Originally Posted by
cooker
I agree with you on the filtering to the front - it's rude. However, not waving is a different issue. There are a million situations where we don't wave to everybody - walking on the sidewalk, driving, strolling through a mall. I suspect you don't wave to other shoppers in the mall, and nobody calls you rude for it, because it's not expected there.
We only wave to strangers in situations that are novel or rare, or where we feel a kinship or identification with the other person. Most pedestrians in Manhattan don't wave to each other but if I was dressed as Batman and you were in a Superman costume, we would probably wave to each other as we would feel we had something in common.
So the SF commuters who don't wave to you are acting normally - it's no big deal to see other cyclists in SF and no point in waving to them all. Perhaps in suburban Marin County there are a lot fewer of you and you feel more of a bond, hence you wave.
I agree with you...I should have been more clear, I think filtering in front, especially in front of riders who were riding faster than you, is rude.
I do not think not waving is rude. I personally don't wave, and don't see other rider wave, and I am fine with this. If someone waved to me I would wave back if safe to do so (first priority is being in control of my bike and safe in traffic). I really don't expect commuters anywhere to wave while riding, particularly in an area where there are so many bike commuters.
I was trying to simply pointing out that there is often a bit more of a friendly bond on the Marin to SF commuters, as we all take that long commute and our routes all overlap over a large portion. To be clear, nobody waves, but it is common to say hi or make small chat at lights, or say hi or nod while passing. I don't consider it rude if they don't, but its nice when people are friendly.
One other area where I have seen these commuters be "nicer" is when I have had a flat - when I first started commuting I had too many flats with my crappy old tires. Many people would ask if I was OK as they rode by or stopped to make sure I had everything I needed. The majority of these were commuting from Marin (or likely too based on getup, most Marin to SF commuters are in a road kit vs city commuters in regular clothes). I am sure this is because many of them have been there at some point, and maybe realized they don't have tube, etc.