Snot under your elbow onto the outside. More likely to hit you but no one else. Failing that wait till you are at the back. Same with eating and drinking. If you can eat on the front of a working group then it is not working 😉

A good fast working group is a great thing to be a part of. A bad one is a recipe for an accident.

Failing that wait till you are at the back.

The problem being that doesn’t happen unless I want to slow down and go at their pace.

You wouldn’t walk 18″ behind someone in the supermarket picking exactly the same items off the shelf to avoid making any decisions about what to buy to make shopping easier

I think I’ve just found a new way to make my shopping trips more fun!

You could even do it with your mates, hang around outside until you spot your marks, then each take one and regroup at the tills, points for most random product, or maybe have a wildcard bonus product agreed in advance for extra points if they pick one up, obviously DQ if you get rumbled!

Sorry I drifted off topic a bit… as for freebie drafters, happens every now and then to me, can’t say it bothers me much, I just assume they’re either tired and glad of a break, or when they grab on after I overtake using it as an opportunity to push to see how long they can keep up with a faster rider (I do this sometimes but always say hello!).

Can’t say I’ve ever been genuinely snuck up on, regular lookbacks normally mean I know they’re coming well before they get there.

traildog – Member
It’s not a matter of trusting someone following you – it’s a matter of you being in control in front.

Nonsense, it’s like being tailgated in a car.

If you really don’t like it then you have to approach them slowly and then give it everything for 5 minutes to get past them. You should also say a cheery hello when passing pretending that you’re not really trying. This helps to break their spirit with the chase.

I just want ot get on with my pedalling and not bother with any of this crap on account of some wannabe roadie clown.

It is rude as well since they are expecting you to point out potholes, parked cars etc.

Are they?

The roadie etiquette is all about sharing the work. For some people that might be coming through every 2 mins others every 30 mins. But it lacks class to sit on someone without taking a pull, unless you say Hello and then thanks.

The number of roadies who get annoyed at folk who don’t do a turn whilst not giving an elbow flick, a head nod, pulling over or giving any other indication to come through is ridiculous.

What they expect to happen I don’t know. If you dont slow down or give a flick the guy behind has no idea you them to take a turn and b if he guess and comes past the pace just gets fast and faster.

I just want ot get on with my pedalling and not bother with any of this crap on account of some wannabe roadie clown.

Get on with it then and ignore the person behind you. They’re not slowing you down.

whatnobeer – Member
Get on with it then and ignore the person behind you. They’re not slowing you down.

As above, there’s a safety issue, it’s not about speed.

As above, there’s a safety issue, it’s not about speed.

Is there? I’ve never been anywhere near crashing due to someone behind me on a bike. It’s nothing like a car.

If they are being dangerous and half wheeling etc they’ll be the ones who crash, not you.

They can crash into you.

Just because it’s never happened to you doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

The number of roadies who get annoyed at folk who don’t do a turn whilst not giving an elbow flick, a head nod, pulling over or giving any other indication to come through is ridiculous.

What they expect to happen I don’t know. If you dont slow down or give a flick the guy behind has no idea you them to take a turn and b if he guess and comes past the pace just gets fast and faster.

I’m commuting through traffic, I don’t want them doing a turn at the front, I want them to not bother speeding up just because they were passed. Its a bit like those drivers that speed up as you move out to overtake.

I just want ot get on with my pedalling and not bother with any of this crap on account of some wannabe roadie clown.

You are riding on the road and obviously don’t know how – so it sounds to me like you’re the want to be roadie clown.

Riding a bike is nothing like driving a car, that’s a daft argument.

If you don’t like someone on your tail then slow right down and pull over. It’s really simple. I’ll usually pull up and say hello, it’s not easy to talk when you are the one behind holding the wheel.

traildog – Member
You are riding on the road and obviously don’t know how – so it sounds to me like you’re the want to be roadie clown.

Riding a bike is nothing like driving a car, that’s a daft argument

Ah yes, of course, you are right, I’m a crap rider (you can tell from the internet)

🙄

THat’s all the response you merit.

You are riding on the road and obviously don’t know how – so it sounds to me like you’re the want to be roadie clown.

Where do we learn how to do it ‘properly’ is there a road riders hand book or something? Cos last time i checked there were not any ‘rules’ apart from the highway code.

Where do we learn how to do it ‘properly’

on here

Can’t say I’ve ever been genuinely snuck up on, regular lookbacks normally mean I know they’re coming well before they get there

surely this is whare we should all be if riding safely and aware of our environs ?

Brakes – That would just teach you ride round in circles!!

To make a very rough analogy, it’s like we were driving somewhere, and some bloke got in the car with us without a word, then hopped out and did one at the services.

Exactly ! that’s really annoying when that happens.

