Acknowledgement

[Maizie]

I pass a few cyclists regularly - two on the way in to work, a different two on the way home. I still smile in their direction, they have never acknowledged, now I think they just avert their gaze from the mad grinning woman.

However, this week there is a new cyclist I passed on the way in to work. I smiled yesterday and he waved. So this morning when we passed one another, I made sure to raise my hand (safely!) and shout 'Morning!' across the road at him.

I don't often overtake people, on the rare occasions I do I'm usually thinking too hard about zooming past to get back in before the next car comes by. People overtaking me is infrequent, there is one who does if I am a bit late leaving for work, he always says 'Good morning' but none of the others have ever said anything.

I would offer roadside assistance, never had the need to as yet. I would do it simply because I'd like to think that someone might return the favour if I needed help.

 

[grhm]

I try to nod or say hello to other cyclists. I don't always do so to groups of kids on bikes, but sometimes do. (There's one group who I alway nod at, after they commented on my "funky" upright trike).

I too will offer help to anyone I see that looks like they need it. I've had to buy more patches for my PRK recently despite not having a puncture myself.

I stopped an entire CTC ride recently to help one chap who looked forlorn by the roadside. He'd got a puncture, was sat just round the corner from the station and needed to get to Worcester (the next station on the line). He said he couldn't afford the train, so we got his puncture fixed. He was so greatful that he insisted on giving me £4 for my trouble - probably coulds have paid the train fare with that. Came in handy for nibbles at the pub.

 

[Will1985]

Generally yes. However, I got ignored by 2 lycra'd mountainbikers yesterday which is unusual because normally people complain of the roadies giving the cold shoulder.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

I generally say "hi" to people I pass .. even to peds sometimes!! (There's a couple of short sections of shared use paths I sometimes use as shortcuts on the way to work - if I encounter someone walking on them, I usually slow right down and exchange a good morning and maybe a few words with them - every little helps!)

I've offered help to cyclists that have been stranded, and had offers of help myself .. once even from a cager who offered to "pop home and get my toolkit" !!

Best help I ever had was from a couple on another motorcycle who stopped for me when I ran my old LC out of petrol in the Ashdown Forest .. late Autumn, getting dark, I'm already late for dinner with the in-laws and miles from home.

We borrowed a length of pipe from a nearby house and siphoned what petrol we could from their tank to mine, they then led me to the "nearest" petrol station but I ran out before we got there. So they went home ("it's only 10 miles"), phoned my wife to tell her I was OK, got a petrol can, went to the petrol shop and filled it, then brought it to me. Then led me to said petrol station so I could fill up properly. They wouldn't even let me pay for a tankful of fuel for them to replace all the messing about they'd done .. I don't think I even got to pay them for the can they filled up.

Definitely above and beyond the call of duty on their part.

 

[eldudino]

I always nod as I do on the motorbike though I've found that more often than not the noddee tends to lift their hand off the bar in a French motorcyclist-style wave than to nod back to the original nodder (me).

 

[tandemman]

Up here in sunny Barnsley I always nod or speak to both pedestrians and cyclists and very rarely is the greeting not returned. I have been in a position to lend a track pump to a chap on the col d'Issoard last year (I was in the car) and he was very grateful and being Dutch, managed to comunicate his pleasure in perfect English.

 

[Adrian_K]

I've been a motorcyclist for many years and it's given that bikers acknowledge
each other , generally with a nod .

I find I'm doing the same on my push bike , nodding or saying hello to other cyclists , a small number of cyclist will respond but mostly I get ignored .

Do you acknowledge other cyclists ? .

I'm in the same boat, I cycled alot in my teens, then road an m/c literally every day for 15 years and recently started cycling again.

I was really shocked and a little disappointed how few cyclists would nod. Then a got some 'kit' and now a road bike an attitiudes have immediately changed.

I'll still say 'hi!' to anyone. I said 'mornin' to one guy as I went passed, he looked up as if I had three heads and said I was going to marry his daughter. At that point I saw the wires coming out his ears, I just went on listening to the sounds to the coutryside...

 

[ed_o_brain]

These sorts of threads are perpetual, aint they?

I'll sometimes say Morning to people I pass, but generally I don't bother whilst I'm commuting these days. Out of those who I see regularly who I don't know, most don't want to say hello/can't be bothered to talk.

I even complimented a guy on his legs the other day as I sped passed him. I don't know what came over me!

 

[Arch]

I don't bother nodding when I commute, too busy looking out for traffic and stuff. Out in the country I generally nod, but I don't get all het up if people don't respond. Why should they? They might be deep in thought, they might be very out of breath, they might just not be very sociable people. You'd be looked on as a looney if you nodded to every pedestrian you passed walking down a street...

 

[ohsoslow]

I'll keep nodding , regardless .

I even complimented a guy on his legs the other day as I sped passed him. I don't know what came over me!

But I draw the line at this

 

[ed_o_brain]

Well I've tried to be friendlier the last two days.

Only a couple on a tandem responded.

 

[worcester dan]

always nod or wave at other cyclists no matter what they are riding, usually give a nod to our engined cousin too

 

[Gooch]

always nod or wave at other cyclists no matter what they are riding, usually give a nod to our engined cousin too

I also used to be a motorcyclist and always did the friendly nodding thing.

However when me and the missus are out on our mountain bikes pootling along the lanes just about everyone gives us a friendly nod or wave except for the hardcore lycra clad roadies. I also am a lycra clad roadie most of the time and find most other roadies give me a nod when I'm out on my carbon beast but ignore me when I'm on my mountain bike on a sunday bimble with the missus.

It smacks of snobbery if you as me!