Drafting Fairies

Littigator

An emotive subject, perhaps one that will not evoke as much venom and shoutiness as that ol' chesnut "To helmet or not to helmet, that is the question" (the answer is yes of course ahem)

...but anyway, drafting fairies, those cheeky little chimps who sneak up behind you and waft along in your wake for an easy ride home.

Whilst you, of course, are puffing panting and pushing against an almighty headwind...well you certainly are if you venture anywhere along Millbank Wind Tunnel of an evening.

But anyway, I digress, we all know them, maybe you are one, so in which case are you a naughty but crafty wee beggar who considers him (or her)self as a master craftsman (or woman) of a fine art, or

Are you bludging off someone elses hard earned kinetic energy, robbing an easy ride off the back of their toil and sweat

You decide!

Clever Pun

Drafting is weakness

but saying that it doesn't affect you personally so why should it bother you? They are grateful even if they don't say so.

Bassjunkieuk

Can't say I've had to much drafting on my routes, possibly as most of my commute is fairly devoid of other bikes until I hit central Londinium!

I did draft someone for a mile or so on the charity ride I did a while back, but did also take my turn on the front too!

lost_in_thought

A benefit cheat who jumps over snooker equipment?

*Ducks the anti-pedant ray*

I don't mind, they can't usually stay on my back wheel for long... :twisted:

always_tyred

This is (another) pet peeve of mine.

It applies to those cyclists who you catch up on a hill at almost exactly the speed you are travelling. Minutes later, on the flat, or as likely down the next hill, you become aware of an unguided missile latched to your back wheel.

No, people who draft without permission or thanks, you cannot cycle as fast as me becuase, gravity assisted and with a great deal more effort than you are capable of sustaining for the duration of your commute, you can hang dangeourly close to my back wheel without telling me.

You wouldn't follow that close to a car, yet you are happy to acquire man points with a vehicle having no brake lights. You have no feel at all for when I will slow or stop because you are too focussed on my back wheel to notice the prevailing traffic conditions and I really don't want to have to accept your apology if you rub wheels with me. Bugger off.

always_tyred

lost_in_thought wrote:

A benefit cheat who jumps over snooker equipment?

*Ducks the anti-pedant ray*

I don't mind, they can't usually stay on my back wheel for long... :twisted:

No, surely an actor with such bad timing who, out of desperation and lack of work, is forced to sell some personal belongings and falsify their tax returns in order to make ends meet?

Bassjunkieuk

lost_in_thought wrote:

A benefit cheat who jumps over snooker equipment?

*Ducks the anti-pedant ray*

I don't mind, they can't usually stay on my back wheel for long... :twisted:

Well put :-)

biondino

Hmm. I know I resent people who draft me but as long as they're not so close as to put me in danger I can live with it, especially if I've overtaken them - the onus should be on me to pull away and if I can't, then it's fair game.

I don't mind drafters as long as I've been able to draft them too, whether through courtesy or just how it's ended up. Last night I was behind a decent roadie (ginger, team top, hairy legs - any of you, heading through Fulham and Putney around 7pm?) for about 3 miles and though I guess I drafted him a bit, I mostly stayed far enough behind or out to the side so that whenever he checked behind him he would have noticed I wasn't taking advantage or riding too close. I pulled for a few hundred yards but then couldn't clip in first time at the next lights and he went by again.

If ever I do draft someone - invariably someone who's clearly 2 or 3mph faster than me and I know I won't be able to maintain that pace if I go at the front - I say thank you when I/they peel off. Only fair.

cjcp

Always Tyred wrote:

This is (another) pet peeve of mine.

It applies to those cyclists who you catch up on a hill at almost exactly the speed you are travelling. Minutes later, on the flat, or as likely down the next hill, you become aware of an unguided missile latched to your back wheel.

No, people who draft without permission or thanks, you cannot cycle as fast as me becuase, gravity assisted and with a great deal more effort than you are capable of sustaining for the duration of your commute, you can hang dangeourly close to my back wheel without telling me.

You wouldn't follow that close to a car, yet you are happy to acquire man points with a vehicle having no brake lights. You have no feel at all for when I will slow or stop because you are too focussed on my back wheel to notice the prevailing traffic conditions and I really don't want to have to accept your apology if you rub wheels with me. Bugger off.

Yep. Fully agree.

clanton

I don't draft on my commute cause there aren't any to draft behind. I do on road rides but I take my turn.
That said I'm not sure why people feel so strongly about people drafting behind them - if they touch your wheel THEY will be going down, not you and having them behind you doesn't cost you anything so why the fuss?

jezcc

There's a chap on a serious looking carbon fibre giant racer who I've passed a few times on Archway Road in the last couple of years. When I was on my spacialized sirrus he would draft me up to the top of the hill and then sprint away from me. This is unacceptable.

