[Closed] Why do some people on bikes ...?

If this trend by inconciderate cyclists continues, we will see greater and greater tailbacks on country roads and also more accidents and incidents of confrontation.

Not too mention what will happen if a stolen car comes up behind these individuals.

Holding up traffic because you are an asshole, is not good, and repeatedly saying bikes are traffic too! 🙄 doesn't do anything to resolve the very real issues that riding in this fashion causes.

Two abreast is fine.

4 or 5 single file is fine.

Bigger groups need to split up, you're probably going to create issues for yourself.

If you doing less than 20mph and a driver can't get past you? they need to have their Hyundai Getz taken off them....

I'm a roadie as well as a mountain bike but I'd have to concede that there are some riders out there, especially in large road groups, who appear to go out of their way to be as inconsiderate to other traffic as possible.

2 cyclists riding single file will take up up approx 1 car length of road. Multiply that by 3 or 4 and that's arguably too long a train to safely pass(would people pass a slow moving artic on the same road?)

Riding two abreast can make more sense in some circumstances though you will inevitably encounter people who don't get that concept.

Three or more abreast is just selfish and potentially stupid for all concerned if something goes wrong.

Tis a fact of life that you get morons using [u]all[/u] forms of transport being it feet, hooves and wheels, motorised or not.

When I'm out on't bike I will invariably wave my thanks to someone who's waited to pass me. Similarly I will, whenever possible, signal and dip into a driveway, layby etc to let a truck or big van go by. - I don't want to be helped down the road by 3 - 40 tons of truck any more than the trucker wants to be stuck behind some muppet on a push bike.

9/10 I will get a toot or indicator flash of thanks when doing this.

Bigger groups need to split up, you're probably going to create issues for yourself.

So basically you're saying that roadie clubs shouldn't be allowed to do group rides, then?

Nor do you understand that its a shorter line to overtake if they are side by side - and that they take up no greater width cos you shouldn't ride in the gutter.

What does the Highway Code say about cycling with regards to 'riders abreast' TJ?
I'm surprised you haven't quoted that yet
How's about we get some facts going, eh?

I had this yesterday in the lakes, surprisingly most cars let us past, one guy reversed to let us past (coming the opposite way), one driver in front stopped and waved us past when going downhill so we weren't held up by him. On the flipside on the return home, lots of cars coming past us however we were well spread out along the road,tucked into the side with no real problems to let traffic past. Yet one pillock thought it a great idea to try and overtake on a blind bend. Suffice to say it was a nice day in the lakes and there was traffic coming the other way! So his course of action was to swerve into me. I managed to avoid him by braking and he got a bollocking of his other half as they went into the distance. Anyway I can't see why cyclists can't yield road space to drivers. You'll always get people taking risks in whatever mode of transport.

Meandering further off topic - I love it when people slow down waiting to pass me and forget to change gear. The sound of a car chugging from 15 up to 30mph in 4th or even 5th is a real pleasure.

And meandering back - Doesnt the highway code say if a bike is travelling at a reasonable speed, ie 18mph or more on a road that isnt a 60 it cant be considered as impeding traffic. I know some tractors go this slow!

The cycling club I belong to runs social Saturday morning road rides. When we started we had about 8 people. Now we regularly get about 60. We've had to change the route so that we don't take so many small lanes and split the ride into different groups according to speed.

What is surprising having observed the growth of this ride is how people initially tend to lose a sense of where they are (and all road sense) when they start riding in a group. It takes more experienced riders to remind people where and how they should be riding.

Broadly speaking, cyclists riding two abreast is fine and actually a good thing as it gives cyclists a road presence. Three or four abreast is daft and will only wind up other road users.

There's a lot of new cyclists on the road, many of whom are unused to riding in groups. Many of them would benefit from a bit of structured group riding. This is especially true when it comes to racing. Some of the moves are pretty nerve jangling. There's no great mystery to it.

This is the intro for newcomers from our site:

Most of the following common sense tips on riding in a group can be picked up by just going out on rides with us but here they are just for good measure if you've not ridden in a group before:

When you ride in a group on the road it's even more important than when you're on your own to pay extra attention to the road and traffic as those behind you can't see what's up ahead.

