imagine how the car drivers feel...

Once I nearly joined the Great Peleton In The Sky thanks to a friendly wave-through. The person behind the waver wasn't so friendly and blazed right around her, just missing my front wheel. No more.

Yeah, absolutely, and you just reminded me to say that instead.

Until you get into bicycling culture to some degree, "on your left" is not just meaningless, but outright confusing. Does it mean "watch out, there's something on your left?" Does it mean "Get over on your left because I'm on your right?" Does it mean "Get over to your right because I'm on your left?"

It's a terrible choice of standardized expression because it's understandable only to insiders.

But that's why we like it, I guess. Knowing the jargon makes us insiders.

I would say a nice swift clothes lining is sometime in order for people who dont know enough to not ride two abreast in traffic. Either that or a head-butt, but it really comes down to personal preference and wether or not the other guy is wearing a helmet! 8)

like they should ride a bike instead, i hope.

I ring, say "Coming up on your left" about 2 cars lengths back. This give them plenty of time to ****, and get back over to the curb, before I finally pass them.

I don't force cars or bikes or busses to pass me over and over. My philosophy is - get ahead and stay ahead, and if you can't, stay the Hell behind.

Same here. If I have to alert anyone to my pass in any way, I ring my bell as I approach (usually that's on an MUP when there are five people walking abreast blocking the whole damn path). On the road, people expect to be passed all the time; if not by a fellow cyclist, then by cars. So as long as I don't buzz people (which I don't), I have no problems.

I don't talk to bike commuters just because they're bike commuters. Do you come up to pedestrians and start up a chat because, hey, you're both pedestrians and walking in the same direction? Cycling, especially commuting, is not really different.

+1. Just because you consider yourself a roadie, don't expect other commuters to understand the roadie ways. Most won't draft, and probably don't even know what it is, let alone how to do it. Because, unless they're roadies too, they have no reason to do it on their commute: as others pointed out, it's both useless and dangerous, especially if you don't know the other cyclist and thus can't fully trust his technique.

A very hearty +1 to that. Unless, of course, the lane is wide enough to share and repeated passing is not a problem.

For me when I'm on the trails and approaching a hill I remember reading somewhere before to yell out 'rider up' as you take a hill and before you decend a hill you ring the bell to alert anyone below of your decent and decend slowly is it's twist and winding so incase a rider is coming up you can avoid them.

When I see people with pets I always ring the bell or verbally warn them in advance then pass them slowly (normally on the left hand side) while keeping an eye on thier pet to make sure they don't freak out and chase you.

For walkers and joggers I always ring or give a yell 'passing on your left/right' and if the person acknowledges your call with a wave or 'thanks' I give a wave back as I pass them as a 'thank you'.

Most of the times when riding on the road I only wave to other riders on the road.