Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

I tend to shout 'red!', call out those who perform dick moves that put me or others in danger, I'll even helpfully point out when people's lights aren't working.

To be honest very rarely do they say thank you to me for worrying about the risk they've put themselves in or the danger they present to others.

I'm toying with saying fuck all and letting some type of Noel Edmonds cosmic sorting resolve these issues. I say this because the other night cycling home I had a bit of a dick who would undertake me every now and then when I did stupid stuff like slow down because I was looking down the road and I could see trafic about to stop/ car slams on etc.

I'm not sure why I didn't say anything. Perhaps it was because he was on a Boardman and I'm prone to stereotyping people. Anyway he did it again I said nothing and I'm quite proud of myself when I didn't say anything to him other than 'Are you OK ?' as I helped him off the ground after he undertook a left turning motorbike.

Luckily no one was hurt as the motorcyclist reacted well and stopped reducing the impact considerably.

I felt really smug for the rest of the journey.

I am now going to try and keep my mouth shut and see if Noel is actually right.

My cycling mileage isn't much, but I've shouted to another cyclist in recent times who had decided to go halfway down a large truck which was in the process of turning left. He got up on the kerb and avoided being squashed and was grateful enough to give me a two fingered salute before continuing his journey. I almost never call out to any other cyclist, simply because I feel it makes damn all difference.

There is one cyclist I come across infrequently (on the Highams Park/Walthamstow borders on a grey mountain bike) who I avoid, simply because he manages to cause me an equal measure of concern, despair and deep annoyance. I am not the fittest or in any way a fast cyclist, but I manage to catch up with him constantly, despite his inability to stop for lights, people on crossings etc, whilst I comply. On the one occasion I did mention to him when alongside in traffic - more politely than I really felt - that he had been lucky not to have been sideswiped at the previous junction, he took out his miniature headphones and spat in front of my bike (Note 1), then cycled on. I assume he's had successful charisma by-pass surgery.

Part of the reason I block off worrying about the actions of others, is that one shouting moment leads to another. As I'm far from a perfect cyclist myself, I'd end up shouting at myself too and it's a quick and steep slippery slide into banshee land.

(Note 1) I was riding a Boardman CX that day. Now I've had it 9 months or so and put everything right that was wrong from the shop new, it's a fantastic ride. The grief of buying it and just getting it home without it falling apart completely, is still an open wound. I often get pitying glances when riding it, which I don't from my single speed. Spitting, however, is a bit strong.