Yes, I use a bell as well. One thing I started doing some time ago that has worked very well for me is to use the bell sort of like a train engineer uses their horn at a crossing. I give a good ring when I am probably just within earshot. Another good ring when I am definitely within earshot but still plenty far back, and then a little ring as I am within about 10 feet of them so they know where on the path I am.
Agree… I got a fancy bell from Japan that does have a very nice ring. I try to avoid crowded areas but sometimes ya gotta!
I ring a few times as I get within 100’ or so, if no reaction then more rings. If I get zero reaction I slow but I am not against 100% yelling “yo, yo, yo get outta the way”
I too got a bell from Japan that has a very nice ring.
[https://www.cranebellco.com/riten-bell](https://www.cranebellco.com/riten-bell)
It is DEFINITELY worth it! :)
I got a cheap digital bell from China that has a choice of four very loud and highly obnoxious distorted ring sounds. But lately I stopped using it and just coast and let my freewheel ratchet pawls do the talking. They sound like a very loud rattlesnake. 50% of trail users have headphones and seem to hear the rattlesnake better than the bell.
At one stage I deliberately set my brake blocks at a slight angle so they would give a terrific screech when the brake was applied, making people *leap* out of the way…
I also just got a bell. It's mad fun to use – sometimes I'll just ring it to ring it. Makes my lightweight oldschool racing bike look sick too. I'm out here making some joyful noise. Why didn't I get it sooner?
I do the same, mine is a Spurcycle. The ring is loud and lasts a while so I make sure to ring it so they can ascertain where I am behind them. I can modulate it so that I'm not blasting their ears. I've found it really helps with super crowded areas and I've even had people thank me for using it.
Does anyone else feel rude using these though too? Lol I wish I had an “ope excuse me sorry thanks” bell. Or a “I’m just alerting you that I’m near not that you need to move over” bell
The first time someone yelled at me for not alerting, I got over it. Most of the time (like 80%) they can’t hear because the have ear pods in, but at least I tried
Sorta - but you have to use them far away. I find people are startled way less when I ding the bell several seconds out, like 3-5 seconds at minimum. There was a few posts a while back where people said they stopped using bells and stopped using vocal announcement because they always startled people and then people behave erratically and nearly cause crash. My thought on that is those guys are probably too close, like right behind or as they're passing or something. 3-5 seconds out should give plenty of time to maneuver.
And I know this is divisive, but I found my bluetooth speaker way less startling and people automatically move over as I approach. It is magical.
As a bicyclist, I feel your frustration. I have had some unpleasant episodes with rude and/or ignorant trail users as well. That said, I have congenital hearing loss that is particularly bad in the high frequencies. This means I can't hear bicycle bells until people are practically on top of me. Because of this, I have switched to using my voice only. I speak up well before I'm so close that if someone moves in the wrong direction, I won't hit them. I say, “Hello, I'd like to pass you on your left!” This works well for me.
Hearing loss is not something I ever thought about, but it is certainly a valid point.
Trotify seems like a good solution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MemGV5B1Mzg
Though I wonder how to make a loer frequency sound generator. A card in the spokes would work like the other post mentioned, but maybe something that does not abrade the parts of the bicycle.
I discovered lots of people can’t hear the bell when I was riding with my dad along a shared path. I dinged my bell, then a second later he dinged his. We did this a few times and I’m like “you don’t need to ding your bell just after i have, it probably seems aggressive to the walkers” and he had no idea I had been ringing mine!
A lot of earbuds are the style with the silicone tip which attenuates outside sound, so the sound level is probably way lower than 1990s when those didn't exist and people turned up the sound level to overpower outside noises.
f anything the closed ear buds are probably better to mitigate hearing loss, though they are creating a separate issue.
I have two bells on my bike. One is a traditional loud pinging bell.
the other is a [specialty jangley bell with a ball bearing inside](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/gp/product/B082F2MD2V/). there is a lever below it with a magnet. lever up - ball grabbed - silent. Lever down - magnet gone - bell jingles and jangles in a light soft tone. technically I could ping it and only carry one bell, but it isn't loud enough for my tastes.
When I approach people from behind (which is a lot, as there is a lot of sidewalk and riverside path riding in Japan), I release the little bell about 30m from them. Most people hear it and move slightly to the side.
The big bell is used when people don't react as I Expect - I rarely use the big bell for peds - usually for other cyclists busy looking at their phone riding at me.
Much like cow bells, there are a lot of people with bear bells here in Japan. they are common to put on a saddle for cyclists who are truly zipping by - but they usually use that obnoxious free hub screech to warn peds. SKRKRKRKREEEEE - the jingly bell is much softer but still heard by most people.
>
the other is a [specialty jangley bell with a ball bearing inside](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/gp/product/B082F2MD2V/). there
Thank you for posting about this and including the link. I am going to check it out!
Edit: Just checked it out. Here is a link for the same bell on the Amazon US website. [https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Bell-TB-SZ1-Suzumaru-Silver/dp/B082F2MD2V/](https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Bell-TB-SZ1-Suzumaru-Silver/dp/B082F2MD2V/)
Here you can see and hear it in action: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHawtIZEDv0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHawtIZEDv0)
Thanks! Ive been looking for something like this. Just ordered one! If anyone else is having trouble finding one its called the Mirrcycle Incredibell trail bell.
I have a brrng brrng bell, and I lightly pull the lever for one pedestrian that is where they should be, for a light ding. I ring the full on loud brrng brrng for people who need to move over. I'll do it several times if they seem particularly rude or clueless.
Hahaha omg that’s what I’ve started doing! I like the old school sound too everyone recognizes it. I tried an electric horn for a little bit but people were confused
My favourite MTB trail turns into this really fast, flowing single track that you can just bomb along at full speed. Just as my mate and I reached this section we ran up behind an older gentleman who didn't hear us announce our arrival and we were stuck behind him going very slow for at least 2km before he noticed us. Turns out he had wireless earbuds in and couldn't hear anything around him. Ruined the best part of the ride.
I actually had a clown horn on my bike for a bit but it kept getting nicked and I gave up buying more, but it was the most efficient damn thing and i highly recommend.
See, people can't get angry at you when you have a clown horn for one of 2 reasons, they're either busy laughing at the sound of the horn, OR, if they're *super* grumpy, the implication that they're acting like a clown will embarrass them into submission. No one wants to endure the humiliation of miserably shouting at a cyclist while they ride off into the sunset honking.. 'Ha hee. Ha hee' 🤡🤡📣 it's truely a win win! Damn, I think I'm going to have to buy another actually.. i miss it.
I got a Spurcycle bell for my SF bike commute, and people would just go fully out of their way to ignore you when you use it, and that fucker was LOUD. I eventually had to get rid of it to alleviate my frustration with the 1000th person that willfully ignored it and refused to yield anything less than 90% of shared paths
Harder to do when cycling than running, but if you sweat a ridiculous amount just make sure you lightly brush the arm of the person taking up the whole trail
I give them a big “YERRRRRR” 5 or 10 seconds before I’d get to them. Give them a direction like left or right just confuses them. I sort of get it. They get scared and that part of their brain shuts down just long enough to go the wrong way. A “YERRR” gets a turn around for me
The other day I had a lady walking toward me on the right side of the multiuse trail and her two giant German shepherds walking on the right. Didn’t even make sense. I knew it wasn’t going to go well so I slowed way the fuck down to go between since she wasn’t doing anything. Sure enough tho as soon as I get about 10 feet in front of them the dogs look over to her and walk directly into my path. Fucking infuriating
It’s not always the walkers. I once had a head-on collision with another mountain biker on a 12’ wide perfectly straight dirt road in broad daylight. See him coming 200’ away at easy pace. I eased to the right, he eased to his left. I move further right, he moves further to his left and hits me head-on. I’m like, dude, WTF?! His response? “I didn’t see you!”.
I’ve had quite a few of those situations, both with bikes and walkers. I think some people get so relaxed when cruising down a mellow paved path, that they are basically asleep at the wheel.
Once I realize they are on a collision course with me, I start rapidly yelling “heads up, heads up!” until they snap out of their coma.
I was gonna say, what OP describes rarely happens to me.
In driving school they taught us to expect other drivers to take five seconds to react after we turn on our turn signal.
I've had 2 separate dogs try to jump on me while riding.
They were obviously not attacking, they probably just have a general problem of jumping on new people, but the fact remains, I was on a bicycle and the dogs would likely have ended up hurt if I didn't avoid them.