Don't ride more than two abreast, and only where the road is wide enough. When the road is narrow single out to allow traffic to pass by. When singling out, the rider near the middle of the road slows down to pull in behind the rider that they were riding next to. This avoids the confusion of both riders slowing down at the same time leaving the one in the middle of the road with nowhere to go.

If you're riding at the front you need to let the riders behind know if there are any holes, parked cars, glass or any other hazards by shouting out of pointing with hand signals. Pass these warnings down the group so that the ones at the back aren't left in the dark. If people know what's coming up it makes for safer riding with less swerves and sudden braking.

If you're in a large group it's important not to wait at junctions longer than necessary as you'll get in the way of other traffic and make it hard for them to see. Instead find a suitable place to wait at the side of the road while you wait for others to catch up.

If you have a puncture shout out that you have a flat so that you don't get left stranded with some in the group wondering where you are. Also, it helps people to know that you're stopping so that they don't ride into the back of you when you slow down.

When the group approaches a junction or traffic lights and needs to slow down or stop, shout out, "Easy", to let riders behind know that you're putting on the brakes. If you don't there's a chance they will ride into the back of you!

One thing to remember about Saturday and Sunday club rides is that they are exactly that, rides not races! Be nice to each other.

People in clubs are very idiot

It's courtesy for slower 'traffic' to pull over at regular intervals so to allow faster traffic to pass.

This. Some cyclists seem to think this shouldn't apply to them.

People in clubs are very idiot

There's certainly a fair number of them.

TandemJeremy - Member
Yes - it is really simple. You are not more important in your car than the cyclist is. You do not have the right to bully your way past. Beeping your horn and having verbal with them is not sharing the road with them.

You need to behave like an adult and share the roads.

I cannot believe the anti bike rhetoric from a supposed cyclists forum

Another view...

Yes - it is really simple. [s]You[/s] [u]Cyclists[/u] are not more important in your car than the [s]cyclist[/s] [u]driver[/u] is. [s]You[/s] [u]Cyclists[/u] do not have the right to [s]bully your way past[/s] [u]slow other road users down unecessarily[/u]. [s]Beeping your horn and having verbal with them[/s] [u]Intentionally riding in a way that stops drivers overtaking safely when they otherwise could [/u]is not sharing the road with them.

You need to behave like an adult and share the roads.

I cannot believe the [s]anti bike rhetoric from a[/s] [u]fact that some folk drive cars and feel cyclist should behave considerably towards them on a[/u] supposed cyclists forum

I cannot believe the anti [s]bike[/s] [b]idiot[/b] rhetoric

🙂

I was going to type something about the fact that tractors move over to let faster vehicles past, so why shouldn't cyclists.. then I experienced a sense of [url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/public-apology ]deja vu[/url] and ...

[img] [/img]

OK. The Higway Code says:

You should

b) never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends

So, yes, the cyclists in the OPs case were being arses. No two ways about it.

Patience is a virtue.

One that seems lost on most modern road users.

"I pay all this money, I was promised freedom, my motorcar coddles me like a baby so I can act like a spoiled child, where's my freedom. . . . "

OK. The Higway Code says:

You should

b) never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends

So, yes, the cyclists in the OPs case were being arses. No two ways about it.

Lots of ways about it.

Like I said TJ, you just don't get it. Can't be bothered anymore. Sounds to me like you think cyclists have a right of way regardless. That's just bollocks.

cyclists,horses and pedestrians have an unalienable right to use the queens highway.
motorists are merely licensed and can have that privilege taken away.

so it's you that's talking bollocks.

Bikes are traffic - they don't hold up traffic

Traffic can hold up other traffic.

If I am travelling slowly I pull over to let people by if I'm causing more than a slight obstruction, regardless of whether or not I am on a bike or in a car.

It's a common bloody courtesy and helps everyone have a better day. Sticking to your 'rights' just because you can when it pisses off other people makes you a bellend imo.

Oh and suggesting cyclists ride with consideration for other road users is not anti-cyclist.

cyclists,horses and pedestrians have an unalienable right to use the queens highway.
motorists are merely licensed and can have that privilege taken away.

Succinct, I am going use that one next time I am faced by a self important motorist.

It's a common bloody courtesy and helps everyone have a better day. Sticking to your 'rights' just because you can when it pisses off other people makes you a bellend imo.