Really boils my gears/ grinds my piss etc.

Neal
(Arriva West Yorkshire Bus Co.)

I never draft strangers.
I don’t mind if strangers draft me,I assume they know the risks and have some cycling experience,I am not going to stop to give them an interview.
However,if they ran in to the back of me or knocked me off,they would soon find out why I never managed to complete my anger management treatment. 🙂

Don’t normally mind drafters, normally I just think I’m the one getting fitter so my win. Did get annoyed at the one the other week who drafted for many miles, then when I get sick of him, sat up and freewheeled – he just did the same. I did use several swear words after that to make my point.

Drafting can be dangerous – on one really windy ride home I didn’t bother to signal when turning right into a side street. Put the guy who was resolutely hiding on my tail into the pavement by mistake…

I was not impressed last week when, the day after a long Sunday ride, I was riding home into a ridiculous headwind with childseat/plastic parachute on the back and struggling to keep moving let alone go at any sort of pace; some dick drafted me for about a mile. 😡

some dick drafted me for about a mile

And did you move over or ask them to come through?

If you don’t like someone on your tail then slow right down and pull over. It’s really simple. I’ll usually pull up and say hello, it’s not easy to talk when you are the one behind holding the wheel.

Why should you have to? What if you just want to ride along at your own pace without people resolutely sticking to your back wheel?

wnb, eventually when I had enough energy to turn round and confirm he was still there, I pulled out wide to give him the choice. Unbelievably he started dropping back as soon as he didn’t have me in front, so he must have been more wrecked than I was!

I find a pair of 203mm rotors and braking hard does the trick. it sure puts things in perspective for the recipient

and there are far too many comments on here suggesting the OP should slow down, speed up or move over. why should somebody adjust how they’re riding because somebody thinks they’re in the TdF and that it’s acceptable to get a free / easy ride.
on a long road ride or group run maybe but not on inner city roads or general riding situations.

you wouldn’t buzz the rear wheel of someone on a trail because you wanted to get past. so why should it be ok on the roads?

I’m commuting through traffic, I don’t want them doing a turn at the front, I want them to not bother speeding up just because they were passed. Its a bit like those drivers that speed up as you move out to overtake.

Why not? Does it really affect you that much? Life is too short.

wnb, eventually when I had enough energy to turn round and confirm he was still there, I pulled out wide to give him the choice. Unbelievably he started dropping back as soon as he didn’t have me in front, so he must have been more wrecked than I was!

Not a lot of point in getting annoyed then as he was obviously too knackered to take a turn anyway!

No possibly not, but it was a bit of a pisstake given the state of the bike I was riding, despite him not knowing how tired I was…

Why not? Does it really affect you that much? Life is too short.

I could think of a few reasons why I don’t want someone drafting me along busy roads. If I wanted to ride with someone, then I’d do that.

No it doesn’t matter that much, but I can still be a little bit annoyed. Can’t I? I don’t like it, which I think is fair enough. I don’t get angry about it, I don’t do stupid things like slam on my brakes or swerve round potholes last minute, I just don’t like it. Some do, some don’t, but each to their own.

I find a pair of 203mm rotors and braking hard does the trick. it sure puts things in perspective for the recipient

Trouble is that it’s your mech/wheel/hanger etc that bears the brunt when you do that. I’ve got a non-replaceable hanger on my ‘nice’ road bike, and I’d be apoplectic if someone broke it riding into the back of me because I had to brake sharply because of (for example) a car pulling out.

I have had someone ride into the back of me at traffic lights. They managed it at quite an obtuse angle, so he just fell off and I was fine.

Exactly ! that’s really annoying when that happens.

Really boils my gears/ grinds my piss etc.

Neal
(Arriva West Yorkshire Bus Co.)
I always always always say thank you to the driver when I get off a bus, that’s how polite I am. 🙂

ah, but i’m on my trusty mtb which to be fair has taken more than a little beating in it’s time so is more than capable of taking a little more.
Plus i’m not talking full blown two wheeled skids, just enough for a puff of tyre smoke and for the suspension to dive (which also means I have to get my harris over the back wheel to prevent going OTB so the rider is faced with daunting prospect should they decide to continue)

not that I advocate this kind of behaviour to anyone else of course.

my issue is that I am not getting this on a 50 mile ride out in the middle of nowhere, this is on a cycle path commute into town.

why should somebody adjust how they’re riding because somebody thinks they’re in the TdF and that it’s acceptable to get a free / easy ride

I understand people being wary of unknown tailgaters for safety reasons, but this bit I don’t get?

