Riding along a busy shared path I was catching up with this mamil. As usual giving a ping on my bell when fifty metres or so behind walkers. The mamil was ten m infront of me. After the third time ( all the walkers moved over and one thanked me) he gave me a mouthful of abuse. " don't ring your bell they might jump infront of me"
Who is right?
You are right for warning with your bell.
Mamil is wrong for not being prepared to slow/stop and buzz past them incase they ruin his KOM.
As a bikeist and a doggist I really appreciate a warning of bikes approaching for obvious reasons.
He was whistling quietly when 2 m behind the folk - I had watched him for a bit as I caught up with him. He had already startled one lot before I was close enough that my ping on the bell was before he passed someone
When he shouted at me I pointed out that using a bell smooths the way and keeps most folk happy. He said " I have already ridden 3000 miles this year I know what I am doing" to which I replyed - "clearly not"
Part of his angst might have been I was faster than him and dressed in ordinary clothes and no helmet. I did pass him as he shouted at me and he bust a gut to catch up with me to shout some more.
This isn't a "who is right" question at all, is it.
It's 1) a "today I encountered a ****" thread, and a 2) "I overtook a roadie" #HumbleBrag
I see you, Jezza, I see you.
Imo you are right and he is a massive nobber!
Aaaand that simul-post confirms both of my suspicions. (-:
Cougar nails it
In that situation I just usually slow down and wait until past the walkers so I don't cause confusion, kind of what the MAMIL was saying, but shouting is clearly a dick move.
He was probably just pissed about getting overtaken.
I bet he wears jeans too.
Do you really ring your bell 50 meters away? Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding, how many dings before people usually hear ye? 😆
This isn’t a “who is right” question at all, is it.
It’s 1) a “today I encountered a ****” thread, and a 2) “I overtook a roadie” #HumbleBrag
I see you, Jezza, I see you.
Exactly what I thought to be honest , I overtook a roadie (who acted like a dick) and also I was wearing ordinary clothes and no helmet. FFS Tj , you really love a bit of attention seeking.
When he shouted at me I pointed out ...
Always a good start to a sentence.
Not meant as a humblebrag. I was hurrying to an appointment 2 miles away, he might well have done 50 miles before I saw him. I mention the clothes as maybe the fact I was not in cyclists uniform caused him to judge me ( as perhaps I judged him?) He was angry before I overtook him.
seosamh77
I always ring the bell from 50 - 100 m behind walkers so as not to startle them. single ping - wait for a reaction, if not ping again. 90% of the time it smooths the way, on this shared path ( water of leith path, leith end for those who know it) I get thanked regularly for using a bell. I was twice thanked today. I do practice "polite cycling" ie I always thank folk when they move over to let me past
I always cycle up and talk to them. Never had the need for a bell.
Excuse me, how's it going, great day for it, eh, cheers, see ye later....
Bells do my dinger in tbh! 😆
I don't really see them as automatically polite, particularly when it's not even you trying to overtake them!
Inserts something funny.
Then realises it really wasn't funny.
Edits post.
Still not funny.
Deletes words.
Looks at empty reply box.
Wants to post something to be 'involved'.
Posts this.
Wonders what is happening in his head.
Tries to remember you are just his Tamagotchi.
Goes and plays some Rick Wakeman.
seosamh77
This is a main route for cyclists and has a lot of folk on it. If I were to do that I might as well walk or go on the roads. single ping usually works
Oh - and also posted this knowing it would be an opportunity for you all to take the piss.
Just be aware that you might look like a knob horsing it up behind someone dinging away from 100 meters away! 😆
This is why I always carry a medium sized stick whilst out bicycling. That way when I encounter angry MAMIL types I have something to shove through their spokes.
Some of the above may not be true.
eddiebaby, I hear you brother.
50-100m is a bit pointless, I generally ding about 3 times at about 20m, if I don't get a reaction I'm on the brakes and give another ding barrage at about 5 m.
Then you just have to make a judgement call, slow down to walking pace or wide bearth and overtake if there's space.
