The 'nod'

No you have not crossed a line.  Just acknowledge anyone riding a bike - bimbling along, head down against the wind, aero bars - whatever - just say hello even if they dont respond you know you have done the right thing.

I had a drop bar fixie - got nods. Changed to flat bars - no nods. In fact I could swear I was invisible. 

It's the same nonsense on motorbikes. Ride a sportbike, sportsbike riders nod, get on your enduro bike and you disappear. Harley wankers ignore everyone but Harley wankers but nobody really cares about that as they're just jokes anyway, pay loads of money to ride something that does nothing well. 

I mostly acknowledge other riders, but at the same time I sometimes wonder why I do it.  I suppose it feels like there is perhaps already enough grumpiness and hostility in the world already.  But then I don't wave to other Skoda drivers when I'm in the car, or other pedestrians carrying shopping bags.....

I don't care about the response I get.  Those people who don't respond, might just be riding their bike for a purpose, like doing the shopping or commuting - they might not feel part or want to feel part of the cycling community - whether they're wearing stuff or riding a bike that could mark them out as having made a choice to buy proper kit rather than a bso.  Or the other rider might be concentrating on the traffic, the road, on a training effort or whatever. 

Aside from this thread and the time I've just thought about it, why do people worry about it?

Interesting thread. I live right on the edge of the Peaks, and around here almost everyone nods/waves/whatever, even the Sky boys (not so much the Team GB guys - I assume it's because they're terrified of their bosses back at HQ..).

It's less than 20 miles to the centre of Manchester, and there's seems to be an invisible line a few miles down the road from where, when commuting, you'll not get a nod. Possibly it's because no-one really wants to be riding to work, or they're already pissed off with the fools sitting texting in their cars, and they'd rather they were riding the other way towards the hills, but there's a real grumpiness with some cycle commuters - I've given up with the nod when riding to or from work.

I might have to re-assess this when adding some extra miles on the way home now the weather seems to have hit the heady heights of double-digit degrees...but will the rucksack give me away?

be the change you want to see

Seems like it depends which neck of the woods you come from. I normally opt to keep to myself as I generally abhor the loud attention that socializing in Manila entails, and that habit carries over to my riding.

If I am waved to, I will usually respond, but I rarely initiate. These days, you cannot tell how crazy people are. Philippine streets are also rather crappy (for both riding and driving) so I'd rather put full attention to reacting to whatever potential "incidents" I come across.

I'd imagine if I was in the UK or some other country, I'd be a little more inclined to initiate the hello wave or nod. That's just me.

I had the Anti Nod last night, it was unseasonably warm down on the coast so everyman and his dog was out with their 2000Lumen retina destroyers

It would appear that dimming lights isn't the done thing, these days.

all you "I diligently nod or wave to anyone else on a bike" types should come to Cambridge, you'll give yourself RSI or whiplash

I think of it as a salute, a salute to anyone else on the higher plane that riding a bike means.  I don't discriminate, MTB's, shopping bikes, TT machines, I nod wave or say Morning to anyone.  Most respond.  

I was thinking about this the other day, I'm always torn on my commute (45 minutes through Edinburgh to Kirkliston) as I meet a lot of others coming the other way, after a while trying to wave or say hello to every one just seems a little silly. Now it's just a raised finger from the bars.

Also I think because everyone is commuting and has somewhere to be there's a lot of fixed stares looking ahead rather than raised heads looking around waiting to catch people's eye.

How do people feel about trying to greet someone you're passing? I treat my commute like training, and ride a relatively nippy bike (for a commuter) so pass quite a few people on the way. I feel bad but at the same time actively turning to look them in the eye and greet them seems *WAY* overkill...

Quote:

As for disc brakes, try them, you won't go back.

Unless you value your eardrums whilst commuting in the wet, can't wait to get my canti-braked single-speed back on the road so I can ditch the disc braked bike I'm using right now. But that's a topic for another thread 

Stick a massive rucksack/backpack on your back, a very big one, and the nod slump is incredible.

A couple of years ago, I missed my stop in Cardiff and got off at Bridgend instead, to cycle back to the Vale with a week's worth of (mostly lycra) clothes on my back. (It was summer, I needed a holiday and my sister has a hot tub in her garden. Perfect recovery after a day of wandering the lanes.)

