Old guys in lycra should never engage in uninvited conversations with teenaged girls they are not familiar with. "Pardon?" means WTF are you talking to me? you creepy old man...

Then what, really, is the point of your thread? Do you have the slightest idea what the demographic make-up of this forum is? I'm pretty sure we are all adults. We don't need to be told how to interact with women. It would make more sense for you to advise 'us' to just leave them the hell alone. But no, you want 'us' to interact but to do it the way you would. Maybe you should quit while you are merely making a fool of yourself.

Based on a recent thread, I don't think I'd be confident of that conclusion.

I am very aware of that. The last conversation I had with a female cyclist on the road was initiated by her. That is how it should be. we subsequently had a very nice ride together

Yeah. About that. This is online. Virtue signaling online = fail. For all we know the o.p. could be a serial ******. But an o.p. like his brings out the feminist chest thumper looking for an argument armchair warriors trying to shame anyone less overtly holier than thou . It doesn't matter what YOU think. Any thread telling another adult (without any way to enforce it) how to behave in public or in private is off-topic and out of line. Are we next going to get threads telling us how to behave in an argument with female co-workers or family? Do you not recognize the blatant sexism inherent in this AND the other thread?

This thread needs to be locked right now because, honestly, it's going to an even weirder place than the premise.

Do you know that there are parts many cities that are so dangerous that ex-cons don't go out alone after dark? I grew up in such a place. No matter who you were, you didn't let ANYONE follow you for even a city block. It is up to a woman to see to her safety out of doors!!! Do you think an actual ****** reads BF and gives a rip about well intentioned PSA instructing men how to behave??? WTAF am I reading tonight? Y'all's have lost your minds. This is the fault of allowing ***** threads to proliferate on the forum. Clearly it's bringing out the worst in susceptible holier than thou bossy moms posting from the safety of their Ivory Towers.

Sorry, I don't know your number
"clunk"

i ride the same route over & over. it's my happy place. there are a lot of people over the past 10 years who apparently feel the same way. it would be more weird Not to acknowledge their presence. some folks talk to everyone and almost expect a stop to have a full blown conversation, and others who never extend or reciprocate a salutation. you figure that out quickly enough.

a simple head nod works for the first 20 times, and then one person says something. that gets built upon, or not from the other. and then there is a return to the nod, but in a more genuine "i'd be glad to help this person out" manner.

the route extends to the perimeter of the local college. young people seem to want a bit of confirmation that they're going to be okay getting some off campus exercise. they obviously don't want to discuss their life in the dorm or curriculum, but a nod & half smile most often gets exchanged.

and so it goes in life, 'round and 'round . . .

I’m sick of all this hypersensitive PC nonsense. If me offering a greeting weirds you out: get over it. You’re not that important. I’m just being civil and polite. Your defensive reaction is just the opposite. It’s impolite and uncivil. Grow the hell up.

Younger women don’t want equality. They want special treatment. They want us all to be gender blind but at the same time give them special consideration for their feelings of insecurity and vulnerability. Sorry children that’s not reality. You can’t have it both ways.

There are women and there are men. How that distinction has anything to do with living in a polite society escapes me.

On the MUP I use I always wave at oncoming riders. Most men wave back. Most woman don’t. Why is that? How is a 1-2 second interaction by two people heading in opposite directions a threat or social faux pas? Even if we’re both traveling at a modest 10mph we’re moving away from each other at 20mph. How is that threatening?

Women, especially younger women, are the rudest group of people on the planet. Their sense of entitlement is ridiculous.

100% the opposite for me. Woman of all ages almost always wave, younger males mostly wave but males in my age group (50-60's) never wave and when I say never I mean maybe 1 out 10 acknowledge back. the more kitted up they are the less they are apt to wave and if they have long gray pony tails won't even make eye contact.

You're virtue signalling as well. You just subscribe to a different set of virtues.

You lost me at virtue signalling.

My wife told me a long time ago that men fear that women will humiliate them while women fear that men will kill them. Sounds about right to me.

The big difference is: I did not (unsolicited) offer 'my' superior take on how men and women should interact in the public sphere.

I had not ever heard of “virtue signaling.”

For those in the same boat, here is a cut/paste from Wikipedia:

Virtue signaling is a pejorative term for an attempt to show one's good character, such as by expressing opinions that are considered morally acceptable, often on social media. The term is often used to suggest that such expressions are insincere or grandstanding.

Virtue signaling is doing stuff like putting "I stand with Ukraine" in your twitter bio, or wearing a facemask when it was popular to show you aren't a covid denialist.

Back to the topic, I find sentiments like "young women don't want to talk to old men in lycra" funny because I used to spend time on toxic male dominated online message boards, and the common refrain was that women only go after old guys.

The latter had potential health side-benefits, of course (that were, of course, denied by COVID denialists).

i don't Twit so perhaps my perspective is not well rounded, But . . . i've always been weirded out by people who put stuff they own in their signature (on any forum).

for example:

Daisy Red Rider BB Gun 1953

Gilbert American Flyer Train Set 1955

Zorro sword by Mattel circa 1962 (date has been worn off)

you get the idea

A lot of people wore one to show that they were doing their part and not a plaguerat.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...99656099e.jpeg

Generally, what it really means is that women don't go for guys who hang out on toxic male dominated online message boards.

"Virtue signalling" is a term invented by people who wanted to be jerks, and want to think everyone else is just as bad as they are but pretends not to be.

The 1950’s are calling and they want you back.

It's unfortunate that someone is viewed as a creepy old man for simply starting small talk or saying a socially acceptable comment about roads.
People don't have to engage in small talk, but people also don't have to view someone as creepy and old just because they start small talk or make a socially acceptable comment.


I have a wife and two daughters and coach girls HS volleyball and girls club volleyball. I am surrounded by teen girls.
Yes there is a legitimate concern for them to stay safe and engage in public conversations only if they feel safe and want to participate. At the same time, I have talked with many thru the years about not being so judgemental and not being so cruel in how they react and view strangers who strike up small talk.
It's a tough balance.

But if you say you stand with Ukraine and you do just that...is it still virtue signaling?
If you wore a face ask when it was socially common to, but you did it because you wanted to try and reduce the spread of germs/virus...is that still virtue signaling?


The answer to both is - NO. Neither are virtue signaling if you are doing it because you actually support the issue.
It's used as a pejorative when you think the person is insincere about what they say.