precious commuters

[Nobody]

That's all I can say. Anyway, why does he want women cyclists to greet him when he has a wifey waiting for him? Not sure if wifey will want to know he's been greeting and nodding to all these female cyclists (but will be relieved to know it's not being reciprocated!)

So even you think that the casual wave of cyclists to the opposite sex may not be innocent. You're not helping your pro-wave cause.

[CommuRider]

Hahahahahah

It's all to do with personality. If you choose to ride, you won't be grumpy as someone who has to cycle because s/he lost his/her driver's licence. I'm a pretty happy person when I'm on the bike (oh those endorphines) so I have no compunction greeting my fellow brethren

On the other hand it's 0.5 second to nod so don't know what the big deal is.

[goneriding]

Based on this:

I always give my greeting nod to my fellow cyclists

and this

The little old ladies on their nice cruiser bikes do nod back.

Self description, perhaps?

[CommuRider]

Yup, I'm 80, I have arthritis and my hubbie who is 85 is right behind me. So watch it young fella. If you say hello to me, he'll chase you down on his cracking old Malvern Star.

[gtfpv cycler]

i dont care who waves back , but when people wave at me in a cyclist greeting sense . it makes me feel good . i only took up cycling this year , and was amazed at the recognition and greet that cyclists give each other . so i adopted the greeting , then i noticed women dont do that . however i dont want to be discriminate , and not wave at women because they are female , so i wave at all . this doesnt mean i'm out there waving 500m away from you , nor will i wave on the return passing , often i am not the 1syt to wave , often i am , not one women has waved or nodded back , some have given a shy smile , most have looked in horror , kind've like how dare you look at me i'm a princess and your not worthy . a little bit like school days .
we have found a reason for this arttitude that makes sense . if it isnt that , then it is rudeness .
this maybe just a sydney female thing , or a youth of today thing i dont know , as you dont see many women 30 plus on a bike .

[jet-ski]

Hm, just cos you ride a bike doesn't mean you have to greet every other cyclist! Do you see people in cars waving at each other? Pedestrians?

I maintain that greetings are for long, empty country roads. If someone waves I suppose I'd wave back, but I aint seen anyone wave except for the 80 year old lady on the electic gopher I see often.

[gtfpv cycler]

Hm, just cos you ride a bike doesn't mean you have to greet every other cyclist! Do you see people in cars waving at each other? Pedestrians?

I maintain that greetings are for long, empty country roads. If someone waves I suppose I'd wave back, but I aint seen anyone wave except for the 80 year old lady on the electic gopher I see often.

i see what your saying . i guess it all depends on perspective , if i go for a 2 hour ride , i may see 3 other cyclists on the trip . or not one . if i was in the city i would probably get picked up and arrested for obstructing traffic , or riding dangerously LOL . MY posts in this thread have run there course . RANT OVER .

[jules21]

I maintain that greetings are for long, empty country roads.

+ 1

it would get very tedious waving to every cyclist on the Main Yarra Trail and difficult to operate the bike.

[goneriding]

.... except for the 80 year old lady on the electic gopher I see often.

Must've been CR

[CommuRider]

Now, now sonny....back in my day, when men were men and the sheep were scared...sorry you're Kiwi aren't you?

[lethoso]

particularly on shared paths.

Ride on the road like a real man and you wouldn't have these problems

[ft_critical]

...not one women has waved or nodded back ... most have looked in horror ... a little bit like school days

Could it be that this was just your unique high school experience gtfpv?

I hear they have made tremendous advances in counselling recently

[Xplora]

This is an epic LOL thread, for sure. The fact that jules can't stand people telling him what to do and yet is such an ardent supporter of mandatory helmet laws just makes me shake my head. It's all the same kettle of fish - you either accept people telling you how to live, or you embrace freedom. You CAN'T have it both ways.

[lovemybike]

I have little doubt that it's the old fear of ulterior motives. A bloke waving to another bloke is OK - equals. But a bloke waving to a woman (stranger) is just a bloke trying some sort of 'come-on' approach. Sad, but it is the ways of our world.

I can't see how since I'm going 30+ in one direction and she is going in the other. Unlikely to see them ever again too.

Funny!

I had a bit of a sook sometime ago about people waving/not waving. I wave/smile/nod etc at everyone and if they're friendly/physically able etc they'll wave back. Most people wave if they can/if they see me and I'm the same. Does it really matter?!

[Nobody]

I have little doubt that it's the old fear of ulterior motives. A bloke waving to another bloke is OK - equals. But a bloke waving to a woman (stranger) is just a bloke trying some sort of 'come-on' approach. Sad, but it is the ways of our world.

I can't see how since I'm going 30+ in one direction and she is going in the other. Unlikely to see them ever again too.

Funny!

I had a bit of a sook sometime ago about people waving/not waving. I wave/smile/nod etc at everyone and if they're friendly/physically able etc they'll wave back. Most people wave if they can/if they see me and I'm the same. Does it really matter?!

Do whatever you choose. I'm unlikely to notice these days as I'm not waving or looking for any recognition of my presence. I generally look past cyclists coming the other way and concentrate on what I'm doing. I used to be a pro-wave person, but I'm more content not waving.

[trailgumby]

These days I find I'm kinda self-absorbed while climbing, focussing on my breathing, core stability and pedalling technique as I try to improve this lower back issue, and a couple of times on the Epping Rd cycleway have been rudely awakened by someone unexpectedly waving or nodding at me

"What?! Oh, erm, hi! -> "

As to the previous poser riding no-handed and yakking on a mobile phone, they'd cop a big mouthful from me. We complain about motorists behaving exactly like that, and then go and do ... exactly the same.

