Cycling etiquette, meeting other cyclists

Schecter01

This may seem a daft question, but what is the etiquette when a cycling alone and you cross paths with a fellow cyclist.
My reason for asking is a really sound cyclist pulled pulled up alongside me today and started chatting away asking me how my ride was going etc, was a grand bit of Then he went his way and I went mine. Felt really good to have that, wouldn't happen when walking!

Would it be common place to slide up along a fellow chap on his evening spin and engage in chat, or a quick nod suffice? I don't want to come across a weirdo sponging on someone's spin but I don't want to be a rude tit either, what are the "unwritten rules " of cycling etiquette??

Raam

You can talk and look, just don't touch.

Schecter01

That's very helpful thanks! I almost stroked his thighs today so glad now I didn't

Raam

Schecter01 wrote: »

That's very helpful thanks! I almost stroked his thighs today so glad now I didn't

Well that's an easy slip to make.

seamus

When passing a fellow cyclist on an uphill it is mandatory to shift into a gear which makes it looks like you're spinning effortlessly, increase your speed, take one hand off the bars and wave a hearty good morning/afternoon'/evening. Not until you are out of earshot should any heavy breathing or effort on your part be audible to your vanquished foe fellow cyclist.

If you pass out from holding your breath, be sure to claim that a rat crossed your path and caused you to lose control.

Beasty

Raam wrote: »

You can talk and look, just don't touch.

Well actually that very much depends - I know you don't like it, but that Lusk_Doyle fella actively encourages it. I believe he left his old club as he felt his advances were not appreciated, but the club he moved to is renowned for that type of stuff....:pac:

Wishbone Ash

Lads in full Sky kit don't like to be engaged in any conversation even though they will stop elbow to elbow with you.

Raam

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Lads in full Sky kit don't like to be engaged in any conversation even though they will stop elbow to elbow with you.

At least it's not cheek to cheek.

CramCycle

If the speed is the same, or close enough, pull alongside and say hello if you are the persuer. If they look like they are struggling to overtake, say hello and give them the excuse not to push harder. Be nice, have pointless chats about the weather, are they getting out much, hope it's going well this year etc. It's nice to be nice.

If they sit on your wheel without permission or without you knowing them, either hammer it and drop them or after a few minutes turnaround and tell them to F off and call a taxi if they want a lift :eek:

If they overtake you and slow down, either wheel suck if you are tired or pull up beside them, ask them was it worth it, and then hammer it, if this makes you tired take the next turn and rest at the nearest shop, if you feel buzzed, push like hell until the adrenaline wears off :pac:

Of course, you could adapt the first suggestion to suit the other two scenarios and just have a nice day

Of course if you stroke their thigh, and give a wink you'll solve your problem as you will either have a new friend or not see them again until a Garda turns up at your door.

colm_gti

seamus wrote: »

When passing a fellow cyclist on an uphill it is mandatory to shift into a gear which makes it looks like you're spinning effortlessly, increase your speed, take one hand off the bars and wave a hearty good morning/afternoon'/evening. Not until you are out of earshot should any heavy breathing or effort on your part be audible to your vanquished foe fellow cyclist.

If you pass out from holding your breath, be sure to claim that a rat crossed your path and caused you to lose control.

The trick here is to know your surroundings, pass at a time you know there is a turn approaching you can take and heave your guts up into a ditch out of sight and earshot.

Schecter01

I'm so glad I started this thread, nice to see a bit o craic

Schecter01

Hats he said btw

thelawman

I had some weirdo join me for a few km's on the way home on a spin, I was totally bolloxed, I hadn't the energy to even try to drop him, had to listen to him telling me how he never does less than 150kms on a spin etc,

Schecter01

I'd say there's a fair amount of 'bike sizing' going on too, akin to the quick downward look at yer mans lad in the jacks, groupset envy

Raam

Schecter01 wrote: »

I'd say there's a fair amount of 'bike sizing' going on too, akin to the quick downward look at yer mans lad in the jacks, groupset envy

Only for the insecure

Wishbone Ash

Raam wrote: »

Only for the insecure

Ah yes - those who feel the need to inform you that they just happen to be out on the winter bike/commuter bike/weekday bike etc. and that the good bike is at home.

Raam

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Ah yes - those who feel the need to inform you that they just happen to be out on the winter bike/commuter bike/weekday bike etc. and that the good bike is at home.

LOL! I can't remember the last time I rode one of the good bikes... yep... there's more than one of them...

crosstownk

I'd a guy pull along side me a few weeks ago. When he came level he told me that he had eyed me up a while back and was determined to reel me in. Fair enough - no problem there. He seemed like a nice bloke at first but then he started yapping incessantly about this triathlon, that run, etc, etc. He just wouldn't shut up. I'm a yapper myself but I couldn't get a word in edgeways with this guy. I just nodded and grunted monosyllabic responses and slowly upped the pace without killing myself. After 3 or 4km he said 'You go on, son. I'm gonna do my own thing.'

