Does anyone say hello anymore?

Not sure why it bothers me so much but why don’t people return a cheery hello?

Out on Moel Famau on Saturday, started away from the tourists paths and didn’t see anyone for an hour or so. Went in to the main paths and all the walkers I then came across returned a hello. Once over the top and down the other side, some mountain bikers went out of their way to blank me. Seriously, we were the only ones in that side of the hill and one guy even turned his back not to say hello. Very odd!

Out on the mountain bike today and 2/3 of riders went past without returning a hello

Seems to me if you’re not on the same type of bike, or even the same mode of transport, you’re invisible.

Hey ho...

Hell yes. Everyone I pass when walking, running or cycling tends to nod or make some verbal greeting. It can get a bit wearing on busy summer days.

Riding a fatbike - with pogies - helps too I guess

I say hello to everyone whether they want it not. If ignored, I'm not adverse to continuing to say hello until I get a response ... or I simply ask why they're miserable

Hello **waves**


It's probably not personal, some people are just miserable, some are just living in their own little world. I can be completely oblivious to what's going on around me sometimes

Generally most people do return a greeting but on Sunday we went for a short ride round Saddleworth and got totally blanked by a couple of riders. Everyone else - walkers, horse riders, roadies and a couple of other mountain bikers either returned our greeting or said "hello" first. These two passed us on a descent then at the gate at the bottom they stood about 3 metres from the gate as we approached and completely ignored us, as in look the other way ignore, no "I'll get that for you" etc. , didn't even turn round at the noise of us opening the gate. It wasn't as if we could have gone any other route from where they passed us. No wonder mountain bikers get a bad rep.

Like you Simon, we probably weren't on a rad enough bike to be considered worthy of their attention.

I get the same thing... Am glad you opened this thread as I used to think it was either cos I'm muslim looking (or what people would suggwst to themselves that I look muslim) and they must read too much of the appropriate newspapers to believe that I'm prone to being a mass murdered...

Or if it wasn't the above, my other working theory I thought it must be that I have my Crikey, how much jersey on with mtb bottoms and a road bike (never had a non returned hello when on my mtb and noticed that road bikers seemed more likely to be miserable)... anyway I came to the point that I just stopped letting it bother me and now I just nod or say hello and csrry on my business/ride without noticing whether the nod or hello was returned...

There was this one time: Whilst I had my bikepacking (another theory of mine that my bikepacking gear normally irks people when they go to miserable lengths to be superstreamlined with as minimal kit as poss) gear insitu (nurse uniform in saddlepack and emergency kit in framebag) and my Crikey, how much hardshell jacket (could be seen from a mile away) on top with mtb bottoms below. A lovely chap covered in his lycra and same jacket on top overtook... I mentioned the jackets and must've said something to pee him off (like, "we're like Crikey, how much Hardshell brothers") and he just totally blanked me and went on his merry biz. I put down my right foot... caught up... overtaked (is that a word!) and then continued on my merry way. Am pretty sure that annoyed him some more as he couldnt keep up (I like to think) whilst weighing probably 20kg (kit and body) less than me.

(Try to) dont let it bother you and just do as Stu says... I'm surw most of the BB people will return a hi as well as many more (the one third you mentioned) and its worth being cheery yourself...

NB... I normally smile with the thought in my head of what the prophet muhammed advised (I am a muslim afterall) that "smiling at another is a form of charity"...

Who knows who you might cheer up one day... Apologies for the long blurb

smiling at another is a form of charity

When I do it it's usually a form of sarcasm

I think it's fairly regional, up here in the Borders walkers and cyclists are all generally friendly, exchange greetings and smile*. I went for a cycle in the New Forest with my brother in law last year and accidently said Hello as I passed a family and they looked at me like I was trying to eat their children.

*ok there are a few miserable roadies about but I'm not obsessed with everyone on a bicycle being my friend

Does this belong here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT0ay9u1gg4

Daily Mash - a northerner in London ........

Where-oh-where is the Cheery Friday thread rather than all this STW-whingey stuff

Yup I do.

