scotton

I generally make an effort to wave at oncoming drivers, and on my ride this morning I reflected on why I do this. Here are the three reasons why I wave:

1. The main reason is to humanize myself. People in Texas are generally very friendly until they get behind a wheel. Then they tend to turn into rage monsters. I suspect this is because we are no longer people, we are boxes zooming around in box world. So I wave at people to say "Hey, look at us. Two humans in the same part of this big spinning rock. Isn't that neat?"
2. I'm trying to train motorists to look for cyclists. It's kind of like using treats to train a dog. If you get the motorists looking for a wave, then they are looking out for cyclists. Also, I'm trying to trick people into thinking that maybe they know me. You are less likely to run an acquaintance off the road. This may backfire if the motorist actually does know me, because most of my friends would absolutely run me off the road.
3. If you wave at someone and they don't wave back, you get that smug feeling of superiority. Or you just spotted someone who is not paying any attention to the world. And if you wave at a cyclist and they don't wave back, you have my full permission to flip them off. That might help reset their ****** meter to a more acceptable level.

Paul Barnard

I wave when the situation warrants. A rare motorist on a remote road, yep. A safe, courteous or cooperative pass on a lightly traveled backroad, yep. To my fellow cyclists and pedestrians on the less busy stretch of the MUP, they get a friendly wave, nod or greeting. It never hurts to present ourselves as kind humans, since we are all to often perceived as rude, self-centered annoyances.

Maelochs

If you train drivers to expect waves, they might then get angry at cyclists who don't wave, and then be more apt to run Them off the road.

You are spoling things for everyone.

Colnago Mixte

Everyone's crazy, didn't you know that? Some are just better at covering it up than others, but we're all completely nuts in some way or other.

I think in a lot of situations, like in really remote areas where you don't expect to see anyone else, it's 100x creepier NOT to wave or say hi to someone you encounter. So I'm pro-waving, when I feel it's appropriate, I think it builds a sense of community, and wakes people up who look at the rest of the world as nothing more than their own personal video game, and other people as just ones and zeroes.

If they don't wave back, fine. I'm not gonna invest so much of myself in a casual wave so as to let it ruin my whole day, that definitely would be creepy.

wphamilton

Naw, maybe flash Roadie sign like raising two fingers from the left hood, or a barely perceptible nod. But some people really ARE crazy, and waving at them just attracts their attention.

FWIW, flipping off the non-wavers is probably OK since we won't notice it any more than the wave itself, nor care much. But Texas must have changed some since I lived there, if flipping people off is that casual now.

Greenhil

Jim from Boston

Why I Wave

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotton

I generally make an effort to wave at oncoming drivers, and on my ride this morning I reflected on why I do this. Here are the three reasons why I wave:

1. The main reason is to humanize myself. …
2. I'm trying to train motorists to look for cyclists...
3. If you wave at someone and they don't wave back, you get that smug feeling of superiority…

I have previously posted to several threads:And in more specific situations:.

jon c. 

Our roads are mostly paved, but there's not much traffic and the same customs apply. I wave whether in a car or on my bike, but it's a subtle country wave. That stops when you get on the main highway.

DaveZ

Any driver who shows me a courtesy gets a smile and a wave. An example would be on the two lane back road that I ride, someone coming the other way wants to turn left. They stop and signal.

BobbyG

...that also describes my high-school dating experience.

Since I ride leaning forward on road bars, a full, arm-up wave is difficult; plus in traffic, I like to keep my hands by the brakes.

However, when a car at a cross street waits for me to pass, rather than trying to shoot out ahead of me, I will give a short hand-off-the-bar wave with a smile and a nod. For passing cyclists, if they nod, I nod. I've been trying to remember to nod "up" like the current popular style, although a couple of days ago a young cyclist nodded "down" at me as I nodded "up" at him.

I also will ring my bell, or toot my horn (AirZound) which I hope motivates other cyclists to get a bell and a horn, if they ride in traffic.

I don't often instigate a wave to other cyclists. But when I do, I certainly don't "flip the bird" to those who don't wave back or acknowledge me.

I will ring my bell and perform a full arm-up wave when I see small children riding with adult supervision. It gets some very big smiles.

