Is there one? I tend to try to hold to the common curtsies and such, hold my line, pass on the left, call out obstacles, etc.

Had a situation come up today where I came along side another commuter who was headed the same direction, and decided to roll with him for a bit. It was obvious he was new at this (or returning circa 1975 white bell helmet), so I thought I'd help him out and pull for a bit. He pulls up beside me, and starts trying to talk... which normally would not be a problem, excepting he pulled along the right side, and can't hold a line. I politely excused myself and pulled on ahead, rather than risk both of us in an accident. How do you all approach other commuters?

drop them in commuting time trials glory..... when it's safe to pass.

ride in a line, not tail gating, most "bike lane" marked roads here have cars parked on the side and it's not particularly safe or possible to ride two abreast.

hehe no finer feeling

Me, I just genuflect. It seems to cover more bases.

Just ride safely and courteously.

I also always offer to lend a hand if I see another cyclist is fixing something on the bike, I can do most of the basics of fixing a bike that will get me or someone else home again and carry the right tools.

... And just do whatever you have to do. It's all well and good to practice "etiquette" and "follow the rules", but you have to remember that you're also in traffic. Sometimes, the guy who wants to ride two abreast and have a chat will just have to wait until you've cleared that spot. Other times he mightn't be riding at a speed that will get you to work on time, or he might be swerving all over the road in such a way that makes him unsafe to ride with. Sometimes, you just have to deal with it.

Never rode with anybody on my commute. It is short, very steep, unlikely most commuters could, or would even consider keeeping up on my commute.

Good point, I think safety is the first issue if he's not holding his line then I would make him aware of it. This also brings up another issue I also try to stay to the right but it seems no one else does, is it polite to ring a bell to make others aware that you're coming so they can get the hell outa the way? Even though I may stay to the right half the time others go left so I don't know which side to pass on.

Offer to pull. If s/he knows what that means all is well. If they don't understand what "pull" means, begin lesson #1 by telling them and then doing it. By all means though don't let them pull for you until you're sure they know what they're doing-if they screw it up, you''ll be the one to get hurt

Its always a tough call when dealing with inexperienced or incompetent riders. Most of my commute is on a MUP so I see plenty of both. I usually take each case on its own and ride defensively. My general rules are:

1) Always ring bell or give warning when approaching a rider who seems unsteady or unpredictable.
2) Approach any group of riders with extra caution since the stupidity of a group of humans seems to rise exponentially with the number of people in the group.
3) Make sure when trying to pass that there is a good bail out route should the person being passed do something incredibly stupid.
4) Unless they are considerably younger than you avoid giving advice like "Stay to the right". Just pass them and move on.
4) Avoid pulling or any other peleton type behavior -- it will be of little help to an inexperienced rider and is just too likely to lead to mishaps.
5) Always offer to help anyone in real distress or with mechanical issues.

hilarious!!

what is "pulling"?

The person in the lead pulls. The other drafts the first rider.

I have no answer. It is more likely than not that one rider will drop the other one. I was not feeling social this morning and blew past another rider with an "on your left". He started pacing me so I hauled arse. Just did not feel like riding with anyone else.

i'm surprised that no one's really brought up that drafting in heavy, changing traffic is remarkably unsafe practice. maybe i'll do it:

drafting in heavy, changing traffic is remarkably unsafe practice.

One would hope riders would have some common sense. I have yet to see that but I suppose it is possible.
So.... drafting in heavy, changing traffic is remarkably unsafe practice.

The few commuters that I've encountered on my route are normally easy to spot:

• Riding an 80 pound Xmart mountain bike sporting the knobbiest of tires.
• Seat post adjusted far too low so that he rider is riding in a permanent crouched position.
• Wobbling to and fro across the road as they pedal along.
• Grinding in a gear that just HAS to be trashing their knees.
• Riding over in the gravel and broken glass along the shoulder of the road.

These riders normally do not understand the basics of cycle etiquette... they get confused if you yell "On your left"...

I usually just try to get past them without startling them and endangering myself.

drafting in heavy, changing traffic is remarkably unsafe practice.
especially when you're the one drafting a bus/truck/van.

I totally dropped everyone on my way to a dentist appointment today.

google maps said 11mins by car (35mins if you actually account for the fact that you never go the speed limit of 50km/h in city with congestion + street cars and there are a ton of traffic lights), I did that in 22~25mins with bike. new record for me, hurt like hell.

Saying "Passing on your left" instead of just "on your left" seems to do the trick, I've found--both with unaware commuters and the folks walking/jogging on the mups and the pedestrian bridge here in Cincinnati.

I've never noticed that it gets all that much easier when someone's in front of me, but I've only ever ridden anywhere near someone perhaps 2 or 3 times. I really don't want anyone around me. If you're going to pass me then pass me; DO NOT pull around me then just sit there; if you pull around me, I want to see you far in front of me soon, not a foot in front of me. If you pull around and then slow down, I'm probably going to pull around you pretty soon. If you want to hang back and think that will make it easier for you, fine, you can stay there all day AFAIC.

My usual deal with other bike commuters is just a silent pass, if necessary I'll say something, but more often than not it seems to ensure confusion and unsteadiness. If someone looks to be particularly wobbly/inexperienced, I'll pass by taking the full traffic lane giving them ample space, or I'll just wait behind them (with a lot of room) so I don't pressure/scare them.

It's not often I get someone that will ride with me, I had a guy on a mountain bike this morning that I was playing leapfrog with a bit - but most people seem to saunter along, so I just go by and offer an occasional "hello!" or "good morning" if anything at all. There've been a couple of times I've offered safety tips, too - a guy was going through a 4-way with right turning cars, so I told him not to hug the curb unless he wants to get hit (right hook danger zone).

I'll usually always stop or at least slow and offer help/assistance to anyone that looks to be having a problem. Only when I'm late/pressed for time I won't.

Where do you ride AEO? I routinely go east across College and Carlton these days, lots of other bikes along that route if I take the later train as I have been this week (8:15-8:45 kind of time)

oh yeah, and drafting in heavy/drafting traffic is incredibly dangerous and unsafe Infact, I'd even go as far as to say drafting in most of my city riding is basically useless.

Your heart was in the right place, but doing people favours that they don't understand is not always a good idea.

What I hate is people (especially car drivers) who "wave you through". They have the right of way, but they make a point of stopping because they want you to go first. It's inconvenient and dangerous. They might be stopped, but the car in the next lane might not be and you'll get suckered into colliding with them. I try to neither wave nor be waved. I especially hate it when I see drivers stop so children can cross the street in the middle of the block, because the kids don't always look for other vehicles. Better the driver slow just enough to not hit the kid, and lay on the horn hard.

For cycling commuters, one point of etiquette I'd like to see widely adopted is - don't move up to the front of the group at a stoplight. If I'm third in line waiting for the light to change and some idiot overtakes me and stops in front of me in the crosswalk, I'm extremely irritated. Especially if I just finished passing them. Now I have to do it again.

Cooker -- good points. I've almost been hit on the "wave through" when I foolishly took advantage of it on a drak and rainy night. A mistake I'll not make again!

On your second point -- so often cyclists seem to forget some basic courtesy. You would think that if someone has been passed it would occur to them that they are not as fast as the people in front of them -- even if they do catch up at the light.

groan...

Yeah, wave-throughs are irritating. I've clipped out a few times, and one time had to start dismounting the bike before they got the hint that I was NOT going to take their wave-through.

+1 it infuriates me to no end. especially when you keep passing the same person over and over, and they always insist on getting in front of you so you have to pass again.