Last night I saw him and on my new Ribble I selected 34 x 18(ish) got out the saddle, and I flew past him at 20mph up hill. He never got close to drafting me, but he did try and catch my tail.

cjcp

clanton wrote:

I don't draft on my commute cause there aren't any to draft behind. I do on road rides but I take my turn.
That said I'm not sure why people feel so strongly about people drafting behind them - if they touch your wheel THEY will be going down, not you and having them behind you doesn't cost you anything so why the fuss?

Unfortunately, that's not always the case though. It also doesn't deal with the point about them not stopping in time and going into the back of you. In those dark winter nights, you might not see a pot hole straight away and you need room to move. There's enough to worry about on the roads without having to worry about someone behind you. As AT said, don't do it in the car, so don't do it on the bike.

cjcp

jezcc wrote:

There's a chap on a serious looking carbon fibre giant racer who I've passed a few times on Archway Road in the last couple of years. When I was on my spacialized sirrus he would draft me up to the top of the hill and then sprint away from me. This is unacceptable.

Last night I saw him and on my new Ribble I selected 34 x 18(ish) got out the saddle, and I flew past him at 20mph up hill. He never got close to drafting me, but he did try and catch my tail.

OldSkoolKona

I'll admit I did draft someone through Richmond park on the way home from work this week, they overtook me on the way in as I slowed for a car at the mini-roundabout and then it was clear that if I reovertook I would slow them down. I did say cheers at the end though - I wouldn't have cycled as fast had I not had someone to pace against and there was no headwind.

I remember reading way back in the mists of time a book that said there was a benefit for the lead rider when drafting, though it may have been refering to a peleton type group.

_Brun_

jezcc wrote:

There's a chap on a serious looking carbon fibre giant racer who I've passed a few times on Archway Road in the last couple of years. When I was on my spacialized sirrus he would draft me up to the top of the hill and then sprint away from me. This is unacceptable.

I can't imagine there's any gain from 'drafting' someone uphill at what - 15ish mph? The effort requried to get the weight of rider plus bike uphill is hugely more significant than what's needed to push through the air at that speed.

I like getting a tow off buses, but even with something that size you need to be pretty close to feel the benefit, and being able to see nothing but the back of a bus at over 25mph I find somewhat unnerving.

2wheelzgood

I would do it with permission and allow it but not on my fixed. I need space. In fact when we ride fixed together in Leeds, we tend to stay apart a bit. Especially as recently one of the lad brake-endo'd and the brakless fella behind slammed into him and his surly tugnought thing grabbed the front tyre.. bad days.

Not that there are many cyclists around here or long stretches of road but with acknowledgement and on my ss with full brakes, I don't see why not.

If they assume they can ride on my wake and do it without letting me know though.. I will put the hammer down.

good on you for being vocal to the leachers Lits.

If fact on my go at the velodrome I was happily going round at a 80% effort pace and looked back at once point for my friends and girlfriend (I'm so proud!) only too see a tail of 3 other velo-noobs! FFS. It's not easy spinning 82GI round and round in the dry air of the velodrome. SO feck that and dropped into the hoods, stuck to the black line and dug deep. Sweet clear air after a lap or two.
You'll find that if they are leaching, they will be slower so dig deep, put in 5 big turns of the crank to make a gap then bang, they have work to do and will unable to maintain it.
Unless they are the worse of all, capable fast riders with no intention of raising their heart rate at all while you slog it out..
In that case, ride a bit wobbly. done that a few times and it puts them off. Also works for cars who seems to be peering down my bumcrack!
:shock:

always_tyred

_Brun_ wrote:

jezcc wrote:

There's a chap on a serious looking carbon fibre giant racer who I've passed a few times on Archway Road in the last couple of years. When I was on my spacialized sirrus he would draft me up to the top of the hill and then sprint away from me. This is unacceptable.

I can't imagine there's any gain from 'drafting' someone uphill at what - 15ish mph? The effort requried to get the weight of rider plus bike uphill is hugely more significant than what's needed to push through the air at that speed.

I like getting a tow off buses, but even with something that size you need to be pretty close to feel the benefit, and being able to see nothing but the back of a bus at over 25mph I find somewhat unnerving.

You have to bear in mind that London is almost entirely flat and that a hill is anything that is not entirely flat. Its not unusual for a Londoner to confuse a bridge with a hill, for example, or a speedhump.

(duck and cover)

jedster

Being drafted with permission, by someone whose cycling you trust - obviously fine.

Having some unknown person hang on your wheel in heavy traffic - NOT FINE AT ALL.