Why are you annoyed that they are getting a free ride? you don’t have to pedal any harder, it has no impact on your level of effort at all, presumably you are out for a ride to get some exercise so if they were to come round and take a turn on the front then wouldn’t they be cheating you out of your exercise? 😉

On club runs it’s different, you go out in a group with the intention of helping each other and running in a tight bunch, but if you’re out solo then I don’t quite get the annoyance at someone else putting in less effort, it’s your ride isn’t it?

From my experience the people that tag along are doing so because they’re knackered or need to ease up a bit, if they’ve got the legs/energy then they overtake, in which case you either let them go or ask if you can tag along for a bit, if not they don’t, in which case there’s little point in expecting them to take a turn on the front.

Does your feeling on this depend on if they are tagging along after you’ve overtaken them, or if they’re tagging along having caught you up?

Ah yes, of course, you are right, I’m a crap rider (you can tell from the internet)

Well, I just took your argument that people were ‘roadie clown’s’ when all they are doing is what people who ride bikes do – draft. One of the most fundamental aspects to riding a bike on the road. And I can tell my reading what you say.

Where do we learn how to do it ‘properly’

Magazines, internet, fellow riders. The knowledge is not secret, you just need to listen instead of spouting how everyone else is annoying you.

Why should you have to? What if you just want to ride along at your own pace without people resolutely sticking to your back wheel?

Ride where no one else is? If you don’t like human nature then don’t hang around near fellow humans?

If you don’t like people sticking to your wheel you either have to ride harder so they cannot, or ride slower so they pull through.

Anyway, I’m obviously in a minority on here but I’m really shocked that people are so upset about being followed. I just see it as a part of riding on the road. If I know someone is there, then I give signs to them and I’ve never thought of them as being annoying.

If I don’t want someone following then I just hold back and don’t pass them. If someone rides past me and I want a free ride then I’ll jump onto their wheel (and they give signals). Perhaps we’re just a much more chilled out bunch of people here.

amedias:

As per my above post, this is not while out on a sociable ride, it’s while riding to work, so no, it’s not purely for exercise other than to get to work and pay for my crank habit.

re the free ride, no, I don’t have to pedal any harder but then why should I accept it when somebody thinks they can benefit from my output. They wouldn’t appreciate it if I sat outside their house and used their Wi-Fi, I mean it’s not costing them any extra is it?

why don’t roadies start some code of conduct for drafting, ie, ask if the rider up front minds, then take turns etc. don’t just assume it’s ok to do so. and yes I understand when blowing out of your *ss it’s hard to speak so maybe they can have a sign across their lycra clad backsides stating they’re ok with drafters.
I shall continue to wear my baggies with the slogan “I BRAKE FOR DRAFTERS”

It isn’t really dangerous for the person in the front, all the risk is on the person drafting. If it really winds you up talk to them or stop. Hardly the biggest deal ever is it 🙄

I don’t mind people drafting when it’s a clear road ahead – doesn’t often happen but I did get a couple the other day, bit older than me, bloke and his wife. It was great, and they thanked me for the tow and we had a quick chat when we reached the junction 2-3 miles down the road

Time before was a few years ago. I picked up some guy way younger than me, caught me down a hill and hung on for about 2 miles without doing a stint, all tucked up on his aero bars ( 🙄 ). That’s fine, maybe he’d done 200miles for all I knew.
Suddenly he stood up and came past about 5-10mph faster than me so I sped up and tucked in. Literally 30 yards after this he jams on the brakes in the middle of the road, stops with me slamming on behind him and says “Oh, I’m stopping here – this is where I live”. The daft arsehole was obviously living the dream of being a pro and taking the imaginary sprint.

The knowledge

🙄

Turn pedals harder = go faster. pull brakes = go slower. I learn’t that before the internet was invented.

Riding bikes isn’t about drafting, club riding and racing maybe but riding bikes is not.

BTW I’ve been drafted a few times but i just slow down if they’re pissing me off, or sometimes I blow them away! Then hide round the next corner while i get my breath back.

re the free ride, no, I don’t have to pedal any harder but then why should I accept it when somebody thinks they can benefit from my output.

This is what I’m trying to get my head around, I get that it *does* annoy you, I’m trying to understand *why*.

Why does it bother you that they’re getting a free ride/benefiting from your output, you’d be expending that effort regardless of whether they were there or not, they’re not taking anything from you so why the grump?

I guess I’m with traildog on this one, I just can’t really see why you’d be upset by it.

Why not try and be a bit more Zen about it, every time it happens, think of it as your good deed for the day and let it add a little warmth to your heart that you helped another human being instead of filling yourself with anger 🙂

But Dragon, you say if someone doesn’t like it they should either talk to the other cyclist or just stop.
why (as the person who has taken up the draft) is it not your responsibility to enquire if the rider in front minds?

effectively those who advocate it are saying if you don’t like me on your back wheel, pedal faster or stop. But you are the ones invading MY personal space not the other way around.