Does anyone else give nicknames to those they see often?

Emphursis

For instance, on my commute there are three people I see often enough to recognise, Captain Spinalot, The Unstoppable Mullet and The Road Warrior. Captain Spinalot, as the name suggests, spins madly in the little ring for miles on end. The Unstoppable Mullet has a mullet and rides a tourer at a constant speed of 15mph and treats red lights as guidelines.

My personal favourite though is The Road Warrior. I see him every now and then near London Bridge. Always in tights, overshoes, long sleeve jersey and a winter jacket. Two lights on the back of the bike, one of the back of his full face downhilling helmet (complete with dust mask and goggles). Two bright lights on the front of the bike, one flashing one on his helmet next to a GoPro. Oh, and a noise maker that warbles away everytime he's near a car. You just know he's filming all his rides and putting the videos on Youtube, editing out the times he dives down tiny gaps and cuts up cars, bikes and buses.

slowbike

No, but I wave to a colleague as he passes me in his car. I also wave to a minibus driver and say hi to a lollipop lady.

snowster

Yes all roadies are called arrogant pricks

JackPozzi

Pretty much everyone I see is called c$%ty mcbo$%^&*s

kenan

Haven't named anyone on my work commute (only 1-2 times a week) however have named the cleaners at work. We have Tee Towel, Morag, Bright Spark, Doggy, Swampy and the list goes on . . . .

Squawk

There's a guy who I regularly pass somewhere between Deptford Bridge and Tower Bridge who I call "The Angler". Wears a jacket that makes him look like he's going fly fishing, upright position, tootling along pretty slow.

fatsmoker

Bloke going in the opposite direction to me - the dude - regular as clockwork, always expressionless whatever the weather, up or downhill. He's a machine on his hybrid. Don't know exactly where he starts or finishes, but reckon he clocks 30+ miles every working day, and I respect him for that because I'm idle and drive the first 7 miles to work / the last 7 home again most days.

chris_bass

snowster wrote:

Yes all roadies are called arrogant pricks

yeah, think they are in the band but all they do is carry amps and tune the guitars!!!

cookeeemonster

snowster wrote:

Yes all roadies are called arrogant pricks

I don't even give names to hybrid/MTB riders, they're dead to me.

:P

Chill out dude, every group of people has idiots among their ranks, no need to generalise!

Anyway, have you come to this conclusion after having conversations with them over time or you look at their faces at a particular moment and decide their entire personality from that? Else if it's their riding then seriously, for every roadie you can name that rides like a tool I can name a non roadie that does the same (my commute is mostly non roadies so the tools are normally on non roadie bikes)

But back on topic...I have Asian rapha man, grey castelli guy and yellow pannier man.

Oh an electric MTB muppet

snowster

The only person i see now and again on my commute is a dude who rides without a helmet so named him Action Man, just hope his head is as hard as he looks...

tootsie323

Difficult, as my commute is largely XC. As it passes over some common land I find myself with too many sheep to name individually (no need to expand on this...). Do come across the odd horse-rider, dog-walker, runner but not frequently enough to put names to.

The Rookie

I only see three other riders regularly
1/ Pete - looks just like Pete Postlethwaite the actor, rides an old steel framed low top tube women's bike in a very upright stance - kind of like you'd image PP would have ridden a bike.
2/ Gemini man (like the TV series of the 70's!) - rides a Gemini Day One Alfine.......FAST

The miserable git I see on a Trek road bike is too miserable to deserve a nickname.

bigmonka

Yeah I definitely make up nicknames (in fact I started a thread about it a couple of months ago). My favourite one at the moment is the 'ginger guys who rides like a late teenager'. He works in the same ofice building as me, although for a different company, has got a cheap road bike with those butterfly shifters, and rides everywhere as if he's late and in a panic, and somehow his riding makes him look like a teenager although I haven't worked out why on that one!

simon_e

Chris Bass wrote:

snowster wrote:

Yes all roadies are called arrogant pricks

yeah, think they are in the band but all they do is carry amps and tune the guitars!!!

Very good.

No self-respecting musician would let the average roadie 'tune' their guitar.

Some days I see a clubmate riding in the opposite direction. I call him Tim (because that's his name). I'm usually too busy cussing at BMW drivers in the mornings to think of comical names for other cyclists. Perhaps I should try.

WILL 1 AM

Got a long haired hippie like Michael Douglas in Southend, kinda cruises around in his town bike, in sandals with his sunned tan, blonde flowing greasy locks with his shirt undone.

knocking about around the town all the time for years now.

asprilla

Emphursis wrote:

My personal favourite though is The Road Warrior. I see him every now and then near London Bridge. Always in tights, overshoes, long sleeve jersey and a winter jacket. Two lights on the back of the bike, one of the back of his full face downhilling helmet (complete with dust mask and goggles). Two bright lights on the front of the bike, one flashing one on his helmet next to a GoPro. Oh, and a noise maker that warbles away everytime he's near a car. You just know he's filming all his rides and putting the videos on Youtube, editing out the times he dives down tiny gaps and cuts up cars, bikes and buses.

He's famous. I love the way he spins away from the lights to get in front of everyone but then tops out at about 15mph. He has been known to stick his right arm
Out if you try to overtake him.

