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You could try singing hymns? Or doing a full-throated evil laugh "Mu-ha-ha-ha"
I'd pay good money for an electric bell that played Brian Blessed at people...
The way some scuttle out the way I'd consider an MP3 player small speaker and some Benny hill music for your approach as they scurry out the way as if you were a freight train.
I mtb, road bike and run on all sorts of paths and trails. There have been lots of occasions when running at Glentress when groups of mtbers slowly pedalling up the road won't move for a runner heading down the road on the right side of the forest road. I think they like playing chicken. I always acknowledge if on a bike or running but you get idiots all the time! One morning after a hard run heading home and feeling the worse a group didn't move while I was running, neither did I or my elbows..... It's easier to keep moving down a hill fast 😀
Towing my little girl on the local cycle path annoys dog owners! This really pisses me off! I'm sure the buggy is sound proof
We are all out for enjoyment.....it's nice to be nice 😆
I just use a long tickle stick.
we are British; get a bell and take the moral high ground. Ding it like a mofo and when they don't move over loudly proclaim about their ignorance and rudeness.
we are British; get a bell and take the moral high ground. Ding it like a mofo and when they don't move over loudly proclaim about their ignorance and rudeness.
+1000
even if you think it's rude, the average rambler welcomes it
Bell on my commuter. A BBB Bellspace that mounts to a stem spacer. It is very discrete, takes up no space and gives a pleasant moral-higround ting!
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Ramblers purposely ignoring the Hope Pro 2's silence shattering buzz, until pretty much running them over. Its like the only frequency they part the trail to, is the open sesame password of a bell ring!
I tend to ignore numpties who have some sort of self-centred belief that their annoying hubs give them some sort of right of way - whether I'm on foot or on my bike. Stop being a chod in the countryside and try treating other users of the countryside with a little respect. You coming along at a faster pace and just expecting them to get out of YOUR important way is ignorance. You are no more or less important than they are. However, make assumptions that they should clear the way for you and you become a complete idiot.
^^ and for the same reason I don't use a bell. Ringing a bell can be construed as a demand for walkers to hop out of the way.
Everytime I meet someone, a polite "excuse me" has always worked, and if they have already moved, or seen me, a "hello" and a "thank you" go a long way to keeping both "sides" amicable.
I've only once had someone tell me to 'get a bell'... I just smiled at her as she and her group were walking [i]in the middle of the road[/i] at the time and we'd just come up behind then.
Heh.
I once had a couple of teenagey girls say 'what are you doing on the FOOT path??' I got to point at the white painted bike-path sign they were [i] standing on[/i] 😀
edit - fair play to them, they said 'oh' and got out the way!
A friendly approach almost always works. however that doesn't seem to be the fashion for many here.
Modern ting bells don't register with older people as a bell. Its the wrong noise, very quick and by the time they work out what it is the speeding cyclist is upon them.
Older double ring ones work better but it is not the cool thing to do. I ride almost daily around the gravel in the FoD. Millions of walkers out. Why they use the cycle track when there are miles of other I dunno but they do. A friendly "Morning" works. Slow down , expect those surprised to react in unpredictable ways,(you wouldn't pass a small child on a bike without much warning and care.) Give way as is courtesy when you are the faster mover, .
Expecting a walker to move at the sound of a hub is dim-witted. I assume that's sarcastic. How are they supposed to know what it is and I for one don't react to an unusual sound. The again I assume that anyone with a noisy hub hasn't made a sensible choice anyway. 😆
Of course anyone with head phones is a complete F wit and deserves a fright.
Just what is wrong with a touch of courtesy, respect for ones elders, and taking things slowly. Cyclist are the first to complain when some dimwit in a car passes them at speed.
Everytime I meet someone, a polite "excuse me" has always worked, and if they have already moved, or seen me, a "hello" and a "thank you" go a long way to keeping both "sides" amicable.
This is what I do to. Don't have a bell, and only ever had one person tell me to get one, although they had heard me coming and gotten out of the way before I would have started ringing one anyway. They certainly weren't close enough when they shouted it to see if I had one or not.
On the whole people are very acceptant (I find) if I just ride up behind them slowly and say "excuse me".