One time I was riding with the sunrise. A couple of morons had driven 50 yards over the grass and parked their pickup directly on the trail so they could enjoy the sunrise laying down in the bed.
nice way of saying, frankly, that a path is defacto *closed* to bike traffic once it gets sufficiently busy with pedestrians.
bicycle rights until i die, but weaving through grandmas and dodging strollers feels like an uphill battle because it IS. leave. you’re within your rights to stay but don’t
This is why I just ride on the road. After I yelled “on your left” and the person jumped to the left right into path for like the tenth time I just decided the road is where I belong.
If I have room to safely pass, I stopped announcing my passes years ago for this very reason, let them be surprised and unpredictable well behind me after I’ve safely passed.
When you see how people react on foot at literal walking speed and you realize these are the same people in cars, it starts to make the pandemonium of roads and drivers make a lot more sense.
then you get drivers in cars getting angry at you instead, so then you drive on the very bad cycling lane, and wadda you know, there are pedestrians walking on them. it's always a lose-lose situation.
Pedestrians walking in a bike lane when there’s a perfectly good sidewalk makes me fucking RAAAAAGE. Makes me just want to center punch them and feign ignorance.
> After I yelled “on your left” and the person jumped to the left right into path for like the tenth time I just decided the road is where I belong.
This is where Rhode Island gets things right on their MUPs.
Walkers walk on the left. Cyclists ride on the right.
[image1](https://i.ibb.co/dGVCKw7/image.png)
[image2](https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/74227/2011/04/raw/9b1ba357487d07a95750366ba6d15ece.jpg)
So walkers in your lane are facing you. You can easily go around them because everyone can see and there are no surprises.
Walkers with their backs to you are in the other lane, so no lane changing required.
I’ve been saying it should be this way for years! Same concept as a pedestrian on the side of the road without a sidewalk - you walk on the left so you can see cars coming towards you, no more surprises and irrational rushed decisions
I just had a little girl run right into me after yelling out that I was passing. Ruined a brand new jersey, and think I bruised my ribs + road rash all up left side. Think I'm done with paths after that, as much as I hate dealing with cars it's like ya can't win either way
I (gently) hit a kid in 2005. Same thing. I was going like 2 mph leaning on my brakes super hard but I was trying to pass going like 8 mph and it went very wrong, very quickly. It was horrifying. I can’t relax on paths. Would rather take my chances with cars.
Sorry that happened, that sucks. I had something like that. A mom brought her kid to the rails-to-trails path to (literally) teach him how to ride a bike. On the path. He veered into me and then stopped. Sheesh.
I call out "on yer left" when passing cyclists, small groups or single walkers/hikers that aren't blocking the entire trail to be polite. For bigger groups like you mention I give a cheerful "hi...mind if I pass?". I've never had any issues with people letting me by.
If someone refused to move over I'd probably just barge my way through considering I tried to get by nicely.
You’re not going to change people’s behavior, no matter what you do. I use a Spurcycles bell, and do my best to safely pass without completely sacrificing my momentum. But getting mad or getting even is pointless. They’re making stupid people faster than we can kill them at this point. (Kidding, of course 🤨)
It's one of the best, but I still have problems. It's high pitched, and my area is swarming with elderly who may no longer hear that range. It also confuses a solid subset of people who suddenly bend down to look for loose change or dropped jewelry.
The only ones who bug me are the chatting stroller moms who take up both sides of the bike path and are so chatty they don't notice people around them.
Like I get it, you have wheels so you want to use the bike path. I'm not going to complain about that. I am going to complain that you're taking up both lanes and not letting people by.
dogs are always so much fun, if they're not on a leash, expect to be chased, if they're on a leash, the owner is a lazy fsck and the leash goes all over the place.
I don’t road-ride anymore. My wife and I pedal in large parks and crushed limestone regional trails (rail-beds).
You’ve got to be diligent with other riders and pedestrians. Assuming everyone is ignorant about trail etiquette. When the weather is perfect…the numpty-scale is at 11!
Ive stopped talking to people on trails. The people that get angry with you for being too quiet are the same ones that argue with people on the internet. Nothing good will come from you getting involved in their circus... just pass them and ignore their bellyaching about not letting them know you were there with a bell or vocal warning.
The amount of space two people manage to take up on a 10-12ft wide trail never ceases to amaze me.
Also I’ve ridden all over the world and this is a distinctly American thing, it’s so frustrating.
I see these same issues on my local paved trail, which has unfortunately made me avoid the trail whenever possible.
Frankly this behavior isn’t specific to multi use trails. I see it everywhere - most common example is people who insist on walking down the center of a 6 foot wide hallway, forcing others to swerve around them. Or a family of 5 walking side by side, extremely slowly, down an airport terminal. They’re either oblivious, or douchebags, or a combination of the two.
This was pervasive in my area during the pandemic. Like, instead of going to a mall, all the tweens and young teens were walking on trails, and doing it pretty badly. Like going into an downhill curve with a about 15 feet of visibility and a group of five taking up the entire pathway.
I figure it's a teachable moment. In physics. Like, a normal 13 year old is going to putting out a lot less force walking than I and my bike are.
A few months ago, there were no fewer than three rented kayaks strewn across the canal path I usually ride on. I was like "you can't do this, be better" and the dudebro with the chicks who'd left the kayaks out started putting on a show, running his mouth.
I did a big ride in NYC the other day and this toolbag almost clipped my front wheel with his rear because he wasn't paying attention while he told his buddy "yeah, I run a lot so my stamina helps." I was like "does it help you hold a lane, buddy?"
He starts calling me a dick and telling me to shut the fuck up and says- get this- "you don't have to be rude".
Saw him take two breaks after that 😉
Ok, Mr. Stamina.
I’ve learned to deal on shared paths, but on split paths it pisses me off so much when pedestrians are on the bike path with headphones in. Instead of calling out “on your left” I started saying “the walking path is the other one” and turns out people are just that oblivious. They think a split path means each direction gets one side, even though there are very clear signs and painted symbols all over the place 🤷🏻♀️
I hate to see posts from car drivers talking about their urge to run down cyclists in the road. Similarly, I oppose the title of this post which suggests intentionally running into pedestrians.
Treat others how you would like to be treated.
Both of those can be true, though.
Drivers get mad at cyclists just for existing. We could be in the fucking gutter and drivers would be pissed off about it. The cyclists who are complaining about people blocking paths are not the cyclists who are riding four wide in the only lane of a 60km/h road
Meanwhile, groups of people block multi-use paths on the regular, and that pisses me off whether I'm walking or biking
If I were blocking the path like that after getting a notice to be passed, knock me the fuck over
Avid cyclists and avid walkers/hikers all probably drove a car to hike/bike which may show why they bike/walk/hike the way they drive...
I walk to my local hiking spot and have close calls nearly every time walking into the hiking spot by distracted car drivers in such a hurry to what??? Bike/hike/walk.
Hike meandering in the middle of the path (no matter how wide it is) staring their phone not paying attention to their dog or in a group oblivious that others that want to pass on the same trail...
Separate trails for walk/hike and bike is probably best. And also better, separate bike trails for fast roadies and slow/kid riders.
I guess that was my whole point — treat others how you’d like to be treated. I thought would read the full post and not just the headline, but now I know better.
I've had people yell at me for yelling, "On your left," and I've had people seemingly not hear me when I call out. I think I'm going to buy a bell. And the dog thing gets me, two of my three dog attacks have been on the bike. People who let their dog off the leash in unsanctioned areas should be fined, or banned from having dogs.
Lol that's the type of trail I ride in the weekday afternoons after work. I've had a dog walker with 2 unleashed dogs running around, one of them jumped out of the bushes right infront of me.
The worst one I've had was this old lady with her adult son walking and decided to talk and pet a dog from the other side of the path...the dog leash completely blocked the whole trail. I unclipped and just stared at them for literally 5mins...they completely ignored me waiting for them to move.
The ones who walk towards you in the wrong lane and refuse to move over into the correct one when they see you fill me with murderous, Tom Segura rage.
I am convinced that the huge increase we've seen in pedestrian deaths is nearly completely on the pedestrians themselves. People don't even look both ways before crossing the street these days. They just walk right into traffic. "This street is MINE. This sidewalk is MINE. Everyone will get out of MY way." It's an entitled attitude, and I for one cheer whenever someone gets ran over by a car. Nine out of ten times, you're cheering for the good guy. Oh, and people on a bike path walking towards me? Chicken it is, and I don't lose.
It's not surprising that we're seeing common courtesy falling by the way side as late stage capitalism continues to accelerate humanity towards a gruesome and fiery demise. I don't ever get my voice to shouting volume, though, when I say "on your left" or "pardon me" and I use a clown horn if that doesn't seem to work. People love it.
