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Out biking today we had great banter with local walkers.
Some said (on a dh section) 'go on go for gold'.
Another group asked 'where our Wiggo side burns were'.
At last there is real interest in our sport, long may this continue.
Did you wish them well for the Olympic walking race 🙂
I am in two mountaineering clubs, 99% of the folk in them use a mountain bike. But don't let that stop you with the red sock stereotype.
And Bunnyhop's a former walk leader for the council, and having been out to help I can say that 99% of the walkers viewed people on cycles as mobile thugs before she was able to enlighten them
I am a current walk leader for the council, since that obviously matters. I don't recall meeting Bunnyhop as he/she must have been up here convincing the walkers I know that people on bikes aren't thugs,as none of them seem to think so.Good to see you share the same view about hillwalkers, thankfully they don't matter as we have the bigger lobby...oh no wait...
I am in two mountaineering clubs, 99% of the folk in them use a mountain bike. But don't let that stop you with the red sock stereotype.
Just to stereotype even more any Mountaineer caught in red socks need shooting.....
I've just spent a week in Les Arcs and didn't meet a grumpy walker all week! They actually encouraged us to go faster, even when we practically knocked them over! Vive La France... ( The cheese eating surrender monkeys 😀 ) Wish they were like that in Grumpy Great Britain!
Ach, man you're in Angus, where rules are different. get a cup of tea and calm the **** down about a throwaway comment in the t'interweb. I have no idea if you;ve ever ridden in England, but trust me when I say that the attitude of walkers towards cyclist (or at least people on foot toward us when we're o bikes) has notably improved over the past month
Had some comments while on a club ride around Swinley a couple of weeks ago. We had just stopped to let some stragglers catch up and met a couple of walkers, who shouted "Bradley's gone that way, get him!"
And then I died of embarrassment when our resident tactless, miserable Yorkshire misanthrope responded "No, we're mountain bikers, we don't care about that girly road rubbish..."
Nearly slapped him, I did.
Does that mean we're not allowed to kill them any more? And bury their bodies on the moors? 🙁
Currently touring the trails of deepest Dorsetshire (which are lush and perfect for singlespeeds, if a bit overgrown and nettle infested) and we have had nothing but happy smiles from everyone we have met - we did pre-empt any negative comments by being overly cheery and happy. Even got "You're in gold and you're in silver" shout from one old giffer.
This is precisely why we can't ever lobby effectively. Bunnyhop posts a positive comment about the seemingly changed attitude of walkers on the local trails - the Olympic effect.
Duckman shoots it down, apparently 'cos she's had the audacity to use the phrase 'red-socks'.
For biking's sake you great jessie - reel your neck in a bit.
nbt - Member
Ach, man you're in Angus, where rules are different. get a cup of tea and calm the **** down about a throwaway comment in the t'interweb. I have no idea if you;ve ever ridden in England, but trust me when I say that the attitude of walkers towards cyclist (or at least people on foot toward us when we're o bikes) has notably improved over the past monthPOSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST
Make your mind up, in your previous post you stated 99% of walkers viewed bikes as thugs until Bunnyhop came along. I go to the lakes every year,so have some experience of cycling in England. Glad you took the trouble to go as far as reading my profile.
Pook, I didn't realise that I was so important to the bike lobby, thanks.
You're a great advert for non-grumpy walkers, Duckman. Not at all stroppy or confrontational 🙂
You go to the lakes every year? Wow! I suppose that's the last word on the subject then? Thread closed everyone!
Just out of interest - have you ever had a fight with yourself? A proper one? Where you've punched yourself in the head, and stuff? Like that scene in Fight Club in his bosses office? Have you?
I've not encountered any for while now as i've been riding in the evenings. I shall await with interest.
I'm not anti walker, but I am anti rude miserable people who come to where I live and won't even say Hello when i pass them. Don't spend any money in the town, and then come into my place of work and complain there are nettles on a footpath, or not signposts every ten metres, or cows in a field. Often behaving obstructivley, and just sometimes, dangerously on the trails.
I have developed however a wonderful targeted tactic for really annoying the miserable ones, while in no way effecting the nice cheery ones (usually but not always, the women IME). Be Polite, and outwardly cheery, jovial and nice. The haters can't bear it. And don't know how to respond to it. And to the others, you're just being nice, and they like it. Its 100% effective.
