1 or 2 of em out there

[luplowe]

Ive been riding for about 5 months now doing 2 hundred odd mi,les a week mostly on the racer but a fair bit on the mtb. and it strikes me there could be a little bit of snobbery from us racer bods . when I'm on the racer i have to admit Ive got all the gear and do look the part at least. and when someone comes the other way on a racer they all ways give you the nod as i do. but not so with the mtb quite offen they just keep looking foreword and give you a total blank. maybe cos the mtb is a bit more jump on it and of you go perhaps the manky old shorts and the paint stained tshirt doesn't appeal to them as much . but anyway I'm not generalizing we all no most cyclists are very decent people. but i think there are one or two snobs out there, thats england i guess,,

 

[Noodley]

....thats england i guess,,

Yep, you Englandshire lot are very strange.

 

[Globalti]

Every cyclist gets the nod from me.

But when I'm driving my Land Rover only drivers of proper "square" Land Rovers get a finger raised in greeting and that's only if they're old or obviously cherished and modified, so I guess that makes me a snob.

 

[Alan Frame]

Every cyclist gets the nod from me.

But drivers of Land Rovers get a finger raised .

 

[John the Monkey]

I wave or nod to all cyclists, unless I'm negotiating particularly tricky bits of road/traffic.

 

[numbnuts]

I'm a nod or wave person no matter what they ride

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Depends how I feel. Sometimes I nod, sometimes not. Certainly never at other commuters, in my experience they're just trying to get to work and happen to be on a bike. Which is fine, but nodding to them would be like saying hello to every pedestrian you met on the way up town, or shaking hands with everyone on the bus, or whatever.

 

[John the Monkey]

.... nodding to them would be like saying hello to every pedestrian you met on the way up town,

Err, yeah - this isn't actually that unusual in the village where I live...

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Ditto. I find the only people who do not respond are those who are dressed for the streets and are just on they way back from the off license or some such :-)

I wave or nod to all cyclists, unless I'm negotiating particularly tricky bits of road/traffic.

 

[gbb]

Whether i nod / wave/ say hello depends generally on the bloke on the bike..and particually whether he's 'togged up' or looks like a cycling enthusiast...whichever discipline.

Average Joe in town, wearing jeans and a hoodie or a high viz and overalls, riding a sub £100 MTB....why would you nod, wave, say hello to all of them.....chances are he'd think you were a nutter He's probably a nice guy, but there's no mutual interest. A bikes a cheap mode of transport. There's nothing more to it than that..
It's not a matter of snootiness...it's just the chances are the other guy couldnt care less.

If a guys togged up with cycling specific clothing, chances are he's an enthusiast...and gets my attention and respect. He probably loves cycling and maintains his bike in good order...there's a feeling of mutual interest.

By the same token....if anyone, anyone at all takes the time to wave, nod etc....i'll always return the greeting...whoever they are.

And again...if i came across anyone riding for leisure in the countryside for instance, whatever quality or type of bike,...i'd generally say hello.

So yes, well no....well maybe

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Err, yeah - this isn't actually that unusual in the village where I live...

Pretty odd in Wolverhampton though.

 

[Danny]

Every cyclist gets the nod from me.

But when I'm driving my Land Rover only drivers of proper "square" Land Rovers get a finger raised in greeting and that's only if they're old or obviously cherished and modified, so I guess that makes me a snob.

Drivers of 4x4s usually get the finger from me as well

Cyclists get a nod or a hello - but you always get a few who never respond.

 

[Blue]

but you always get a few who never respond.

I think that that is just plain rude. I always respond to a nod or wave, however, I would only iniate interaction if I knew another cyclist, no matter what type of bike they are on.

 

[Globalti]

It's all about tribal membership and recognition. In Africa they scar their faces for the same reason, you should see what happens when two Africans from the same tribe or village meet in London....

 

[gavintc]

It's all about tribal membership and recognition. In Africa they scar their faces for the same reason, you should see what happens when two Africans from the same tribe or village meet in London....

The tribal thing is so true. I commute on a road bike and generally roadies will acknowledge. However, every week I commute past my own club's evening TT. I go through the course about 1/2 hour before the event and I come across a people I recognise just out for a warm up before the event. Few if any of them will return an acknowledgement. I know when racing people are 'in zone' but people on the warm up or on their way out of Edinburgh to Kirkliston on their TT bikes clearly choose to ignore a commuter on a road bike as 'not in my tribe'.

That said, I will only nod or wave to people I think are actual cyclists - not the 'ned on bike'.