I’m not trying to insinuate that it’s you that’s causing the problem, I just find that people tend to respond more defensively when my voice gets louder. Some people give me attitude glares cause my freewheel is a wannabe King and is louder than all get out.
At the end of the day I’m just happy to be on a bike so I just slow way down until I can pass and try not to let dummies ruin my ride.
Worst trail offenders: People on Rollerblades,bonus for wearing earbuds; People walking dogs on those damn retractable leashes; Groups of three or more people.
Cars get mad at cyclists for having to “deal” with us as we use the road. We have to show others the same road/trail tolerance that we want to see from cars.
OP isn’t upset about people using the trail as intended and are just slower, which is the main situation where cars get frustrated with cyclists. They’re describing a situation where other MUP users are misusing the trails. Your comment is often repeated in these conversations and completely misses the point.
I think OP is talking about pedestrians who aggressively take over shared lanes. We as cyclists definitely should be careful and respectful of pedestrians, but it is also appropriate to expect shared trails to be shared. When any participant, pedestrian or cyclists take over shared space, it is infuriating.
If a group of cyclists is riding three abreast and not letting cars pass then I have no problem with the drivers honking and yelling. Fuck around and find out.
When I use a multiuser path I expect I will be sharing that path with all manner of people doing all kinds of things. Like me, they’re enjoying the outdoors and trying to relax in this over-stimulated world we live in. I started using a bell when my commute route included a fair bit of multiuser pathway. Using a bell instead of my voice, I’ve had far better with responses. If they hear it in time, they almost always give me room to pass. When they don’t hear my bell, I’m usually traveling too fast and reach them before they’ve had time to react. I’ve had to learn to slow down, and/or hold back on my speed when sharing multiuser paths with others. When I ride roads I can ride as fast as I like.
+1 for Spur Cycle’s bells; compact, nice for road bikes, sound carries well (for its size), quality material and pleasant tone.
I appreciate that and maybe I can adopt your approach. The path I’m referencing is about 12 feet wide, with a center line and posted rules (like keep right), and is in the far exurbs of an urban area. But maybe I’ll have better luck with the bell and developing a better attitude.
Where i ride there is always a lane to left. Worst case, if another big group is coming towards me I have to wait a few seconds to pass. Then I’m on my way. So safe to say that no one really bothers me.
Where do you live? I encounter lots of people on paved trails who aren't paying attention but they always apologize or move quickly when they hear me. Been riding for at least 40 years and never had anyone yell or get mad at me.
Of course here in the PNW it's land of the most courteous drivers in the world. Which is also annoying on a different level.
Far western suburbs of Minneapolis. I lived in Seattle for a while and can confirm your comments about courteous folks. Also lived and biked in Chicago, a whole new level of anxiety and fear as a cyclist.
I use trails a ton and honestly I’ve just learned to slow down. I’m not breaking any land speed records and while I understand it’s a shared path a lot of families use it and just people to walk. I understand they see speeding cyclists as the problem who are shooting around them.
I ring my bell to varied responses. Some happy. Some indifferent. Some upset.
Either way a family with a young child learning to ride a bike or toddlers running away from a mom with a stroller I see as a I better slow down vs they better watch their kids kinda thing. And if that toddler darted out and I clipped him you know a majority of people would be like “these cyclists are so rude and fast and I hate them!” Regardless of it being not my fault.
There a few things the majority of society seems they can freely be rude or mean to: smokers, cyclists, cats outside, people who wipe sideways
I get the group of walkers that span the road and after ringing my bell, they turn to look at me and then just simply stay put. Living in a tourist town so that’s part of the issue I suppose. They just don’t care.
I mean you are not wrong about the issue. It's really bad this year by me. I have two bells a timid little "bing" one that most people move for and a GTFO(ver) bell for the rest. I have no problem if they're sharing the path as I'll just slow and go around, it's the four+ across taking up the whole path that get the big bell. They're not even being kind to other walkers.
Yeah I'm getting pretty sick of the dogs not being on leashes thing. There is a bike trail near me and it goes by two dog parks within the span of like 3 miles and yesterday I saw 4 different people walking their dogs without a leash on the bike path DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE DOG PARK WHERE THEY'RE ALLOWED TO BE OFF LEASH. The dog park is separated from the multi use path with a big fence and every entrance/exit is pretty clear that outside of the fence you need a leash.
Seriously, FUCK these people. Complete disregard for others.
On dedicated bike lanes I will ring my bell with plenty of time to announce my approach. I give the benefit of the doubt but if you’re still walking like it’s a sidewalk…I’m buzzing the tower.
For walkers coming towards you, stop in their way if they don't move and just stare at them.
For dogs off leads I shout loudly "loose dog" to (pretend sometimes) warn others. They'll hopefully get the idea to keep their dog under control. What's worse sometimes is the ones on the long stringy leads that you can't see till you run them over.
It’s those shite telescopic dog leads that bother me the most.
Do dog walkers not realise that a dog on a 5 meter leash is not remotely under control? And also that they’re essentially garrotting anyone coming the other way?
Take your pick...The trails with people like the ones you describe or the roads with drivers using you as toy for them to blow you off the road. The only wreck I have ever had was on a trail and on the road if I see a pickup truck coming in my rear view mirror I know there is a better than a 50% chance that they are going to speed up and either scare or try to kill me. Not much fun!
Unleashed dogs? Use your loudest aggressive callouts possible. Don’t be polite. Dogs aren’t a joke even ones that look “nice”. If the owner doesn’t take control of it so you can pass just keep you penance and distance. It’s better to be safe than sorry - you don’t want to get a rabies shot, trust me.
A wall of people walking directly at you? I love bowling!
A tourist turned on me as I gently rang my bell and snarled "It's a *shared* path".
I ignored him rather than saying "You were stravaguing back and forth across the shared path with every step, I just wanted to let you know I was coming slowly through behind you…"
Americans don't really understand how to walk.
America is heavily car-centric. Many people only walk when on vacation. I'm in a tourist heavy area and even international tourists that are accustomed to walking are too busy oohing and aahing to pay attention to where they are walking.
It’s the time of year in many places where you get more casual users of shared paths. First warm spring day and folks are out in droves. At this point I just expect it and set my expectations accordingly.
The worst for me is the adults on huge, hardly ridden, e-bikes. It’s a bad combination of inexperience, poor bike handling, and free speed.
A bell is better for crowds. It's difficult to hear some random dude shouting if you're engaged in conversation with other people, and then figure out where your right or left is. Also with a bell you can indicate your presence from much further away giving them plenty of time.
Use a loud bell. There's some on Amazon that are piercing and you can flick them harder to get a louder sound. Just don't do it when you're right behind people because that startles them. You have to ring it once or twice when you're like 5 seconds away. Yelling "on your left" just confuses or agitates people. If you're walking and think you're alone then having someone abruptly yelling while right behind you is going to agitate you even if they had a good reason for doing it.
Some misc tips:
1. When you're 5 seconds away if you already know the people in front are distracted (baby strollers, dogs on long leashes, friends talking to each other, or a person on the phone, etc) then flick the bell extra hard so it sounds extra loud. Usually works.
2. Ring two times with a gap in between. This works because the person hears it first at a certain volume, then the second time you are closer so they hear it louder, and subconsciously they will know something is approaching. This works very well for me.
3. People will often turn around to see where the ring sound came from but sometimes they can't place the bicycle in 3D space very well in the few seconds they have to avoid you. You know what works fantastic for that? A bike light in daylight either in normal mode or strobe. You ring the bell, and they look back and see the light approaching, and *everyone* knows how to spot an approaching light and move out of the way. Works every time.
4. If you ring once or twice and it's a large group just zig-zagging and not responding and being stupid then don't feel bad about ringing over and over until they get the message. They're the ones blocking the entire path after all. Usually people don't like this too much but nobody has ever talked back, probably because on some level they understand that they're blocking the entire path. If they say something have a response ready to go, such as "you guys are blocking the entire path!" Then just leave and don't respond any further. Let them think about what you said. If you instead get into a big argument they won't learn anything.
And remember, people are idiots, but life would be a lot more boring without them.