So I went on. Weird out.

I'll usually say hello to a fellow cyclist and maybe have a quick chat but if I get the impression that he/she doesn't want company then I'll carry on without taking offence.

Wishbone Ash

I encounter a very friendly chap occasionally heading north out of Dublin who is an absolute tonic. He rides a fixie and is from the Laytown/Bettytown area. I think he is a cycle courier in the city centre by day. He seems to know every other cyclist on the road and half the motorists too. He's a pleasure to cycle with and just gives me a lift every time he pulls up along side me. For all the distance he seems to cover, he has no interest in Strava, Boards.ie etc. I don't even know his name! Haven't seen him in a while though.

mjsc1970

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I encounter a very friendly chap occasionally heading north out of Dublin who is an absolute tonic. He rides a fixie and is from the Laytown/Bettytown area. I think he is a cycle courier in the city centre by day. He seems to know every other cyclist on the road and half the motorists too. He's a pleasure to cycle with and just gives me a lift every time he pulls up along side me. For all the distance he seems to cover, he has no interest in Strava, Boards.ie etc. I don't even know his name! Haven't seen him in a while though.

Have I got this right, does he ride a fixie to and from town from Laytown?
If he does I have no right ever to whinge about how tough some of my journeys I think they are.

Wishbone Ash

mjsc1970 wrote: »

Have I got this right, does he ride a fixie to and from town from Laytown?
If he does I have no right ever to whinge about how tough some of my journeys I think they are.

Yup - commutes to and from Meath and couriers all day also (well so he claims). Hence my surprise he has no interest in recording rides via Strava etc.

mjsc1970

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Yup - commutes to and from Meath and couriers all day also (well so he claims). Hence my surprise he has no interest in recording rides via Strava etc.

Janey mac altogether.

Eamonnator

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I encounter a very friendly chap occasionally heading north out of Dublin who is an absolute tonic. He rides a fixie and is from the Laytown/Bettytown area. I think he is a cycle courier in the city centre by day. He seems to know every other cyclist on the road and half the motorists too. He's a pleasure to cycle with and just gives me a lift every time he pulls up along side me. For all the distance he seems to cover, he has no interest in Strava, Boards.ie etc. I don't even know his name! Haven't seen him in a while though.

He is indeed from Bettystown. He used cycle with our Sunday morning group. He is a cycle courier. He is an amazing guy, very unassuming and a great cyclist.. He sometimes takes his bike to Dublin on the bus.

laraghrider

Last september I was out on a long one and looking to finish the final 30km (straight country road) strong. I passed a guy who clearly didn't like it and shortly after I passed him I looked back. He was gunning it to get back on the wheel. I chucked and kept on riding. A couple of km later and he finally made it back on. He didn't pull up beside me but half wheeled at the back and announced himself by saying "knew I'd catch you". I said "congratulations but anyone can do that, the trick now is to stay there". He was clearly in bits. I kicked a little a few hundred meters later I hear "ah f**k you then!" as he disappeared off the back wheel.

Usually if someone comes up alongside me though or I come up along side them it'd be a wee chat and see if we are going the same direction and want to work it.

colm_gti

Some might consider me ignorant but when I come upon another cyclist (either passing or being passed) I generally tend to just say hi, give a wave/nod and carry on about my business.

laraghrider

colm_gti wrote: »

Some might consider me ignorant but when I come upon another cyclist (either passing or being passed) I generally tend to just say hi, give a wave/nod and carry on about my business.

Sometimes I do that. I guess it depends on where I am and what not on my own ride.

CramCycle

colm_gti wrote: »

Some might consider me ignorant but when I come upon another cyclist (either passing or being passed) I generally tend to just say hi, give a wave/nod and carry on about my business.

Don't see how thats ignorant, you said hi, you acknowledged them and then got back to what you were at, if nothing else, it seems super polite. It would be ignorant if you just tucked the head down and ignored them completely.

colm_gti

Yeah true enough, my thinking is that if they're passing me they're too strong for me to keep up or if I'm passing them I'm too strong for them to keep up.

ht9zni1gs28crp

aren't cyclists ahead of you targets? Suck the belly in and try and breath normally!

Zorba

Eamonnator wrote: »

He is indeed from Bettystown. He used cycle with our Sunday morning group. He is a cycle courier. He is an amazing guy, very unassuming and a great cyclist.. He sometimes takes his bike to Dublin on the bus.

