Saluting other cyclists, what's the protocol?

mikemac

First all, I come from motorbiking where it's the done thing to salute or nod at other bikers.
Not in traffic obviously, but definitly on a sunny day in a lovely area........like today.

Went cycling from city centre, did a lap of Howth Hill today and back again.
Saluted every cyclist and every cyclist group on Howth Hill and only two acknowleged me

What's the story?

Caroline_ie

micmclo wrote: »

First all, I come from motorbiking where it's the done thing to salute or nod at other bikers.
Not in traffic obviously, but definitly on a sunny day in a lovely area........like today.

Went cycling from city centre, did a lap of Howth Hill today and back again.
Saluted every cyclist and every cyclist group on Howth Hill and only two acknowleged me

What's the story?

I usually nod or wave slightly or just smile... depending on if I need my 2 hands on the bars or not ...

Bicyclegadabout

People are pricks?


I'm surprised by that actually. Of course you should say hello to people, makes the world a better place. I haven't found any such ignorance while darting round myself.

Don't worry dude, I'll say hello whenever I see you.

cunnins4

I find most'll give the wave except for the ultra-super-dooper equipped- helmet, sunnies, big expensive jersies and gloves. I think it's cos a lot of the non-waving guys don't actually enjoy cycling and are out doing it to lose the belly. Probably went into cycleways and spent a bomb on cycling gear to "get fit" and then found out it's not as easy as it looks!

Don't worry, when everyone gets their boards jerseys it'll be waves from everyone!

Raam

I'll always give a nod, wave, or a hello, unless I'm smashed and have enough trouble turning the pedals already

tunney

What is a cyclist?
Is it someone who is on a bicycle or is it more than that?

kenmc

^ Good question.
I think in the context of this thread, a cyclist is someone who is on a bike by choice rather than necessity - i.e. they choose to get up and go out and exert themselves going up and down hills or long distances, rather than needing to get to work/school/college/a-to-b whatever.

And in the that context, I wouldn't normally salute a commuter, but would salute 'cyclists' and have always received a salute in return.

ba

true it does make the world a nicer place. you never know when you may need that person you waved to half an hour ago to give you a hand fixing a puncture or whatnot.

TinyExplosions

tunney wrote: »

What is a cyclist?
Is it someone who is on a bicycle or is it more than that?

This will tell you what a cyclist is

tunney

HA HA read that recently as well.

I think its a hard one to call to be honest.

Gotta love DaveZ....

Ghost Rider

I made the very same trip yesterday morning and found nearly everybody responded to my single-fingered salute (no, not that finger!).

I always do it when I'm on my road bike even if I suspect I won't get a response, as I think it generally improves the atmosphere.

For some reason, though, it never occurs to me to do it when I'm commuting...!

QUOTE=micmclo;55844293]First all, I come from motorbiking where it's the done thing to salute or nod at other bikers.
Not in traffic obviously, but definitly on a sunny day in a lovely area........like today.

Went cycling from city centre, did a lap of Howth Hill today and back again.
Saluted every cyclist and every cyclist group on Howth Hill and only two acknowleged me

What's the story?[/QUOTE]

smithslist

Ghost Rider wrote: »

I always do it when I'm on my road bike even if I suspect I won't get a response, as I think it generally improves the atmosphere.

I always do it, cycling is too small of a sport to have a bad atmosphere in it, even thou i dont always get an acknowledgment back......but that doesnt bother me

thou its funny when u meet someone on some isolated mountain, u catch him\her and go by and "say hello", doin it out of sincerity......but not thinkin that you just gave the person a big bloody fright.....:D:D:D

studiorat

Motorbike to motorbike I found it more common. I always found fellow motorcyclists a friendlier bunch than the fellow cyclists. No matter what you are riding, you'll get the nod off the bikers. Actually now that I think about it, the last time I was up the phoenix park on my mountain bike all I got was a sneer from a pair of arseh0les in tights, passing by.

smithslist

studiorat wrote: »

Motorbike to motorbike I found it more common. I always found fellow motorcyclists a friendlier bunch than the fellow cyclists. No matter what you are riding, you'll get the nod off the bikers. Actually now that I think about it, the last time I was up the phoenix park on my mountain bike all I got was a sneer from a pair of arseh0les in tights, passing by.

i would say thou....since the good weather is out, there is alot more of cyclists out so the proportion of not receiving a acknowledgment is higher.......

for a club cyclists, who is wearing club gear there is no excuse for not returning an acknowledgment back.....

studiorat

Mind you, around Howth is as much of a commute as it is a training spin, so there could be a reason for it there.