He heads out towards Richmond of an evening.

whoof

Been doing the same commute for four years always seeing the same people need something to amuse myself.

The Vicar: Rides Hands not on the bars but fingers interlinkedwith index fingers up the 'steeple' position.

Kangaroo paws: Regardless of the weather and what he is wears always has his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. (kangaroos cool themselves by licking thier forearms).

Paula Radcliffe: A guy who's head wobbles from side to side as he rides.

Mr Souplesse: Rides such a large gear he has to traverse across the road to get up a 6% gradient.

tarquin_foxglove

Dogman - for years he had a basket on his rear rack & had a springer spaniel sat in it. I've seen him recently without the dog and but don't ask 'where's the dog?' He will always be Dogman though.

bompington

I don't give anyone nicknames, but I bet that "Sarky Commenter" who I always see going the other way does.

woopidstanker

"Sh*t Knight Rider" to the chump who passes me in the dark (morning & night) with a single (dim) RED light on his handlebars....

zanelad

Ms Peachy Bum. I'll leave to work out why. Always a pleasure to follow

cruff

I had a couple on Croydon - Oxford St in London

The Puffin - obviously not in the best of shape, but a game lad nonetheless. Used to pass him every day somewhere between Streatham Common and the top of Brixton Hill - he always wanted to dance, but aside from the occasions he would RLJ, never made it past me. Nickname given because - despite attempting to affect an air of Gallic insouciance, resting on his top tube at a jaunty angle - on the rare occasions he did stop for reds (having spent the previous 30 seconds performing his shameless Drafting Fairy impression) his face and breathing gave the game away. He was huffing, puffing and sweating like a priest in a scout hut

Little Miss Shrieksalot - not a regular, but used to see her a couple of times a month on her SUAB. Overly fond of screaming at the top of her voice whenever anything gave her a slight shock (car moving close to her, indicator for left turn on bus 100 yards ahead, pedestrian walking a dog alongside her etc.)

Rapha Tw@t - Self-explanatory really. The ultimate in All-The-Gear-No-Ideaery - full Rapha kit the whole way, on five grand's worth of Dogma, riding like an utter fool. Another rare sighting - usually somewhere around Oval/Vauxhall. RLJ in front of me once at the foot of Vauxhall Bridge, so took great pleasure in dropping him up VBR (had to get the KOM to do it, like, but well worth it for the gurning on his face as he tried (and failed) to come back at me)

I need to find some regular suspects up here in The Frozen Wastes of The North

redbikejohn

Only one - "ungrateful git " I stopped to repair a puncture for him (in the rain) and I've waived hello to him three times since and go nothing back

Kieran_Burns

redbikejohn wrote:

Only one - "ungrateful git " I stopped to repair a puncture for him (in the rain) and I've waived hello to him three times since and go nothing back

Did you feel let down?

cruff

redbikejohn wrote:

Only one - "ungrateful git " I stopped to repair a puncture for him (in the rain) and I've waived hello to him three times since and go nothing back

Maybe you didn't repair it well and 500 yards up the road it was flat again?

redbikejohn

LOL could be! Its was his repair that had failed. Didn't rub down seam in tube and used iffy self sticky thingy

Beltaine

Emphursis wrote:

For instance, on my commute there are three people I see often enough to recognise, Captain Spinalot, The Unstoppable Mullet and The Road Warrior. Captain Spinalot, as the name suggests, spins madly in the little ring for miles on end. The Unstoppable Mullet has a mullet and rides a tourer at a constant speed of 15mph and treats red lights as guidelines.

My personal favourite though is The Road Warrior. I see him every now and then near London Bridge. Always in tights, overshoes, long sleeve jersey and a winter jacket. Two lights on the back of the bike, one of the back of his full face downhilling helmet (complete with dust mask and goggles). Two bright lights on the front of the bike, one flashing one on his helmet next to a GoPro. Oh, and a noise maker that warbles away everytime he's near a car. You just know he's filming all his rides and putting the videos on Youtube, editing out the times he dives down tiny gaps and cuts up cars, bikes and buses.

Superb !

mr_eddy

There are two chaps I see regularly, There is a svelte character I simply call 'The Raven' who wears only black clothes and has a DIY matt black Asda special full susser, He is always knackered doing about 5mph but always seems to have a 'can do' attitude !

Then there is the guy I like to call 'Mr Ass Grapes' , I can only assume he is a chronic suffer of said condition as he NEVER sits down. He has a rather nice Decathlon Triban 5 road bike and I follow him for about 2 miles (downhill and flat) and he NEVER sits down. Its so weird

Sometimes I see people that I don't give names to but often have to fight the urge to stop and scream at them "pump your tyres up and oil your chain ya lazy sod" or "Are you actually mentally unstable or do you wear full on body armour whilst riding your Raleigh Hybrid because you are anticipating the apocalypse"

redbikejohn

Well guess who had a front puncture today on the way home (last one was rear) I stopped but said i was I a bit of a rush but did advise him to get some puncture prevention tape (on mtb) .

rcc20

snowster wrote:

Yes all roadies are called arrogant pricks

It's a bit like when you're 10 years old and BMXers don't like skateboarders isn't it?

Manc33

Only ones they wouldn't want to hear like "Nazi Lesbian" etc.