Bicycles / Cycling and Beer

I held out the longest on spandex, then realized how much it really makes a difference.

I also love my beer jersies, I wish some of my fav breweries made them! But only a few do.

 

Bikers are inherently thirsty after riding?

I agree with breadwinner and the geographic aspect another poster brought up. In New Mexico, it also seems to go hand in hand. Santa Fe has a Bike & Brew fest, bringing all stages of riders together. And it just so happens to have beer involved... There are groups in ABQ that come together and do brewery "crawls" on their bikes. There's a core set of breweries so close to one another, it almost seemed like a natural fit to incorporate bikes.. I see running groups do this. I personally have my own DD and we drive around. I don't feel safe on a bike as it is. I can't imagine being buzzed.

I don't think breweries are forcing the merging of these genres. In NM, it seems natural. Thus far, I don't think any brewery has any bike themes. Playing up to a bike theme this late in the game seems desperate and a sad attempt at getting those fans in. Most places just have huge bike racks, and have added bike parking every month. They realize who many of their customers are and have adapted.. Having a bike theme brewery would seem like overkill. Expanded bike parking seems like enough

 

Yeah i read that article as well. Don't disagree dude. It just seemed that you were implying in your original post that it applied across the board. Possibly my misunderstanding. But anyway - seems like we're on the same page.

I would say though, that the 30% with the high incomes, are less likely to be the ones buying club-fit brewery jerseys and more likely to be the ones dropping serious coin on Rapha pro-cut kit. But I have absolutely nothing to back that up with other than what I see when I'm out riding haha.

 

Oh no, didn't mean it that way, although it did come across like that. It's just like golf though in my eyes - not everyone that plays golf has money, but if you had to pick one group to target to try to find people with money to spend, golf and road cyclists would both be pretty damn good bets.

And agree on the 30%, they're the ones doing a Saturday morning group ride with $5,000 carbon racing wheels.

 

One of my local breweries not only sells cycling jerseys, but "sports shirts" made of breathable, wicking material. You see runners, soccer players, softball players, hikers, and more wearing them. If folks are going to wear something that makes their activity more enjoyable, why not sell 'em one with your logo on it? Better a brewery name than seeing another damn swoosh.

 

The relationship between beer and cycling long predates the U.S. craft beer scene. The Amstel Gold Race Classic started in 1966 and that was far from the first incidence of beer sponsorships. Six day races have a connection with beer sponsors that probably dates back more than a century. Keirin has also been closely associated with beer.
Breweries often support other sports in addition to cycling but cycle racing has a history and panache that few sports can match. The beer and cycling connection is almost as historic as beer and baseball.

 

Not all of us, only roadies. Some of us are bar hopping riders, farmers market riders, urban exploration riders, party ride riders and we just throw on a pair of slip in vans, fill our bags or baskets with beer, and go. Why wear all that shit all over you if the brand isn't paying you? Seriously. You can get a lot of good riding in (including doing 125 miles a week, or more) without all the gear...maybe just a pair of bike shorts under your skirt, if you're riding a ways.

I'll tell you one thing, the fact that beer comes in cans is surely a help to its affinity with bike riding, at least to those of us who carry it around with us on our rides. I had a friend who crashed (soberly, it was just one of those things) and some bottles that he had in his basket ripped his arm open. Being able to throw Modern Times's Blazing World or Anderson Valley's Gose in my basket is wonderful, safe, and refreshing as hell. Some messenger bags and panniers are water proof, so you can fill them with ice, too.

Last and certainly not least, I can't imagine sitting down and drinking a glass of wine after a bike ride. That just sounds...bleech.

 

EDIT: Coming from L.A., I don't have to really take this into account, but I don't doubt it's a good point:

 

Do you run shirtless?

Edit: I used to think riders looked ridiculous and we do, but
A: padding on your ass is 100% necessary if you're going over 20 miles
B: drag created by loose clothing majorly slows you down, especially when it's windy.
C: anyone who rides w/o a helmet is a dumbass

Bottom line: it make sense to wear the stuff. Usually when I'm riding to a brewery/bar, it's on my city bike in comfortable non-spandex clothing.

 

I am pretty sure I like beer. Belgian beer

 

Yeah, I mean if you're training and racing competitively, beer is probably not the best thing to be drinking regularly.

 

Hell, back in the day, TdF riders used to drink champaigne during the race. Not at the hotel at night, while they rode.

 

I believe you, but I don't think that happens so much now and while I know plenty of world class athletes do drink, most people who are big time in endurance sports know it's best to avoid the many negative effects alcohol have on making gains. Personally, I just workout/run/ride to offset the drinking...and to look good naked. Not sure where I'm going with this...

 

At least through the 1970s quite a number of eminent riders were know to imbibe more than a little. When modern training came in in the 1980s with the pros attempting to peak for only one or two races per season the drinking was substantially curtailed. I can't attribute it to less drinking but for me cycling lost some color with the advent of modern focused training. Not that pro cycle racing is easy now but I miss the hard guys like the de Vlaeminck brothers, the Planckaerts. Sean Kelly, Merckx and Hinault.

 

Eh. I'd say it's a pretty narrow definition of "cyclist," and maybe a privileged perspective. Most of the every day riders, daily commuters, and bike lovers I associate with struggle to make ends meet, are magicians with keeping bikes running on spit and survival, and drink a crap ton of Tecate except maybe on a special occassion, when they deeply appreciate a really good beer.

 

Yea I do run without a shirt sometimes, quite a few guys do in my town. Happily married also.

Oh and spandex for your rear, buy a better seat.

 

It is narrow, which is why I specifically said the "roadie crowd" and why the article focuses on those who buy 4 and 5 figure bikes, carbon wheels, full team kits, etc. Is it privileged? Eh, I think that word gets thrown around too often and is intended to be a dig when it shouldn't be, especially in this type of context. This group, and the one I was referring to earlier, does not consist of normal bike riders or commuters...these are people with bike racks on their 911s.

Edit: And again, not all roadies fit this, probably most don't, but a large number do, which is why I think companies love to target them.

 

You don't understand the physics and no one wants to see your moobs.

Edit: I'm partially joking and have run shirtless a few times myself, but the truth is road bike saddles are supposed to be hard. The soft ones will get out of whack quickly. You don't have to like it, even though I don't understand why you would give a shit one way or another, but the things are that way for a reason.

 

Sorry dude but no that won't cut it. If you're into riding and can honestly tell me you regularly do 50, 60, 70+ mile rides in regular shorts, then a ton of respect, and you must have a gooch made of granite. If you don't, then I guess this is like telling an AAL drinker why I'd rather drink a 55F RIS out of a snifter, than an ice cold bud.

I do a long ride (70-110 miles) every week, and see hundreds of other riders out on the road each time. I'd say I see someone wearing "normal" clothes about once a month.