On Jul 14, 11:51*am, Papa Tom wrote:
Can somebody explain to me why so many bicyclists are so angry? *I
used to think it was ME and I used to take it personally when people
on these groups responded to my posts with sarcasm, bitterness, and
just plain rudeness. *Then I realized that, no matter what I post,
there are always scores of cyclists out there waiting to twist words
around, misinterpret intentions, and blast back with a barrage of
really nasty stuff.

It is known that certain types of personalities are drawn to certain
types of activities. *For me, bicycling has always been a social
thing, so I really enjoy sharing the experience with people, either in
person or on these groups. *But it seems there are many, many cyclists
of the variety that prefers to ride alone, yell at children who get in
their way on a bike path, and make crap out of anyone who posts
anything on a cycling news group.

Has anyone ever done or seen a study about the Bicycling Personality;
i.e. what makes certain types of people get into bicycling?

You can find the exact same type of posts in just about any newsgroup
regardless of the subject. It's a byproduct of the relative anonymity
of the Internet. As for any "Bicycling Personality", I don't believe
there is one. The regulars here are a very diverse group with widely
differing attitudes and opinions about a multitude of subjects. I'd
venture a guess that we all agree on just three things. First, that
bicycles are cool. Second, we are tired of spam postings. Third,
Commandante Banana is a pain. (But I repeat myself with the latter
two.)

Regards,
Bob Hunt