Maybe he was on a traditional road bike that doesn't have proper brakes 😀
Hmmm - maybe I don't use it at 100 m but certainly 50. It gives them time to move without panicking. although its a single ding bell it is very loud. too close to folk it makes them jump
He was on a posh looking road bike with discs. teal and orange in colour if that means anything
He was on a posh looking road bike with discs. teal and orange in colour if that means anything
Just means you're overly opinionated about this dude! 😆
🙂
I do find I get very different reactions from people depending what I am wearing and what bike I am on. I was on the hipster bike today.
Teal is not a colour that men can see.
We work in primary colours only, everyone knows that.
So cast doubt over this whole encounter 😉
Devils advocate: I probably wouldn’t use my bell until I was number one behind the walkers. He might have a point that they might assume the bike was 50 metres away and move into the one 20 metres off.
I was number one behind the walkers
Worried....
I was number one behind the walkers
You're the Duke?
” don’t ring your bell they might jump infront of me”
I tinged my bell at a young woman walking along in front of me engrossed in her phone, whereupon she promptly walked straight in front of me, resulting in both of us crashing to the ground. Her phone hit the path, flying into pieces, she picked up the bits and walked back the way she had come from. She never said a word, me, being a polite Englishman, apologised for her walking into me!.
I used to call out “hello, excuse me” sometimes, and I’d get nagged at for not using a bell, and I’d use a bell and be nagged at because it was ‘impolite’ and I should say ‘excuse me’. Just proves that, no matter what you do, you’re going to piss someone off!
I do find I get very different reactions from people depending what I am wearing and what bike I am on. I was on the hipster bike today.
Oh – and also posted this knowing it would be an opportunity for you all to take the piss.
I'm glad I didn't disappoint.
(I wasn't being entirely serious, in case it wasn't obvious.)
You’re the Duke?
... of New York?
I'm with you on this one TJ that path can be a bloody nightmare if you don't have a bell, the jumctions the dog walkers the cyclists the prams the dodderers the groups 4 abreast the headphoned runners.
Sounds like he wasn't having fun on bikes... which always makes me sad.
Sometimes I just ring my bell even when there is no one around 😀
In seriousness, sometimes people are so oblivious they won't (or choose not to) hear multiple bell rings and a hope hub in good time.
So you always have to be prepared to stop on a 2 pence piece when passing a walker or a dogger unless there's an 8 foot gap
Especially of they are old and/or have a dog in tow.. Sometimes they just don't clock you so it's your responsibility not to go burning past them if your not 100% sure they know you're coming.
It's a shared path, after all. Joggers with thier headphones on or people waddling on thier iPhones blocking the path are fair game though. They should stick to the sides.
of New York
Yay! Someone got it.
In that situation I just usually slow down and wait until past the walkers so I don’t cause confusion, kind of what the MAMIL was saying,
I do wonder about this - but then I become complicit in the not using a bell and pissing off the walkers which I really don't want to do.
Yay! Someone got it.
Probably in my top three movies.
then I become complicit in the not using a bell and pissing off the walkers
TBH, practicalities aside it's worth having a bell just to deflect the "where's your bell?" brigade.
Who is right?
You are right. You are always right. Never forget that.
Which path is it? I sometimes struggle on Portobello prom, and sometimes avoid it in summer, which irks me.
Yay! Someone got it
Which film are you referring to? (I thought it was a GoT reference...)
Water of leith path right at the leith end - between sandport bridge and junction bridge
Sounds like you are going a bit fast for a shared use path if you have to ding from 50 yards away. My commute takes me along a path used by kids/parents to get to the local primary school and I have to use my bell about three times of the approx 150 metres. Normally when 15-20 yards behind the pedestrians.
Kudos for polite cycling but part of that is passing at a speed where you can easily slow down/stop to avoid collisions - you may do this already but your OP had hints of excessive speed about it.
I do slow but not to walking pace. This is a main route for cyclists in the area and most of the path is wide. Excessive speed is very relative. I'll be slowing from say 15 - 18 mph to 8 - 10 as I pass folk on the wider bits. slower on the narrow section. the ding from a distance seems to work better - avoids the panicked jump out of the way from the walkers so allows me to pass with less slowing.
no helmet.
Oh dear TJ, Oh dear...
OP in yet another personal confrontation shocker.
I just go as fast as I can past walkers in the forest, the more time you give them the more likely they are to do something stupid.
