Problems on the trails
 

So my question to you is when riding your bike you stick to the right side of the trail unless you are passing somebody walking the same way as your riding correct (just like a car on a road)?

Why do so many people/joggers/ipod lovers and dog owners walk coming directly at me and don't move out of my way, you bike and drive on the right side of the road/path why not keep your animals to that side too! People who are walking at me always see to walk to their left directly at me and expect me to move, just irks the piss out of me!

Should I stay my course and stay on the left side of the path and just run into the next person/dog who does not move out of my way?:mad: Also when passing people from behind I always yell "on your left" which seems to either irk them or spook them. Im just trying to cycle safely.

The "On your left/right" never works for me being the rider or walker. A bell works way better.
As for people not moving when they see you, they are either oblivious to their surroundings or as asshats.

Oh boy, I smell trouble.

Not sure what area you're in, but around here it's really never been an issue for me. My usual trails are unique in that ped's don't have the right of way--bikers & ped's both yield to each other. This is unusual, & at most trails the ped's will have the right of way over you, & if equestrians are allowed then they have the right of way over everyone.

When they notice me & start to move, I say "excuse me" &/or "thank you" & I might ask how their day/hike is going & give them a smile. The fact that they're outside in nature & not at home being lazy already makes me like them. If they don't move, I trail behind them at a distance comfortable for both of us & wait for a clearing where I can safely pass. I've never had someone come at me head on & not move, but I always slow down to a walking pace so that if I need to dismount & move, I can.

It should also be noted that my trails are tight singletrack. If you're on fire roads or something & they still move to the side that you call out, then I can understand why that would be bothersome.

Yeah, this does kinda smell like trouble. Oh well, here goes...

Of course decent people should try to make room for each other. Luckily it seems that everyone sharing trails in my area is of the same mindset as myself and we always slow down for walker/hikers and get all the way to the edge of the trail, as do the walker/hikers for us. Usually, as Samburger said, it's also accompanied by a friendly greeting of some sort. However, many road bikers in my area are just plain self-centered jackasses. I swear, if you observe them(I've ridden along with some of them), it's like they get their jollies on inconveniencing others to prove some sort of a point that only they seem to know what it is or think it needs proving. As both a MTBer and a road biker, I really don't understand why there's such a difference, but it's definitely there. If your trail walkers act like the road bikers here, I say call out in an assertive voice "on your right/left", get as far to your side of the trail as possible, and maintain a safe speed but returning whatever sentiment they're giving you. If they seem like perfectly nice, cool, people and they're giving you room, slow way down and give a greeting. If they're being jackasses about it, be a polite but assertive jackass back. Do be extra careful around the animals, though, as you should anytime passing on the trails. It's not their fault if their owner is a jackass.

i just bunnyhop over people and keep going. sometimes i throw in a backflip.

^ Like a true pro. Unfortunately us newbies can't bunnyhop that well yet. :(

I do find a "ching-ching" bell to be the most friendly means of letting hikers know your there. Seems no matter how nice you are some of the dimwit hardcore grumpy types give you the stare down. On my vintage mtn bike I have both chinger and old honk honk horn, they move with a smile usually. You need a sence of humor and can't be a weight weenie to run my set up.

The trail I have most problems on is not even a trail, it is a **** wall that follows the basin, sure there is a dirt road below it I could ride on, but they could walk on it also and I like having the wind on me on on the **** wall it keeps me cool when im riding. Nobody had the right of way but common curtisty would suggest you yield to a faster moving object (like me).

the astriks are dike like farmland walls that border an ocean... levee for the southern folks

Actually people/joggers/ipod lovers have the right of way. You have to move for them. Trail etiquette, sorry. This topic comes up every so often and always seems to turn ugly.

And no, I don't stick to the right side of the trail. I take whatever line looks the best, and I just pull off to the side when there's a pedestrian, equestrian, or uphill cyclist who has the right of way. I move if I'm riding slow as crap and there's someone coming up behind me too. Better to inconvenience myself for a whole 2 seconds than to cause a problem that might eventually cause access issues with the trails.

