No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
Flinders
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Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 6:47pm

Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by Flinders »

Just got back from a trip to town. Said Hi or raised a paw to every other cyclist on the road, all of them did the same back. Also, as a 'drop bar' person, I had a nice friendly chat about bike locks, local bike shop etc. (where both of us had bought ours, as it turned out) with a lady on a straight-bar with basket when we were both unlocking from the bike racks.

Personally when I lived in Derby I didn't find it quite as friendly as some other places I've lived, but the people I really didn't care for were often incomers anyway, and maybe both I and the OP were just unlucky. There are, of course, lots of nice kind people there as there are everywhere, but maybe in general they aren't as overtly friendly around there.
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Paulatic
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by Paulatic »

Hi Flinders, If you said Hi to every other cyclist did the ones you didn't say hi too initiate a greeting to you?
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Flinders
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by Flinders »

Every other cyclist as in 'except me'. :wink:
I'm not like the Force, only responding to alternate numbers. :mrgreen:
mercalia
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by mercalia »

the only ones who dont are the lycra crowd I find
Ben@Forest
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by Ben@Forest »

I ride three bikes all on drops ( I have two flat bars but don't ride them much) and I don't tend to say hello, however I do tend to give a brief acknowledgement either as a nod or the the flutter of a wave without taking my hand off the bar. Other blokes on drops (and it is mainly blokes) tend to do the same.

I'm more likely to actually say 'Morning' - or whatever - to someone I've had to make eye contact with, a jogger jogging towards me, a dog walker who's pulled their dog out of the road as I approach, a horse rider who I yelled a warning to 100 yards back.

Even then there are people who don't want to be engaged with, I've been cycling to my current place of work for eight years (tho' not every day) and have regularly come across a woman walking her dogs on the road (no pavement). The first few times I saw her I acknowledged her but she didn't only say nothing but affected a distracted air, often looking the other way and she still does that (tho' the dogs always look round!). So for the last seven years or more I've ignored her - it's what she wants, I'm not upset about it.
Flinders
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Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 6:47pm

Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by Flinders »

mercalia wrote:the only ones who dont are the lycra crowd I find


I wear Lycra and I'm always friendly. And I find lycra cylists are too. However, I don't expect someone who is clearly training, going flat out with their head down to respond.
Overall, I'd estimate that I've had blank-out responses from about the same absolute number of straight bar potterers as people in lycra, and I see a lot more people in lycra.

If I was commuting in heavy traffic I wouldn't expect people to respond, I'd be too busy dealing with the traffic myself at times.
maxglide
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Joined: 19 May 2013, 5:35pm

Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by maxglide »

I've had occasion to be ignored, even after offering a greeting, by groups of middle aged lycra-clad trendies riding cool expensive road bikes, while passing them on their patrols.
grumpycyclist01
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Joined: 10 Aug 2015, 10:30pm

Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by grumpycyclist01 »

Still new to cycling but when out on my first 'decent length' ride a couple of weekends ago I met a half dozen or so other cyclists, roughly 50/50 spilt between roadies and hybrids. Every one took the time to say hi even if in one case it was just a raising of his hand off his hoods as he passed. And he was a lycra lout too. So maybe there's hope yet
pwa
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by pwa »

I've always acknowledged other people on country lanes and rural tracks, whether they are cycling or not. I sometimes say "hello", and sometimes just nod and smile in their direction. I do the same with motorists who slow down to let me pass. And (though I can't see why it bothers some people) I tend to wear lycra on the bike. I think lycra clad cyclists are no more or less likely to be friendly that those wearing civvies.
Chris the Sheep
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by Chris the Sheep »

I've got a flat bar bike that I recently converted from drops - no difference as far as I can see.

But my 'other' bike is electric and it's just replaced an older ebike. The older one had a front hub motor, so it was obviously electric. Barely any acknowledgement from anyone.

The new one is a crank drive, pretty subtle, and at a glance looks just like any other flat-bar / mudguard / pannier bike - and I get friendly greetings all the time.

I feel like a fraud.
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Cunobelin
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by Cunobelin »

I am one of the ignorant ones....

WHen I am riding a bike on a busy road, I assess the traffic and hazards around me

If you are on a cycle on the opposite side of the road then I am afraid that I would rather concentrate on the car behind me, the pedestrian on the pavement, the bus ahead in a stop.

You are not (despite how much you may think that you are) of any consequence.... and I am certainly not going to prioritise any greeting over the car behind me
ANTONISH
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by ANTONISH »

I regularly see a cyclist on audax events. Each time I see him in a hall I say hello. Invariably I get a silent stare.
Most cyclists will acknowledge another - this may depend on you being the "right" kind of cyclist :( .
I'm guilty sometimes of not acknowledging a greeting if I'm otherwise distracted.
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honesty
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by honesty »

Out in the lanes I say hello, or nod, etc. but in town there's too many other things to concentrate on, and there are too many cyclists!
De Sisti
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by De Sisti »

Some neighbours respond in-kind to a "hello". Some don't.
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hoarder
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Re: No longer fashionable to say Hello?

Post by hoarder »

Moreoften than not I get a nod, wave or reply. Likewise, I'll do the same if they choose to offer a greeting. My experience has been lower interaction from the lycra-clad ones or twos, although greater response from larger groups.

Mind you, there are some miserable and grumpy people out there, and some who only think about themselves. Some of them ride bikes, and some of them post on these boards. I ignore them, and hope I never come across them again. Won't stop me saying Hello.
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