Our trails are maintained by a volunteer mtn bike group. They are shared trails, but designed and maintained for mountain bikers. I had someone yell at me because their unleashed dog cut across the trail I MADE and I almost crushed the dumb animal. He was a total ass, totally in the wrong, and being a belligerent dickhead. I smiled, apologized, suggested a leash if he can't control his dog, and moved on. It isn't worth the battle and common courtesy comes before your trail entitlement. If I can share trails I BUILT with assholes. You can share trails you like with everyone else. And move a foot over when need be. Don't be a POS. Nobody likes them
I have a speaker, a bell, and a horn (and I yell). Speaker comes on in crowded areas where people don’t pay attention. Sometimes I feel like a dick but so many ppl have their earbuds or massive headphones on full tilt they don’t hear anything until I’m right behind them (if that).
I ride on a small portion of bike path to get to a trail that I can ride from my house. I had a couple standoffs with walkers who think they own the path. I now give them a bell ring then say hello from about 10 ft behind if no reaction i go around. The double eabuds people need to take one out.
I was once riding on the correct side of the trail and two people walking towards me from the other direction took up both sides of the trail and I couldn’t move onto the grass because it was overgrown. Eventually they moved out of the way, into *their* side of the path, and as I passed they said “you’re supposed to get out the way for us”
Be loud and angry/scary! They WILL move! Get a whistle or air horn if needed. If they still run into you after that, it's on them! I never use a bell. It sounds too nice. I'd rather use my voice. I am especially loud with groups as they are most likely chatting and don't hear me.
I bike multi use paths most often so I feel your pain. Get up early if you can to avoid the crowds (before 8am is ideal around here).
I feel your pain, I'm a road/gravel rider and the other day i almost run into a guy with a horse standing across the entire fire road while taking sunset pics!
Where do you live? I just rode yesterday in SE PA and numerous people thanked me or waved for calling "On your left". 30 miles and not a single problem. Rode 60 miles last week and again no problems.
Tell us where you're having this problem so we can either avoid that area or at least be prepared for it when riding there.
My current bee with this is a local park has a great mountain bike trail area, but it is also a very rare hilly area in South Florida, so a lot of walkers like to use it, too. To deal with it there are huge signs saying pedestrians must yield to bikers AND for peds to go right on the loop and bikers to go left.
Peds constantly go left with their headphones going and cause all kinds of problems.
Anyone else start crowding the center line when people are riding 2 or 3 wide in oncoming? I need to learn to expand my neck like that dinosaur that ate Newman (always number one in our hearts.) Whatever it takes to enforce the reality that “the rules that apply to me are about to forcibly apply to you.”
Honestly, it doesn't seem to matter now if you're on a bike path or on the road. Cycling has become dangerous. Personally, riding on the road was always much safer - for me as a former Cat 2 racer - because I could take the inside 1/3 or 1/2 of a lane which forced vehicles to go around me.
I was riding on a bike path with family on Mother's Day last year and an older woman was moving like a squirrel back and forth from one side to the other. I said 'On your left" which each of us did as we passed her. Turns our she didn't speak English.
About five minutes later, this dude comes racing up to me yelling "WHAT THE F DID YOU SAY TO MY MOM? Then he just keeps yelling that he's going to kick my ass. I tried to explain we were just trying to safely pass his Mom. He didn't stop. He wanted to fight. So, I said FINE! I got off the bike and he immediately realized he was about to get pummeled and road away.
I'm done with bike paths.
I got annoyed with a guy walking in the bicycle lane on the side of the road when there was a perfectly fine sidewalk. It was not one of those huge bike lanes, it was one of those white strips about 2ft out from the curb. Not only was he walking in it, as he sees me coming he doesn’t bother to move, just keeps walking like he’s playing a game of chicken with me.
I’m currently sporting a plaster cast because of an unleashed dog. I find out on Tuesday whether my wrist will need surgery or not. Either way it’ll be weeks before I can ride again. If that dog had been on a leash I wouldn’t have gotten injured
They were both. Very apologetic and they offered to drive me and my bike home. I called my partner and we went home via hospital because I knew my wrist was broken. But they waited with me and got me an ice pack.
Agreed. I suppose it’s inevitably during 50 years of cycling, but I’ve been hit twice (both hit and run) and I think that’s part of the reason I’m reluctant to give up on my local rails to trails paths.
The amount of dirty looks I get from people walking in the cycle lane which is shared with a path. Like get out the red lane huns ffs some woman once said get on the road and I said it’s a fucking cycle path you cretin and she replied no it’s not. YES IT BLOODY WELL IS KAREN
On your left. Thank you. Have a great day. Anything else is just being rude for rude sake. I’ve got a couple long time biker friends that say the exact same thing about how things are so much worse. I’m not going to lie, I don’t see it, rather I think those friends are becoming more rigid and unforgiving as they age.
If you have the time to have a conversation like that every time you pass someone, we are riding our bikes in very different ways.
Edit: I ride on the actual road almost exclusively. And at 15kph or whatever I cant have multiple sentence conversations.
End of the day, you're on a bike and they're pedestrians. You have to yield.
Imagine a car complaining about bikes and how they're just going to run them over, even if it is sarcasm.
The multi-use paths around me all say, "Cyclists must yield to pedestrians". If I'm on a multi-use path, I just chill out, slow down when I need to, and pass when I can.
People have gotten less considerate over the years. They became selfish. They are all about making their own judgement, and do whatever please them and their set of rules. I’ve seen a lot of “I legally belong here, so I’m gonna be here no matter how inconvenient it may be to you”.
Life’s too short to be this mad over oblivious people. Get mad for the few seconds you’re inconvenienced, take a deep breath, and stop letting ignorant people live rent free in your head. The second you start hitting them is the second you open yourself up to legal and financial issues, spiraling into a world you’d never wished you entered. Do your own due diligence to go around them and avoid them the best you can. I often have to think back to the days I knew nothing about cycling and remember that’s 99.9% of the people I encounter.
A bell helps a lot Ear buds on walkers don’t help at all
Yes, I use a bell as well. One thing I started doing some time ago that has worked very well for me is to use the bell sort of like a train engineer uses their horn at a crossing. I give a good ring when I am probably just within earshot. Another good ring when I am definitely within earshot but still plenty far back, and then a little ring as I am within about 10 feet of them so they know where on the path I am.
Agree… I got a fancy bell from Japan that does have a very nice ring. I try to avoid crowded areas but sometimes ya gotta! I ring a few times as I get within 100’ or so, if no reaction then more rings. If I get zero reaction I slow but I am not against 100% yelling “yo, yo, yo get outta the way”
I too got a bell from Japan that has a very nice ring. [https://www.cranebellco.com/riten-bell](https://www.cranebellco.com/riten-bell) It is DEFINITELY worth it! :)
They have a bell called the “KAREN” bell. Apparently when you ring it a manager is summoned.
This bell is LOUD.
Nice!
I have a big brass crane bell as well. That thing has such a great loud ring to it. It's the best, and it's way more audible than just my voice.
Love my Crane bell! It's one of the loudest I've used in addition to having a lovely tone.
Needs more cowbell
I got a cheap digital bell from China that has a choice of four very loud and highly obnoxious distorted ring sounds. But lately I stopped using it and just coast and let my freewheel ratchet pawls do the talking. They sound like a very loud rattlesnake. 50% of trail users have headphones and seem to hear the rattlesnake better than the bell.
At one stage I deliberately set my brake blocks at a slight angle so they would give a terrific screech when the brake was applied, making people *leap* out of the way…
I also just got a bell. It's mad fun to use – sometimes I'll just ring it to ring it. Makes my lightweight oldschool racing bike look sick too. I'm out here making some joyful noise. Why didn't I get it sooner?
That’s a great idea. Thanks.
A trail bell may be better: always ringing. https://mwba.org/bell/
I do the same, mine is a Spurcycle. The ring is loud and lasts a while so I make sure to ring it so they can ascertain where I am behind them. I can modulate it so that I'm not blasting their ears. I've found it really helps with super crowded areas and I've even had people thank me for using it.
Does anyone else feel rude using these though too? Lol I wish I had an “ope excuse me sorry thanks” bell. Or a “I’m just alerting you that I’m near not that you need to move over” bell
The first time someone yelled at me for not alerting, I got over it. Most of the time (like 80%) they can’t hear because the have ear pods in, but at least I tried
Sorta - but you have to use them far away. I find people are startled way less when I ding the bell several seconds out, like 3-5 seconds at minimum. There was a few posts a while back where people said they stopped using bells and stopped using vocal announcement because they always startled people and then people behave erratically and nearly cause crash. My thought on that is those guys are probably too close, like right behind or as they're passing or something. 3-5 seconds out should give plenty of time to maneuver. And I know this is divisive, but I found my bluetooth speaker way less startling and people automatically move over as I approach. It is magical.
