zacster

Yep, condescending allright.

Buffalo Buff

Newbie here, can you guys please define the following terms?

MUP / MUT
Salmon
Ninja
Shoaling

Also what's wrong with blowing your nose while you ride? I like being able to breathe without having my mouth hanging open.

I use 3 of those things on my commute every day. Two of them being a water bottle + holder

wphamilton

please define the following terms?

MUP / MUT - bike path where there are also pedestrians
Salmon - cyclist who rides the wrong direction on the street or path
Ninja - cyclist who rides at night with dark clothing and has no lights
Shoaling - when you're stopped at a light and other cyclists ride around you to stop in front of you. Usually slower cyclists.

nothing is wrong with it. If you don't blow on someone behind you.

I think he was being facetious. Commuters use every combination of equipment imaginable - from bare racing bike to full touring style and beyond, and it's all good.

Buffalo Buff

Thanks for the info. Most of those are non-issues for me since I live as far from downtown as you can while still being considered part of the city. It's a little under an hour ride to reach downtown where I actually see other bikers.

I do have a habit of being a ninja when no cars are coming. But I turn on a 200 lumen headlight when a car pulls onto the road.

cobrabyte

quibbling over semantics? No thanks.

gregf83 

Other than not falling over what's to master? You turn the pedals and you climb the hill.

achoo

He was looking for something to brag about to display his superiority over "racers", "acrobatics", "posers", and "jerks that think they're Lance".

Someone needs to tell him that it's not all about him and just because he might be GOING faster than another rider, he may not actually BE faster if the other rider cared about him.

Someone also needs to tell him Lance hasn't ridden in competition for a while now...

TenSpeedV2

MUP - multi use path is what it stands for. Often has walkers, bladers, runners, etc.
MUT - multi use trail is what it stands for. Same as above.

Figured you might want to know what the letters meant.

alan s 

Just to further clarify, bike riders would be included in "etc." Kind of like on the road: cars, peds, etc.

TenSpeedV2

I figured that since we are on a cycling forum, the cyclist part would be an absolute given.

wolfchild

What bugs me is cyclists who dress like it's winter time when the temps are still in their 60's and 70's. Why the heck would anybody wear a windproof/waterproof shells when it's so warm ??

fietsbob

No "Fellow Commuters ", so no Peer Pressure .. = No Problems. Insecure & Approval Dependent?

alan s 

Dude, what happened to your post count? Used to be up around 3 million or something.

fietsbob

Reset .. a moderator Service, since shallow types thought the number was Important.

tjspiel

The first time I heard "on your left" was as a runner on a popular set of MUPs that ring local lakes. It was probably about 10 to 15 years before I was ever part of a club ride. There are separate MUPs for peds and cyclists so it wasn't even from a cyclist. It's not cycling specific at all and considered good trail use etiquette for all users. Runners don't often have bells but they still pass other runners and walkers.

There's a trail I ride for part of the way home that like the trails around the lakes has separate paths for cyclists and peds. For various reasons, there are often pedestrians on the bike path. I will say "on your left" but know that since they are on the wrong path anyway, they may in fact move left so I slow down just in case.

megalowmatt

I'm pretty much the only bike commuter I see on my work route but my own experience has led me to use bells on both the road and the trail. Over the years I've found on the road and occasional "MUP" saying "on your left" led to more confusion than it was worth so I switched to using a bell. Also, if the wind was blowing just right often times I had to raise my voice higher than normal and sometimes it seemed people felt I was shouting at them. The bell cuts through and is more of a pleasant announcement.

On my mountain bike I use a bear bell that jingles along with the bumps. Bells may not be the "in" thing but I enjoy annoying my fellow riders with them

john4789

It is not unreasonable to expect other road users to learn the customs associated with that mode of transport. Slower traffic is expected to move to the right and faster traffic is expected to pass on the left. Car, bike, or runner on MUP.

Predictability reduces accidents. It should be everybody's responsibility to learn the 'jargon' (or meaning of a bell ring) as it makes us all safer.

Jim from Boston

As a year-round cycling commuter (at least 14 miles one-way, down to zero ºF), I'm not fond of being chilled in the spring-summer-fall, even in the 60ºF range, from the slight wind chill. So I may wear a long-sleeved, lightweight jersey, lightweight tights, and even long-fingered lightweight gloves. Furthermore, I often ride early in the morning when the sun is low. with less radiant warmth, even though the ambient temp is in the 60's.

Minimal layers at about 68ºF and above.

tjspiel

It's not random words someone just decides to shout that they expect everyone to know.

If two sailboats are approaching each other, one on a starboard tack, and the other on a port tack, the boat on the starboard tack has the right of way. Yelling "starboard" to the boat on the port tack lets them know that the boat on the starboard tack is there and they are claiming that right of way (sometimes sails obscure visibility).

A beginning sailor may not know what that means and the starboard tack boat is not released from any obligation to avoid a collision, but etiquette says that the boat on the port tack should be the one to get out of the way. The fact that right of way rules are often confusing does not excuse somebody from learning them. You can get away with it in areas with few boats, but if you want to sail in crowded areas, you need to know the rules.

As a sailor, cyclist, runner, driver, even as a pedestrian, it is in everyone's best interest in busy areas to follow conventions. Allowances need to be made for people who haven't learned those conventions yet but regular users should know them.

So if I'm on a MUP, I will say "on your left" loud enough to be heard before passing. I will wait to make sure that the person I'm passing doesn't move into my path, then I will pass.

alan s 

What? Someone complained? I never realized anyone gave it much thought.

alan s 

To clarify, it's not mere etiquette, but actual right-of-way rules that require this. In addition, to further refine your point, the starboard tack boat has an obligation to maintain its proper course and speed in a crossing situation. Only when collision is imminent, should the boat with the right-of-way alter course or speed to avoid collision.

Of course, none of this applies to cycling.

I-Like-To-Bike

You are of course correct. Just an annoying citing of an analogy of completely dissimilar situations.

tjspiel

Sorry you don't like that analogy but it is actually quite similar. Yelling "starboard" is intended to prevent collisions, - just like the convention of calling out "on your left" is when it comes to passing on busy MUPs.

They are also similar in a few other key ways:

- Hearing someone yell "starboard" is as confusing to a new sailor as yelling "on your left" is to a MUP user who's not heard the expression.

- Having the right of way and yelling "starboard" while sailing does not absolve you of any responsibility to avoid collision, just like yelling "on your left" doesn't mean you can blow right by somebody without making sure it's safe.

- The fact that not everyone is familiar with the phrases doesn't mean that the rules and conventions don't exist or that that they shouldn't be used.

I'd say it's a good analogy. Maybe that's why you find it annoying.

You implied that Yankee Fan was wrong to use "on your left" because some people may not know what it means. That is incorrect. He should use it, but not assume the person he's passing knows what he intends. I'll borrow from sailing right of ways rules one more time and say that the overtaking boat does not have right of way. At the same time, the boat being overtaken is supposed to maintain course and speed.

As an alternative to "on your left" a bell is fine and so is saying "hello", but personally I prefer to hear somebody say "on your left" when passing because it makes it clear (to me) what they intend to do. I've thanked people for saying it and I've had people thank me as well.

I've also heard people say "passing on your left" which might be more clear.

Saving Hawaii

In California '60 is not warm. It's not even t-shirt weather. Brrr.

(sometimes I wear a jacket that I don't really want now because I'll want it later and have nowhere else to stow it for this ride - my commute home from work is always colder than my commute in and sometimes it goes from sunny to raining too)

Saving Hawaii

Welcome to the forum.