survey - Bicycling

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It’s
all
about
you
When we announced plans
for our Readers’ Choice survey last
November, you took to the challenge
like cyclocross racers to mud. More
than 5,000 of you responded to our
online survey, proving once again the
extent to which our readers embrace
all things cycling. In essence, you
told us that you want to ride more
than you want to do pretty much
anything. (Yeah, even that. See page
54.) We also looked at data from
subscriber surveys and Facebook
polls. So grab a postride IPA (p. 52),
of the average BICYCLING reader.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU: MEET SOME
OF BICYCLING’S READERS—INCLUDING
THE 81 ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE—AT
BICYCLING.COM/READERSCHOICE2012.
50
/
03 2 0 1 2
P H O T O S
still strangely riveting, look at the life
A L L
read on for a not-at-all scientific, but
C O U R T E S Y
put Breaking Away on pause, and
2
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2
R
E
A
D
E
R
S
’
C
H
O
4%
YOUR DEFINITION
OF A LONG RIDE
I
C
E
46%
25 MILES
50 MILES
THE THING YOU MOST WANT TO IMPROVE
YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING RIDING MOMENT
Climbing 42% Endurance 24% Descending 9%
Sprinting 8% Bunny-hopping 5% Learning to wheelie 5%
Pack etiquette 4% Blowing a snot rocket 3%
Failing to clip out in time 55% Getting dropped 14%
Endo 12% Getting lost 10% Ripping your shorts 3%
Running into an animal 3% Puking 2%
WHEN YOU GET
A FLAT, YOU...
Use a CO2 inflator 50%
Use a pump 39%
Call a friend 3% Let your
tubeless tires seal 3%
Wait for help 1%
(For the 4% of you who
dejectedly walk home:
BICYCLING.com/fixaflat.)
To stay healthy (79%)
For fun (73%)
To reduce stress (67%)
To look better (46%)
WHY YOU RIDE
90%
OF YOU HAVE INTRODUCED AT LEAST
ONE OTHER PERSON TO CYCLING
(
25% OF YOU HAVE SPREAD
THE TWO-WHEELED GOSPEL TO
SIX OR MORE LUCKY SOULS
YOUR
FIVE
FAVORITE
CYCLING
MOVIES
52
)
#1. Breaking Away
#2. Race Across the Sky
#3. American Flyers
#4. (tie) A Sunday in Hell
and “any Danny
MacAskill video”
/
03 2 0 1 2
YOUR FAVORITE MIDRIDE FUELS
#1. Energy gels or chews #2. Energy bars #3. Bananas
#1. Beer #2. Chocolate milk #3. Coffee
SEE P. 28
IF YOU’RE
AMONG THE
5%
YOUR FAVORITE
POSTRIDE BEVERAGES
WHO GRAB A
CONVENIENCESTORE
TREAT.
GUSTATORY
CHOICES OF
THREE RIDERS
WE’D PREFER
NOT TO PEDAL
BEHIND
Other Stuff that Goes into the Tank:
HONEY STINGER WAFFLES, NUTELLA,
PIEROGIES, FRESH PINEAPPLE, LICORICE,
OREOS, MEATLOAF, SOUR PATCH KIDS,
ENSURE, HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES,
CHOCOLATE-COVERED ESPRESSO BEANS
Q “Turkey and jalapeño omelet at the Potato Shack,
with 20 ounces of coffee” Q “Chili dogs and
pepperoni pizza with kimchi” Q “String cheese,
hard-boiled eggs, and cold beer”
FOR EVEN MORE RESULTS, VISIT BICYCLING.COM/READERSCHOICE2012.
37%
100 MILES
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU ON DIFFICULT CLIMBS?
The embarrassment of finishing last 37% The descent 36%
Beer 10% An attractive man or woman 9% The thought of your
significant other getting angry at your tardiness 5% An éclair 4%
ANYONE FOR
PEDALING
WITH YOUR
SIGNIFICANT
OTHER ON A
TANDEM?
I’ll try anything
once 39%
Yes—it would
be a great way
for us to ride
together 30%
No way 31%
13%
100+ MILES
Your
Best Rides
“A race, a tactic, a result.”