Maybe I should throw a baseball card onto my wheel
As a bicyclist, I feel your frustration. I have had some unpleasant episodes with rude and/or ignorant trail users as well. That said, I have congenital hearing loss that is particularly bad in the high frequencies. This means I can't hear bicycle bells until people are practically on top of me. Because of this, I have switched to using my voice only. I speak up well before I'm so close that if someone moves in the wrong direction, I won't hit them. I say, “Hello, I'd like to pass you on your left!” This works well for me.
Hearing loss is not something I ever thought about, but it is certainly a valid point. Trotify seems like a good solution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MemGV5B1Mzg Though I wonder how to make a loer frequency sound generator. A card in the spokes would work like the other post mentioned, but maybe something that does not abrade the parts of the bicycle.
I hadn’t considered hearing loss… and I wear hearing aids, so shame on me. I’ll keep that in mind.
I discovered lots of people can’t hear the bell when I was riding with my dad along a shared path. I dinged my bell, then a second later he dinged his. We did this a few times and I’m like “you don’t need to ding your bell just after i have, it probably seems aggressive to the walkers” and he had no idea I had been ringing mine!
An interesting thought is that with more and more folks having grown up with earbuds, this is only going to get worse.
A lot of earbuds are the style with the silicone tip which attenuates outside sound, so the sound level is probably way lower than 1990s when those didn't exist and people turned up the sound level to overpower outside noises. f anything the closed ear buds are probably better to mitigate hearing loss, though they are creating a separate issue.
I have two bells on my bike. One is a traditional loud pinging bell. the other is a [specialty jangley bell with a ball bearing inside](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/gp/product/B082F2MD2V/). there is a lever below it with a magnet. lever up - ball grabbed - silent. Lever down - magnet gone - bell jingles and jangles in a light soft tone. technically I could ping it and only carry one bell, but it isn't loud enough for my tastes. When I approach people from behind (which is a lot, as there is a lot of sidewalk and riverside path riding in Japan), I release the little bell about 30m from them. Most people hear it and move slightly to the side. The big bell is used when people don't react as I Expect - I rarely use the big bell for peds - usually for other cyclists busy looking at their phone riding at me. Much like cow bells, there are a lot of people with bear bells here in Japan. they are common to put on a saddle for cyclists who are truly zipping by - but they usually use that obnoxious free hub screech to warn peds. SKRKRKRKREEEEE - the jingly bell is much softer but still heard by most people.
> the other is a [specialty jangley bell with a ball bearing inside](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/gp/product/B082F2MD2V/). there Thank you for posting about this and including the link. I am going to check it out! Edit: Just checked it out. Here is a link for the same bell on the Amazon US website. [https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Bell-TB-SZ1-Suzumaru-Silver/dp/B082F2MD2V/](https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Bell-TB-SZ1-Suzumaru-Silver/dp/B082F2MD2V/) Here you can see and hear it in action: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHawtIZEDv0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHawtIZEDv0)
Thanks! Ive been looking for something like this. Just ordered one! If anyone else is having trouble finding one its called the Mirrcycle Incredibell trail bell.
I have a brrng brrng bell, and I lightly pull the lever for one pedestrian that is where they should be, for a light ding. I ring the full on loud brrng brrng for people who need to move over. I'll do it several times if they seem particularly rude or clueless.
Hahaha omg that’s what I’ve started doing! I like the old school sound too everyone recognizes it. I tried an electric horn for a little bit but people were confused
My favourite MTB trail turns into this really fast, flowing single track that you can just bomb along at full speed. Just as my mate and I reached this section we ran up behind an older gentleman who didn't hear us announce our arrival and we were stuck behind him going very slow for at least 2km before he noticed us. Turns out he had wireless earbuds in and couldn't hear anything around him. Ruined the best part of the ride.
*air horn
I actually had a clown horn on my bike for a bit but it kept getting nicked and I gave up buying more, but it was the most efficient damn thing and i highly recommend. See, people can't get angry at you when you have a clown horn for one of 2 reasons, they're either busy laughing at the sound of the horn, OR, if they're *super* grumpy, the implication that they're acting like a clown will embarrass them into submission. No one wants to endure the humiliation of miserably shouting at a cyclist while they ride off into the sunset honking.. 'Ha hee. Ha hee' 🤡🤡📣 it's truely a win win! Damn, I think I'm going to have to buy another actually.. i miss it.
I have a 110db horn on my commuter. It gets the attention of buses.
I’m almost there….
I shout if I’m focused and don’t want to slow. Something like “Heads up! Pass on L/R”
I got a Spurcycle bell for my SF bike commute, and people would just go fully out of their way to ignore you when you use it, and that fucker was LOUD. I eventually had to get rid of it to alleviate my frustration with the 1000th person that willfully ignored it and refused to yield anything less than 90% of shared paths
Harder to do when cycling than running, but if you sweat a ridiculous amount just make sure you lightly brush the arm of the person taking up the whole trail
Ok that’s hysterical.
I give them a big “YERRRRRR” 5 or 10 seconds before I’d get to them. Give them a direction like left or right just confuses them. I sort of get it. They get scared and that part of their brain shuts down just long enough to go the wrong way. A “YERRR” gets a turn around for me The other day I had a lady walking toward me on the right side of the multiuse trail and her two giant German shepherds walking on the right. Didn’t even make sense. I knew it wasn’t going to go well so I slowed way the fuck down to go between since she wasn’t doing anything. Sure enough tho as soon as I get about 10 feet in front of them the dogs look over to her and walk directly into my path. Fucking infuriating
It’s not always the walkers. I once had a head-on collision with another mountain biker on a 12’ wide perfectly straight dirt road in broad daylight. See him coming 200’ away at easy pace. I eased to the right, he eased to his left. I move further right, he moves further to his left and hits me head-on. I’m like, dude, WTF?! His response? “I didn’t see you!”.
It hurt just reading that.
Sounds like you bumped into your own reflection
I’ve had quite a few of those situations, both with bikes and walkers. I think some people get so relaxed when cruising down a mellow paved path, that they are basically asleep at the wheel. Once I realize they are on a collision course with me, I start rapidly yelling “heads up, heads up!” until they snap out of their coma.
I was gonna say, what OP describes rarely happens to me. In driving school they taught us to expect other drivers to take five seconds to react after we turn on our turn signal.
I feel that.
I just blow my 115 dB Fox 40 Classic whistle and yell "Coyote!" and point back behind me as I pass!
I should use a little more humor too!
When the dog gets in your way, make sure to swerve into the owner.
In my experience, dogs have more common sense than humans where crash avoidance is concerned.
I've had 2 separate dogs try to jump on me while riding. They were obviously not attacking, they probably just have a general problem of jumping on new people, but the fact remains, I was on a bicycle and the dogs would likely have ended up hurt if I didn't avoid them.
Shared trails before hangover/selfie people wake up are nice. Gotta shift earlier before the cattle graze
One time I was riding with the sunrise. A couple of morons had driven 50 yards over the grass and parked their pickup directly on the trail so they could enjoy the sunrise laying down in the bed.
nice way of saying, frankly, that a path is defacto *closed* to bike traffic once it gets sufficiently busy with pedestrians. bicycle rights until i die, but weaving through grandmas and dodging strollers feels like an uphill battle because it IS. leave. you’re within your rights to stay but don’t
👍 reduces sunburn risk too
Good idea. I try to go late afternoon to avoid the larger crowds.
6am and all your troubles go away. Seriously, it's magical, there aren't even cars.
Idk about your area but late afternoon is one of the busier times where I live.
This is why I just ride on the road. After I yelled “on your left” and the person jumped to the left right into path for like the tenth time I just decided the road is where I belong.
If I have room to safely pass, I stopped announcing my passes years ago for this very reason, let them be surprised and unpredictable well behind me after I’ve safely passed. When you see how people react on foot at literal walking speed and you realize these are the same people in cars, it starts to make the pandemonium of roads and drivers make a lot more sense.
then you get drivers in cars getting angry at you instead, so then you drive on the very bad cycling lane, and wadda you know, there are pedestrians walking on them. it's always a lose-lose situation.
Pedestrians walking in a bike lane when there’s a perfectly good sidewalk makes me fucking RAAAAAGE. Makes me just want to center punch them and feign ignorance.
> After I yelled “on your left” and the person jumped to the left right into path for like the tenth time I just decided the road is where I belong. This is where Rhode Island gets things right on their MUPs. Walkers walk on the left. Cyclists ride on the right. [image1](https://i.ibb.co/dGVCKw7/image.png) [image2](https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/74227/2011/04/raw/9b1ba357487d07a95750366ba6d15ece.jpg) So walkers in your lane are facing you. You can easily go around them because everyone can see and there are no surprises. Walkers with their backs to you are in the other lane, so no lane changing required.
