Burton

To wave, or not to wave, that is the question:
Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Slander of outraged Urban Cyclists,
Or to raise a gloved hand from the bar tape,
And by acknowledgement end them: to smile, to spurn
No more; and by a simple gesture, to say we end
Their insecurities, and bridge the mystique and prototypical stereotyping
That makes them THEM, and us US!

Depending of course - on what day of the week it is and what bike you happen to be riding ....

chasm54

There is another question, of course. What are serious roadies doing on a MUP anyway? Here, at any rate, they're typically cluttered with pedestrians (including people in wheelchairs and children), dogs and cyclists on sit-up-and-beg bikes who are tootling along at about 5mph. All of which makes it pretty much impossible to ride at any pace unless one is a complete tool who is happy to endanger oneself and others.

Roadies should use roads.

Burton

You mean pedestrians, wheelchairs, kids and other cyclists are OK on an MUP and roadies aren't????

I think you've threatened a lot of peoples inalienable right, wherever there are roadies! This could easily escalate into an Uncivil War!

Roadies have feelings too!!

PS: Yeah - I'm bored - coffees on....

chasm54

Pretty much. If one's going to ride at a pace that is safe around dog-walkers, infants and the like, there's really not much point in being on a road bike anyway. So MUPs are OK for transiting between one road and another, but pretty much useless if you want to actually ​ride.

StanSeven

chasm,

I totally agree. MUPs are okay for cyclists taking it easy but most are so crowded with other users (especially on weekends), roadies shouldn't use them unless they decide to go at very safe and slow speeds.

phillybill

I was jus down in Jacksonville with my son last week and we were riding a lot of the trails / MUPS with out hybrids.... all the roadies waved and were friendly. Even up here in phlia I often have roadies wave ... but I have to admit that my hybrid is a cross/touring bike in disguise

MuddKatt

One of the paths I was on was near Brooksville Fl. Guy I was talking to asked me if I saw the US cycling team go by on the path. I did see a group riding. I was thinking it would be a bit hard to deal with the muggles on some areas of the path, if you were in a dense group going that fast.


My friend and I had an old wooden boat way back. We were on the way back just past Montauk I think it was. A sub surfaced and a group of the navy guys got up on the deck of the sub. They blew the horn. They were waving like mad. The group of us on the flybridge were waving back.... until we realized they could care less about us... the gf's were sunning themselves on the deck above the cabin ......LOL

jdon

Last time I passed a pro team on a training ride about half of the riders waved. The inner conflict was unbearable as I couldn't decide if I should wave back out of respect or not wave fearing another BF pro might see me.

cplager

Well?? Don't keep us in suspense!

jdon

Clearly, roadies don't see wavers..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVjgmoXiiGo

chandltp

I don't wave at other cyclists for the same reason I don't wave at other car drivers or pedestrians. But I don't ride on MUPs either, because I'm usually riding to go somewhere.

sdold

It's funny how people driving cars on a lonely dirt road, miles from anything, will wave when passing, while people driving in town with lots of other cars don't wave at each other.

Or if you enter a room with one other person, you feel obligated to say "hello", but if you enter a room full of people (like walking into DMV and standing in line), you probably don't.

I think the occasional cyclist feels like he's doing something special, and wants to be social with others doing the same, while the frequent cyclist is probably busy thinking something like "401K or Roth...401K or Roth...crap, I need talk to someone about this...who was that, do I know that guy?"

jdon

I generally return a friendly gesture.

mprelaw

Not if you live in a rural area of New England, in the spring, after a winter like this past one. What's coming at you on the other side of the road, and what's 200' ahead of you, isn't gonna loosen your eye teeth, cause a pinch flat, or possibly even damage a rim. It's the stuff inside of 20' that you have to keep an eye out for.

Lots of towns also use a mix of salt and sand on the roads, and when the salt melts the snow/ice, the sand sticks around until they send a sweeper.

caloso

Exactly.

Staring at the wheel in front of you is a classic Cat 5 mistake. Sight through the jersey pockets of the riders in front of you and look up the road as much as possible.

BlazingPedals

When I am on the road, I'm a roadie. When I'm on a MUP, I'm a MUPpet. That's just the way it is.

On my ride today, I was a roadie. The route was an out-and-back, and I waved to everyone in the group who was still going out as I was going back. I did not wave to the guy collecting cans along the ditch -- I don't think he even saw me. (Darned self-absorbed, unfriendly can-collecting guys!)

I-Like-To-Bike

Those guys should be happy to be in MI where the cans fetch 10¢; only get 5¢ in the rest of the states that pay for the return of cans. I imagine nobody collects cans/bottles in the ditch of states without a deposit. I know IA roads are littered with water and sports drink plastic bottles because there is no deposit on those items. The deposit cans/bottles do get picked up after awhile.

spectastic

^beg you pardon. I grew up in Ames, and I have no idea what you're talking about.

JanMM

You can sell 'em to the scrap metal yards but takes a lot of cans to make it worthwhile.

eja_ bottecchia

Shakespeare is laughing in his grave. Well played.

imi

Well, if you're really feeling lonely on your ride and happen to meet a fully-loaded-tourer, wave them down. Chances are you'll have a nice roadside natter... Maybe even be made a cup of tea as you sit and wave to the roadies zooming by

I-Like-To-Bike

Maybe you never left the campus and peered out along the highways on your travels.

spectastic

yea... maybe it's just me... your point was just because iowa doesn't give out money to recycle plastic water bottles, Iowans liberally chuck those things out of their car windows, instead of their trashcans, which isn't true. Also, the DOT does a pretty good job in keeping the roads clean. Then again, I don't know what people like to do in Burlington.

I-Like-To-Bike

I think people throw their cans and bottles out the windows all over the place whether they have a deposit or not; especially containers for alcoholic beverages in order to get rid of any incriminating (to the law or parents) evidence of drinking while driving. Deposit bottles/cans eventually get picked up, just like the old tin cans eventually rusted. Not so for the no deposit containers, they remain until blown away to some cornfield.

Retro Grouch 

Does your first name happen to be Richard?