Whether to Wave

[dcv]

I’m a head nod guy, wave if we know each other.

[bobco85]

Interesting article. This is one of those facets of bike culture that I never hear about.

@dcv 55477 wrote:

I’m a head nod guy, wave if we know each other.

Ditto.

I tend not to initiate any waving, nodding, etc. unless I and the other person make prolonged eye contact. I’d probably fall into the writer’s rude category because I also tend to be in my own little world when biking and don’t always respond. Perhaps I should wear a sort of mood light, with different colors to represent things like “loving this ride,” “gasping for air right now,” “going all-out,” and “brain not here, please leave a message and I will recognize your communication in about 5 minutes.”

[KelOnWheels]

I like to smile at people I can’t ever tell if I know anyone or not so I figure smiling is good.

How cool is it we get to transport ourselves in a way that makes us happy and want to wave at people?

Waving is not the gesture that I usually want to make when I am driving my car.

[Amalitza]

I do tend to wave or nod on the road, and on the trail at work, which is lightly travelled with a high ratio of regulars (as compared to the NoVA trails near home). Waving at everyone on the MVT on a Sunday afternoon would require “beauty queen on a parade float” level of waving dedication. Though I do sometimes exchange eyerolls and head-shakes in response to third-party stupidity (unsafe passing, stopping and milling mid-trail, etc). Solidarity in the face of hardship and all.

[Brent]

On the trail, I only wave at people I know, and consularrider gets a shoutout when I see him, although usually he sees me first.

On the road, I only wave if it’s a quiet country road.

[ebubar]

I tend to nod and smile at almost everyone. I wave if the other person seems particularly happy to be out riding!

Mostly, lots of cyclists look to be too ELITE to be bothered with acknowledging my presence. They just have to concentrate
on flying by me like stealth ninja’s. This makes me want to get that curvy bar bike, but as I get faster its tempting to keep
cruising on the hybrid as the feeling of keeping up and/or passing those with $2K+ road bikes is pretty priceless…

[KLizotte]

I’ve been trying for a year now to get Aqua Man to smile or acknowledge my presence. We pass each other in opposite directions on the MVT in the morning. He’s an older gent who rides an aqua colored Bianchi and has matching aqua kit (head to toe) which I have never seen him vary (I really hope this means he bought multiple versions of the same outfit). He rides all year round. I smile and half wave but get no response.

[Dickie]

@KLizotte 55511 wrote:

I’ve been trying for a year now to get Aqua Man to smile or acknowledge my presence. We pass each other in opposite directions on the MVT in the morning. He’s an older gent who rides an aqua colored Bianchi and has matching aqua kit (head to toe) which I have never seen him vary (I really hope this means he bought multiple versions of the same outfit). He rides all year round. I smile and half wave but get no response.

It’s not me I promise… he’s giving Bianchi owners a bad rap!…. I always wave, smile, nod… I’ve even been known to wear hand puppets!

[KLizotte]

@Dickie 55512 wrote:

It’s not me I promise… he’s giving Bianchi owners a bad rap!…. I always wave, smile, nod… I’ve even been known to wear hand puppets!

Hahaha, no you I would recognize. He rides a strange bike. It’s almost like a cruiser but with gears. I give him credit for riding thru all weather though.

[dcv]

Wouldn’t he be “celeste man”?

[JorgeGortex]

I’m a smile and/or nod person. Unless I am in a state of bonking I usually try to smile at people. I’ll chat if chatted with as well, but don’t often start the chat. I’m usually in my own world. I am the same way when (I can) run, and always found it curious and amusing when people were stony faced, looked away, etc. Its as if people feel like they are be submissive in some strange way if they are nice. I’m not a Pollyanna, but life is too short to serious all the time, especially when as noted we are out doing something we enjoy.

JG

[OneEighth]

Ride time is headcleaner, but I make a real effort to give a shout out and/or thumbs up to any little kids who are riding on the path.
The rest of y’all will have to do with a nod or that “I know I’m going to recognize you any moment now” look.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@KLizotte 55513 wrote:

Hahaha, no you I would recognize. He rides a strange bike. It’s almost like a cruiser but with gears. I give him credit for riding thru all weather though.

I think I know who you mean. I believe the bike is called a Milano.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Don’t initiate. Will acknowledge with a nod if someone is extremely emotional about it. Waving and saying hello to strangers is a symptom of fear, novelty or insanity. I’m not afraid of bikes. I see them all the time and if I waved at all of them, my arms would get tired (it’s not 1996 anymore out there). And I’m not crazy. I’m grumpy. I don’t wave thanks at cars either when they do something they’re supposed to.

[DaveK]

@KLizotte 55513 wrote:

Hahaha, no you I would recognize. He rides a strange bike. It’s almost like a cruiser but with gears. I give him credit for riding thru all weather though.

If it’s the guy wearing a celeste Bianchi kit and riding a celeste Bianchi Milano while wearing sneakers, he shoaled me repeatedly riding across the Mall the other day. I got so mad after repeatedly passing him that I almost shoved him into a bus.

[Author]

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