Oh and suggesting cyclists ride with consideration for other road users is not anti-cyclist.

OK if I keep this as a copy and paste for the next time this conversation comes up (next week I suspect)?

🙂

wynne: do you have any conventions about drafting?

My mate and I, relatively inexperienced road cyclists, were experimenting with drafting yesterday.

In a car, I can cover ground more quickly than a bike. End of.

If this trend by inconciderate cyclists continues, we will see greater and greater tailbacks on country roads and also more accidents and incidents of confrontation.

making people wait for ages or having to risk their lives to overtake

I've been stuck behind quite a few slow vehicles and I've only ever seen 1 pull over to let other traffic passed, so don't be saying tractors immediatley pull over when a car or two get behind them. No idea what the OPs road was like but there's a few properly narrow roads near me where it's not wide enough for 1 car + 1 bike so sorry you'll have to wait for a passing place - and if it's a downhill section and I'm doing >30mph you'll be waiting til the bottom - 30 is not [i]unreasonably[/i] slowing you down.

"Stuck" is not the same as "had to slow down for a while". I drive a fair few miles a year, cyclists cause me pretty much no bother at all, maybe 5 minutes of delays in hundreds of hours of driving.

Rubberneckers on the motorway and tailgaters, (who often end up causing much rubbernecking) on the other hand, need to be eradicated. I sat on the M3 for an hour so that people could have a look at a minor shunting accident last week.

Fair amount of rubbish being spouted here.

The general take I have of this situation is this: If it's safe to overtake, then it's safe to overtake.

It doesn't matter if there is one cyclist, or ten. In exactly the same vein, it doesn't matter if its a tractor or a horse. If it's not safe to pull completely over to the otherside of the road to overtake and get back in without causing them any grief, then I won't overtake.

I'm not an ambulance driver, brain surgeon or in bomb disposal, so probably doesn't matter if I spend a couple of moments waiting for a safe spot to pass.

there's a few properly narrow roads near me where it's not wide enough for 1 car + 1 bike so sorry you'll have to wait for a passing place

On singletrack roads, climbs particularly, I pull over to let cars through.

Roter Stern - Member

Surely it is in fact easier to overtake a bunch of cyclists safely when they are in group rather than single file as the driver only has to actually drive on the opposite side of the road for a shorter amount of time?

Yup. there is this. There is also the fact that when riding two abreast the outside rider is where a single rider should be - out from the kerb.

Of course its polite to assist faster traffic to overtake _ I do it all the time but to be beeping your horn and getting into verbal with cyclists 'cos they wont pullover / put themselves in danger to let you past is wrong.

Lots of ways about it

Explain your firt six then.....

It's a common bloody courtesy and helps everyone have a better day. Sticking to your 'rights' just because you can when it pisses off other people makes you a bellend imo.
Oh and suggesting cyclists ride with consideration for other road users is not anti-cyclist.

+1

Some cyclists = bellends.
Some drivers = bellends.

Actually, scratch that. Some people = bellends.
The world is full of them, it doesn't matter if they ride a bike or drive a car, or post on an internet forum.... You've got to live with them. 😉

On singletrack roads, climbs particularly, I pull over to let cars through.

Without wishing to get embroiled in this debate I do find a lot of car drivers become obsessed by passing cyclists, even if you're not really impeding their progress.

My commute to work includes a reasonable descent towards the town, where there's always slow moving traffic I can easily keep up with and often overtake. However, even when freewheeling behind a car, you'll get people trying to overtake, then realise they have nowhere to go.

Many drivers seem to have some innate feeling that if there's an obstacle infront of them they must overtake - they'll do it irrespective of whether it's safe, whether it's one rider, or a bunch of 20595, riding 85 abreast. Some people are just cocks. Sadly, it seems a few are on this thread.

It should be mandatory for cyclist to have "Running in, Please Pass" notices stapled to their lycra clad behinds.

My mate and I, relatively inexperienced road cyclists, were experimenting with drafting yesterday.

Making the (almost certainly flawed) assumption that you're not taking the p*ss, then are you on about drafting other vehicles or each other? If it's other vehicles, then good luck with that (you can help me confront the gun weilding morons I met yesterday, as you have no sense of fear).