“Realizing at the end of a busy
day that I biked everywhere
and feel better for it.”
“Cheese, bread, and wine in
panniers.”
“Massachusetts, Connecticut,
New York, Massachusetts—
all before lunch.”
“The first day I was able to get
on my bike after six months
of cancer treatment.”
“Touring Sicily, climbing
Mount Erice. At the top,
go to Valderici for cannoli as
big as your head.”
“If you’ve had only one best
day on a bike, you’re not
doing it right.”
CLIMBING TIPS FROM A HILL-LOVING READER
IF YOU CAN’T RIDE AT A RELATIVELY HIGH CADENCE, AT LEAST MAINTAIN A SMOOTH
PEDAL STROKE. IF YOU HAVE ANY DEAD SPOTS, YOU’LL LOSE MOMENTUM, AND
YOU’LL NEED TO COMPENSATE BY WORKING HARDER. IF THE SMALL CHAINRING
AND LARGE COG COMBINATION IS WHAT YOU NEED, PUT YOUR EGO ASIDE AND USE
IT. THE ENERGY YOU SAVE WILL BE WORTH IT LATER IN YOUR RIDE.—CHRIS RIVERA
STUFFING THE BALLOT BOX?
THE TITLE OF FAVORITE CYCLING PERSONALITY WAS SO COVETED,
SOME NOMINATED BLOGGERS CAMPAIGNED ONLINE FOR YOUR AFFECTION
F
at Cyclist attacked first.
“If we rode together,
I would bring snacks.
Your favorite snacks,” he
wrote on his blog. “If there
were a headwind, I would
pull my share of the time.
I would express interest in
your tattoo.” Fatty also had
stern warnings for anyone
who voted for his opponents—
predicting that Bike Snob
NYC, for one, would “demand
that you ride with him in New
York City, where you will most
assuredly be T-boned, run over,
and mugged, and have your
bike stolen.”
Snob, however, was willing
to concede victory. “I’m
probably the second-lamest
choice on that menu after Tour
de France devil Didi Senft, who
is clearly a bona-fide lunatic,
and by all accounts, smells,”
he responded. “I wouldn’t even
want to ride with me...in fact,
I often show up late for solo
rides in order to avoid myself.”
In the end, Fatty did prevail,
taking 45 percent of the vote.
But all’s not lost for BSNYC—he
still received more votes than
Phil Liggett, Frankie Andreu,
and the devil combined. And in
the process, we learned a few
things about their fans: You’ll
find them at BICYCLING.com/
bloggerbattle.
32%
OF YOU COPPED TO SKIPPING WORK
SO YOU COULD RIDE.
OUR FAVORITE JUSTIFICATIONS:
“I got lost riding my bike to work.”
“I had good legs.”
“I got chased by a boar
(actually, that really happened).”
“Religious holiday
(Eddy Merckx’s birthday)”
“I was throwing up
(as in, throwing up my hands as
I won my imaginary sprint).”
“I have to chaperone a group
of underprivileged kids on a
whale-watching trip.”
(
68%
WHY THE OTHER
TELL THE TRUTH:
“I SAID I FELT FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS
COMING ON. THEN I BROKE MY
COLLARBONE ON A DESCENT.”
)
R
GA R
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HAIRY
IRY
ID E
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RG Y B
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ER E
M
LY
O OST
U
T S L IK
IDE ELY
IN T O
T
H E RI D
EN TAN
CO E
TH DE
LD
U M
S
IA S
TS
SU
S
SHAVE
ST L
I
SIC KELY
K T TO
OR
I
SA
NN
SC H
WO
R A ULD
C YC THER G MUCH
L IN
G TH IVE UP
AN S
MO
ST L
EX
I
K
E
WA
LY
RID N T T O T O
M A D E WI T H
O NN
A
WI
HER
RAT H
D
L
U
IT
WO I D E W R N E
R D BY
I
DAV THAN DY
BR A
TOM
TR
OS
R A LEI
CHI
ADMIRERS OF
ANDY SCHLECK
A R S O N RI D E S
FANS
O
F
T
HE
OF BEL TRIPLETS
LEVILLE
MOST
WANT LIKELY TO
T
O
ORLAN RIDE WITH
D O BL O
OM
PE
B
L
CIA
INK
EBE
NW
E
ISS
(P.