Supercell

I was out this evening and must have got at least five or six hellos or nods between Laragh and Annamoe, maybe it was pity at my huffing and puffing

sy

cunnins4 wrote: »

I find most'll give the wave except for the ultra-super-dooper equipped- helmet, sunnies, big expensive jersies and gloves. I think it's cos a lot of the non-waving guys don't actually enjoy cycling and are out doing it to lose the belly. Probably went into cycleways and spent a bomb on cycling gear to "get fit" and then found out it's not as easy as it looks!

Brilliant cunnins4, laughed out loud when I read this.

paddyb

dont get many salutes for my commute but when im out in the evenings or weekends, you always get a nod from another roadie

bunnygreen

a little wave of the right hand.

irishmotorist

I probably got half and half out around the back of west Dublin at the w/end. 5 or 6 acknowledgements and 5 or 6 not. I would generally try to give a small right hand acknowledgement - lift the had a bit.

It's hard to know if you've been seen with sunglasses though - you don't know how beat down the other guy is.

daymobrew

micmclo wrote: »

Saluted every cyclist and every cyclist group on Howth Hill and only two acknowleged me

I waved at a number of cyclists on Howth Hill and wasn't acknowledged my many. It could be that they a) didn't see my wave, b) too tired, c) I looked back to the road before they acknowledged, d) their wave was too subtle to see etc.

trek climber

Did a long spin down in the Wicklow mountains last Sunday morning and we met a lot of cyclists along the route - would have to say that the majority of cyclists did acknowledge us. What was noticable was the amount of motor cyclists along the route, it seemed that a small number of them were trying to see how close they could get to us and they passed.
Scared the s... out of us on a number of occasions.

PeadarofAodh

I remember the first time I went for a proper spin and headed out to Blessington, all the unexpected waving and nodding made me feel all warm inside! Thinking about developing a ridiculously over-the-top acknowledgement a la Arnold Rimmer (Red Dwarf). The old flowery military salute - won't miss that one! Now to practice not going over the handlebars while using it...

Bicyclegadabout

The farmers wave will be my new salute:
Flick the wrist to show the back of the hand with all the fingers pointing downwards. Mouth open, wink, and hop up and down in the saddle as if you’re bouncing around a tractor.

tunney

was out for a spin yesterday towards howth - all the "cyclists" bar one muppet in ireland gear said hello. Said muppet was on a flash race bike with flash wheels going slower than me on my fixie with a big bag (out and back course so i caught and past him).

THink the protocol is if you're a knob don't say hello. If you're not a know say hello.

Raam

A lot of it is to do with kinship and recognition of someone who is the same as yourself. So you give the nod to someone who is your perceived equal.

PeadarofAodh

Raam wrote: »

A lot of it is to do with kinship and recognition of someone who is the same as yourself. So you give the nod to someone who is your perceived equal.

So I should stop nodding and waving to small girls scootering along on the pavement?

Raam

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

So I should stop nodding and waving to small girls scootering along on the pavement?

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting a response like that!

cowan

studiorat wrote: »

the last time I was up the phoenix park on my mountain bike all I got was a sneer from a pair of arseh0les in tights, passing by.

Seconded.

There seems to be quite a bit of rivalry (thats not the right word, but it's all that comes to mind at this early hour) between roadies and mtbr's. I cycle both, and if I was say going up Howth on the mtb, and nodded/saluted at a roadie, I'd get a sneers, or a disdainful look. But if I did the same route on the roadie the next day, and saw the same roadies, and nodded at them, I'd get a wave back.

Either way, whatever bike I'm on, I usually give the nod.

niceonetom

i commute on a fixed gear and do most of my mid-week-spins on it too and i've found that other fixed gear people (of whom there are more and more these days) are very reticent to acknowledge me. not sure why this is. there's definitely a 'too-cool-for-school' mentality among some, who seem to be completely blind to people who wear any form of cycle-specific clothing (e.g. me). my theory is that they're used to being given evils by the couriers and think that's how people with no gears should act. i think it's called insouciance... very irritating.

roadies will nearly always give you a nod though.

Gavin

Yeah, I'm always keeping an eye out for fixies/singlespeeds to say hello to. Very few people do.

Couriers are impressive at their sneering. I was stopped at the lights, saw two of them across the road. One of them pointed at my bike and the other laughed. I cryed on the inside all the way home.

A lot of it is to do with kinship and recognition of someone who is the same as yourself. So you give the nod to someone who is your perceived equal.

How exactly do you judge the other cyclist to be your equal and if they merit a hello ?