Wave rate
 

What was your wave rate on your last ride? I try to keep a 90+% and wave at as many cyclists as I see. I notice that it isn’t the norm, but I think it ought to be. Loosen up your spandex and give riders you see a friendly wave or a nod!

A waving thread? Could it be!?

I guess since you can't ride with others you might as well wave.

I almost never, ever wave at other cyclists. 0%. I’m so elite I’m not even a 1%er.

I acknowledge all creatures great and small. Return acknowledgement not expected, but nice when it happens.

I wave only at people I know, or in some rare cases when a driver shows me courtesy even if he/she's not obliged to. That said, I actually saw someone I know and waved at him on my ride last saturday.

Depends on the terrain. Rippled pavement or gravel might make waves impractical. Will a wink and a pinky waggle do?

This guy waved to the nice people. Look what happened to him.

Don't wave, it makes you touch your face. LOL

I nod at people when they are riding the rural and semi-rural roads I'm on, but I don't get this obsession with waving at strangers. I leave that to the toddlers.

For the sake of conversation I’ll assume a head nod counts as a wave. Unless I’m rolling over or around frost heaved pavement, potholes, or dodging roadside debris I’d say it’s about 90%. Predictably I get almost no waves when I’m on my touring bike and less when on my hybrid.

I will acknowledge any passing cyclist who is more "pro" than I am. That way, I get to punch heavier than my waveclass.

It must be spring.

If you're nodding at 90% of riders in Boston, you must look like a bobblehead doll when you ride.

Maybe it's the small town boy in me, but I wave or nod at everyone unless there is a steady procession of people. I say hello to strangers when I pass them on the sidewalk when there's not a steady procession of people. I don't know why, but it seems like the most polite thing to do. I have made some general observations about who is most likely to wave back and who is not.

My wife and I have done a few MUP rides lately where I have put my observations to the test, and my predictions rarely fail me. Older (50ish +) white males on high dollar road bikes are the least likely to wave, head nod or smile. Women and African Americans on almost any kind of bike almost always give a friendly greeting. Almost all people on comfort or cruiser kind of bikes will give a greeting. Everything else falls somewhere in between.

Not on a high dollar road bike, but otherwise I am in your unfriendly demographic..

On a MUP, I'm much more focused on announcing my passes than I am the social niceties with oncoming people, but I do say hi when I feel like it. I haven't observed the demographics of friendliness working the way you describe on MUPs, and it may even be the opposite on roads, I wouldn't put much stock in my observations of this anyway, as we as humans all suffer from confirmation bias/selective memory.

I did have the same social situation happen twice in quick succession the last time I was on a MUP, and they made me feel kind of sad. In both times, I announced from way back that I was about to pass the young mother and her child on the left. I then passed the mother very slowly, and then proceeded to slowly pass the child, repeating that I was about to pass. In both cases, the child had a bit of momentary confusion until the mother yelled "stay to the right", at no time was there ever any real danger to the child as I gave myself plenty of room and time to react to the slight bobble. What made me feel sad was that in both times, the mother felt the need to apologize profusely when both adults had handled the situation precisely as they should. I did my best to communicate "no need to apologize" while respecting social distancing and not slowing down to stay in proximity, but I have no idea if that got heard.

MUPs are where parents need to teach their kids to ride safely, and that means being able to correct their mistakes. Thank parents when they do this--don't make them feel bad.

I might wave or nod my head or ring my bell OR ALL THREE!!!

Gave the motorist a HUGE WAVE after he passed me with side mirror 2 feet from my head.

p.s. - He stopped, opened the window and angrily told me that I should not be on the road as I went around him. He then proceeded to get right up to my rear wheel before accelerating past me. If the truck was a diesel, I would have been the recipient of Rolling Coal.

In a situation like that, I save energy on the wave by only using one finger.

If someone is slowing or stopping to argue with me, I take that as a threat and will deliberately begin to act insane enough that they won't want to risk getting out of the car. If they're inclined to hit me with their vehicle, that's already so insane that I don't know whether ignoring them or acting like a nut will or won't make it more likely to happen.

LOL, I mostly stay away from Boston and when I do I don’t give waving a second thought.

Wave rate

I have previously posted:and

I'll usually respond in kind, but unless I'm out in the boonies, there's too many people to initiate.

The exceptions are small kids on bikes, I usually ring my bell and wave or give a thumbs-up. And other winter bike-commuters when it's below freezing, or the streets are snow-packed. Or rain, or any unusual circumstance I can't think of at the moment.

Also, my commute takes me through a section of town where the homeless and destitute gravitate. When I find myself stopped at light, or some other encounter, I like to look at them, smile and wish them a good morning, usually, their faces break out in a big smile, except for those who are dealing with mental or emotional problems. And if they're on a bike I try to compliment it in some way, either mentioning the brand, or if they've bodged something together in a clever way...because I have bodged and kludged and tried to make do in the past and people like to have their work recognized.

I greet, nod and wave when I feel like it. Don't think there needs to be an etiquette about it, and no one should be criticized if they don't like doing it.

Next up, when the gyms reopen, do I have to wave at everyone on a stationary bike?

Everyone should wave at everyone and everything continually.

Spin Class...
 

...where you can get the bike in the center of the class and wave to all the riders around you. Oh, the bliss.

No spin class at my gym, and I never use the things. I could wave while I'm walking by.

I have come to realize over the years that here on this forum when MUP is mentioned we all conjure up different mental images, and it shapes our responses. Here in the NOLA area there are places where I have to go into collision avoidance mode when there are lots pedestrians, skaters, and cyclists of all age groups. There, I understand why waves, nods and such aren't the norm. We are so fortunate that our MUPs don't see a lot of activity once you get out away from the parks and parking lots. For me observing human behavior and making mental notes keeps my mind occupied on otherwise repetitive routes.

I fully expect kids on bikes, kids walking and dogs to meander into my path. I believe it's my duty to expect it. I adjust my speed and behavior accordingly. I like that parents use it as a teaching moment, and I also tell them there is no need to apologize. I take occasion to speak politely to them and smile when I pass. All of those other users drive too and maybe, just maybe, being polite on the path will foster polite passes on the road. It certainly won't hurt anything, and a friendly exchange among strangers can brighten my day.

Yup, my main frustration right now is that taking the time to have the polite exchange would probably make them nervous about violating social distance rules Normally, I go out of my way to let them know that I think it's my job to accommodate them, not the other way around.

Also, when I approach a kid on the path, I find it much safer to just assume he/she is going to get it wrong, and get pleasantly surprised when they don't. All the way over and really slow gives me plenty of time to adjust either way.