mountain biker

timberjack

Hello roadie people, can anyone answer me a question do you road biking people have something against us mountain bikers riding onthe road, i went for a 20 mile ride on my mountain bike on the road this morning[ did'nt want to go off road as i couldn't be bothered to wash it when i got back] i got some sarcastic remarks off some riders who were stopped then as they passed me 2 spoke and 2 did'nt then i passed 3 coming towards me and not one acnowledged me as i nodded to them maybe i am just paranoid but we are all just getting exercise riding bikes at the end of the day

gandhi

I hate them, with their silly heavy bikes, baggy clothes and helmets with peaks.

I think you're being paranoid. Maybe the roadies who you met were just not very friendly people, you get them in most activities. A lot of roadies are mountain bikers too, most of them just really like riding bikes (any bike would do).

hammerite

Not sure about that TJ, I usually say hello to any one else cycling, running, horse riding etc..... unless I'm going up hill then they just have to put up with a nod!!

timberjack

Must of just of been unlucky today, as a matter of interest how heavy are your thin bikes

Red Rock

Hi timberjack, don't worry about it, I get days when no one seems to acknowledge my nods and waves. It's normally the club racer who thinks he's to good to associate with mere mortals. I think you'll find most of us are both roadie and mountain bikers anyway and we'll wave at anyone.

Red Rock

hammerite

timberjack wrote:

Must of just of been unlucky today, as a matter of interest how heavy are your thin bikes

dunno how heavy as i've never weighed it, but I can get about 3-4 mph faster out of my road bike.

Gavin Gilbert

Don't worry about it, plenty of us don't even say mornin' to our own kind.


Hell, I've even been blanked by someone wearing the same club jersey as me :?

gandhi

timberjack wrote:

Must of just of been unlucky today, as a matter of interest how heavy are your thin bikes

My fairly old Aluminium one weighs about 8kg or 18lbs.

ChrisLS

...well timberjack I greet any cyclist no matter what they are riding...so you would have got a hello from me. I ride on road and off road and even ride my mountain bike on the road!

huggy

I always greet other cyclists, runners, walkers, horse riders, anyone really. I also do MTBing, and most people do, so you must have been unlucky or something.

heavymental

I think plenty of friendly roadies get blanked or get snide remarks from mtbers too so it works both ways unfortunately. As is often said on threads like these...bike riders just reflect everyday people to some extent. Some people are nice and friendly, some people are tossers.

nwallace

If you were on a long travel full suspension free ride or downhill bike I would be thinking "What the **** is he doing on that?"

Other than that, everything everyone else has said, I try to at least indicate some sort of greeting.

timberjack

i was on my hardtail the full suspension one was in the shed ready for a trip to the southern upland way this thursday. I was wrong about you roadies you seem a decent bunch to me.

cycologist

On Sunday morning I twice saw a couple riding mountain bikes on the road, Each time i gave a cheery wave and shouted "hiya" it was met with a stonewall response. Not a flicker of friendliness.
Later, I passed someone else on a mountain bike going in the opposite direction. This time the same greeting was met with a grin and a brief attempt at a wave as he went bob bobbing uphill..
Conclusion ? A couple of miserable gits and one friendly soul..

cbj

As said above, never generalise , its not them and us - you get nob ends in both sides and the majority in both sports are cool.

I come from MTB background and have just added a road bike to my collection - different bike, different riding surface - same happy to be out on the bike outlook and mindset. If I ever see you I'll wave

drewfromrisca

I rode through Richmond Park this morning and saw about 15 people. I waved said good morning to everyone and received about 5 replies back. I think it's just plain rudeness, if I walked past someone in the street and said hello then I would expect a little something back. Bunch of miserable gits out there!

cyclinggirl

I ride a mountain bike on the road all the time, have never been off road with it.
I find exactly the same thing, some people say hello, others don't.
Some make you feel like a righ t**t when they ignore you so all I do is wait for them to speak first or give a nod.
It has happened with road bikers and mountian bikers.

Ieuanllan

I think we should start a campaign of being friendly to other cyclists, maybe we can infect other road users with friendliness too?
Most horse riders I see appear to tilt back their heads in order to look down the full length of their noses at me.
I occasionally acknowledge any motorist who gives me plenty of space rather than try to squish me into the kerb or ditch, in the vain hope that it'll influence the people behind who've just seen someone setting a nice example.
Hasn't worked yet!

You want to see a sport with a high percentage of tw@ts?
Try surfing. In my experience about 98% of all the 'chilled out cool dudes' in the line up are way too cool to acknowledge that anyone else exists.

drewfromrisca

Mate I totally agree with you. For About 15 years I surfed before moving to London, everytime I got to the line up there would be some kooks (surf speak) who would start shouting "Hey It's Locals Only On This Break!" then dropping in on our waves and shouting abuse, throwing junk on our cars. In Fuerteventura we had people spitting at us as we walked down the beach, other mates have had things stolen by surfers.

ddraver

Ieuanllan wrote:

I think we should start a campaign of being friendly to other cyclists, maybe we can infect other road users with friendliness too?
Most horse riders I see appear to tilt back their heads in order to look down the full length of their noses at me.
I occasionally acknowledge any motorist who gives me plenty of space rather than try to squish me into the kerb or ditch, in the vain hope that it'll influence the people behind who've just seen someone setting a nice example.
Hasn't worked yet!

You want to see a sport with a high percentage of tw@ts?
Try surfing. In my experience about 98% of all the 'chilled out cool dudes' in the line up are way too cool to acknowledge that anyone else exists.

very fair point that man!!!

Ieuanllan

I haven't surfed for a while, and not only because I live in Derbyshire...

slimbob

Rather than wait for the other person to acknowledge you first the best option is to say hello really early so that if they don't acknowledge you, you have time to launch a hail of abuse at them! Only joking!

I do both roadie and mtb'ing and have the same experiences as everyone else, just depends who you meet.

guinea

drewfromrisca wrote:

I rode through Richmond Park this morning and saw about 15 people. I waved said good morning to everyone and received about 5 replies back. I think it's just plain rudeness, if I walked past someone in the street and said hello then I would expect a little something back. Bunch of miserable gits out there!

Was this between 07-0900? I replied to a guy on a mountain bike and gave a smile.

If that was you, then I'm pleased to meet you.

1892

I ride both and found that if riding a road bike most people will say hello back, but if I'm on my mountain bike less people riding will say hello back, especially roadies in full lycra