Road passing etiquette

mike_243

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
being as I drive a jeep I always do the jeep wave to fellow jeepers when driving.
this has carried over to biking and I always give a wave or a yo...no matter if I am on the road or the trail.
if I don't get any type of response then "insert word here" them! ... :)
as for passing I say "on you left" or as of yesterday " no thats alright I can ride off the road I see you own it....."
 

FFT

Gay & Stuffy
Here my take:

You dont have to get on a road bike to be ignored or frowned upon. I have guys pass me on the trail with no acknowledgment; thats when I say "Have a nice day" and mumble under my breath "needle dick".

The jeep thing - It's true, I dont understand.:confused:
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
You guys need to get over yourselves. Just because you are on a bike doesn't mean that we have to stop and become blood-brothers on the side of the road. I'm not going to slow down and get friendly with every bus-boy and kid I see on a bike. If suspect we have something more in common, I may be more friendly. If being ignored on the road drives you to come here and complain than I think you have issues.

If I'm on some back-a$$ empty road and there is a cyclist coming the other way, I'll throw up a hand and grunt. Like someone else said, you can't understand what another person is saying as you are passing. If we are going in the same direction, I say nothing. Chances are you will scare the sh!t out of them. I leave them plenty of room and throw up a hand or a thumbs-up after I go by.

Now, if I'm in traffic, climbing or descending a hill, not paying attention, or just pissed at the world, there is a good chance I will only nod or simply do nothing. If you don't like it...too F'in bad. After 20 years of road riding and nearly as much on a MTB I've gotten over all this nonsense.

Since I mention MTBs. These days, I just say Whoop-Whoop to anyone I see on the trail. JDog thinks that is cool and I want to be more like him!!!!
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
a nod or a wave is more than enough if going in the oppositte direction, and i would consider it mandatory if you don't want to be a dick. at least to other people who are obviously cyclists. waving to a little kid is encouraging them to become a cyclist, so i say do it. waving to a dishwasher on a murray is not mandatory.

passing from behind i think it's best to say something. "passing", "mind if i pass", "coming past(passed?)" or "on your left".

having ridden for twenty years does not excuse you from being polite. ;)
 

Wobbegong

Well-Known Member
I usually give a head nod or the hand flip. I dont care if they dont wave back, it really doesnt mean anything in the long run.
 

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
You guys need to get over yourselves. Just because you are on a bike doesn't mean that we have to stop and become blood-brothers on the side of the road. I'm not going to slow down and get friendly with every bus-boy and kid I see on a bike. If suspect we have something more in common, I may be more friendly. If being ignored on the road drives you to come here and complain than I think you have issues.

Um, I think you just took this all a bit too seriously. Someone might say a guy who jumps all over nothing might be the one with issues. :D

But anyway, once again FFT gets the funny award. Apparently I'm simple -- Needle-dick cracked me up.
 

mike_243

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
But anyway, once again FFT gets the funny award. Apparently I'm simple -- Needle-dick cracked me up.

I second that but then again I am easily amused...
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
having ridden for twenty years does not excuse you from being polite. ;)

No, but I've slowed down many times and gotten into conversations that turned out to be a total waste of time. I've chatted with guys that ended up being complete d!cks. After a while you just don't care any more.
 
M

mtbjeff

Guest
I am a mountain biker first[way first] and a roady second. I do love both. I found that on the road people are just more reserved, not to be confused with less friendly. I have developed friends on each side with lots of cross-over and a good many triathelites thrown in. In the end they all are healthy, hard riding men and women who know how to have fun and show respect to others. Not as much attitude as I have seen on this thread, I really hope the reflections here are just for fun and not for real.
 

Cyclopath

Shop Owner / Employee
Shop Keep
When I'm out alone, lookin' good in my matchy-matchy's and knowing it

And you're.......................................... I'll...

Another matchy-matchy...............nod(gotta play it cool)
A guy on a bike ..................... wave
A girl on a bike(RARE) .....................a big smile and thumbs up
Walking, running, fishing ..................... Good Morning
A mom out with her helmeted kids............ "Mom, where's your helmet?!!"
(Drives me nuts... what kind of an example is that?)
A dishwasher ............................ "Hola, Donde esta su casco!"

