How to say hello

[DiddlyDodds]

As i sail past i slap them on the back of the head and shout "come on fat boy".

I then remember i am the Fat Boy and i never catch anyone

 

[Hip Priest]

I just say 'alright' or 'good morning' as I pass. Never causes a problem. I try not to over-analyse these things.

 

[Billy Adam]

just as you get behind them, you tootle on your horn, bounce up and down on your fart cushion seat and start singing in a high pitched voice the entire back catalogue of Engelbert Humperdink, you also set off your handlebar mounted fireworks and fire brigade siren.

alternatively I tend to just say "on your right" while I'm slightly behind them

of course I rarely overtake anyone

I tend to wave a bloody great flag in their face. That's only way I can overtake. 8o)

 

[snorri]

Fit a fag packet* on your chain stay in such a way that it is touching the spokes, there's no need then to worry about the spoken etiquette as they hear you arriving on their tail.

*Or a thin bit of plastic better in wet weather

 

[Gary E]

Or just make Vroom vroom sounds loudly as you approach

 

[Billy Adam]

I always find ahhwooooga at the top of your voice really works well

 

[tomahawk]

Slightly off topic here but if you see someone you know on foot (with their back to you) and you want to wake them up with a cheery hello as you ride past, please make sure that it is that person and not some complete stranger who has jumped out of their skin. It was a rather embarrassing mistake for me
..

 

[Arjimlad]

Just a good morning/evening here but some of these suggestions are making me laugh my socks off.

 

[Mile195]

Out of town, I just say "alright?" or "morning" quietly as I go past.

On my way to work though, I do what most London commuters do - cycle past as fast as possible staring straight ahead as if there's no-one else there so as to avoid any awkward conversation that might result otherwise. That's the law, right?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Usually just settle for "on your right" if I get into a rare opportunity to overtake another cyclist, but largely depends on the sitution. Once I have screamed at them to get their attention as I am overtaking them (kids listening to music whilst cycling a national speed limit road and thought it great to swerve around each and every grid despite it being one of the best roads around here and there being no need whatsoever to cross the white line out of the cycle lane and into the 'road' area where I was overtaking them), but usually it is a polite 'on your right' but then I don't really get to see that many other cyclists unless it is a sunny half-term weekend and then there are too many of them...

 

[Matthew_T]

On my commute this afternoon, I ended up saying hello to about 20 people. I really started to get sick of it! There were that many people out that I just reverted to smiling instead of talking, it was insane!

 

[Gary E]

I often wonder if that's the reason why people on expensive carbon bikes seem less friendly than people on old mountain bikes. Maybe the speed they travel at means that they overtake so many people that they get bored of saying hello all the time? (Tongue firmly in cheek here btw)

 

[nickyboy]

I always wait until my bike has hoved into his peripheral vision, then give a cheery "morning". I wouldn't want someone behind me shouting out "coming through" or whatever. Scare me out of my skin it would. In fact I've never experienced that, and I get passed quite a lot.

To broaden this out a bit, what about passing horses? Of course I take it as wide as possible but I also give the rider a "cyclist" shout when I am maybe 10m behind so she (it's nearly always a she) can steady the horse.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I always wait until my bike has hoved into his peripheral vision, then give a cheery "morning". I wouldn't want someone behind me shouting out "coming through" or whatever. Scare me out of my skin it would. In fact I've never experienced that, and I get passed quite a lot.

To broaden this out a bit, what about passing horses? Of course I take it as wide as possible but I also give the rider a "cyclist" shout when I am maybe 10m behind so she (it's nearly always a she) can steady the horse.

always talk when passing a horse from behind. the horse will be far less spooked but it because voices mean people and if they know you are there, they are generally fine. I also try to give the rider plenty of warning (more than 10m more like 25m and calling out not a bell, the noise will startle the horse otherwise) but calling out to them usually along the lines of hello & bike(s) behind you... I then carry on with the inane ramblings of a mad cyclist talking to a horse about the weather or something similar. Strangely it works really well and I have never spooked a horse cycling passed it (something I have to do frequently in these parts and those where I used to live). Horserides seem to also appreciate it and if the horse is happy, they usually are as well. (my sister was an exeperience horse rider and i used to help out in the stables - was the only way I got to see her)

 

[wait4me]

I was out on the bike today, and there was another cyclist about 100 yards infront of me, who I caught up too.
The road was clear infront and behind, so went for a over take and being polite I thought I would say hello as I was passing him, so as I got to the side of him I said hello, and it made him jump out of his skin, he was in a land of his own.

I apologized for making him jump and just carried on by.

And you had enough breath to chat????