Can't get my head round the culture

[StuartG]

Hey relax. We are all human beings (well some may be inhuman). Best to have the idiot variety riding a bike rather than driving a car. Less people get hurt ...

 

[MLC]

I am an extremely occasional commuter as I would have to do a round trip of about 80 miles on dual carriageway to get to/from work but have cycled to/from the next station along the line. (I only live 3 mins walk from my nearest rail station).

From a non bike commuter / weekend warrior point of view herewith my thoughts on what may contribute to the culture both negative and positive:

Firstly if anyone said hello or waved etc I would personally return the gesture

I used to commute by Motorbike at the weekend everyone nods or waves to each other but on commuting they do not as I quickly discoveredmentality

Perhaps some have a bike as their only means of transport and it is not a choice. Despite what the likes of the Daily Wail or other media says not everyone who works in London gets a huge salary and bonuses. Perhaps they cant afford public transport/fares.

The weather will always have an affect on one's mood.

If I had to endure living in London or any other big city (I hate masses of people especially when in the city of london as it tends to cause them all to act like Tw*ts, pushing, shoving and walking into you) then for me personally I would probaby commute grumpily. Please don't take this as insult to city dwellers/workers it is a generalisation as most individuals are really pleasant it does seem to be a mob rule takes over. It's the point that cities are not for me and someone may the feel the same way as me.

I found that when station commuting especially on my way in to work I am in less of a good mood than when I am commuting to my weekly club ride perhaps the reason for the ride contributes to one's mood

 

[Tynan]

I chats at lights, as said almost everyone says 'huh' and then is chatty once they realise you're talking to you, a lot of people are foreign and seem to speak little or no interest, those ones smile or ignore me

yes, lots of bad cyclists out all of a sudden, passing on the inside or shooting between two stopped cyclists is all the rage

 

[asterix]

I don't wave to people on bikes in York. There are too many.

Once outside the city I do, often in response, sometimes I get my wave in first. If someone fails to respond I just carry on.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

I chats at lights, as said almost everyone says 'huh' and then is chatty once they realise you're talking to you, a lot of people are foreign and seem to speak little or no interest, those ones smile or ignore me

yes, lots of bad cyclists out all of a sudden, passing on the inside or shooting between two stopped cyclists is all the rage

Due to the better weather, maybe? Or fuel prices? Or a bit of both?

 

[Cyclopathic]

I have decided to try and be as friendly as possible to other cyclists whenever apropriate but I do find the reyrns a bit disheartening. I recon 4 out of 5 nods or hellos just get blanked completely. This is a much worse return than when simply walking and nodding a friendly hello to a passerby when out dog walking or even strolling into town.

I might be wrong or it might just be an unpopular point of view but I think cyclists ought to try at least to be friendly to one another. It's bad enough that cyclists are seen by so many people as piriahs without that we are all mean and unfreindly to each other. I don't know why some people are so unresponsive but there isn't any need for it. It's not as if you're going to have to spend ages caught in an unwanted conversation as you are both going in oposite directions.

I'd like it if cyclists were a bit friendlier to each other, and to pedestrians. I think we should be out there setting a good example and showing people that being a cyclist is a good thing. Perhaps I'm being old fasioned but I just want a bit more of a sense of cameradery. We should all be trying to dispell the grumpy, aloof cyclist steriotype, which as I have read is nothing new.

 

[Becs]

yes, lots of bad cyclists out all of a sudden, passing on the inside or shooting between two stopped cyclists is all the rage

It would appear so, and I'm sad to say that based on this morning's extended commute through Notting Hill, Bayswater etc (big dual carriageway, A40 maybe?) a lot of the really terrible ones are women on BSOs, often with skirts flapping and headphones in!

I got undertaken by a lady today when I stopped in traffic because I didn't want to squeeze (literally squeeze) up the inside of a lorry - off she went straight up the inside, almost into his wing mirror. Caught up with her at the lights and very politely pointed out that what she did was really dangerous, asked her not to undertake me again and she turned round and said "squeezing through small gaps is the whole point of cycling" . . . . then she narrowly missed being left hooked by a taxi at the next junction as she squeezed up next to him with her left foot pushing along the pavement as he was indicating left! Sadly she wasn't the only numpty out there doing this sort of thing today, but they all seemed to be of a similar ilk and clueless! Even had 1 lady under or overtake me to jump every light going through Camden - I quickly overtook her every time but she just kept coming, I ended up look out for her more than for cars!

Almost made me think there should be some sort of compulsory education before commuting in London, for the safety of other cyclists!

 

[Leaway2]

I always nod to on coming cyclists. I reckon only about 50% return it. I see one guy on a sit up and beg bike each morning, we always exchange hellos across the road.

 

[Mawsley]

I do often find that I'll say good morning or good afternoon to another cyclist at traffic lights only to be faced with silence. Is it me?

Well, I for one was disgusted with your idiotic headwear and believe it will cause accidents through limiting your peripheral vision.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Yes I always nod and look at the passing cyclist, sometimes saying hello, and that includes kids too.
You do get nods back, especially on the cycle track, but if they ignore me, then I don't take it personally, I at least have done my bit and there isn't anything else I can do.

Incidentally, if I don't respond to someone else, it is usually because I am in the middle of doing something and concentrating.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Well, I for one was disgusted with your idiotic headwear and believe it will cause accidents through limiting your peripheral vision.

(You didn't set that photo up just for me, did you?)

 

[Mawsley]

(You didn't set that photo up just for me, did you?)

I was quite disappointed that there isn't a single picture of a woman in a burka cycling on the whole internets.

I may create one in order to procrastinate and not fill in these application forms which should be occupying my afternoon.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I see one guy on a sit up and beg bike each morning, we always exchange hellos across the road.

There is someone comes the opposite way with whom I always exchange nods in the morning, but then he has a beard. (Joking!)

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I was quite disappointed that there isn't a single picture of a woman in a burka cycling on the whole internets.
I may create one in order to procrastinate and not fill in these application forms which should be occupying my afternoon.

There's always this emoticon:

Given that it is represented by the BBCode ": ph34r :", perhaps it isn't very PC, though.

<keeps head down>

Good luck with the applications.

 

[Goto10]

There are an amusing number of competitive cyclists in London, I also find that a lot of Boris bikers often go mad away from the lights and spin their legs at about 200 rpm whilst wobbling all over the show, only to run out of puff 200 metres up the road and then proceed to get in the way.