Is it a brave new world?

Finally found this little gem
Finally found this little gem also from the OP

Cyclist wrote:

I ride down the canal towpaths regularly, I shout from at least 100m then 50 etc on your left or right, if they make no attempt to move or move across into my line I don’t move or slow down, if they do then I will always slow and say thanks. I don’t blame kids under 10ish or dogs. A couple of summers ago I shouted at the top of my voice to a fisherman who had one of this great white fishing poles across the path I was well over 100m away he looked straight at me and carried on doing his thing, so I ran straight over his pole, lovely crack. I consider myself to be considerate to others in every way, however one chance is all you get as that is all I will get from a lorry.. However ref the headphones and walking, let’s talk about idiotic cyclists who wear them..idiots, far more so than walkers on a canal towpath.

Leeroy_Silk wrote:Matt Eaton.

Leeroy_Silk wrote:

Matt Eaton. I agree 100% with your comments! Youngsters on scooters in skateparks are like swarms of locusts ; they’re a pest beyond measure. But they pay to use the parks as much as the next person and so have every right to use them. More so in a lot of cases as their cash is keeping older parks from closing and enabling new ones to be built.

From experience everyone is capable of learning etiquette, but to learn it you have to teach it in a courteous manner. Shouting, balling and threatening tend to get you no where.

Most of the skateparks I go to have the rock up and ride basis. The only one paying one I’ve used was the one in a shopping centre in Edinburgh – now closed and transformed into yet another Pizza Express sadly – my son misses the skatepark so much he says he won’t ever go for a pizza there. I haven’t been to the new site in Edinburgh.

I agree strongly about being courteous when you want to get a message across. Shouting at people is counter-productive.

Matt eaton wrote:OldRidgeback

Matt eaton wrote:

OldRidgeback wrote:

It’s not just the scooter kids. The parents need education too. I go to Stockwell skatepark here in London regularly with my son so we can ride our BMXs. My son started there young and even when he was small, quickly appreciated that there was an etiquette and that the skaters took some lines while the BMXers took others, so he knew where to keep an eye out. But there are plenty of parents who wander up with young kids, let them into the skatepark and then either wander off leaving them, or lounge around at the side, unaware their offspring are causing mayhem and also in quite a lot of danger.

We also get a lot of idiots turning up at the BMX track – walking their dogs on it, walking or jogging round it and using their radio controlled cars, even while we have training sessions running.

Very common problems; I’ve nearly hit dogs a couple of times as they run across the track.

Some parents seem to think that skateparks (and tracks for that matter) are playgrounds and just dump their kids there without supervision. It even happens at our local indoor. If the kid is old enough I usually try to talk to them and educate them about etiquette in a friendly way, most importantly about dangerous behaviour like hiding behind the jumpbox where no one can see them. If they are too young I might try to talk to the parents, but this doesn’t usually help as they rarely want to listen.

Walkers and joggers – a few ‘creative’ near misses usually does the trick. Lots of skidding and cursing like you’re in a panic and genuinly think you’re going to hit them helps. You could try talking to them nicely but I wouldn’t hold out too much hope if they haven’t been able to work out what the track is for.

Radio contolled cars – squash ’em – done.

It sounds like we’ve had similar experiences. I did a few laps the other day and there were some idiot walkers strolling round the track looking at plants, despite the fact that there was me and a kid getting some speed up on our bikes.

Our coach said the same about radio controlled cars and that may apply to the small electric ones but you don’t want to hit one of the larger, faster ones with a glow plug engine. There are tracks for radio controlled cars at Crystal Palace (one ‘road circuit’ and one ‘off road’) and I usually direct the guys with their toy cars there. I did receive a lot of abuse from one guy on one occasion and he was quite threatening, but his friend dragged him away. Luckily there are only a comparatively small number of short fuse f***wits in the world.

Will you be riding at the Brits by the way?

