Funny you should say that. Even if I say hello, it's generally 2 types of riders that don't respond. First, the student-age road guy and second, the MTBer. Both probably feel they have little in common with me
Code of the road.
- Thread starter Rapparee87
- Start date
minor_LEGEND
Senior Retro Guru
Carbon bike & Rapha clothing wearer here, I tend to acknowledge anyone on 2 wheels, I stopped to check someone was OK that appeared to be fixing a puncture the other day instead of just riding on by. Like a lot of customs, I dare say this practice is likely to fall by the wayside as time goes on, youngsters less likely to leave the house or look up from their smartphone screen.
Gtpulse
Dyna-Tech Fan
Hmph, cafe stop mid ride last week. Just about to go in and order my cake(s) and coffee when I heard some trendy freewheel noises. Small group of cyclists dressed like tadpoles filed in to the cafe, I waited outside to say hello, not a single one giving any sign of acknowledgement when I said hello mate. Admittedly I was in my shorts and T-shirt and maybe didn’t look the part.
Did you have an unkempt beard, a dog, an upturned hat and sat by the entrance?
Helmut Head
Dirt Disciple
Out yesterday morning (in Brittany, France) we passed several solitary riders and small groups - had an hello and wave from them all. It's normally just the youngsters who don't acknowledge us old gits!
Gtpulse
Dyna-Tech Fan
Maybe should have been!
There's some truth in that. A few weeks ago one of our gang fell a bit behind, so we were waiting just after a junction. A young lad, an all carbon type, comes past just ignoring us. I shouts our Hello in a kind of sarcastic "there's fellow cyclists here" tone. He looks round, then comes back to us and asks if I know him. I says no and asks why he would think that. He said it was the way in which I greeted him. So I explained that it had been a sarcastic Hello because he'd totally blanked us. I also tried to mellow it by saying I was old, grumpy and knackered. Turns out he was a student at one of our unis and was a really nice lad. I explained how all cyclists had this camaraderie and it was bad form to not acknowledge each other. He'd had no idea that this was a thing, but said he'd remember for the future
Moral of the story is, yes it's often the young, but this probably more often them not knowing the rules than being arses
bikeworkshop
Senior Retro Guru
Rule no1:
Be friendly.
Historically cyclists greet each other to signify their help is available in an emergency like an accident or a breakdown.
Motorists used to do this in the early days.
I had an incident where a man jumped out of his car and threatened to stab me for not getting out of his way fast enough when he wanted to reverse at a junction...
( I don't think he understood how hard it is to reverse down a hill on a racing bike
)
A group of deliveroo cyclists waiting to pick up at the adjacent restaurant just stood there watching
I dont think they would say hello.
Be friendly.
Historically cyclists greet each other to signify their help is available in an emergency like an accident or a breakdown.
Motorists used to do this in the early days.
I had an incident where a man jumped out of his car and threatened to stab me for not getting out of his way fast enough when he wanted to reverse at a junction...
( I don't think he understood how hard it is to reverse down a hill on a racing bike
)A group of deliveroo cyclists waiting to pick up at the adjacent restaurant just stood there watching
I dont think they would say hello.
They're not cyclists anyway. Never seen them turn a crank. It's basically an electric moped with a chainset and a derailleur.Rule no1:
Be friendly.
Historically cyclists greet each other to signify their help is available in an emergency like an accident or a breakdown.
Motorists used to do this in the early days.
I had an incident where a man jumped out of his car and threatened to stab me for not getting out of his way fast enough when he wanted to reverse at a junction...
( I don't think he understood how hard it is to reverse down a hill on a racing bike
A group of deliveroo cyclists waiting to pick up at the adjacent restaurant just stood there watching
I dont think they would say hello.
The guy you encountered sounds a headcase. Hope you reported him, less for your satisfaction than to what he might do to the next person he doesn't like the look of
ChromeChainstay
Retro Guru
code of the road
"no you don't get to use my extra tube!
"no you don't get to use my extra tube!
