Research articles and statistical reports avoid "cyclist," perhaps to prevent confusion with motorcyclists, using "bicyclist" or "pedalcyclist" instead. Newspapers, on the other hand, use "cyclist" to describe anyone riding a bike. History can help, as the first recorded use of "cyclist" (in 1881) was as the name of a magazine for bicycle enthusiasts. Therefore, in my opinion, "cyclist" is most accurately used to describe people who are committed to bicycling. Two other terms are frequently used: "biker" is commonly used by non-cyclists, and "bike people," around since the early 70's, is used by cyclists who wish to emphasize the bicycling lifestyle or culture.
It might not be obvious that cyclists share a lifestyle. In January 1998, I wrote a funny piece about the "True Cyclist" in wreck bikes which generated a flood of postings. It seems that all cyclists share many idiosyncrasies (however oxymoronic that may be) which are not understood by occasional bike riders. Someone with a bicycle in the living room, a knowledge of all the back roads, a bicycle-related key chain, piles of road maps and cycling photos, an enormous appetite, and a two-tone tan is a cyclist beyond question. This is hardly a new discovery: one magazine is named Bike Culture Quarterly and one web site Bike People.
There are important characteristics that cyclists (bike people, if you prefer) most always share: a love of adventure, a strong whiff of self-sufficiency (self-reliance), a strong desire for good healthy exercise, a love of Nature and the outdoors, and tendencies to:
- waste less.
- pay less attention to money.
- not worry about impressing others.
- seek the humble pleasures of life.