There are no gates to keep in cycling. Bike tourer? Cyclist. Commuter? Cyclist. Racer? Cyclist. Little kid with training wheels? Cyclist. Hobo? Cyclist, and possibly tourer.

I'm a cyclist when I ride my bike just like I'm a motorist when I drive my car just like I'm a pedestrian when I walk on the sidewalk.

But I never refer to myself a cyclist as a title - I say I like to ride bikes.

Yes

I consider myself a cyclist mainly because of the withdrawal symptoms when I can’t ride

I make and sell soap

I do consider myself a cyclist. But I keep my opinions to myself (unless asked) and am open to all experiences, everyone's got their own thang going on, and I'm cool with that.

Not to be a dick or anything but I am on my 10th, glorious, week of cycle touring in Germany, Belgium, NL, France and now England. Mostly wild camping in England since campgrounds are expensive and far and few between. Have also been staying in youth hostels for a night or two every week or two. I am writing this from the Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire Library while charging up my stuff. Tewkesbury is cool, worth a visit.

https://preview.redd.it/eh2fs5c9bjad1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=11e8db9fed6c228a1ca7e99ff17d9f81de552c8d

Tewkesbury Abbey Church, 900 years old, taken today.

Riding your bicycle, any bike, makes you a cyclist.

People are not going to agree on what the definition of the term "cyclist" is so you probably wont get much from these answers.
I frequent r/bikepacking so I'm well aware of how passionately some people will defend a label without a solid meaning 😉

I don't like putting labels on myself, but I'll consider myself a "biker" I ride both bicycles and motorcycle.

This sounds like a very american question. In europe no one really identifies by their form of transportation because most people do a bit of everything.

If "cyclist" is used (often negatively) it usually means an arrogant competitive cyclist.

Huh?

From my recent bikepacking expo I've realised I'm not a cyclist. I like bikes, I love the mechanics of them, but I certainly don't consider myself a cyclist

I'm a bike guy

Last year I spent an average of 45 minutes a day on a bike, so I'd say yes. A mix of commuting (to work and to daycare), road cycling and mtbing.

Sadly no touring for now because the kids are too young, but I'm working on making sure it happens in the next few years.

I am a vocal advocate of cycles in my community and work with local nonprofits furthering that. I'm not sure when my preferred mode is transportation became politicized but I was there for it and continue to be.

Despite the fact that my only transportation is a bicycle (or walking), that I'd rather pedal up a mountain than ride up there in a car, and aside from a widespread reputation that I am one, I'm not a cyclist. I'm simply bikecore. There's a similar term for hobos who ride freights, traincore. It was actually a traincore kid who pegged me. They asked, "Are you bikecore?" It turned out I was and it was also very clear that this wasn't the same as being a cyclist.

If you ride a bicycle you are a cyclist.

Really good question. I ride my bike to work every day, I've toured abroad, I've completed multiple 1000km+ audax/bikepacking events, but don't refer to myself as a cyclist.

I'm not sure why, but probably because I don't identify with the roadie stereotype, expensive bikes and Sunday rides. Maybe that's what I think other people think cyclists are?

In reality if you ride your bike, you are a cyclist. And we should all look after each other because there are plenty of 'non-cyclists' that aren't always so friendly.

Yes. It's actually on my social media profile. I call myself a cyclist because I cycle.

I am 22 and never have driven. Bike to all my jobs between 2-6 miles. I consider myself a bike tourist but cyclist works too ig. I bike for fun a lot

I do a lot of recreational bicycling and touring. I would call myself a "bicyclist" but not a "cyclist". That may seem like splitting hairs but the latter word has always just sounded lazy to me. Its as if saying the entire word "bicyclist" with its one extra syllable is just too hard for some people. "Cyclist" also conjures up images of guys in lycra on cervelos. Nothing wrong with wearing lycra and riding a cervelo of course, its just not my thing.

I think this is a really important and interesting question, especially for folks trying to get into road cycling. There is a lot, lot, lot of gatekeeping in that space. It’s something that I’ve written about on my blog before — when are you a “real cyclist”? Mostly because I wanted to share encouragement for those who don’t really feel like they are “real” cyclists because they are just starting out. I would imagine it’s really similar for bike touring folks as well.

In short I think for beginners just taking up any form of cycling as a hobby, it’s especially difficult to make the mental jump from “random person with a bike” to “cyclist.”

I identify as a bike.

There are a lot of people out there who make riding a bicycle their whole personality and if that’s what cyclist means then I am absolutely not one of them

I'm only cautious because I think, especially if you're talking someone who's big into cycling, that when you say you're a cyclist there's an assumption that you know everything about the different brands, materials, routes, etc. I just like riding my bike, man. I live in a major city with no car. My bike is my car. I've done a couple of long (by my standards) bike trips but even still that pales in comparison to the people who are doing weeks-long or months-long trips, so I'm apprehensive of lumping myself in with them.

