Miserable gits.

peat

I'm a bit of a country bumpkin and have been brought up to 'greet' passer's by when out and about in the countryside. The majority of times, this is met with a polite "Morning!/Afternoon!/Hello!" in return.

But sometimes, they just look at you blankly with a 'Who, me?'/'Please, take my wallet, take my phone, just don't hurt me' or simple look the other way. What is that about?

I also find this happens more the closer you get to a town aswell.

grumble grumble.

blister pus

Just chase them down and splatter their brains out with an axe.

cooldad

I hate chirpy strangers who seem to think I want to be their friend.

Twelly

cooldad wrote:

I hate chirpy strangers who seem to think I want to be their friend.

+1

bompington

cooldad wrote:

I'm a miserable git and proud of it

FTFY

diy

I like it when some old duffer turns around to shout abuse because they didn't hear you coming only to be greeted by a cheery hello, which triggers them to reply without thinking.

Tony__B

I walk my dog, twice a day, and dog walkers always acknowledge each other with a 'morning' or a 'hello'. So I tend to greet other MTBers when I encounter them on my bike and I am astonished at how many reply grudgingly, if at all. how much trouble does it take to return a 'hi'?

Sometimes, though, I get confused and say 'hello' to dog walkers when I'm on the bike. That really throws them!

blister pus

You'll always get a grunt out of me but depending if I've been racing and chasing my own tail round a loop and how shagged I am is arbiter of what response you get.

In other words it varies from very chatty to a fuck off and leave me alone look / grunt (sorry it's the best I could manage)

.blitz

Peat wrote:

What is that about?

its the Strava effect

YeehaaMcgee

The corpses. The corpses, man.
They never say hello back.

Anonymous

I find it's the roadies who don't greet you back. That and certain club types. Think all that lycra cuts off all their friendly response.

The MTB guys and girls are some of the friendliest bunch and most walkers and dog walkers these days are fairly happy to greet too.

Except on tow paths. There's a certain level of hatred on tow paths towards bikes. I know the story from both sides, as someone who rides occasionally on them and does their best to be courteous, make my presence known, stop and give way, walk past kids and dogs running all over the place, but also from my folks who are walkers are their gang moan all the time about cyclists barging past, never ringing their bells, nearly knocking them into the canal etc. Basically the attitude I tend to find against me even when I try to be nice.

Some have just got it into their heads that all bikes are evil, but they've got it from reputation of the tow path fair weather warrior types who get on their Asda specials charging down there.

Though I will admit I don't do bells. I know they moan about it, but 9 times out of 10 they've heard or seen me way off anyway and when they haven't I wait until they do or stop and ask if I can come through. Some though I've seen clearly have seen me, yet pretend not to and refuse to move. And ring a bell anyway from far off, and they jump out of their skin and glare at you. Typically is older folk. The younger people out don't care and are happy to say hello.

cooldad

bompington wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I'm a miserable git and proud of it

FTFY

That's no secret.

bails87

Roadies do a very subtle nod as they pass, most of the 'serious' cyclists I see on my commute do it, it's the hybrid/hi viz brigade who don't tend to do it.

MTBers are probably friendlier, but riding together up a fireroad climb gives more scope for a conversation than passing each other on a busy A road

Thewaylander

HUmanity is doomed, people as a rule are a~@e hats

Penylope

I tend to say hi to most people i make eye contact with, from walkers, cyclists of all types and dog walkers etc. Sometimes to be friendly, but most of the time to freak people out, it then gives me something to chuckle about when they dont respond, or say something completely random cos thats what they were thinking about at the time.

peat

cooldad wrote:

I hate chirpy strangers who seem to think I want to be their friend.

While i detect a wry grin with that, some people obviously do think that way. It is horrendously arrogant to think that the 'greeter' wants to be thier friend. Synonimous of the way society is heading i fear.

I see the exchange as an acknowledgement of each other's existence. Manners, essentially.

peat

Penylope wrote:

I tend to say hi to most people i make eye contact with, from walkers, cyclists of all types and dog walkers etc. Sometimes to be friendly, but most of the time to freak people out, it then gives me something to chuckle about when they dont respond, or say something completely random cos thats what they were thinking about at the time.

*approaches stranger in desolate loction*

'I hear the evening light on the Tundra is spectacular at this time of year, may i offer you a cigarette?'

mrmonkfinger

deadkenny wrote:

I find it's the roadies who don't greet you back.

I've never found that.

In fact, most any people I give a nod, wave, say hello, piss on their shoes, are 90% of the time happy to reciprocate in kind.

Also, sometimes I'm the 10%. C'est la vie.

The Rookie

bails87 wrote:

Roadies do a very subtle nod as they pass, most of the 'serious' cyclists I see on my commute do it, it's the hybrid/hi viz brigade who don't tend to do it.