To the OP:
#1: You’re the
To the OP:
#1: You’re the overtaking cyclist, it is entirely your responsibility to stay out of the way of the folk you are overtaking. If you have any doubt that they have registered your presence – shouting or no – you should slow down and give plenty of room. In essence – don’t be a d!ck. (Isn’t that rule #43?)
#2: Responding to @rseholes by being an @rsehole only increases the total amount of @rseholeness in the world. Every group contains a certain number of them – at least, with your confession here, I know the remainder of cycling is probably a little better off than I thought and, if I avoid you, my life will therefore be improved. Back to rule 43: don’t be a d!ck.
#3: No-one is obligated, ever, to return your cheeriness, nor your fuckwittery. It sounds like you have been dealt the latter in spades. Chasing after someone, in *any* circumstance, and berating them for not returning what should have been a cheery salute is, frankly, psychopathological. Seek help. Oh, and try not to be such a d!ck.

farrell wrote:I’ve made this

farrell wrote:

I’ve made this point before that shouts of “on your right/left” can confuse or panic a lot of people.

It’s advisable to stick with saying it, but be aware that someone’s thought process may be “what on my right”? Look right, drift while looking back over the shoulder, see fast approaching cyclist, panic, wobble, bang.

On the road or similar (bike path etc.) I usually stick with a simple ‘bike up’ or even shout ‘bring bring’ in the absence of a bell. There’s a well established rule that on the road you ride on the left and overtake on the right so there’s really no need to tell people what side you are passing on.

Simon E wrote:Matt eaton –

Simon E wrote:

Matt eaton – increased membership does not translate into more people organising, marshalling, serving tea or putting out signs; it’s the same few every time. Enforcing group riding etiquette is infringing their civil liberties yet they expect to be led everywhere and are only interested in their Strava times.

Too many people think club events are provided solely for their benefit, that they can just turn up and ride/race and don’t need to give anything back. Crosshouses’ comment of “only joined for the jersey” is a fair one.

Absolutly agreed, the comment is fair and accurate, particuarally given that many of those coming to road cycling are adults. I have more experience of BMX clubs where increased membership does tend to result in more willing helpers (as the sport is very youth-focused and not all parents ride), although it’s still always the same few doing the bulk of the work.

The reality is that with increased popularity more and more folks will simply wish to pay their money and enjoy the ride and it’s the same for all sports really. How many members of football clubs volunteer to coach youth teams? Just like cycling it’s the usual handful of passionate individials. I’m not sure if this is a universally bad thing however ignoring group etiquette is unacceptable.

Matt eaton wrote:Crosshouses

Matt eaton wrote:

Crosshouses wrote:

A few weeks ago I was left hooked by a chain gang from a local club, no warning of their approach, no acknowledgement of my presence, no indication they intended to turn left and no apology for making me do an emergency stop. I was invisible to them.

Later that week I caught another rider and stayed with him for a chat. It turned out that he was a club official and urged me to join a club. I described my recent experience and told him that I was unimpressed by the behaviour of club groups. His reply was that clubs were being spoiled by the influx of new cyclists who were not interested in learning the etiquette of the sport and “only joined for the jersey”.

To be fair, we can’t have it all. I’d draw a paralel with the BMX freestyle world where increased popularity, partly of BMX but more significantly of micro-scooters, has resulted in a lack of good skatepark etiquette. Trying to get a run in can be almost impossible at times for kids standing in stupid places or dropping in without looking. Everyone whinges about the scooter kids and how they are ruining skateparks but it’s also true that the increase in participation in ramp-sports has resulted in more skateparks being built and the scooter kids (or rather their parents) play no small part in enuring that our indoor parks stay open.

Increased interest in road cycling will have many positive benefits. Increased club memberships mean more money for clubs to run events or improve facilities and with more bikes on the road our local authorities might even start to maintain the roads better (OK, I can dream can’t I?). There are negative aspects of a sport becoming more mainstream but lets look to the positives as much as possible.

It’s not just the scooter kids. The parents need education too. I go to Stockwell skatepark here in London regularly with my son so we can ride our BMXs. My son started there young and even when he was small, quickly appreciated that there was an etiquette and that the skaters took some lines while the BMXers took others, so he knew where to keep an eye out. But there are plenty of parents who wander up with young kids, let them into the skatepark and then either wander off leaving them, or lounge around at the side, unaware their offspring are causing mayhem and also in quite a lot of danger.

We also get a lot of idiots turning up at the BMX track – walking their dogs on it, walking or jogging round it and using their radio controlled cars, even while we have training sessions running.