Not this crap again.

I don't give a crap who waves or doesn't wave...
but I'm learning to hate needy people who constantly worry about such nonsense.

What state friend? I'm from Carter County TN. People look at me like I'm insane when I'm on my bike.

Also, I don't usually wave, but I always nod to anyone on a bike, runners, walkers, etc. I often get nothing back, but it feels good to be affable.

This is a motorcycle thing, this waving at every single person who's using the same type of vehicle, regardless of whether you know them from Adam. People driving cars don't do it. People driving trucks don't do it. People driving tractors or backhoes or bulldozers don't do it. People on rollerskates don't do it. People on foot don't do it. People on horses don't do it. Aaaaaand...people on bicycles don't do it.

Me a jerk? Of course.
That and I am busy pushing my lawnmower in my imaginary lawn mower time trial. DJ has no need for self propelled lawnmowers!

Motorcycles don't do it either. It's not about the vehicle, it's about the person operating it.

Y'all should watch out. I may just head to OH and ride around with chip..... not waving at people.

Did I say that motorcycles did it? Good god, they don't even have hands, ya silly ****.

I have considered instituting a motorcycle style wave when I pass bikers. Who knows it might catch on. The only issues are crashing due to having 1 hand on the bars and in some places there are so many cyclists I would be perpetually waving.

On a sidenote one of the guys I ride with also rides motorcycles. He ran his own little experiment with waving at motorcycles while he was on his bike. Most waved back though presumably out of reflex. One guy saw the hand shoot out and got his hand off the bars to wave. They he realized it was some guy on a flippin bike. The hand shot back to the bars and eyes glued straight ahead. It was hilarious.

I once pulled up to a red light next to a mototcyclist. He nodded, and I asked if he wanted to race. He laughed, and said he was gonna ask me the same thing.

I have had two people in cars this week ask me if I wanted to race. Told the second one no thanks, I will just draft for a while.

Everyone gets at least a nod from me, except when my immediate situation requires my full attention (which is often, unfortunately, in my urban commute ride). I tend to wave a lot more when on my recumbent bikes, as the weight is off my hands and the riding position gives me a broader visual sweep of my surroundings.

HA! Great image. I like to they coordinated about waving ahead of time since it would of course affect air resistance.

I've never ridden a motorcycle but I always thought they waived at each other because of the increased risk of riding bike, sort of as a respect/acknowledgment/ type of thing, just making sure they were all ok and what not.

I figured why not do the same to bicyclists, just saying hello, I always find I feel better when people wave back in a joyful way. I agree that roadies tend to not do it so much, but whatever.

Besides its a good way of keeping my attention on both directions of traffic, in fact if I didn't wave at people I would have completely passed a friend last week without noticing it was him. So I just figure whatever, wave if you want to, if not don't.

I don't typically wave, I make eye contact and give them the nod. There are exceptions. If I am riding past a side street with a car stopped at the stop sign I will sometimes put my hand up like a wave after I pass especially if they could have pulled out / cut me off but were looking out for me by waiting.

On the MUP, sure I'll nod or wave or say Good Morning/Afternoon.

I was on my way to work this morning and a guy going the opposite direction was waving at me; across 5 lanes of traffic. I just kept riding.

I think it all comes down to density/frequency.

Believe it or not there are roads where every motorist waves at each other. They tend to be remote and passing another vehicle is somewhat rare. There's also a certain comraderie because everyone on those roads will stop to offer assitance if needed.
Pretty much the same thing goes for my cycling. In my normal commute seeing another cyclist is a rare event. I wave and give a hearty 'hello'. However, when i went downtown the other day and saw tons of cyclists... i didn't wave once.

the guy in the prius still waves to me every time he sees me, and i wave back

I only wave to 105 or higher. Centaur or higher if you ride Campagnolo.

When driving a car do you wave at other car drivers and expect them to wave back? When walking do you expect other pedestrians to wave back at you? When boarding the bus do you expect everyone inside to wave at you? When riding the airplane do you expect everyone to wave back at you? The real question is why you feel you require this special attention/validation from complete strangers? Do you lack self-esteem?

I don't consider riding my bike to be a social experience. I'm concentrated on the task of riding, and my safety. I'd expect that's pretty normal, but people are weird so I could be wrong.

I've got Dura-Ace bar end shifters, but they're attached to Tiagra derailleurs.

Wave, "The Look", or just point and laugh?

People doing a similar activity like to be acknoledged as part of a community. Bike riders, people who drive the same car, and so on.

It's nothing about insecurity, it's about belonging to a community. If we didn't want that feeling, we wouldn't be posting here.

How to distinguish this? Would you wave to me? (Please say yes).

Do you need hands to 'do it'?

Everyone waves at everyone else here. It does not matter if you are driving, riding a bike, walking, or whatever else you may be doing at the time. It's a small town thing.