He's off in Italy as far as i know for a few months. Very nice chap.

On a side note, most people in high viz never say hello..........

Beasty

Zorba wrote: »

On a side note, most people in high viz never say hello..........

Got to disagree there - A couple of guys were sorting out a leak in the office this morning - both were wearing hi-viz and both said "good morning" when I walked past - I know it's not exactly "hello" but it's close enough for me ....

Harrybelafonte

Most people in high viz are confused "motorists"

Bloggsie

Schecter01 wrote: »

This may seem a daft question, but what is the etiquette when a cycling alone and you cross paths with a fellow cyclist.
My reason for asking is a really sound cyclist pulled pulled up alongside me today and started chatting away asking me how my ride was going etc, was a grand bit of Then he went his way and I went mine. Felt really good to have that, wouldn't happen when walking!

Would it be common place to slide up along a fellow chap on his evening spin and engage in chat, or a quick nod suffice? I don't want to come across a weirdo sponging on someone's spin but I don't want to be a rude tit either, what are the "unwritten rules " of cycling etiquette??

Etiquette Rule number 1, dont do the Nelson Muntz(The Simpsons) aka point and laugh when you pass fellow cyclists for they may catch you and beat you with their water bottle or your water bottle!

Euro Fred

I’ll often talk to other riders no bother and give a nod to other lads on the same commute.

CramCycle wrote: »

If they sit on your wheel without permission or without you knowing them, either hammer it and drop them or after a few minutes turnaround and tell them to F off and call a taxi if they want a lift :eek:

i hang on the back of wheels but its more a "try to keep up" than sucking a wheel tbh so don't care if they push on

I used to see a guy all the time on the canal “the bearded Giant” I called him coz he had a beard and rode a Giant.
And the hardest mornings were when I'd see him miles behind and then go hell for leather to try and keep in front of him, which didn't happen that often

lennymc

One of the lads I cycle with would talk to the wall. He waves at every one, says hello to joggers, walkers, people at traffic lights etc. The club is sponsored by Jons engineering and Panda waste, and he loves nothing more that seeing the bin lorry or the big green diggers coming towards him. Big wave, howerya doing etc. It makes his day, but confuses the hell out of the workers. I'm sure if he was on his own, he would talk to himself.

eeeee

I feel like a bit of a dick saying hi to guys I pass out. It feels like I am making fun of them or something. I never feel that when people pass me out though, I think it's nice. I clearly need to adjust my thinking on the matter!

I get a bit awkward when I'm out on my own an there's a group or a few people riding at exactly my speed. I can't hang on and join the back of them as I don't want to interfere with their spin, and I don't want to pass them out and end up just in front of them. I have no idea what to do in such situations. I usually do intervals when that happens, so hang back, interval, recover, interval and so on. That way I avoid the whole situation and get some extra training in!

Zorba

lennymc wrote: »

One of the lads I cycle with would talk to the wall. He waves at every one, says hello to joggers, walkers, people at traffic lights etc. The club is sponsored by Jons engineering and Panda waste, and he loves nothing more that seeing the bin lorry or the big green diggers coming towards him. Big wave, howerya doing etc. It makes his day, but confuses the hell out of the workers. I'm sure if he was on his own, he would talk to himself.

Are u talking about yourself lenny

Schecter01

I'm glad I didn't buy a high viz, though I'd say it's quite clear im a noob, I hate the noob phase, I'll look back on meself in a years time and shudder

wildlifeboy

whats a high viz person? i cycle the odd time and wear a hi viz jacket? do cyclists refer to them as noobs?

eeeee

Schecter01 wrote: »

I'm glad I didn't buy a high viz, though I'd say it's quite clear im a noob, I hate the noob phase, I'll look back on meself in a years time and shudder

Nothing wrong with being a noob, everyone has to start somewhere. I don't see myself ever leaving the noob stage. Once you know a bit you realize just how much else there is to know! (That and my general lack of both knowledge and experience. But still!)

Zorba

Back in my fred days or noob days, way before hiz viz became compulsory for every outdoor activity i used to wear football socks right up to my knees, oh and football shoes with holes drilled in them for cleats and then there were the shorts that were too baggy around the thighs, little did i know.......

Kav0777

gadetra wrote: »

I get a bit awkward when I'm out on my own an there's a group or a few people riding at exactly my speed. I can't hang on and join the back of them as I don't want to interfere with their spin, and I don't want to pass them out and end up just in front of them. I have no idea what to do in such situations. I usually do intervals when that happens, so hang back, interval, recover, interval and so on. That way I avoid the whole situation and get some extra training in!