48
DR
GI A N T
C E RV É LO
FEL
T
IL K
S
EM
FA
N
PAR WANT
N
T
O
O
F
RID TANDE
IN G
M
D
LAT
E
AV
D
D
IZE
E
SH
SHAVE
R
GH
Ride like you are invisible and motorists are blind.
DA L
SH A
V ED
ON
SHAVED
NN
V ED
SH A
CHRISSIE
WELLINGTON
FANS
V ED
SH A
JA
M
M
IS
J EL O S T
LY LIK
BE EL
AN Y T
SO OE
N R AT
TH LIVE
ID E
E D FO
S
ES R
CE
WO
NT
UL
DR
AT
O S T RI D E C H
OCO
HAIRY
E
CA
IF YOU’RE
A GUY,
YOUR LEGS
ARE...
C
E N J OY P
RY
I
CK
BL A R
E
FER
P R E C K S OV
S O HIT E
W
H AI
O
MCCONAUGHEY
T HE W
L
MAT
T H L L ENH A A
WI
Y
ID E K E G
R R N JA
HE T H A
IRY
YOUR BEST ADVICE
HAIRY
Sometimes it is
about the bike:
It turns out there
really is a correlation between the
brand name on
your down tube
and your riding
preferences.
Here’s what we
found—the good,
the bad, and the
horny (we’re
talking to you,
Schwinn owners).
H
L LO
FANS
SUNDA OF A
Y IN HE
LL
MOST L
IKELY
TO DRIN
E SP RE K
S
P OS T R S O
IDE
I S T H E IR
ONG
S T R ER
M
A R T E RID
I
CE
AN AVOR
L
F
Y
IN
LL
CA
DE
HA
S
C
PIN ARE
HER
IKELY
MOST L M OF
A
E
TO DR IRS
ÉCL A S
B
ON CLIM
EK
O2
RC S
FE T O R E
E
PR FL A A M
IN O FR P S
T UM
P
’
BI A N
TR
WHAT YOUR
BIKE SAYS
ABOUT YOU
Y F IS
S
IRY
E
EA
D
OTS OF
DUCE L CLING
INTRO
E TO C Y
PEOPL
LIKELY
MOST OP
TO P IE
EL
A WHE
A
THE BOOK BIKE SNOB, BY
LOVE
E
B
IA N
OR
AB
R F RA
FO L A
TO R
O T C EL
RO C AN
ELY INE
L IK R A
S T E T ER
M O E T H WIN T
R I D IN
R
OLL
2
BR
1
BO
0
OF
2
—Lili Merritt
It’s always colder than it seems when you’re standing around before the ride. Do yourself a favor and layer. —Irvin Smith
Upgrade your body before you start upgrading your bike. —Quintin Nobleza
Don’t forget to bring your front wheel.
—Jesus Vega
Don’t be afraid to adjust or replace your seat, bar, stem, or whatever it takes to be comfortable on your bike. —Michael W. Schick
A SLEEVELESS
JERSEY WITH ARM
WARMERS
What’s the
worst style sin a cyclist
can commit?
GISELE
BÜNDCHEN
The celebrity
you most
want to ride with
PATRICK
DEMPSEY*
WHICH WOULD YOU
RATHER GIVE UP FOR A MONTH,
SEX OR CYCLING
WHITE
SHORTS
He Said
She Said
SEX
You’re
all
fans of
KRISTIN
ARMSTRONG
50%
?
58%
Your favorite
male pro is
JENS VOIGT
54
/
03 2 0 1 2
LEVI
LEIPHEIMER
*Totally doable, ladies: BICYCLING.com/dempseychallenge
CYCLING
50%
SHAVED LEGS
ON MALE CYCLISTS:
YEA OR NAY
YES
64%
42%
46%
?
NO
54%
36%