If I'm working so hard that I'm holding on for dear life and trying like hell to breathe, I'll try not to hack, spit or swerve in your direction... I consider that to be the ultimate in ettiquette.
 
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NJMX835

New Member
If I had a buck for every one of these "why don't roadies wave?" threads, I'd be riding carbon instead of aluminum.

I may have to start a thread at RBR to inquire & settle this once & for all :getsome:

That being said, when I'm out on the motorcycle, it does get tedious waving back to everyone waves to you, especially if it's a pack of 20 or 30 riders & they all wave, lol
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
No, but I've slowed down many times and gotten into conversations that turned out to be a total waste of time. I've chatted with guys that ended up being complete d!cks. After a while you just don't care any more.

i missunderstood you then. no need to slow down or have a conversation. waving or nodding is more than enough.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
a nod or a wave is more than enough if going in the oppositte direction, and i would consider it mandatory if you don't want to be a dick. at least to other people who are obviously cyclists. waving to a little kid is encouraging them to become a cyclist, so i say do it. waving to a dishwasher on a murray is not mandatory.

passing from behind i think it's best to say something. "passing", "mind if i pass", "coming past(passed?)" or "on your left".

having ridden for twenty years does not excuse you from being polite. ;)


thanks sean, for one of the only valuable post in here...

sounds like ben woke up on the wrong side of the bike... and stopping to talking, that is too much...
 

743power

Shop: Bicycle Pro
Shop Keep
You guys are probably all missing the wave. It's usually the road-side hand, sometimes no more than a pinky being lifted off the bars. I almost always get some sort of acknowledgement on the road bike, and I'm fat and never match. So you're probably just missing the subtle wave.


good point. usually that's what I give. if I'm in the drops, i'll loosen my grip and give a sorta 4 finger wave thing. I noticed that most other roadies do this too, sometimes with a nod.

One time I was out for a ride by myself, near clayton on the road and I was at the end of my ride, kinda lost, very hot and exhausted and going up one of the few hills in the ride. A guy quite literally 3 times my age passed me going up that hill like I wasn't even pedaling and didn't even say a word. While that was quite humiliating and demeaning, I didnt want to remove my water bottle and throw it at his head or something. . .different strokes for different folks.
 

hardtale70

She's Gone From Suck to Blow
Shop Keep
Do I get a royalty for every use of "matchy-matchy"?? Anyway i try to acknowledge every other cyclist. Opposite direction= small wave. If in same direction I'll sit back and size them up. If they are sittin ducks i wait and pass real wide w/ a wave when no cars are coming. If they look like they got something i pull up and ask to hang in for a bit, see who drops who on the hill and then say "oh here's my turn,gotta go" and peel off....
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I think it all boils down to elements of human nature and society, not the kind of bike you're riding or the clothes you have on.

I know plenty of people in both disciplines that are outgoing and friendly, and a bunch that are not, and while I'm always pleased to exchange greetings with anyone I encounter, if it doesn't come back when I wave or say hello, oh well.
 
N

Neen

Guest
>>>When I'm out alone, lookin' good in my matchy-matchy's and knowing it

And you're.......................................... I'll...

Another matchy-matchy...............nod(gotta play it cool)
A guy on a bike ..................... wave
A girl on a bike(RARE) .....................a big smile and thumbs up <<<<<

I would find it pretty funny if I got a smile and a thumbs up just because I happen to be a girl on a bike! :p
 

dhsean

Member
"Matchy-matchy kits"TM

I don't have a road "matchy-matchy kit"TM but I have a DH "matchy-matchy kit"TM. When you race any type of bike "matchy-matchy kits"TM are proven performance enhancers.

Sometimes on the road bike people are suffering hard and you may not get a wave back. As far as passing I think the only rule is to make sure it sticks. If you get passed back you loose -25 points. :rofl:

Disclaimer: Don't take any of my advice. I'm a downhill racer who happens to have a road bike and I have no idea what I am doing. I have been through a hundred tires because I ride like an idiot.
 
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