture

Before this trip, I didn't know anything about bike mechanicals. So I pored over the couple of threads on my fave forum to learn through osmosis. I definitely picked up on a lot of important mechanical info, but I also was taken aback by the very sophisticated culture (both sincere and tongue-in-cheek) surrounding bike aesthetics. Parts of this aesthetic are completely practical, like using the right bike for the job (contrast to hoofing an ill-fitting mountain bike to work every day). Other parts verge on eye-rolling. I still consider myself an outsider to the culture, I guess.

I remember the first few long rides I took, I was in board shorts and a compression shirt. I actually did some of these rides in my mountain bike, bombing over bumps and cracks in the road. I took pleasure in outpacing people on nice road bikes and serious kit. But I knew I had to get with the program and start training for the actual tour. This meant getting bike shorts (with the padded seat) and a bike jersey with pockets on the back. Eating energy bars while riding. Taking the water bottle off the down tube cage and drinking on the move. That sort of thing. Within 2 weeks' time, I had some of my own outrageously loud gear. I was already over that poser edge. 

Now I read the bike thread all the time, casting internet scorn on people who come in asking for basic help on picking a bike but not having a clue. My eyes wander to every bike on the street, evaluating each for condition, componentry, and aesthetic integrity. As I mentioned to a friend, this is that manic, frenzied phase of getting into a new hobby where you can't stop consuming enough of it. I mean, hell, I recorded and watched the whole Tour de France. 

Gabe and I routinely take the piss out of the serious parts of the subculture, while Matt stays willfully aloof. 

How do our rides stack up? Lemme take a stab:

Jamis Aurora Elite (my actual bike):

Really nice matched two-tone effect at the saddle and handlebars. Classic contrast branding on the downtube. Fenders are for freds. Disc brakes butch it up a bit, recalling cyclocross.

Trek 520:
Boriiiing. Much like Matt's fashion sense.

Novara Randonee:

The casual stem angle and stack of spacers on the steerer tube reek of old British dude. The paint job is great and the matching browns are good. The brads on the seat finishes off the classic bike look. Shiny chrome stem might be unwelcome under the noon sun.

Ultimately, these bikes are meant to do a job and not to look good, so their aesthetics can be forgiven.

Oh yeah, and the aesthetics will be just ruined when we run front and rear panniers on these things.