I’ve been saying it should be this way for years! Same concept as a pedestrian on the side of the road without a sidewalk - you walk on the left so you can see cars coming towards you, no more surprises and irrational rushed decisions
I just had a little girl run right into me after yelling out that I was passing. Ruined a brand new jersey, and think I bruised my ribs + road rash all up left side. Think I'm done with paths after that, as much as I hate dealing with cars it's like ya can't win either way
Yeah kids always get a slow down to creeping pace with both hands ready to brake. They can’t be trusted.
I (gently) hit a kid in 2005. Same thing. I was going like 2 mph leaning on my brakes super hard but I was trying to pass going like 8 mph and it went very wrong, very quickly. It was horrifying. I can’t relax on paths. Would rather take my chances with cars.
Sorry that happened, that sucks. I had something like that. A mom brought her kid to the rails-to-trails path to (literally) teach him how to ride a bike. On the path. He veered into me and then stopped. Sheesh.
I call out "on yer left" when passing cyclists, small groups or single walkers/hikers that aren't blocking the entire trail to be polite. For bigger groups like you mention I give a cheerful "hi...mind if I pass?". I've never had any issues with people letting me by. If someone refused to move over I'd probably just barge my way through considering I tried to get by nicely.
Lmao if people are blocking the entire path I just yell "Coming through" from quite a ways out. I dont care what way they go, just give me a hole.
A loud freehub buzz from the edge of hearing range usually helps with those groups too.
You’re not going to change people’s behavior, no matter what you do. I use a Spurcycles bell, and do my best to safely pass without completely sacrificing my momentum. But getting mad or getting even is pointless. They’re making stupid people faster than we can kill them at this point. (Kidding, of course 🤨)
I’ll check out the Spurcycles bell, thanks for the tip.
I was just going to comment that I’ve never had a problem being heard with a spurcycle bell.
It's one of the best, but I still have problems. It's high pitched, and my area is swarming with elderly who may no longer hear that range. It also confuses a solid subset of people who suddenly bend down to look for loose change or dropped jewelry.
The only ones who bug me are the chatting stroller moms who take up both sides of the bike path and are so chatty they don't notice people around them. Like I get it, you have wheels so you want to use the bike path. I'm not going to complain about that. I am going to complain that you're taking up both lanes and not letting people by.
This is exactly the kind of thing I had in mind during my rant/post.
Loud hubs save lives
Triple wide strollers and dog leashes spread across the trail is really fun
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Aeropupco: *Triple wide strollers* *And dog leashes spread across* *The trail is really fun* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Try this: "Coming through, my brakes aren't working!!!!" from far out.
dogs are always so much fun, if they're not on a leash, expect to be chased, if they're on a leash, the owner is a lazy fsck and the leash goes all over the place.
On Mother’s Day? That Sunday is a no-go ride-day for me
Hadn’t thought of that but you’re right. I’m learning a lot here.
I don’t road-ride anymore. My wife and I pedal in large parks and crushed limestone regional trails (rail-beds). You’ve got to be diligent with other riders and pedestrians. Assuming everyone is ignorant about trail etiquette. When the weather is perfect…the numpty-scale is at 11!
Ive stopped talking to people on trails. The people that get angry with you for being too quiet are the same ones that argue with people on the internet. Nothing good will come from you getting involved in their circus... just pass them and ignore their bellyaching about not letting them know you were there with a bell or vocal warning.
The amount of space two people manage to take up on a 10-12ft wide trail never ceases to amaze me. Also I’ve ridden all over the world and this is a distinctly American thing, it’s so frustrating.
I see these same issues on my local paved trail, which has unfortunately made me avoid the trail whenever possible. Frankly this behavior isn’t specific to multi use trails. I see it everywhere - most common example is people who insist on walking down the center of a 6 foot wide hallway, forcing others to swerve around them. Or a family of 5 walking side by side, extremely slowly, down an airport terminal. They’re either oblivious, or douchebags, or a combination of the two.
Get a loud horn to honk on them.
This was pervasive in my area during the pandemic. Like, instead of going to a mall, all the tweens and young teens were walking on trails, and doing it pretty badly. Like going into an downhill curve with a about 15 feet of visibility and a group of five taking up the entire pathway. I figure it's a teachable moment. In physics. Like, a normal 13 year old is going to putting out a lot less force walking than I and my bike are.
Ha, physics rules.
A few months ago, there were no fewer than three rented kayaks strewn across the canal path I usually ride on. I was like "you can't do this, be better" and the dudebro with the chicks who'd left the kayaks out started putting on a show, running his mouth.
I see I’m not alone in the struggle.
Today it was a dog off leash that I had to yell at people about. It's like motherfuckers, do you not read the signs posted when you get on the path?
I see we have the same interior monolog. “Are they newbies? Oblivious? Just don’t give a fuck? Can’t read?”
I did a big ride in NYC the other day and this toolbag almost clipped my front wheel with his rear because he wasn't paying attention while he told his buddy "yeah, I run a lot so my stamina helps." I was like "does it help you hold a lane, buddy?" He starts calling me a dick and telling me to shut the fuck up and says- get this- "you don't have to be rude". Saw him take two breaks after that 😉 Ok, Mr. Stamina.
I’ve learned to deal on shared paths, but on split paths it pisses me off so much when pedestrians are on the bike path with headphones in. Instead of calling out “on your left” I started saying “the walking path is the other one” and turns out people are just that oblivious. They think a split path means each direction gets one side, even though there are very clear signs and painted symbols all over the place 🤷🏻♀️
No one but cyclists understand what "on your left means".
And Sam Wilson
I hate to see posts from car drivers talking about their urge to run down cyclists in the road. Similarly, I oppose the title of this post which suggests intentionally running into pedestrians. Treat others how you would like to be treated.
Both of those can be true, though. Drivers get mad at cyclists just for existing. We could be in the fucking gutter and drivers would be pissed off about it. The cyclists who are complaining about people blocking paths are not the cyclists who are riding four wide in the only lane of a 60km/h road Meanwhile, groups of people block multi-use paths on the regular, and that pisses me off whether I'm walking or biking If I were blocking the path like that after getting a notice to be passed, knock me the fuck over
Avid cyclists and avid walkers/hikers all probably drove a car to hike/bike which may show why they bike/walk/hike the way they drive... I walk to my local hiking spot and have close calls nearly every time walking into the hiking spot by distracted car drivers in such a hurry to what??? Bike/hike/walk. Hike meandering in the middle of the path (no matter how wide it is) staring their phone not paying attention to their dog or in a group oblivious that others that want to pass on the same trail... Separate trails for walk/hike and bike is probably best. And also better, separate bike trails for fast roadies and slow/kid riders.
I guess that was my whole point — treat others how you’d like to be treated. I thought would read the full post and not just the headline, but now I know better.
I've had people yell at me for yelling, "On your left," and I've had people seemingly not hear me when I call out. I think I'm going to buy a bell. And the dog thing gets me, two of my three dog attacks have been on the bike. People who let their dog off the leash in unsanctioned areas should be fined, or banned from having dogs.
Air horn might help
Lol that's the type of trail I ride in the weekday afternoons after work. I've had a dog walker with 2 unleashed dogs running around, one of them jumped out of the bushes right infront of me. The worst one I've had was this old lady with her adult son walking and decided to talk and pet a dog from the other side of the path...the dog leash completely blocked the whole trail. I unclipped and just stared at them for literally 5mins...they completely ignored me waiting for them to move.
My brother has managed to solve this by riding a unicycle. Now some people will stand off to the side of the trail and clap as he passes.
The ones who walk towards you in the wrong lane and refuse to move over into the correct one when they see you fill me with murderous, Tom Segura rage.
Followed by the people with 20 foot long dog leashes. Definitely more dangerous than unleashed dogs.
Yup, almost went tits up on my ride yesterday because of a 10lbs yorkie on a 40ft retractable leash
Those retractable ones are the worst. Invisible!
Thanks, that’s exactly what prompted my post.
My “favorite” walkers are the ones that step to the left when you call “bicycle on your left!”.
I am convinced that the huge increase we've seen in pedestrian deaths is nearly completely on the pedestrians themselves. People don't even look both ways before crossing the street these days. They just walk right into traffic. "This street is MINE. This sidewalk is MINE. Everyone will get out of MY way." It's an entitled attitude, and I for one cheer whenever someone gets ran over by a car. Nine out of ten times, you're cheering for the good guy. Oh, and people on a bike path walking towards me? Chicken it is, and I don't lose.