If it was that important you had to take the call, get off the damn bike. I saw some fool do exactly that (on phone, no hands) on the Sydney Harbour Bridge 6 months ago. Nice wide straight bike notwithstanding, there have been some nasty prangs and daily near misses there over the last 6 months.

So who's being precious? Seems to me the one who doesn't like being told. Well, boo hoo.

One of the reasons I got my ayups was because of stupid cyclists who think the laws don't apply to them.

[trailgumby]

Edit: Actually that was meant to be "previous poster" but I think the typo is an improvement so I'm going to leave it

[gtfpv cycler]

i guess not giving a wave is becoming acceptable , so is stepping over dead people on the footpath , not rendering assistance in an accident, and leaving the scene of a crime , driving unregistered unlicensed etc . yet it doesnt change the fact that women wont wave like men do ! i wonder if that has anything to do with single women far outnumbering single men , when they are over 35 , and thier looks arent there number one attractiveness in life .
puts flame suit on NOW .

[Nobody]

i guess not giving a wave is becoming acceptable , so is stepping over dead people on the footpath , not rendering assistance in an accident, and leaving the scene of a crime , driving unregistered unlicensed etc .

You can't group not waving with crime. One is far from the other.

...yet it doesnt change the fact that women wont wave like men do !

I think this has been covered well already.

i wonder if that has anything to do with single women far outnumbering single men , when they are over 35

I think you'll find it is the number of women versus the number of available men in that age group. Men who are looking. I get the impression from speaking to some middle age men that once they have been married at least once before, they aren't as keen to go through it all again. They may be already hocked up to the eyeballs with child maintenance etc. But that is just the impression I get. Anyway this is getting seriously off topic, so this is my last comment on it.

Edit: Grammar.

[TimW]

I have little doubt that it's the old fear of ulterior motives. A bloke waving to another bloke is OK - equals. But a bloke waving to a woman (stranger) is just a bloke trying some sort of 'come-on' approach. Sad, but it is the ways of our world.

I can't see how since I'm going 30+ in one direction and she is going in the other. Unlikely to see them ever again too.

Funny!

I had a bit of a sook sometime ago about people waving/not waving. I wave/smile/nod etc at everyone and if they're friendly/physically able etc they'll wave back. Most people wave if they can/if they see me and I'm the same. Does it really matter?!

I remember that post Julie!!! My how things have changed for the better!!!

I acknowledge all That come toward me,be it a nod or a hand wave, and if I pass someone I say "Hi", if they choose not to wave or reply to me, thats their perogative, I used to get the tom tits when people did not reciprocate, now i have no problem whatsoever with it.Tim

[CommuRider]

i guess not giving a wave is becoming acceptable , so is stepping over dead people on the footpath , not rendering assistance in an accident, and leaving the scene of a crime , driving unregistered unlicensed etc .

You can't group not waving with crime. One is far from the other.

ROFL

...yet it doesnt change the fact that women wont wave like men do !

Someone here seriously needs to build a bridge.

, and thier looks arent there number one attractiveness in life .

Wayne Rooney's hair transplant is all I can say. And the pot/beer belly. And the...oh, nevermind. Shallow attracts shallow. So if you surround yourself with people who judge you by your (lack of) looks, then that's your problem.

[lethoso]

i guess not giving a wave is becoming acceptable , so is stepping over dead people on the footpath , not rendering assistance in an accident, and leaving the scene of a crime , driving unregistered unlicensed etc .

are you really equating not waving to the rest of those things?

[Mulger bill]

i guess not giving a wave is becoming acceptable , so is stepping over dead people on the footpath , not rendering assistance in an accident, and leaving the scene of a crime , driving unregistered unlicensed etc .

are you really equating not waving to the rest of those things?

Well, if you want to use it as an analogy for the loss of "community spirit"*, why not? I doubt gtfpv is actually suggesting that people who do not wave while riding would partake in the other quoted anti social acts. IMO, inferring such displays a preciousness totally unrelated to the central premise of the thread.

*Definitely not the best choice of words, I'm open to suggestions here.

[ldrcycles]

I LOOOVE waving to other cyclists, and reckon everyone should do it. Let's face it, we're a vulnerable minority at constant risk from cars, punctures, sticks, the ground etc, we should stick together and all be friends (cue disney music lol). It right royally gives me the irrits when i wave to someone, they see me waving and ignore, about 20% of riders on MTB or road bikes, more like 99% of people with tri hard bars (doesn't even need to be a full TT bike). I mean really, are you so concerned with being aero that you can't wiggle a finger?

I've never had another rider look offended at being waved to, maybe people are friendlier here in QLD? lol.

[Kenzo]

i guess not giving a wave is becoming acceptable , so is stepping over dead people on the footpath , not rendering assistance in an accident, and leaving the scene of a crime , driving unregistered unlicensed etc .

are you really equating not waving to the rest of those things?

Well, if you want to use it as an analogy for the loss of "community spirit"*, why not? I doubt gtfpv is actually suggesting that people who do not wave while riding would partake in the other quoted anti social acts. IMO, inferring such displays a preciousness totally unrelated to the central premise of the thread.

*Definitely not the best choice of words, I'm open to suggestions here.

I think Community Spirit sums it up well enough.
Attitudes in our 'modern' world is certainly becoming more selfish.
Wave, nod or just a smile... simple things which make a world seem a little more friendly. Just about common courtesy... or spirit.