Where have all the nods and waves gone ?

[Ian Raleigh]

My first car was a mini, a proper one, not the BMW shit, and we mini drivers always waved at each other.

 

[highlandsflyer]

I still wave at air cooled VWs. Whatever I am in.

 

[Retro Cat]

I nearly always get a nod or a foot wave passing fellow motorcyclists, perhaps because both other motorcyclist and I just know that each of us is having a high old time zooming about.

I get less nods and waves passing fellow cyclists although today I got a full house on my 30 mile road route. I reckon the more fun your having the more you will nod and wave to fellow cyclists/motorcyclists and RS200 drivers.

Some people just don't have fun cycling you can't hate them for it.

 

[highlandsflyer]

To be fair, I do get miffed when I get no acknowledgement in certain situations.

When you pull into the side to let a biker shoot through, though they normally raise a few fingers.

When you slow to a crawl and give a cyclist a wide berth at a safe point.

Sheer ignorance, and as a cyclist I feel these people are encouraging drivers into bad attitudes to cyclists.

When I approach a horse, I always cut my engine, drop my windows and proffer a sugar lump on a stick.

So sue me!

 

[Pyro Tim]

I still wave at air cooled VWs. Whatever I am in.

Been there. Once I'd moved on from my mini, I started getting annoyed that mini drivers never waved back. Then I realised I wasn't in one anymore

 

[dbmtb]

Oh not this topic again.

 

[FMJ]

Oh not this topic again.

Waiting for the time when I can post a where have all the nod and wave threads gone? thread.

I'll be over in the corner holding my breath. Don't let the blue alarm you.

 

[alanf]

Oh not this topic again.

Waiting for the time when I can post a where have all the nod and wave threads gone? thread.

I'll be over in the corner holding my breath. Don't let the blue alarm you.

it's a very nice shade of blue, I used to have VW beetle that very same colour, I got waved at a lot in that car, mainly by other men as I later found out it was voted gay car of the year

 

[incorrigible]

it's a very nice shade of blue, I used to have VW beetle that very same colour, I got waved at a lot in that car, mainly by other men as I later found out it was voted gay car of the year

I think you mean "new beetle", i.e., water-cooled, front-wheel drive, with the dainty little flower vase on the dashboard , as opposed to the air-cooled, rear-wheel drive, go-anywhere old beetle with a header exhaust that sounds like a WWII fighter plane.

Of course, there are exceptions.
http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/

OK, here's my rant: As for why many folks don't wave as much anymore, I think it's because society as a whole has become disconnected and aloof compared to earlier generations, probably as a result of television, movies, the internet, and now cellphones. The youngest are the most affected, and each generation seems to be more aloof that the one before it (Jeez, I sound like an old f@rt, don't I?).

An increase in population density also plays a part, I'm sure. I used to think people in New York City were rude until I realized that they're simply abrupt, and for good reason. New Yorkers have to deal with so many people in a typical day, and for them to acknowledge every single person they see would be to invite multiple possibilities of someone slowing them down and keeping them from getting to where they're going on time. Not a big deal to wave and say hello to the occasional individual passerby, but imagine the time it would take to acknowledge each one if there were hundreds of them. I think that's where roadbikers are misunderstood; their mission is to go from point A to point B in minimal time, whereas a cruiser or mountainbiker is out to have fun, and doesn't mind (or even welcomes) the occasional distraction.

There's also the exclusivity factor (snobbery?). It used to be that Jeep owners in the USA would wave to one another on the road, but with the advent of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, suddenly Jeeps were mainstream, and the newbies simply didn't know the "protocol" and so they didn't wave, and were thus viewed as snobs by the "Old Guard" of Jeep CJ owners. That same Old Guard could be viewed as snobs by others because they only waved at people who were members of their exclusive Jeep CJ clique.

Then there's the fact that many people are simply oblivious of the fact that there are other people on the road, in their lane, on the planet, etc. The guy who stops in the middle of the path to look at a map without thinking that someone else might come along is a prime example. Another example: a friend of mine used to get to the end of an escalator (whether up or down) in a shopping mall, and then he'd stop and look around and decide what to do next; meanwhile more people are being deposited behind him at the end of the escalator, and eventually someone has to push him out of the way. That had to happen to him several times before he figured it out.

Then there are people who are unsure of themselves and are so focused on what they're doing that they don't even consider anyone else.

There are also many people that are suspicious and mistrustful of strangers saying hello to them. Their instinct is that you obviously have an ulterior motive that is less than honorable.

The best attitude to take IMO is to not let it bother you. I wave to people unless it's a non-stop sea of passers-by, or if I'm doing something that requires my full concentration (hill-climb, wheelie, navigating obstacles, etc.). I've learned that some people (teenaged skateboarders, for instance) will return your wave with a single-finger "California Howdy", and it's not worth getting upset over. Just enjoy yourself and don't let the little stuff bother you. As for the dangerous auto drivers, well, that's another rant entirely.

 

[NeilM]

No, it was the 4 different "pretend roadies" who I waved and nodded to as I went past. All 4 blanked me totally. Only the old boy on his mountain bike that I always see gave me his usual nod and grin.

What the f*ck is happening to cyclists these days ? Did I get invisible when I turned 50 or something ?

Rant over

I was out at the weekend on my roadbike, and got a bit of a puzzled nod from a guy going the other way on a modcarbon, but the second guy I saw completely ignored me and just stared staring ahead... ignorant b'stard.

Mind, thinking about it now, it could possibly have been something to do with a long, lung busting climb he was nearing the end of :shock:

I find in general, some wave, some don't and one family group I saw the other day all chorused 'HELLO' back at me in response to my wave, so it's not all doom and gloom.

While were in ranty territory, I still can't get my head around the cars that follow inches off my back wheel, then race past with much revving of engine, only to then pretty much emergency stop five yard in front of me to turn onto their driveway or into their road. I usually just 'tut' to myself at this sort of thing, my son is a little more vocal in expressing his belief that the person concerned satisfies their sexual urges on their own; though how someone is supposed to fornicate and masturbate at the same time is a puzzle. Youngsters today eh?