Homebrew01

I'm one of those roadies wearing "racer clothing" and sometimes I give a little wave to hybrid or tourist type riders and they don't wave. Should I start an "Arrogant Tourers" thread ?

Why, just yesterday an older guy wearing cargo pants & sneakers on an old touring bike did not wave back !?!?!

bikecrate

Yeah, ironic he was so angry about being friendly.

WHOOOSSHHH...

Yes, "they're not on a Sunday stroll. THIER working hard"
The seriousness of this response tells you this guy takes his bicycle riding a wee bit to seriously ...

floridamtb

The problem I've found in South Florida at least is that when I call out "on your left" they don't know the difference between their left and their right so what do they do? They move to their left and about take me out. Now I look for hesitation and then blast by on their right as they move to their left.

Niloc

I don't wave at every cyclist going the other way down the street. It's a density thing. There are enough riders around here that you'd look a little "special" doing it. Likewise I don't wave back, not because I'm rude, but because I'm not looking for it. Seems like your roads are popular with cyclists so the same thing is going on. You're new to cycling and seem keen on it which is great, but other riders may have been doing it for years, pass other cyclists constantly, and think it just would be silly to wave at every other rider you see.

However I was riding on some wide open wheat country roads recently, and I did exchange waves with a rider passing the other way. Why? Because he was the only vehicle of any type I'd seen for miles, and in the empty flatish landscape we could see each other approaching a long way off. It would seem a little odd not to offer some acknowledgement under those circumstances.

As for riding in the middle of the road, you might have to provide more information before we can judge whether these riders are A holes or not. If there is a decently wide shoulder I will generally ride on the edge of the road, if I feel that a car can safely pass me also taking into account traffic coming the other way. If there is not a decent shoulder and there is traffic coming the other way I will sometimes deliberately ride more in the middle of the road so as not to tempt drivers behind me from attempting to pass me unsafely. In other words if it's unsafe to pass me then you shouldn't do it regardless of where I'm riding on the road, so it doesn't matter if I ride in the middle or not. If the shoulders are wide and the traffic is light, then I do think it's a bit of an A hole move to ride in the middle and actually it may be less safe as well, because you'll be frustrating those drivers behind you and a frustrated driver is a less safe driver.

eja_ bottecchia

BTW, Yankeetowner this was not meant as a criticism and if it came across as such I apologize. It is just that when riding in a paceline, especially if you are hammering as hard as you can just to stay in contact with the other riders, there is a tendency to simply focus on the rider ahead of you, to the detriment of situational awareness. I have seen many crashes caused by this.

If you look at video from bike races you see that racers in a paceline are looking up, ahead of the rider in front.

Good riding and have fun!

floridamtb

Nice avatar there, I'm guessing you actually earned those wings? An old Naval Aircreman here myself, father to a 2nd generation Navy AW and Rescue Swimmer. Semper Fi my friend!

Yankeetowner

No offense taken, and nothing to apologize for. I like to think I have situational awareness, but honestly in that situation the competitive juices (aka adrenalin) are flowing and I'm not thinking a lot, but when I'm thinking, it's about not getting dropped, my cadence (90-95 rmp/goal), and maintaining an aerobic condition. One thing is certain, I am not thinking about waving.

WHOOOSSHHH...

258 jumps, so yes they're earned 25 times over..

Rich Gibson 

I'm relatively new to this having been riding less than a year. I have noticed them on the W&OD trail here in norther VA. It isn't so much not noticing you approaching, rather it's the dorks doing 25+ mph passing without giving any notice, as of their efforts are so important they can't expend any extra energy calling out "on your left." There is also a regulation against competitive timing runs and I saw that last Saturday approaching; three in a row, all closely bunched darting in ann out weaving around other bikers, pedestrians and parents with kids in strollers all at over 25 mph. It's the same idiots who also pass passers. Yikes! If it's so important not to slow down why not try the highway?

Rich

Caad08

Can we talk about arrogant bike shops? Imagine a bike shop employed full of arrogant cyclists. There's one in my town. Unless your name is Toni giovanni lorenzo, speak with a European accent and have tan and perfectly shaven legs they won't even acknowledge you.

rms13

I agree to a point but it goes both ways. I was riding a very popular crowded bike path yesterday. Memorial day, lots of people. I want to ride fast and I am curious, I wait for safe time to pass and call on your left. This is a bike path, with divider lines and clear two way traffic markers. There were groups of roadies hogging both lanes in one direction, there casual riders cruising at 5 mph side by side taking both lanes while having a conversation, parents with kids where kids are weaving all over both lanes and parents do nothing about it and then there are idiots riding with headphones on who don't hear you when you call on your left. In my opinion everyone could do a better job at being mindful of each other.

And for the record, if I'm riding to ride fast and train I'm in my own world and I'm not interested in waving to people or being waved at. I'm not out there to make new friends.