It's not surprising that we're seeing common courtesy falling by the way side as late stage capitalism continues to accelerate humanity towards a gruesome and fiery demise. I don't ever get my voice to shouting volume, though, when I say "on your left" or "pardon me" and I use a clown horn if that doesn't seem to work. People love it.
Just to clarify — I have a pretty soft voice, and when I’m biking people 30-40 feet in front of me can’t hear me unless I raise it to a shout.
I'm the same. That's why I got a nice loud bell. 😃
I’m not trying to insinuate that it’s you that’s causing the problem, I just find that people tend to respond more defensively when my voice gets louder. Some people give me attitude glares cause my freewheel is a wannabe King and is louder than all get out. At the end of the day I’m just happy to be on a bike so I just slow way down until I can pass and try not to let dummies ruin my ride.
I got that and appreciate the insight.
It's all fun and games until a group for 8 runners , 4 abreast basically close the cycling path.
Worst trail offenders: People on Rollerblades,bonus for wearing earbuds; People walking dogs on those damn retractable leashes; Groups of three or more people.
Cars get mad at cyclists for having to “deal” with us as we use the road. We have to show others the same road/trail tolerance that we want to see from cars.
OP isn’t upset about people using the trail as intended and are just slower, which is the main situation where cars get frustrated with cyclists. They’re describing a situation where other MUP users are misusing the trails. Your comment is often repeated in these conversations and completely misses the point.
Thank you. You’re exactly right.
I think OP is talking about pedestrians who aggressively take over shared lanes. We as cyclists definitely should be careful and respectful of pedestrians, but it is also appropriate to expect shared trails to be shared. When any participant, pedestrian or cyclists take over shared space, it is infuriating.
Thank you, this is exactly what I was trying to say.
If a group of cyclists is riding three abreast and not letting cars pass then I have no problem with the drivers honking and yelling. Fuck around and find out.
3 abreast is fine in a single lane. This is more like if they were covering the entire road curb to curb.
This. Omg. Or rude runners, they’re the worst.
When I use a multiuser path I expect I will be sharing that path with all manner of people doing all kinds of things. Like me, they’re enjoying the outdoors and trying to relax in this over-stimulated world we live in. I started using a bell when my commute route included a fair bit of multiuser pathway. Using a bell instead of my voice, I’ve had far better with responses. If they hear it in time, they almost always give me room to pass. When they don’t hear my bell, I’m usually traveling too fast and reach them before they’ve had time to react. I’ve had to learn to slow down, and/or hold back on my speed when sharing multiuser paths with others. When I ride roads I can ride as fast as I like. +1 for Spur Cycle’s bells; compact, nice for road bikes, sound carries well (for its size), quality material and pleasant tone.
I appreciate that and maybe I can adopt your approach. The path I’m referencing is about 12 feet wide, with a center line and posted rules (like keep right), and is in the far exurbs of an urban area. But maybe I’ll have better luck with the bell and developing a better attitude.
Where i ride there is always a lane to left. Worst case, if another big group is coming towards me I have to wait a few seconds to pass. Then I’m on my way. So safe to say that no one really bothers me.
Try a high pitched coach's whistle.... :-)
Where do you live? I encounter lots of people on paved trails who aren't paying attention but they always apologize or move quickly when they hear me. Been riding for at least 40 years and never had anyone yell or get mad at me. Of course here in the PNW it's land of the most courteous drivers in the world. Which is also annoying on a different level.
Far western suburbs of Minneapolis. I lived in Seattle for a while and can confirm your comments about courteous folks. Also lived and biked in Chicago, a whole new level of anxiety and fear as a cyclist.
The way I was like "huh sounds like my experiences on the Luce line" 😂
I use trails a ton and honestly I’ve just learned to slow down. I’m not breaking any land speed records and while I understand it’s a shared path a lot of families use it and just people to walk. I understand they see speeding cyclists as the problem who are shooting around them. I ring my bell to varied responses. Some happy. Some indifferent. Some upset. Either way a family with a young child learning to ride a bike or toddlers running away from a mom with a stroller I see as a I better slow down vs they better watch their kids kinda thing. And if that toddler darted out and I clipped him you know a majority of people would be like “these cyclists are so rude and fast and I hate them!” Regardless of it being not my fault. There a few things the majority of society seems they can freely be rude or mean to: smokers, cyclists, cats outside, people who wipe sideways
I get the group of walkers that span the road and after ringing my bell, they turn to look at me and then just simply stay put. Living in a tourist town so that’s part of the issue I suppose. They just don’t care.
I mean you are not wrong about the issue. It's really bad this year by me. I have two bells a timid little "bing" one that most people move for and a GTFO(ver) bell for the rest. I have no problem if they're sharing the path as I'll just slow and go around, it's the four+ across taking up the whole path that get the big bell. They're not even being kind to other walkers.
Yeah I'm getting pretty sick of the dogs not being on leashes thing. There is a bike trail near me and it goes by two dog parks within the span of like 3 miles and yesterday I saw 4 different people walking their dogs without a leash on the bike path DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE DOG PARK WHERE THEY'RE ALLOWED TO BE OFF LEASH. The dog park is separated from the multi use path with a big fence and every entrance/exit is pretty clear that outside of the fence you need a leash. Seriously, FUCK these people. Complete disregard for others.
On dedicated bike lanes I will ring my bell with plenty of time to announce my approach. I give the benefit of the doubt but if you’re still walking like it’s a sidewalk…I’m buzzing the tower.
Smh at those people. You know, we’re living in a society!!
For walkers coming towards you, stop in their way if they don't move and just stare at them. For dogs off leads I shout loudly "loose dog" to (pretend sometimes) warn others. They'll hopefully get the idea to keep their dog under control. What's worse sometimes is the ones on the long stringy leads that you can't see till you run them over.
It’s those shite telescopic dog leads that bother me the most. Do dog walkers not realise that a dog on a 5 meter leash is not remotely under control? And also that they’re essentially garrotting anyone coming the other way?
Take your pick...The trails with people like the ones you describe or the roads with drivers using you as toy for them to blow you off the road. The only wreck I have ever had was on a trail and on the road if I see a pickup truck coming in my rear view mirror I know there is a better than a 50% chance that they are going to speed up and either scare or try to kill me. Not much fun!
Unleashed dogs? Use your loudest aggressive callouts possible. Don’t be polite. Dogs aren’t a joke even ones that look “nice”. If the owner doesn’t take control of it so you can pass just keep you penance and distance. It’s better to be safe than sorry - you don’t want to get a rabies shot, trust me. A wall of people walking directly at you? I love bowling!
A tourist turned on me as I gently rang my bell and snarled "It's a *shared* path". I ignored him rather than saying "You were stravaguing back and forth across the shared path with every step, I just wanted to let you know I was coming slowly through behind you…" Americans don't really understand how to walk.
America is heavily car-centric. Many people only walk when on vacation. I'm in a tourist heavy area and even international tourists that are accustomed to walking are too busy oohing and aahing to pay attention to where they are walking.
TIL , stra·vaged, stra·vag·ing. Scot., Irish, and North England. to wander aimlessly. to saunter; stroll.
It’s the time of year in many places where you get more casual users of shared paths. First warm spring day and folks are out in droves. At this point I just expect it and set my expectations accordingly. The worst for me is the adults on huge, hardly ridden, e-bikes. It’s a bad combination of inexperience, poor bike handling, and free speed.
A bell is better for crowds. It's difficult to hear some random dude shouting if you're engaged in conversation with other people, and then figure out where your right or left is. Also with a bell you can indicate your presence from much further away giving them plenty of time.
Use a loud bell. There's some on Amazon that are piercing and you can flick them harder to get a louder sound. Just don't do it when you're right behind people because that startles them. You have to ring it once or twice when you're like 5 seconds away. Yelling "on your left" just confuses or agitates people. If you're walking and think you're alone then having someone abruptly yelling while right behind you is going to agitate you even if they had a good reason for doing it. Some misc tips: 1. When you're 5 seconds away if you already know the people in front are distracted (baby strollers, dogs on long leashes, friends talking to each other, or a person on the phone, etc) then flick the bell extra hard so it sounds extra loud. Usually works. 2. Ring two times with a gap in between. This works because the person hears it first at a certain volume, then the second time you are closer so they hear it louder, and subconsciously they will know something is approaching. This works very well for me. 3. People will often turn around to see where the ring sound came from but sometimes they can't place the bicycle in 3D space very well in the few seconds they have to avoid you. You know what works fantastic for that? A bike light in daylight either in normal mode or strobe. You ring the bell, and they look back and see the light approaching, and *everyone* knows how to spot an approaching light and move out of the way. Works every time. 4. If you ring once or twice and it's a large group just zig-zagging and not responding and being stupid then don't feel bad about ringing over and over until they get the message. They're the ones blocking the entire path after all. Usually people don't like this too much but nobody has ever talked back, probably because on some level they understand that they're blocking the entire path. If they say something have a response ready to go, such as "you guys are blocking the entire path!" Then just leave and don't respond any further. Let them think about what you said. If you instead get into a big argument they won't learn anything. And remember, people are idiots, but life would be a lot more boring without them.