Brocephus

LMAO !!!!
Back to the OP: I not only live in "the country", I live in The South, where a certain genteel civility is a long-established part of the culture, so polite acknowledgement of another's existence is common, and almost expected.
So, I often wave, nod, or at least give a flick of a few fingers, especially when an oncoming car is going slow, or I can see the driver looking at me, and often, they're waving at me at the same time.
This is in sharp contrast to other areas of the planet, where I might expect yelled profanity or hurled beer bottles.

Jim from Boston

I duly note though, the OP wrote:

raria

I use rhe queens wave

scotton

To be clear on a couple of points, it's not a full-on Forrest Gump wave, more of a casual, semi-pope benediction. Just raising the left hand off the hoods 6 inches. In the truck, I can get away with lifting a finger or two off of the steering wheel, but I like to make more effort on the bike since we have proven ourselves to be invisible with our dayglo camouflage and blinking stealth lights.

As far as flipping off other cyclists, it's situational. Where I usually ride, I might see another cyclist every other ride. This isn't a busy metro area or bike path, this is out in the sticks. Every time I see another cyclist, we wave or acknowledge each other, usually simultaneously. However, there is a group of 3 to 5 guys (all wearing matchy-matchy jerseys and shorts) that I see on occasion who are way too serious to acknowledge that we are all doing the same fun and silly activity at the same time. That, or waving back is not aero enough. Either way, they still get a wave from me, but by the time it gets to the last guy there are a few fingers and a thumb missing from the wave. I guess afterwards they can have a good chuckle about the fat guy on the steel cross bike that keeps flipping them off. Maybe in the future I'll stoically stare straight ahead and try to out-cool them. I've never out-cooled anyone in my life, but I think I have a chance with these dudes.

scotton

Fun update:
I did a little experiment on my ride this morning. Rather than wave, I lifted my fingers on my left hand. Of the 60 or so vehicles that I gave the finger lift to while on the hoods, zero responded. Of the 20 or so vehicles that I finger twirled while on the tops, every driver waved back except for 2 that were clearly involved with their phones. So while on the hoods I'll be going back to the full off-the-bars wave.

Also, I saw three cyclists wearing matching gear that gave me a friendly wave and hello. It wasn't the usual group of cool kids, but it still made me feel good.

Harhir

Same here. Thanks.

wphamilton

I will admit it, I give a right-handed off-the-bars normal person wave to the Greenway park workers in their jeep/golf cart or blowing machine. It's traditional, I've seen them just about every morning for years and a lot of the regulars do it. Which is likely my fault for starting it up. The poor guys probably have to wave to bikes every minute now. But just their job or not, I very much appreciate them keeping the path cleared every morning, and pulling sticks and branches and who knows what else off.

But other cyclists, joggers, drivers after I leave the path, it seems mostly pointless. Some mornings there's a "good morning" to just about everyone, sometimes not. You really can't read anything into whether a cyclist waves or not.

sirkaos

+1, I like the main dish to include a friendly and cooperative attitude, but with a side of skepticism. I generally hold my hand up in a relaxed position, to ask them to please hold up. If they nod or acknowledge my request, I give them a thumbs up.

Maelochs

I tried doing The Wave on my bike, but since I was riding alone, it was just a guy pedaling standing up briefly, periodically.

None of the drivers passing by joined in. But I didn't take offense .... I was just a little saddened.

Maybe the semi-pope of Midlothian could say a semi-prayer for their poor, unsociable souls?

By the way ..... That's some Nobel-Prize-for-Literature-level writing there.

OldTryGuy

Constantly checking my eyeglass mirror for cars approaching from the rear I more than not give them a wave if they move over before being on top op me when they pass by. I often acknowledge oncoming traffic with a wave or nod when riding on 2 lane roads.

scotton

My padre plays dominoes better than their padre.

If you recognize me as a semi-pope, I think my bike shorts may be too snug.

Colnago Mixte

Lets them realize you're not roadkill or some inanimate object. Roadkill doesn't wave back, though there was once a flattened dog I used to see on the way to work whose floppy ear would wave in the breeze as cars buzzed past. Kinda sad actually. That poor dog sat there for weeks.

indyfabz

If I waved at every motorist I encountered I would have carpal tunnel syndrome and rarely have both hands on the bars.

Maelochs

Now that I have my carry permit, I wave my pistol at passing motorists.

indyfabz

I wave at oncoming cowboys.