Cycling mansplainers 😒

[madeinmanc]

I'm so sick and tired of out-of-shape men trying to mansplain cycling to me!

For example, yesterday I was on a shared path that is quite narrow and I was behind a couple walking very slowly, up ahead I could see an oncoming group including a toddler wavering around on a balance bike so instead of overtaking the couple, I slowed down behind them to not bring me into a head on collision with the toddler and just to give the family space. No-one was behind me (I checked, obviously).

Some random mansplainer chose this moment to helpfully call out "if you ring the bell they'll know you're behind them" 😠😠😠. I mean, I'm on a not inexpensive road bike kitted out head to toe in cycling gear, mate, do you think I might already know that? Do you think I need your "advice"?

No woman has ever done this to me, it's only men!

I'd love to have a camera and start uploading this kind of incident.

So I guess this is a cycling AIBU?

No wayy

No way

That's weird, most people in full lycra don't have a bell at all. I'd be shocked to find out you had a bell if you're otherwise kitted out in obvious cycling clothes.

I dunno, I understand impatience. I got inpatient with WOMEN being wimps about climbing around on high rocks yesterday. There was a many minute delay while one woman lost her nerve & no on else could get past. A lovely young guy (not in her group) helped her out in the end. None of the blokes lost their nerve. I also had to suggest to some kids they could speed things up & climb down at one point; the kids needed their dad to come forward to help them climb down (he wasn't even climbing up to the viewpoint, otherwise).

Was this guy who annoyed you a cyclist, was he behind you, how was he affected? I guess there wasn't room for you to pass offroad. I've been pausing for safe moment to skate past people on very busy & narrow beach paths constantly this week (kitted out with great RollerBlades), wobbly kids & dogs are important reasons to slow down, & no one has said anything to rush me.

I'm also a road cyclist with a not inexpensive road bike and kitted out in head to toe cycling gear and also do not have bell on my bike (all of which is completely irrelevant) For this reason I avoid cycle paths at all cost and stick to the roads. If for a very rare reason I am on shared path (usually in a park), I always let people know I am coming up behind by giving a loud friendly excuse me. I've not really had any issues. Also, my not inexpensive bike has a noisy hub so people usually hear me coming when I'm slowing down. 😉

The bell is a bit of an odd one. Whenever I ring my bell, it usually results in confusion for a pedestrian ahead and they tend to stumble into my path. If you ever want to run one down, you have to work on getting the timing just right, for the dazed and confused bumble.

Recently I was on a narrow stretch of shared use path, it widens out a minute later so I was just biding my time behind a wobbly cyclist and some pedestrians when a fella rammed himself ahead of me. Inevitably he was stuck there while I pointed out the error of his ways.

While I'm on, I love it when a bloke on a road bike shoulders his way in front of me at the lights and I leave him standing, when I'm on a mountain bike with two full panniers. See ya!

Also, I usually call out to pedestrians, e.g. "bike passing on your right" it has caught on around here and avoids that thing where startled and disoriented people stumble into your path looking around to see where the noise came from.

I was once cycling on a popular multi-user route (with cycle hire facilities). I got moaned at for tinging my bell and moaned at for an "excuse me".

The confused bumbling is a PITA when I'm running. People hog paths and don't listen out around them. I'm there trying to work out (and breathe simultaneously) if there's enough space to pass by while dodging circling dogs, or if the "excuse me" and resultant bumbling is inevitable.

I try my best to run in quiet places!

As a pedestrian, I nearly always say thanks to cyclists who either hang back and give way to pedestrians where apt (like the OP), or who ring or call out to alert us to their presence. It's so much better than having someone zoom past silently just at the point where we might be turning to look at the view or dodge a dog shit.
Obviously everyone needs to be aware that pedestrians may be deaf and not rely on being heard though

I wear full Lycra when cycling. I also have a bell and use it, or shout a cheerful “cyclist behind!” Or “cyclist passing on the right” depending on circumstances.

I’ve had a mansplainer (your bike position is all wrong love, too upright) but also did a long bikepacking trip last year and had a couple of lovely chaps ask lots of questions about my bike, my set up and my kit to see if they could use any of it for theirs. I think cycling is a weird one; the chaps who mansplain also seem to have no problem telling other men what they think they are doing wrong. I think they are just dicks all round 😁

We call it correctile dysfunction and it’s always a man. My naff/winter road bike has a bell. My best one with posh carbon wheels will not adorn a shared use path. I commute 8 miles and tbh in the same 8 miles I can be moaned at for both using and not using a bell and rather calling out so you can’t win!!

There are some groups I won’t ride with because the men are so insufferable!

Correctile dysfunction! That is brilliant! 🤣🤣🤣

Apparently I should have easily spotted an invisible grey extensible lead when angry man was walking on one side of the road and angry man's dog was invisible in a ditch on the opposite side. I ended up with a scuffed bike and a skinned arse and elbow, and angry man's dog had an extremely bad day. Apparently I should have rung my (admittedly non-existent) bell, despite coming towards him face on and clearly visible. I wonder what he would have said to a tractor driver?