Abbey

My commute is 48 miles round trip. I always throw a wave to passing cyclists, but I have found many don't wave back. What's up with that???

Eriol

I usually wave unless I'm busy looking for traffic or watching for debris and potholes

-=(8)=-

I pass a few commuters and only a few of those few wave back.
All roadies are too busy reveling in thier uberKoolness to
ever acknowledge a lowly, prole commuter ......even when
Im going around them on the left.

Mr_Finster

I have found similar responses. When riding my commuter, fellow commuters wave, but other "cyclists" rarely do. When I'm riding my road machine (non-commuter), I wave to all and get maybe 50% return. However, I wave and move on, not looking for the wave-back. Just my $0.02

chephy

There are too many bikers in Toronto. It doesn't feel like a special occasion to meet a biker, so nobody waves.

Outside of the city, however, on deserted country roads, meeting any non-driver is a special occasion, so I usually greet cyclists (as well as walkers). Most of them wave/smile back.

literocola

I either give the nod, or wave to every biker I see. 90% dont even reply the jester. Anyone I see riding a bike gets respect points from me, that is, unless your bike is ontop of your freggin car. Then, "the look" comes into play.

hodadmike

I've observed the more a guy's bike cost, the less likely he waves. I will always wave to anybody, a return would be nice but unnecessary.

literocola

LOL, so true... so true...
A riding friend of mine works at a very high end shop, and he was telling me that last week, some doctor guy came in, and spent $11,000, yes 11,000 on a roadbike. My buddy Justin asked him if he was planning on racing, but he replyd "I'm buying this to out do my friends bike, it probley wont be ridden too much anyway."

Why cant I have this? My collection of sweet bikes would be 2 more, a nice road bike, and a nice downhill/freeride.

roadfix

They must be roadies...

ken cummings

I wave a lot too. Maybe non-wavers just did not see you. Some roadies are friendly, some not. I was passed by three guys once in full kit. No response as I said hello. So I said to their backs, "Now there are some Freds for you." That stopped them in their tracks. "WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?" one shouted. "Friend," I said, "To me a Fred is someone who is rude and does not respond to a friendly greeting." As I am 5'11", 205 lb and a muscular build, the three light-weights did not continue the chat.

DataJunkie

No one waves here. Thus, I don't wave. It feels odd to wave and it not be reciprocated.
Maybe I should start waving at everyone.

OooOOOo! There is this one gentleman who rides a bent and we both wave at each other.

Abbey

Interesting reponses to say the least. I'll keep the wave going and simply hope to get more in return.

Mphetameme

I'm not really a "waver". I usually reciprocate if someone initiates, but I never wave first. I just don't feel compelled to do so.

chephy

What is so rude about not responding to a friendly greeting? Sometimes people just aren't in the mood to interact with anybody. As someone extremely introverted I can easily understand that.

And is it, by any chance, rude to brag about being physically intimidating? This is especially funny on a cycling forum.

GTcommuter

I try to wave or nod to other cyclists. Usually it's a two-fingers-off-the-brake-lever short wave. Sometimes, though, by the time someone says hi I've rolled by and not registered it until a second later.

oboeguy

Those who I find wave / nod the least are young guys on serious teams. It's either extreme focus or extreme, well, you know... jerkness (keeping it clean here).

Sometimes I go further than a wave or a nod. If I'm going downhill and see others going up, I'll give a good "Vengavengavenga!!!".

Az B

Sometimes I wave, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I have a good reason for not waving, sometimes I don't.

Sorry if it hurts your feelings, but my advice would be to get over it.

Az

yes

yeah, grow a thicker skin. sometimes, i'm too preoccupied to wave. it doesn't mean anything.

the fact that those three stopped when ken called them freds is funny, though. if your too busy to wave, what the hell do you care if someone calls you a fred?

ken cummings

Every one greeted me today except one man in Graton who didn't wave. Then I saw the sleeve of his jersey was pinned up.

Kabloink

A lot of riders move a couple of fingers or barely nod their head in reply. Roadies are notorious for doing this. In their mind they waved back, but often its not noticed by the other cyclist.

I never let it bother me if it seems they didn't wave. The important thing is that I waved.

chephy

The word "bother" is actually used to describe those situations? Jesus H., people, do you take it as a personal rejection or something?

-=(8)=-

^^^^ Some people are more bothered by lack of humanity than others.
What has society come to when one person goes out of their way and extends
a low level act of kindness and someone is 'too busy' to reciprocate ?
No big deal, just proves the old adage 'people suck!'
If an old lady says 'hi' to you in the supermarket do you ignore her because you
are so engrossed in reading labels ?? In this fast paced society where arrogance
and ignorance is the norm when someone goes out of thier way to diverge from that
trend, to me, it should be returned.

Machka 

I don't know what the big deal is with waving.

Sometimes I wave, sometimes I don't.

If I'm climbing a hill, I don't wave because I need to concentrate, and I need both hands on my handlebars. I'm not that confident with my hill climbing skills.

If I'm descending a hill, I'm also concentrating on not hitting any rocks, gravel, or rumble strips, and need both hands on my handlebars. I'm also not that confident with my hill descending skills. Plus, often by the time I realize that there was another cyclist out there, I'm long past him/her, and it is too late to wave.

If I'm deep in thought ... which often happens when I ride, after all one of the reasons I ride is to think things through ... I might not notice another cyclist until it is too late.

And if I happen to be in an area with a lot of cyclists (rare, but has happened occasionally), I might just get tired of waving every two seconds.


When I do wave, sometimes I get a return wave, and that's nice, and sometimes I don't, but that's OK too.

Robbykills

I wave at other people riding by, sometimes its acknowledged.

I think though, that I wave to people in cars though who are driving perpendicular to me through an intersection the most. For example if I am riding and a car wants to turn right and pull out infront of me but they patiently wait for me to pass them I will usually give them a little wave or head nod as I ride by, thanking them for not "thinking they could beat me" and pulling out and causing me to wreck.

ItsJustMe

I can get a wave from almost anyone, including cagers and harley riders, but not from the roadies. I'm apparently too uncool for most of them. I think they can smell an aluminum frame from 500 meters, and they can certainly see straight bars from that far.
For whatever reason, when I encounter them they're usually heading downwind and downhill, and I'm heading the opposite way, but I'm still pumping 18-20 MPH, and they look kind of winded. Most of them are out on one of their first rides, and I've been dragging studded tires all winter. Maybe they are trying to pretend I don't exist

Even on days when I see a lot of roadies, I only see them coming the other way, so I must be keeping up with them. I was actually gaining on one wearing full U of M team colors the other day, but I got to my turn just as I was catching him. And to be fair, he was probably at least 15 miles out, and I had just started.