A similar thread ran last week in Clydes. Its a bad thing to get hit by a bike on the trail, really bad when the rider is a Clyde! THAT SAID-

Walker problem: People tend to turn into the direction of the rider. Experienced walkers side step immediately. Pets and noobs step into the sound. Give people lots of room.

I like what one person did, she (an Athena) bought a duck call and uses that instead of a bell. She gets laughter from it. I can also see that the novelty of a duck call could cause problems if you are trying to be quick. I personally am now looking for a turkey call. Seems appropriate.

So that was you last week, that is cool!

If I'm not mistaken, the last one of these threads ended in a cat fight between cyclops & myself...I'll try to play nicer this time;)

Two seconds would destroy ​my lap time!!

Whenever you're riding and you want the oblivious to recognize you, just shout, "HEY! LOOKOUT YOU! MY BRAKES!" That always works, on people engaged in conversation. The problem is with people plugged in to their loud music!

People should bow in the your presence Princess Zephyr! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

People plugged in is a different problem. We need some kind of an electronic pulse device that makes the mp3 player screech!

It is not just people that won't get out of the way and confuse me
 

http://www.svmirador.net/Public/DaleyRanch1a.jpg

Daley Ranch / Escondido San Diego County

The signs at all the trail heads are clear

Bikes YIELD to Hikers
Hikers YIELD to Horses

but they didn't tell me who yields in the pictured scene ... Damn thing blocked four feet of the six foot wide trail

ringing my bell did not help

I was taught that pedestrians always have the right of way; on the road or the trail. Keep in mind that people with well trained dogs will usually move to left side of a trail because proper dog training teaches people to walk into traffic ( the left side of the road) and to always keep the dog on their left side (the safest place for the animal). Responsible riders and responsible dog owners get along fine, it's the obliviots that muck it up.

I think he was talking more in a "common sense" sort of way since he said "common courtesy would dictate." We all know the trail rules, but that doesn't mean they aren't dumb. It takes No effort and practically no time for a walker to step 1-2 steps to the side and let a bike quickly pass. On the other hand, the rule states that we have to stop our bikes, get a bike off of the trail(which in some cases requires basically dismounting and shoving into the brush/weeds) and wait a minute for a walker to slowly mosey past. Then mount and start riding again. It's dumb. If only people were actually decent and considerate of each-other then we wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=250413

Yeah, this guy tried to fool me into thinking I had a flat when he hissed at me. Just a fat @30" dude. Bad attitude though.

Still up in the air here, when people are walking (even had a biker the other day) come directly at me and im on the right side of the path, they should be on their right side too! Also I never just stay on the right side I do take my line im just talking about when passing people coming at me.

still don't get it? how about this...

cars give way to cyclists, cyclists give way to pedestrians. unless you are on a bicycle specific trail, pedestrians' right of way trumps bicycles. so either you give way to them, you ride around them, or you ride your bike where people aren't walking....

if that doesn't work, treat each situation as an independent puzzle to be solved, and act accordingly as a rational thinking sentient human with reason and not automatically like a mindless rigid robot who wants one rule to apply in all situations across the board until the end of time because that isn't how this crazy mixed up universe works.

or you can take up rollerblading.

The only time they bow is if they double over laughing after I got over the bars. :lol:

Yeah but it's not even a trail or road or a real path at all, it is like the top of a mud wall that keeps the ocean from flooding the town. Guess the rule applies anywhere.. Damn peds What about people walking away from me, im faster by far so how do I yield to them when they are all over the place. GAH!! Im sticking to the woods!

you just gotta try to be as nice as possible as you go around them, maybe slow down a bit and give them a cheery "howdy", as you pass. people will be unpredictable and you just have to kinda roll with it.
(get it? "Roll" with it...cause you are on a bicycle...and you are rolling...!!!)