Trail Grumps!

[rusty99]

There is a fine line between advocating for safety and being a Trail Grump. :mad: It seems to me that the CCT is becoming more grumpy. A guy today gave me a "Warn when passing!"

A) I whistled twice before passing
B) I passed way to the left -- not even close to buzzing the guy

I use a whistle because I can vary the tone:
A nice "peep, peep" for passing on the trail
A hearty "BLEEEET!" for when a taxi cab is trying to kill you

Am I wrong?

[PunkRock]

pish posh....that guy should invest in some q-tips if he couldn't hear the whistle.

[Dirt]

I suggest reading THIS (http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11480) thread. It might be helpful. ;)

But seriously... I've generally found that trail grumps will never be happy. Talking to them does no good. They're there to hate you because you exist on their trail.

Be kind. Be mellow. Let them know that you're there. It is your responsibility to announce that you're passing. You're not required by law to insure that they hear you.

All joking aside, I've generally found that insane psycho-babble works better than anything bell, whistle or horn for letting people know that you're behind them and passing. Even the grumpiest trail users get out of my way when I'm talking nonsense or arguing with myself. I'm lucky that both of those things are well within my skill-set.

Pete

[JFritsch]

I agree, I have found that the CCT has always been the grumpest trail in the metro area. The problem is you didn't give the warning in the exact way he wanted. Of course you are expected to read his mind. The whistle is a great idea as it deals will the problem of the mono tone bell.

I agree 100% with the idea of giving a warning while passing but one thing these people have to keep in mind is that cyclists giving a warning is out of courtesy. It's not a law and I don't think it can be made into one.

Common courtesy is what is missing from the CCT but atleast we cyclists are trying. I will say I have seen a small increase in "thank yous" after anouncing a pass on the CCT. My favorite is the tumbs up I get along the 4 mile run section of the W&OD trail.

[rusty99]

Geez. That singing thread just went on and on. I will try singing at the grumps this afternoon.

[rusty99]

I agree 100% with the idea of giving a warning while passing but one thing these people have to keep in mind is that cyclists giving a warning is out of courtesy. It's not a law and I don't think it can be made into one.


The grump in question was on a bike :) I guess I forgot to mention that. Seems to me that some of the bikers on the CCT are the biggest grumps.

[DisplacedSunDevil]

Riding a hybrid with an iPod and a cup of coffee?

[rusty99]

Hybrid with lots of racks, straps, packs, etc. Moving pretty slowly for someone who commutes on a regular basis. Maybe he just likes the gear :D

[Dirt]

Geez. That singing thread just went on and on. I will try singing at the grumps this afternoon.
Yeah... that thread kind-of went over the edge. Some would say it started out over the edge.

I've found that behaving in a really odd way tends to help people decide that giving me room is a good thing. On the WOD during yesterday's ride home I was having an animated conversation on the phone (with hands-free). The other trail users couldn't get out of my way fast enough.

I found that it works at Schaeffer on crowded days too.

Grumpy, Tuba and I were riding at Schaeffer a few weeks ago. There was one guy that kept giving Tuba grief because Tuba wasn't yielding the trail while climbing to this rider's satisfaction.

I encountered the same guy in the same situations, but since I was mumbling incoherently or singing something insane with my tongue hanging out (something that happens almost always while I'm riding) he couldn't get out of my way fast enough. He even yielded to me while he was climbing and I was descending.

Strange but true.

Pete

[MMMark]

The grump in question was on a bike :) I guess I forgot to mention that. Seems to me that some of the bikers on the CCT are the biggest grumps.

Was he 6'5", wearing a red gingham dress, and complaining about a busted light? :D

[rusty99]

Was he 6'5", wearing a red gingham dress, and complaining about a busted light? :D

He wasn't too bummed about the light. His dolly had a spare ;)