RPK79

Do you also like cars to give you a friendly "Honk!" when passing you too? Just hold your line and clearly signal any deviations, such as left hand turns, and there won't be any issues with passes. I'll agree that people shouldn't be weaving through other trail users, however I would also point out that those other trail users shouldn't be putting themselves in positions where others need to weave through them. All of this is why I stay away from trails. They're all full of ignorant hybrid cyclists.

rpcleary

As an urban rider (Cleveland Area) cyclists around here don't do the wave much, whether they are commuters, racers, or the kiddie on a tricycle. We're too focused on surviving among the motorists, and waving is just an unnecessary risk. Once you get out to the suburbs, its more accepted, but still not popular. A head nod is way more likely.

Regarding hugging the right, absolutely not. I have a right to be on the road, and with drivers who buzz me regardless, I need to make it clear I am not passable, and need the room to move over quick if someone still almost buzzes me. Bike lanes are nice, but the nice doble lanes we have approaching downtown tend to get treated as extra car lanes.

As far as disdain frpm other riders, I have never experienced any, despite wearing normal athletic clothes (I like pinnies when riding, and I also use them for MTB), but that might be because I keep up

Dishing out disdain, I'm chill with all of y'all. Except our local fixies, because our local hipsters ride around on them and don't understand how to ride a bike (Another cliche for the thread!)

floridamtb

I'll show my true Naval Aircrewman thinking here... no reason to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft lol. How long does it take to get to 258 jumps anyway?
Thanks for your service!

daihard 

I take it the trail you've mentioned has a posted speed limit. Do you happen to know what it is? I bet it is much lower than 25 MPH, but I'm just curious.

zymphad

That's not arrogance. They have the right to the road and some states have the right to ride two abreast. I suspect CA might be like that also. They don't have to move over for cars, cars can go around them. Or they can just move at the same speed, if it's a narrow road, they probably shouldn't be driving fast anyway.

If you want their behavior to change, then you'll have to advocate for legislation that changes rules for cyclists on roads. Otherwise, they are just doing what they are allowed to do. I don't see why they should care if the driver is inconvenienced.

On a narrow road, I'm not moving over. I will take the middle of the road, I'm not going to be pushed off the road and I'm not going to make it easy for them to pass me. If it's a normal road, that's different, but if I feel my safety is in danger from passing car, I'm going to make it so they can't or they have to drive off the road to do so.

shelbyfv

I've never before participated in a "wave" or "arrogant cyclists with nicer bikes/kit than mine" thread, but this has gone 4 pages....

KonaRider125

Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like quite a few of you understand where I'm coming from. I'm new to cycling like I said so cut me some slack on the waving thing. From my perspective waving seems like a reasonable thing to do if your doing the same recreational activity as someone else in a rural area. I am also a avid hiker, and used to saying hello to everyone on the trail and even engaging in a short conversation. I just see it as basic courtesy.

About the road sharing, there is the law and then there is using common scene. I don't want to get into a confrontation with a driver so I stay as far over on the edge of the road as I can and let cars pass if they want. I do get pissed if I don't get at least 3 feet of space when I am passed, though.

banerjek

Seems we have a number of fragile/damaged folks in this thread. To those of you who think people are looking down at you, get over yourselves.

No one cares about you and more than they do about any other random yahoo on the streets. Because that's what you are, they are, and what everyone else is. So why is this an issue at all?

Nachoman

Stop judging me.

Pug

Whip out an American Express Centurion Card (assuming they accept Amex) and you'll be their top priority.

eja_ bottecchia

Lo parlo Italiano.

FLvector

This is similar to a guy on a moped doing the wave to the Harley rider. Do you think they respond? And do you get upset when you pass by walkers/joggers/skaters and they don't wave back at you?

Unless I clearly recognize the cyclist, I sometimes give a nod or lift a few fingers to acknowledge the passing cyclist. Otherwise, I'm focused on pushing hard and don't pay attention to them. Nobody really cares.

wallrat

What's the deal with complaining about people wearing cycling clothing? They aren't all racers or wannabe racers. It's clothing made specifically for cycling. You'll be cooler, more comfortable and probably a bit faster while wearing a kit. I'd say about 90% of the riders I see in Marin (N.CA) wear a full kit on the road on recreational rides. Some wave, some do not wave.

I also find the opposite of what you say to be true. I'm a waver, I ride pretty hard and I wear a full kit. I average 17-20 mph on 60-80 mile rides with 5-6k of climbing. I wave or nod to everyone and most of the time, the super freddies are the ones that don't wave back.

Regarding taking up the road. I don't know what type of tires or road conditions you ride under but the right 1/3 of more roads are hard on most road tires. If you're on a hybrid, you're able to go over obstacles much better than 23-25mm slicks. I don't think most drivers realize the dangers and obstacles on the side of the road.