No I didn't, I can see you might have read it that way but hey, don't let that stop you getting your point across
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IMGS.XKCD.COM *bleedin' double post bug*
the lakes?! thats not enough to get a comprehensive view of the attitudes walkers display to polite handsome young cyclists in the south is it?!?!?!!?!??!1111!11 oneone!1.
i'm the friendliest chap on a bike in all of southern england (anything above high wycombe is the north btw) and even when i slow, get off the bike and walk past whilst greeting them in however their dress sense and apparent age would suggest as appropriate.... i still get the majority of walkers giving me evil looks and, in the case of the wimmin, dirty smiles 😉
i never ride footpaths, never skid (you can check my boxer shorts if you want) and i've got all my own teeth... yes i know i'm a catch.... so you can be assured i am quite possibly the best ambassador cycling has.
how do you defend your fellow pathstompers now ducky?
Binners, stick to trying to pick on Hora.
Thanks Badlywired I like to think so...Actually I have spent more time on a bike this Summer, but don't let that stop you not understanding the work confrontational,or jumping to conclusions; does that make me an alleged "thug on a bike?"
See this is what it is; We are the two biggest land users in the UK. By far and away the ramblers have all the clout.So why be divisive? Having an attitude of them and us is always going to lead to bikes coming off second best. And will lead to the issues discussed in this thread becoming a reality.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mountainbiking-time-for-tighter-regulation
In the lead up to the RtR, I was on the local Mtb group, there was a lot of initial hostility that over time was overcome by the walkers seeing that we actually liked the same things, how we went about enjoying the countryside was just a wee bit quicker. There was an agreed code of conduct for bikes meeting walkers, all the stuff we all probably do,and by and large we all get on and in the 10 years attitudes,and there were some,have changed. Of course if you think that won't work for you, carry on. For me; can't be arsed listening to sweeping generalisations about either group.
Cheeky edit; Phil,all I can say is that I wish I had a daughter, because she would be the luckiest girl in Scotland to meet a young man as polite as you. 😀
too late ducky my man, i'm already taken:
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that's me (check the teeth) giving her hips a quick tighten up
Thanks Badlywired I like to think so...Actually I have spent more time on a bike this Summer, but don't let that stop you not understanding the work confrontational,or jumping to conclusions; does that make me an alleged "thug on a bike?"
You grumpy thing. Chill out a bit.
No, have you seen the weather for this week.
Shes a lucky girl Phil.
that's me (check the teeth) [b]giving her hips a quick tighten up[/b]
Heard it called other things...
you have a dirty mind, can you not see my massive red toolbox?
I like her bush.
Edit:
duckman - you [i]are[/i] coming across as rather angry and reactive to some of the comments on here.
It sounds as if you and bunnyhop have both in the past worked at building bridges between various user groups, which can only be a good thing.
But then your approach here to engaging with what would be a rather positively responding group of people has simply got their backs up. It's something of a communications failure - you're having to add more and more 'evidence' to defend yourself when you've been faced with a backlash.
Chapeau, sir. Chapeau.
And now even Phil's got involved.
edit again:
BWD - not broken. Pranged all the tendons and ligs, and I've been given a prescription of MTFU. Happy days.
I started to type something but stopped, thought i'd save myself a trip to the naughty step...
BWD - not broken. Pranged all the tendons and ligs, and I've been given a prescription of MTFU. Happy days.
Cool. Mend soon 🙂
Duckman - I am and will always be a walker.
It just so happens I was a horserider, am an mtber and will always be a walker, so covered most countryside use there.
nbt meant the walking groups I used to lead for the council (until the money ran out and there's no insurance) were of a certain age and didn't like mtbers, that is until they met me and realised that not all of us (only a few :wink:) are a bad bunch 🙂
I will continue to do everything I can to ensure that people who use the outdoors enjoy the experience and in harmony.
Right off to watch track cycling now.
Pook - healing vibes old friend.
I got "go on Bradley" from a walker today, and I didn't even know he rode a unicycle. To be fair I do mostly get positive comments from walkers whilst on the uni.