I had the opposite of that before, when a fella passed me and went about 100m up the road and eased off, looked behind to see me catching up (I should say I hadn't changed pace at all, it was the same as when he passed me.) a look of horror shot across his face and sprinted off for about 100m and then eased up again. I duly closed the gap, again without changing pace. He looked behind, saw me closing again, audibly tutted, and sprinted off for a bit, then eased off again. This went on 3 or 4 more times until I eventually reached the turn for home. It was bizarrely amusing, each time the tutting got louder and I swear I heard him say "FFS" at one stage.

smacl

wildlifeboy wrote: »

whats a high viz person? i cycle the odd time and wear a hi viz jacket? do cyclists refer to them as noobs?

Wouldn't worry about it. If you look at any longish sportive in wet weather you see a mass of neon yellow waterproofs, lots of people use them myself included. Others can't abide them, matter of personal choice.

eeeee

Kav0777 wrote: »

I had the opposite of that before, when a fella passed me and went about 100m up the road and eased off, looked behind to see me catching up (I should say I hadn't changed pace at all, it was the same as when he passed me.) a look of horror shot across his face and sprinted off for about 100m and then eased up again. I duly closed the gap, again without changing pace. He looked behind, saw me closing again, audibly tutted, and sprinted off for a bit, then eased off again. This went on 3 or 4 more times until I eventually reached the turn for home. It was bizarrely amusing, each time the tutting got louder and I swear I heard him say "FFS" at one stage.

I get that an awful lot. I thought it maybe cos they don't want to be 'beaten' by a woman. Even though I'm out doing my own thing, and presumably they are too. I'll never understand that. I had one in particular tell me, after the had done what you describe above to me when I was on my elderly commuter (or superbike to give him his full due!) from UCD to Leeson Street/canal, "You can beat all the boys if you had a bike like mine". Err, I was just cycling into town, completely minding my own business. He had a hole in the árse of his shorts too. that was unpleasant to say the least!

Esroh

smacl wrote: »

Wouldn't worry about it. If you look at any longish sportive in wet weather you see a mass of neon yellow waterproofs, lots of people use them myself included. Others can't abide them, matter of personal choice.

Ah the question is. Are Neon Yellow jackets the Hi Viz being referred to.????

Is it not the HiViz waistcoat that every Co.Co and the Nat Road Saf Authority hand out .

Zorba

I've even seen dogs wearing hi viz...like.....WTF !

cats will be wearing them next..........

Forgot to mention the jersey hanging around me arse during fred days too, arms like 2 match sticks in the sleeves.....

MugMugs

I generally give a wave hello as if I am out Solo then I've got earphones in :eek:

Last Autum though I was out for a quick spin around home. I spied two lads coming home from GAA practice but fairly moving on bikes ahead of me…… I gained on them nice and slowly and just as my front wheel was passing the first cyclist I went in a really low voice "boo"

Retrospecitvely, that wasn't a great idea because I scared the jeepers out of him and he put the foot down trying to chase me down. Best ride I've ever had. never been so wrecked trying to get away

Brian?

If I catch someone

Say hello Pretend to be fresh Mention the weather General small talk about routes Offer them shelter from the wind Slowly up the pace to drop them without appearing to be doing so

If I'm caught

Stare straight ahead and pretend they don't exist Slowly up the pace to drop them without appearing to be doing so If that doesn't work, pretend to have a mechanical

Rambling Man

Not immediately relevant. But not long after I started cycling, I came in one day and Rambling Woman asked me if there were many cyclists out.

I told her "loads, but almost all of them on the other side of the road" She sat me down and after going through a few diagrams I realised I'd had a Dougal moment.

Muahahaha

I find cycling etiquette a bit bizarre tbh. I mainly cycle alone and usually meet 3 or 4 cyclists coming the other direction. I also ride a motorbike and (in general) when you meet another biker coming the other way he will give a nod and I'll do likewise. I've had some bikers go further than that such as sticking their leg out as much as possible as they go by, just to give you a bit of a laugh. But when I first got back into cycling I presumed the tradition in motorbiking would hold true in cycling too and I used to nod constantly at cyclists coming the other way, just as a kind of an acknowledgement that we're both into the same sport and also for the sake of friendliness. Not once did I get a nod back so I stopped doing it as I felt like a twat never getting an acknowledgement from other cyclists.

wanderer 22

Muahahaha wrote: »

But when I first got back into cycling I presumed the tradition in motorbiking would hold true in cycling too and I used to nod constantly at cyclists coming the other way. Not once did I get a nod back so I stopped doing it.

Not once? Maybe you're nodding to the wrong cyclists( wouldnt give 'the nod' to someone on a dublin bike like) but if I'm out on a spin I'd say the vast majority of cyclists I give 'the nod' to will return it