If you do want people to move quickly though, squeaky brakes work a charm. Everyone assumes they're broken and you can't stop.
I got called a very rude word for informing a gentleman who stepped across me on a 15ft wide cyclepath he should make observations before crossing the path (to the side of a busy dual carriageway, maybe his intention was to remove himself from the gene pool?) and the following rant included "you're a ****ing psychopath" whilst astride the large painted bicycle symbol. Cue my moment to shine, smug doesn't come close.
a whistle tends to attract attention from about 15feet away (just mid-pitch without an actual whistle).Then when nearer if haven't moved open a sentence like - "please could I make my way round or is it ok I make progress? Thanks" If you whistle just have to watch out for dogs coming in from the undergrowth or up ahead and be prepared!
Came up behind a girl on the towpath t'other day who had a wondering dog on a long lead. Called out several times to no response. Finally realized she had earphones in. When I came along side her and past the dog (carefully) she about shat herself. I just don't get it. Why come outside into our lovely countryside and then create a barrier between you and it?
devils advocate
a rambler blocking a cyclist on a path is no different from a cyclist "taking the lane" on a road.
in both cases 2 people are doing risk assessments of whether or not it's safe to pass/be passed...the overtaker and the overtakee - whose risk assessment is most valid?
One of the big problems in this country is the way the small-minded are apt to take are offence whenever it suits. It doesn't matter what method you warn people of your approach, it is always possible to complain about it. I don't think your own attitude makes much difference ( unless you ate being really anti-social to start with.) if someone has decided that you are on [i]their[/i] territory.
Last week i passed a walker on a shared path who actually understood what to do when i said 'On your left'. I was shocked when he simply stepped a little further to the right without even looking.
I approach, reduce speed, at about 15-20ft away, announce my presence "excuse me please, cyclist to your right". Probably 50% of the time it works, the rest of the time ending in chaos - if people can't understand this though, should they really be let out?
I always try to be polite, slow down and say thanks.... Ignore any comments and focus on the next bit of my ride.
The chances are I'm having a better journey than they are.
Joggers with headphones in are fair game to be honest.
No bell here, always just slow right down and say hello/thank you on way past. Save the "hard stare" for the occasional idiots.
Old dear yesterday made me laugh. She was at the back of a group of elderly ramblers and noticed me, shouted "BIKE!" several time to the rest of the group. Not one of them heard her or made a move.
"Just run 'em over" she told me as I went by.
Most people are fine if you slow down, hold back and keep the Pro 2 rumbling 😆
I got stuck behind a Jogger with Earphones in for 15 Mins a while ago. I could have got past but the young lady was a lovely sight at the end of a long ride 8)
Tbh .....it's very rare to get an ignorant rambler where I ride ...... Most of them are very friendly and are happy to chat as you pass ........it's like life in general .... just the odd idiot that ruins it
Went through this sort of BS for years on the towpath commute. Eventually stopped using the bell and adopted the warning phrase of 'look out behind'. I wanted something that would prick up ears 'look out!' and give a direction for the warning 'behind'. Sounds idiotically simplistic but I've never had a bad experience since adopting it several years ago. The tone you deliver it with, and the following Hugh Grant-esque 'Awfully sorry. Thank you so much' is crucial to success.
Technically a tow path is no right of way for riding, but depends on the tow path. There are many in the UK where you're actually supposed to have a permit to ride. Many the right to ride depends on the land it's going through also. Even the Thames is like this, though they've marked a cycle path through many parts now.
Not so now, the Canal and River Trust seem to be taking a responsible access approach like Scotland [url= http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/see-and-do/cycling ]as detailed here.[/url] A bit odd to restrict bike access on a towpath as their designation would make them a de facto bridleway due to historic horse use on them for a 100 plus years.
Too many selfish, intolerant people on a small, overpopulated island.
Welcome to Britain. 😀
I use a bell and as has been suggested before, start ringing it well away from my target, if that doesn't work, I say loudly "excuse me", if that doesn't work, I try to edge past until they notice me and jump out of the way, and I say "thank you" and I mean it 😀
Never had any negative comments, even when I've been travelling at speed 😆
and I say "thank you" and I mean it
I think this is pretty much the most important comment so far..