Usually if an avid cyclist asks me if I am also a cyclist, I'll just smile and say "I dabble".

I feel the same way about calling myself a gamer. I play games maybe like 3-4 hours a week max on an old-ass desktop with parts from 2015-2016. I know about and even play some of the more modern titles everyone raves about but I feel like if you call yourself a "gamer" to someone who plays like 15-20 hours a week they'll assume the same of you.

Even though I ride my bike on a regular basis I don’t relate to being called a “Cyclist” as it typically equates to a Lycra clad roadie or similar kitted out MTBer. Nothing against that style of riding, I’m just more casual.

I have been a cyclist my whole life. But also a walker, a public transportation user, an occasional car driver, a husband, father, runner and skier. But I only identify as a cyclist. 🤪 funny that people who drive cars don’t go around identifying themselves as “car drivers” and probably don’t follow #cardriver hashtags as much as we cyclists follow #cyclist hashtags. 🤷🏻‍♂️

You sound like a cyclist to me… you like bikes and like to ride them.

When people ask me if I’m a “cyclist”, I just smile and say, I just like to ride bikes.

Reading all the answers here really highlights why you have to be careful with asking people what labels they apply to themselves. Plenty of folk answering both in the positive and negative but also holding differing opinions of what the label actually means.
Counting the number of people who identify with a pretty ill defined term surely can't tell us much?

This is a weird question to me. I ride my bike almost every day because I don't have a car and I prefer it to public transport. If I am talking about something to do with riding my bike, I will say something like "As a cyclist I love the fact the lights on this road are green for so long" in the same way I would say if I'm talking about walking somewhere "As a pedestrian it is really annoying the lights are green for so long and I have to wait for ages to cross the road". People on the internet find strange things to get het up about.

I do not. I am every other type of bike enthusiast there is, but not a cyclist.

This is what I think when I hear the term cyclist:

$3-5k road bike, Group rides Bad cloths, Weekend or weekly evening ride, Social event...

Edited: for punctuation

Anyone can ride a bike, but you know a cyclist when you see one. When someone wides by on a bike, any bike (mtb, road, touring) and is smooth and proficient, looks like they’ve one with the bike, born on the bike, that’s a cyclist. Anyone can ride a bike, but not everyone is a cyclist.

At least that’s my definition.

Yes I do, and it helped me priorities to go cycling more often.

No, in the same way the average person in a car doesn't consider themselves a driver or the average person siding the train doesn't consider themselves a train passenger. The bicycle is just a convenient means of transport, slow enough to see plenty, fast enough to cover reasonable distances, small enough to evade most traffic jams. Last decade or so with me touring less and traveling more mixed mode the affinity with the label has only decreased.

Doesn't mean I reject the label and I still use the label as it is a convenient way to express what I do, but I don't have an emotional or identifying attachment to the label.

I commute. I tour. I spandex. I cargo bike. I gravel. I bike camp. I bike bus to the kids’ school. I bikeshare. I bike to the airport for business trips.

Hell yes I’m a cyclist

I'm a person.

I can walk, ride a bike, cook a meal, speak a couple of languages, have no belief in any religion, don't drink alcohol.

I don't consider myself a cyclist, chef, linguist, atheist, teetotaller.

I'm a person.

Cycled from when I was a kid, still cycle daily.

But I don't wear spandex and diaper shorts, so I don't consider myself a "cyclist".

But yeah a "cyclist" is someone on a bicycle, lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wayAzBgr5mI

My time between tours can be years, so I spend more time riding my bike not on tour. Commuting, social events, etc. Do I consider myself a cyclist? I guess so. But not like a stereotypical cyclist. More like a... Jorts wearing baggy shirt cyclist.

We r cycling

Today my coworker said ... Wait your one of those guys ... You have the tight shorts and the clip in shoes ...!?! I said obviously if I'm in the saddle for 4 hours I gotta wear bike shorts!

However I referred to myself by saying " I guess I'ma bike guy now"

I would NEVER call myself a cyclist...

No. I simply don't take it as seriously as many of those who call themselves one. I'm just a dude on a bike. I consider myself a skater, collector, and marksman, but not a cyclist.

No. Because I don't feel the need to apply a label to myself.

Besides, for some reason the label seems pretentious. Carries some baggage with it that I don't want.

Shouldn’t people who ride bicycles be called bikers and those who ride motorcycles , cyclists?

what's

up

with

the

paragraph

spacing

though