I'm sure region does play a part but I also think there's perhaps a change in society, which may also mean that saying hello to strangers is now an age thing. I, as no doubt many of you were, was brought up that way. Saying hello or where I'm from 'how do' was normal and expected behaviour ... just like throwing your rubbish on the floor was something you didn't do and all this were fields.

I think it's less regional and more 'tribal'.

I ride a mtb, a touring bike, a carbon road bike and a fixie in the city (coz I am such a hipster). Now if I am on road bike, I get little response from mtb'ers, yet when I am mtb'ing the next week the same people who blanked me are now my besties! The same all ways round, horse riders occasionally say hello, but around here the mtb crowd and the horse riders don't rub along so well. Walkers are a law to themselves.

So I reckon that we all used to go to the outdoors to get away from it and everyone else, now everyone else is doing the same and becoming less cheery as a result.

Personally, I tend not to wave, but that is because I am a bloody miserable sod.

Cheeky Monkey wrote:Does this belong here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT0ay9u1gg4

Daily Mash - a northerner in London ........

Where-oh-where is the Cheery Friday thread rather than all this STW-whingey stuff

Most people say hello back to me (and I'm really grumpy) but a few roadies and some walkers ignore me - the former are presumably to busy looking at their power meters and the latter think I'm the scourge of the countryside so I don't let it bother me.

I did notice that none of the folk I randomly came across in rural Andalusia were at all communicative. It's quite a shock to notice the difference from riding at home. In fact, the only folk who acknowledged me at all were a group of mountain bikers - and they were British.

I do. Lots of people seem to take themselves seriously though.

It’s just people init. Some of them are sound. Some of them are wankers.

Here in rural Cataluna seems quite different to Scotroutes experience, it doesn't matter if your on a road or mountainbike you always get a wave or shout of venga. There's a road climb near me that goes from sea level to 1,500m in 20 odd km, a few months ago I was grinding my way up when a young guy passed me with a few words of encouragement and shot off. He was hanging around at the top so I started chatting with him about this and that. I told him that the Tour of Cataluna was using the climb a few weeks later, he replied " I know,I'm in it" Turns out it was Marc Soler who won last years Paris-Nice and is a Movistar pro rider, he finished the Tour of Cataluna 3rd behind Valverde and Contador, doh!

I say hello to everyone, including friendly looking trees. I usually get a reply, maybe because of the sawn-off shotgun I point at them upon greeting - If they don't reciprocate, I don't take it personally, not after I've followed them home and set fire to their house anyway.

Smile and wave.

It's good to be cheery. Sometimes if I don't get any response I'll say it much louder, or just mutter "miserable git" to myself.

Often I put it down to being their problem if there's no response - and you never know what's going on in other peoples lives.....

macinblack wrote:I say hello to everyone, including friendly looking trees. I usually get a reply, maybe because of the sawn-off shotgun I point at them upon greeting - If they don't reciprocate, I don't take it personally, not after I've followed them home and set fire to their house anyway.

I forgot, I also say hello to any (wild) animal I meet

Hello!

Zippy wrote:Hello!

(No one say anything).

.

























.

Is it me you're looking for?

I have lived all over UK, and it definitely has a regional element, i have suffered "hello- lag" for long periods..

I come from the South Coast near Portsmouth and people don't tend to say hello much to each other there, whether it be on bike or to the neighbours. I then moved to living in North and then West Yorkshire, i had a lag at first of being a southerner so that it took me a while for me to get used to being friendly to neighbours and fellow cyclists, but i caught on and after a while i was merrily waving a hearty hello and anyone that would listen (still thought i was in for a fight when offered "scraps" in the chippy though)

Then i moved to Surrey and working in London, with my new found ability to be friendly to my common man from Yorkshire, this time the lag worked the other way, it took a while to lose my friendliness, i was that idiot that tried talking to people on the Tube only to get blank looks....and i learnt to walk around quickly in double time staring at my feet.

Now i'm in rural North Norfolk, and again, i've had to start the having to be friendly to people all over again, neighbours, cyclists, walkers, horse riders they all seem to want a blinkin chat here...