In the case the increasingly perfect weather in Jackson Hole didn't tell you it was nearly July, the increasing number of people using the bike paths would give you a hint. That means you'll almost certainly end up with someone trying to pass you. There are a few ways bike people can be obnoxious when they pass, but I choose to rail about one that's been reeeeallly getting on my nerves lately.
Back when I first got my bike, I explained the usefulness of my bell in great detail. Reader's Digest version: it just plain makes sense to have one. However, a large number of people who, by their clothing, consider themselves Proper Cyclists, don't bother with them.
You'll notice, the gentlemen in this picture (of bike lanes in Portland, Ore., fyi) don't seem to have them. Given my experiences in Jackson, what probably happened here is that the gentleman on the right - yeah, the one with his pants tucked into his socks, poor guy - was biking along, minding his own business.
Suddenly, he heard a kind of muffled sound behind him. It probably took him a few minutes to realize the following: the sound was a human voice, it was speaking to him, and one of the words was "left." By then, the gentleman on the left, whose pant legs are not tucked into his socks, was whizzing by him, shooting him a mildly dirty look for not getting out of his way quite enough. It is at this point the guy on the right realizes what he heard was this other guy saying "On your left," thereby trying to alert him that he'd be passing soon.
I say unto thee, Bike People, that the guy on the right was not acting dickish, despite what the passing cyclist thought. It is not his fault that it's next to impossible to a) hear that half-call, half-mumble people who do this somehow manage to achieve and b) distinguish what on earth you said. Especially if it's windy, or there's running water nearby, or if the person you're passing has a loud heartbeat or there is...any ambient noise at all.
This apparently happens because bells "take up handlebar space," and this is Really Annoying if you're a Serious Biker. Doing whatever in God's name you're doing that requires every inch of handlebar to be at your disposal - seriously, a bell is not exactly a space drain. However, I'm going to go ahead and point out it's equally annoying to get that freaking dirty look. Not to mention the part where it's a safety issue for me to get far enough to the side to avoid collisions. There is no reason to be sneaky here. Stop snitting about and get a damn bell.
As I said, it's been getting on my nerves lately. In case that wasn't abundantly clear by now.
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