If you're talking drafting other cyclists, then get ye to a chaingang. Most cycling clubs run some form of structured high speed group riding training.

[i]Without wishing to get embroiled in this debate I do find a lot of car drivers become obsessed by passing cyclists, even if you're not really impeding their progress.

My commute to work includes a reasonable descent towards the town, where there's always slow moving traffic I can easily keep up with and often overtake. However, even when freewheeling behind a car, you'll get people trying to overtake, then realise they have nowhere to go[/i]

All very very true and very very f&*^ing annoying.

TandemJeremy - Member
... There is also [s]the fact[/s] [u]my opinion[/u] that when riding two abreast the outside rider is where a single rider should be - out from the kerb.

cyclists,horses and pedestrians have an unalienable right to use the queens highway.
motorists are merely licensed and can have that privilege taken away.

A couple of years ago the "unalienable right" to silence was taken away, and I don't see many cyclists on the M1 either...

Making the (almost certainly flawed) assumption that you're not taking the p*ss, then are you on about drafting other vehicles or each other?

I rarely take the pi55 without putting one of these on the sentence for clarity: 😉

If it's other vehicles, then good luck with that (you can help me confront the gun weilding morons I met yesterday, as you have no sense of fear).

God no, that's a terrifying idea.

We were interested in experiencing how much reduction in effort you could get, esp. pedaling at speed, and into the wind. And also the responsibility and it puts on the lead rider to steer, warn and avoid braking without warning etc.

When is it appropriate/inappropriate to draft other (co-operative) riders? When should you swap places? Is it worth doing below 20 mph? Is it too risky unless on the open road? What's the best following distance? etc etc

A couple of years ago the "unalienable right" to silence was taken away, and I don't see many cyclists on the M1 either...

you probably don't see many horses or pedestrians either.

you probably don't see many horses or pedestrians either.

oh, I dunno

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen "Pedestrians in Carriageway" or "Animals on Road" displayed on the matrix signs

Like everyone else though, I just ignore them - the signs that is:)

There is also the fact that when riding two abreast the outside rider is where a single rider should be - out from the kerb.

Have to agree with Al above - this in my opinion is often total, total bollox.

And this is why I think this:-

1. No rider should be in the gutter irrespective of if they are on their own or riding with another. There is obviously the safety aspect (road presence) but also the puncture issue and the fact that it reduces your swerve options for objects/potholes to just the one direction. I would say it is even more important in some way when riding 2 abreast not to ride in the gutter as when hemmed in by your "wingman" there is even more chance you will have to change course if they have a moment and you are pinned to the curb. It is EVEN more important again not to ride the gutter if riding in a peleton as the rider a couple of inches behind you will be following your wheel and needs an exit route either side if something goes wrong for you.

2. The natural riding position is on the piece of tarmac kept clean and smooth by the nearside wheel of motorised traffic. You normally don't want to ride right in the centre as it's often as full of loose material as the gutter and frequently a little oily.

3. The next natural riding position out on the road is often just over the centre of the road and onto the piece of tarmac kept clean by the offside tyre.

After xxx thousand miles riding in groups and solo I am perfectly happy the position I want to take if solo is in the wheel line of the nearside tyre of a car and feel perfectly safe doing so. I also know where on the road I ride if alongside another rider so as to not push them into the gutter. I would not under any circumstances choose this position when riding on my own.

The natural riding position is on the piece of tarmac kept clean and smooth by the nearside wheel of motorised traffic. You normally don't want to ride right in the centre as it's often as full of loose material as the gutter and frequently a little oily.

I want to ride where the visibility is greatest - both me seeing the road and the car driver seeing me. riding in line with the nearside wheels can put you in a blind spot and reduce your ability to see down the road.

The position I adopt varies. However central to the lane is the default I use. going further right when I need to see further / to prevent cars overtaking when it is not safe / to be visible further from behind round a left hand bend and going further left when it is safe for cars to overtake or on a right hand bend

I challenge you to ride in the centre of the lane on ANY of my local rides and not come back either punctured or covered in road rash. Also if choosing to ride along the centre of the lane alongside me on ANY of the above roads you would have a hand on your shoulder gently pushing you out to the correct position for 2nd rider thus allowing me out of the gutter where you had just pinned me.