I must have passed about 30 cyclists, and I can't recall any of them acknowledging me. I've never felt so invisible to other cyclists in my life. Considering the usual nod percentage in that area is in the high nineties, it must have been the bag.

Does 'nod'iness vary by area? 

I find that in the area I ride (a 50 mile approx' radius from Bedford) the nod/wave/subtle salute rate is probably over 90%.

A year or so I was out ridding with a couple of friends through West Kent & the Weald. It may have been because one of my friends was dressed mountain bike(ish) style in baggies & a retro jersey but not one of the many riders/groups who we met as they passed in the opposite direction acknowledged us. Strange........

I only started 'proper' road cycling six months ago and the first thing I noticed was how often other cyclists said 'mornin' or made an effort to acknowledge me and that really made me feel part of the community, especially as I'm a fat bloke in my fifties who looks like a trussed up, flourescent michelin man.

I always try and acknowledge other cyclists but I know that sometimes my 'mornin', nod of the head or wave of the hand may not be as obvious as I intended and I suspect other cyclists are also the same or may have missed my greeting as they grind up the hill.

As I generally get around a 70% interaction, I take life as it comes and assume either the other 30% missed my genial genuflection or are just miserable sods!

I've not been able to ride for a little while but when I'm walking and even driving i still find myself giving the traditional nod to my "fellow cyclists" watever they are riding.

I'm in the same boat and always wave or say hi.  I'm usually by myself and clearly buy all my clothing in the sales so nothing matches and get mixed responses.   I thought it was the bike - big tyres and discs and people being snobs or protective but when I did a recent local ride which a number of clubs and solo riders took part in most were great and inquisitive about the bike and thought it cool. 

Those that did not were mainly some of the local club riders who were clearly far superior to everyone else.  So that's one reason I'll never join a club but I'll carry on waving and saying hi as life really is too short to get hung up on these things.  

As  others have said it says more about them.  Alternatively there may be so into the ride they genuinely didn't notice though that's pretty unlikely. 

It's been said many times before...

I wave, nod, acknowledge all and sundry irrespective of what they wear or are riding.

It's just the right thing.

If you don't respond, well that's down to you.

I'm a lone wolf 99% of the time, maybe that's not acceptable to the oncoming peloton...

Sometimes my kit matches my bike, but mostly it doesn't...and sometimes the bike has 28mm tyres and disks, maybe that's not real cycling to those 'types'...

Doesn't matter one jot to me.

Nah don't worry about it, it's not that. Most riders have a really hard time telling what you wear or ride as they pass by. The % that can and actually treat you based on it are small and have a personal hang-up that you can't cure.

I've been on cheap 400 quid frames in cheapo kit and posh 3600 quid frames with deep section wheels in full Rapha kit all in the same year and the one constant is that some riders are cool and some riders are miserable regardless

None of that has anything to do with you. 

Funny you mention this, last Sunday the missus said what a miserable bunch out today, right as I was thinking the same thing. Must have gotten blanked by all but 3 or 4 guys that day. Which is bizarre as most riders are pretty cool out our way and we're both regulars who wave at everyone, yes even MTB'ers.

That's just the way it goes, sometimes the die get rolled and you get a lot of inward-looking people are all out around the same time. 

Either way, you're old enough now to be dressing and riding what makes you happy. A little self-flagellation for this moment of weakness and go out and enjoy yourself.

Remember, if you wave at someone and they blank you - you're the bigger person. Score. But still, remember that the more you look the part, the more intimidating you can appear. Not everyone who blanks you is a dick, some just feel coyed and need you to be warm to them to bring them out of their shell. That's why you should be the bigger man and always initiate. Well that's my philosophy anyway and it takes the guess work out of wondering, 'will I wave or what' every time you see a rider. I just auto wave/nod/morning everyone. If I ever 'Yo' someone, it's cos I see them a lot and that's me being friendly. 

Now enough of this nonsense  

 disc brakes, fat tyres - the only thing that can save you from being mistaken for a hairy-arsed mountain biker is to shave and oil your legs!