Quoted By:
>how are we going to deal with all the cycling newfags
It's not a problem, it's a solution. One that you can help shape.
'Mentor' is the word for it.
Most people are naturally cowards, yearning for leadership. Deep down, fear is the driving factor. It's what everyone knows, and what beginners are most sensitive to. You would not believe the conversion rate I get (normies -> cyclists) with this behavior: be present*, be a strong hand (but not a dickhead).
That's it. You are empowering them vicariously, and it resonates deeply.
I'm in the US, and the 'background level radiation', is that any means of cycling outside an enclosed park, rail trail, etc, is a dangerous activity.
This isn't the Netherlands, cycling's not the norm--it's 'expression'. And it's one of the few ways that a person can feel in control of their life (especially in fucked up times).
Anything else... shitty job, noisy neighbor, the girlfriend, politics... that stuff recedes.
On a bike? In that instant? Their body, their movement.
Two wheels is self-determination.
All you have to do is help someone along that path, and they're converted. It might not seem like much (to you), but it is starkly obvious to a beginner. When they're afraid and you're not. So, qualify it.
Tell them up-front:
"Don't dip in and out. It'll get you killed, ride right here. You wave them on, you let them pass."
"It's the front wheel you worry about, in a gritty corner. You get dumped to the side, not over the handlebars."
If their bike isn't tuned to what it could be... you know, not once every wheel rotation, but every crank rotation... They have no idea what it is. "Hey, I'll help you work on that. There was this guy named Sheldon Brown--"
Really, if this 'new person' is someone you 1% might want to stick around? Just ride along for a minute, chat (about the bike), and as you pull away, the last word you say is a sentence.
"Nice."