PMSL, I ride a Hybrid (and wear Hi-vis in the dark, have to on country lanes), about the only ones who don't reply to my cheery greetings are shaven legged, lycra beclad 'serious' roadies....most look at me like I'm the horse poo they've just ridden through.....personally I think it's snobbery against my unserious looking hybrid! (OK Mongrel really in the case of my bike!)

bails87

The Beginner wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Roadies do a very subtle nod as they pass, most of the 'serious' cyclists I see on my commute do it, it's the hybrid/hi viz brigade who don't tend to do it.

PMSL, I ride a Hybrid (and wear Hi-vis in the dark, have to on country lanes), about the only ones who don't reply to my cheery greetings are shaven legged, lycra beclad 'serious' roadies....most look at me like I'm the horse poo they've just ridden through.....personally I think it's snobbery against my unserious looking hybrid! (OK Mongrel really in the case of my bike!)

Ah, so snobbish roadie sees a hybrid, thinks "peasant" and doesn't speak to you, then I see you a few minutes down the road (on my CX, looks like a road bike) give the nod and get nothing back because you're still annoyed at the first roadie? Vicious circle! BTW, I wear lycra, but have hairy legs, and I'll always give a nod where I see another cyclist.

What I meant was the type of rider reffered to as a 'nodder'. The 'pedestrian on a bike' rather than a cyclist.

Not that it matters, I don't take it as a personal sleight, if I walked round the supermarket shouting "HELLO, HELLO, HELLOOO" at strangers I doubt I'd get a high response rate!

cooldad

Peat wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I hate chirpy strangers who seem to think I want to be their friend.

While i detect a wry grin with that, some people obviously do think that way. It is horrendously arrogant to think that the 'greeter' wants to be thier friend. Synonimous of the way society is heading i fear.

I see the exchange as an acknowledgement of each other's existence. Manners, essentially.

I blame Wiggle

The Rookie

bails87 wrote:

Ah, so snobbish roadie sees a hybrid, thinks "peasant" and doesn't speak to you, then I see you a few minutes down the road (on my CX, looks like a road bike) give the nod and get nothing back because you're still annoyed at the first roadie? Vicious circle! BTW, I wear lycra, but have hairy legs, and I'll always give a nod where I see another cyclist.

What I meant was the type of rider reffered to as a 'nodder'. The 'pedestrian on a bike' rather than a cyclist.

Not that it matters, I don't take it as a personal sleight, if I walked round the supermarket shouting "HELLO, HELLO, HELLOOO" at strangers I doubt I'd get a high response rate!

No, I'm not put off by the snobbish roadies, I greet all the same, never had a 'nodder' ignore me either though (although where I tend to ride on the road there are very few of them).

It's not quite the same passing 4 fellow cyclists in 25 mins versus walking round a supermarket of course, I KNOW I have one thing in common with somone on a bike!

bluechair84

bails87 wrote:

Ah, so snobbish roadie sees a hybrid, thinks "peasant" and doesn't speak to you, then I see you a few minutes down the road (on my CX, looks like a road bike) give the nod and get nothing back because you're still annoyed at the first roadie? Vicious circle! BTW, I wear lycra, but have hairy legs, and I'll always give a nod where I see another cyclist.

What I meant was the type of rider reffered to as a 'nodder'. The 'pedestrian on a bike' rather than a cyclist.

Not that it matters, I don't take it as a personal sleight, if I walked round the supermarket shouting "HELLO, HELLO, HELLOOO" at strangers I doubt I'd get a high response rate!

It's amazing how often this works though if you're on the pull

bails87

bluechair84 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Not that it matters, I don't take it as a personal sleight, if I walked round the supermarket shouting "HELLO, HELLO, HELLOOO" at strangers I doubt I'd get a high response rate!

It's amazing how often this works though if you're on the pull

Not the way I do it......

bluechair84

bails87 wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Not that it matters, I don't take it as a personal sleight, if I walked round the supermarket shouting "HELLO, HELLO, HELLOOO" at strangers I doubt I'd get a high response rate!

It's amazing how often this works though if you're on the pull

Not the way I do it......

Damn work filters... All I have is my imagination... Is the picture of your 'hello'; Sloth from The Goonies giving a sex grab in a dark alley? If so, it needs refining...

bails87

It was Blackadder with pencils up his nose, though yours might work too

bluechair84

Dang, I see it now. I was so close.

paul20v

cooldad wrote:

I hate chirpy strangers who seem to think I want to be their friend.

I always acknowledge other people on bikes
As i always do with dubbers and 4x4 vehicles
Its what im intrested in and its just an appreciation of the others dedication and choice of transport
Its not because i suddenly want to be their friend i have enough friends to be getting on with .

cooldad

Then I hate you.

dmorton

I've found it can vary within groups of riders, some ignoring you, some saying Hi when coming the other way or going past. It's normally the ones at the front of the group who look straight at your bike to see what you're riding and if it's "better" than theirs (no Hi etc. just a stare) and the cheery ones at the back of the group who say Hello (probably because they're just bothered about having a good time)

paul20v

cooldad wrote:

Then I hate you.

You dont know me .