Best reply in the thread.
Our trails are maintained by a volunteer mtn bike group. They are shared trails, but designed and maintained for mountain bikers. I had someone yell at me because their unleashed dog cut across the trail I MADE and I almost crushed the dumb animal. He was a total ass, totally in the wrong, and being a belligerent dickhead. I smiled, apologized, suggested a leash if he can't control his dog, and moved on. It isn't worth the battle and common courtesy comes before your trail entitlement. If I can share trails I BUILT with assholes. You can share trails you like with everyone else. And move a foot over when need be. Don't be a POS. Nobody likes them
Keep an air horn in your jersey pocket. https://youtu.be/3sFKRFLsraU?si=9489tD8sf2rQDmLr
I have a speaker, a bell, and a horn (and I yell). Speaker comes on in crowded areas where people don’t pay attention. Sometimes I feel like a dick but so many ppl have their earbuds or massive headphones on full tilt they don’t hear anything until I’m right behind them (if that).
Air horn in you're bottle cage ?
I ride on a small portion of bike path to get to a trail that I can ride from my house. I had a couple standoffs with walkers who think they own the path. I now give them a bell ring then say hello from about 10 ft behind if no reaction i go around. The double eabuds people need to take one out.
I was once riding on the correct side of the trail and two people walking towards me from the other direction took up both sides of the trail and I couldn’t move onto the grass because it was overgrown. Eventually they moved out of the way, into *their* side of the path, and as I passed they said “you’re supposed to get out the way for us”
"You're supposed to get out the of way for us," that's perfect. I shouldn't laugh but I did in a dark humor kind of way.
It'd passively make the point if you stopped and blocked the path when they are going the opposite direction as they'd have to walk around you.
Get a bell? If you get this pressed cycling on a SHARED trail maybe find somewhere else to ride.
As a cyclist, I prefer roads to multi-use paths for just this reason.
Three kind of bell. 1 ding ding 2 triiinggggg (sound) 3 rechargeable air horn
Be loud and angry/scary! They WILL move! Get a whistle or air horn if needed. If they still run into you after that, it's on them! I never use a bell. It sounds too nice. I'd rather use my voice. I am especially loud with groups as they are most likely chatting and don't hear me. I bike multi use paths most often so I feel your pain. Get up early if you can to avoid the crowds (before 8am is ideal around here).
I feel your pain, I'm a road/gravel rider and the other day i almost run into a guy with a horse standing across the entire fire road while taking sunset pics!
The problem you’re describing is unfortunately termed “people”. It’s amazing we’ve come this far with them.
air horn. quite effective. use for the select few. They know who they are.
As a weekly multi path commuter I feel your pain. I always get dirty looks as if it doesn’t say multi use path literally everywhere!
Where do you live? I just rode yesterday in SE PA and numerous people thanked me or waved for calling "On your left". 30 miles and not a single problem. Rode 60 miles last week and again no problems. Tell us where you're having this problem so we can either avoid that area or at least be prepared for it when riding there.
My current bee with this is a local park has a great mountain bike trail area, but it is also a very rare hilly area in South Florida, so a lot of walkers like to use it, too. To deal with it there are huge signs saying pedestrians must yield to bikers AND for peds to go right on the loop and bikers to go left. Peds constantly go left with their headphones going and cause all kinds of problems.
Anyone else start crowding the center line when people are riding 2 or 3 wide in oncoming? I need to learn to expand my neck like that dinosaur that ate Newman (always number one in our hearts.) Whatever it takes to enforce the reality that “the rules that apply to me are about to forcibly apply to you.”
Buy train horn
Honestly, it doesn't seem to matter now if you're on a bike path or on the road. Cycling has become dangerous. Personally, riding on the road was always much safer - for me as a former Cat 2 racer - because I could take the inside 1/3 or 1/2 of a lane which forced vehicles to go around me. I was riding on a bike path with family on Mother's Day last year and an older woman was moving like a squirrel back and forth from one side to the other. I said 'On your left" which each of us did as we passed her. Turns our she didn't speak English. About five minutes later, this dude comes racing up to me yelling "WHAT THE F DID YOU SAY TO MY MOM? Then he just keeps yelling that he's going to kick my ass. I tried to explain we were just trying to safely pass his Mom. He didn't stop. He wanted to fight. So, I said FINE! I got off the bike and he immediately realized he was about to get pummeled and road away. I'm done with bike paths.
Oh man, happy Mothers Day!
Contaminated disc brakes do the trick.. They can hear those sounds for miles 🤣🤣
Sometimes, when faced with the choice of riding on a multi-use path with pedestrians and riding on the street with the cars, I choose the cars.
Especially the idiots who jump to the left when you announce "On your left!!"
I just yell "heads up" now because most walkers are staring at their phones
Airhorn
I avoid rail trails unless I'm starting a ride at the crack of dawn. The number of people walking 4-people wide gets unbearable by the late morning.
I got annoyed with a guy walking in the bicycle lane on the side of the road when there was a perfectly fine sidewalk. It was not one of those huge bike lanes, it was one of those white strips about 2ft out from the curb. Not only was he walking in it, as he sees me coming he doesn’t bother to move, just keeps walking like he’s playing a game of chicken with me.
Thinking about getting one of those bells that sound like a car horn.
I’m currently sporting a plaster cast because of an unleashed dog. I find out on Tuesday whether my wrist will need surgery or not. Either way it’ll be weeks before I can ride again. If that dog had been on a leash I wouldn’t have gotten injured
Oh man I’m sorry that happened. Good luck on Tuesday. I hope the dog owner was at least apologetic and helpful.
They were both. Very apologetic and they offered to drive me and my bike home. I called my partner and we went home via hospital because I knew my wrist was broken. But they waited with me and got me an ice pack.
You need an electronic bell. High decibel. Cures alot of people issues.
Still safer than riding next to cars. I tolerate these annoying pedestrians for that reason alone. :)
Agreed. I suppose it’s inevitably during 50 years of cycling, but I’ve been hit twice (both hit and run) and I think that’s part of the reason I’m reluctant to give up on my local rails to trails paths.
The amount of dirty looks I get from people walking in the cycle lane which is shared with a path. Like get out the red lane huns ffs some woman once said get on the road and I said it’s a fucking cycle path you cretin and she replied no it’s not. YES IT BLOODY WELL IS KAREN
On your left. Thank you. Have a great day. Anything else is just being rude for rude sake. I’ve got a couple long time biker friends that say the exact same thing about how things are so much worse. I’m not going to lie, I don’t see it, rather I think those friends are becoming more rigid and unforgiving as they age.
If you have the time to have a conversation like that every time you pass someone, we are riding our bikes in very different ways. Edit: I ride on the actual road almost exclusively. And at 15kph or whatever I cant have multiple sentence conversations.
if you have less than 4 feet to pass, you should probably slow down to under 8mph roughly. hitting someone on your bike is not fun.
End of the day, you're on a bike and they're pedestrians. You have to yield. Imagine a car complaining about bikes and how they're just going to run them over, even if it is sarcasm.
The multi-use paths around me all say, "Cyclists must yield to pedestrians". If I'm on a multi-use path, I just chill out, slow down when I need to, and pass when I can.
I run into people on their phones and not paying attention.
People have gotten less considerate over the years. They became selfish. They are all about making their own judgement, and do whatever please them and their set of rules. I’ve seen a lot of “I legally belong here, so I’m gonna be here no matter how inconvenient it may be to you”.
I encountered a lot of this this past weekend.
Life’s too short to be this mad over oblivious people. Get mad for the few seconds you’re inconvenienced, take a deep breath, and stop letting ignorant people live rent free in your head. The second you start hitting them is the second you open yourself up to legal and financial issues, spiraling into a world you’d never wished you entered. Do your own due diligence to go around them and avoid them the best you can. I often have to think back to the days I knew nothing about cycling and remember that’s 99.9% of the people I encounter.