Anyone who doesn't respond well to heartfelt common courtesy is a wally and will get what's coming to them..
And the same goes for them that can't apply it.. 8)
The more remote you are often the more friendly the rambler. The ones who have just walked a hundred metres from the car can be the most awkward especially as they seem to be the ones with herds of dogs and toddlers.
A bit odd to restrict bike access on a towpath as their designation would make them a de facto bridleway due to historic horse use on them for a 100 plus years
Not as odd as horses not being allowed on them, but there is some argument that they would need a load more maintenance with big beasties trampling around.
Too many selfish, intolerant people on a small, overpopulated island.
Most of them posting on STW
Interesting point Rob. I wonder how much, if any, extra maintenance would be required given that there would be less horses than when the navigations were in use and the load would be smaller too as they wouldn't be dragging 50tons of load.
[quote=FOG]The more remote you are often the more friendly the rambler.
It is worth bearing in mind that that rambler you passed 15 miles from nowhere may be the person to pull you off a rock and administer first aid and call for help... and vice-versa if they got into difficulty.
Petty "who's trail is it anyway" middle class first word problems nonsense pales into insignificance when one human is giving lifesaving help to another miles from nowhere.
Worth bearing in mind.
Doesn't work quite the same on towpaths in the middle of town though.
At sea, power gives way to sail.
On the road, we expect cars to give cyclists due deference because the cyclist is the smaller, more vulnerable party. Same with pedestrians.
Somehow, some people then get on their bike and effectively 'ride on a shared path with pedestrians' and expect pedestrians to get out of their way. I don't really follow how they think they have the right to behave in such a boorish manner towards other people enjoying the countryside.
I shout ding ding and cheerily ask if they like my organic bell? Seems to work though I find when hooning down a descent walkers get out the way and a yelled thank you gets a smile. Unfortionatly some planks on both sides seem to think they are in the right and have no need to compromise.
If you've ever been at sea recently you'll realise that the reality is somewhat different.
Rather than asserting one particular path user's right to their bit of real estate, why not just chill and accept that for any given situation there's an easy way and an antagonistic way. It's up to both parties to choose which way they are going to manage the situation.
If you go out to sea in a sailing boat, don't expect the supertanker to get out of your way.
Meanwhile, as a cyclist are you supposed to wait forever to get past a walker? Yes they have right of way, but it's not unreasonable to expect them to allow you to pass.
Some great discussion in this thread, consensus seems to be damned if you do, damned if you don't!
Although may try one of these for £2.99, just to see how the reactions differ
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/nc-17-alloy-bell-2013/rp-prod96020
rubber oring to superquick to de/re attach. See if the none bell angry rambler minority can become even smaller.
I'm on the "you can't win" side with walkers.
Ring a bell and they tell you there's no need for that, we heard/saw you coming, you could just say hello.
Say a polite hello (or excuse me or whatever) and get told you should have a bell.
🙄
And what's with the moving around thing? You get half of them going one way, half go the other, the the first half decide that actually the second half were correct so attempt to move across the path to join them. Meanwhile, oblivious to all this is some old bloke out the front while all the other oldies call "George! George? GEORGE! Cyclists" And old George turns round, looks and then moves to the exact opposite side of the path. Again. Sometimes though at least everyone sees the funny side of that.
I love it when you don't get the reaction you half-expect from folk. Hooning down a local (cheeky) descent this morning, saw a dog coming up, thought it best to stop rather than take my chances squeezing through, and encountered an elderly chap with a stick and bad eyesight.
Thanked me and we had a five-minute natter about what a complete git the landowner was, as he'd been told off recently for grabbing a bit of cheeky walking...
Stuffed up my Strava time, though.
Everyone seemed nice enough today.
One of these is on the way, bells are always useful.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/139160027/a-better-bicycle-bell-made-in-the-usa
@martin, I also had a dog on downhill descent encounter today, was going warp factor 11, when spotted a lady and a dog in the distance, gently scrubbed off speed, and the lady horrified, almost pounced on the dog, grabbed its head and clasped it there on the spot, by this time I pootled past at 2 mph, largest over-reation i've seen in some time 😯