J

cjcp

Always Tyred wrote:

_Brun_ wrote:

jezcc wrote:

There's a chap on a serious looking carbon fibre giant racer who I've passed a few times on Archway Road in the last couple of years. When I was on my spacialized sirrus he would draft me up to the top of the hill and then sprint away from me. This is unacceptable.

I can't imagine there's any gain from 'drafting' someone uphill at what - 15ish mph? The effort requried to get the weight of rider plus bike uphill is hugely more significant than what's needed to push through the air at that speed.

I like getting a tow off buses, but even with something that size you need to be pretty close to feel the benefit, and being able to see nothing but the back of a bus at over 25mph I find somewhat unnerving.

You have to bear in mind that London is almost entirely flat and that a hill is anything that is not entirely flat. Its not unusual for a Londoner to confuse a bridge with a hill, for example, or a speedhump.

(duck and cover)

<having stopped throwing his squashy Cartman round the room in a wild rage, gathers himself, takes three deep breaths>

Do you have any idea how steep Putney Bridge is? It kicks up to about 34% at one point - after a stretch that goes on for what feels like a good couple of miles - and you need to stuff newspaper down your jersey for the descent to the traffic lights far below.

biondino

Personally I use crampons.

Bassjunkieuk

cjcp wrote:

Always Tyred wrote:

_Brun_ wrote:

jezcc wrote:

There's a chap on a serious looking carbon fibre giant racer who I've passed a few times on Archway Road in the last couple of years. When I was on my spacialized sirrus he would draft me up to the top of the hill and then sprint away from me. This is unacceptable.

I can't imagine there's any gain from 'drafting' someone uphill at what - 15ish mph? The effort requried to get the weight of rider plus bike uphill is hugely more significant than what's needed to push through the air at that speed.

I like getting a tow off buses, but even with something that size you need to be pretty close to feel the benefit, and being able to see nothing but the back of a bus at over 25mph I find somewhat unnerving.

You have to bear in mind that London is almost entirely flat and that a hill is anything that is not entirely flat. Its not unusual for a Londoner to confuse a bridge with a hill, for example, or a speedhump.

(duck and cover)

<having stopped throwing his squashy Cartman round the room in a wild rage, gathers himself, takes three deep breaths>

Do you have any idea how steep Putney Bridge is? It kicks up to about 34% at one point - after a stretch that goes on for what feels like a good couple of miles - and you need to
stuff newspaper down your jersey for the descent to the traffic lights far below.

Ah the infamous Col de Putney, not to mention the E-On "King of the Mountains" Tower Hill :-D But who needs gradients when you have to contend with the Millbank Windtunnel

Littigator

cjcp wrote:

Always Tyred wrote:

_Brun_ wrote:

jezcc wrote:

There's a chap on a serious looking carbon fibre giant racer who I've passed a few times on Archway Road in the last couple of years. When I was on my spacialized sirrus he would draft me up to the top of the hill and then sprint away from me. This is unacceptable.

I can't imagine there's any gain from 'drafting' someone uphill at what - 15ish mph? The effort requried to get the weight of rider plus bike uphill is hugely more significant than what's needed to push through the air at that speed.

I like getting a tow off buses, but even with something that size you need to be pretty close to feel the benefit, and being able to see nothing but the back of a bus at over 25mph I find somewhat unnerving.

You have to bear in mind that London is almost entirely flat and that a hill is anything that is not entirely flat. Its not unusual for a Londoner to confuse a bridge with a hill, for example, or a speedhump.

(duck and cover)

<having stopped throwing his squashy Cartman round the room in a wild rage, gathers himself, takes three deep breaths>

Do you have any idea how steep Putney Bridge is? It kicks up to about 34% at one point - after a stretch that goes on for what feels like a good couple of miles - and you need to stuff newspaper down your jersey for the descent to the traffic lights far below.

Godammit you just had to set him off didn't you....calm down CJCP come on, breathe into this paper bag...nice and slow that's better

There we go.

Right, anymore of that inflammatory chat Always Tyred and we'll be paying a visit to the outlands to show you a bit of Londoner grit mate...know wha' I mean

cjcp

Up until four or five years ago, there was perma-frost at the summit of Putney Bridge.

Coriander

Amersham Road in New Cross has a glacier.

2wheelzgood

and then you wonder why northerners reckon you lot are soft :roll:

you can be the cavendishes, we real cyclists (Evans.. ahem) will get up the hills

Coriander

Oi, shu'i' - I am a northerner!

2wheelzgood

my bad Coriander.. where from Coriander? Camden.
Sorry I'm actually from Germany so I'm either more suvvoner than you or a nazi.. bad either way

Coriander

Yorkshire, ackshly. West. Ilkley, to be precise.

And you, Germany boy, are just a soft southern jessie.

2wheelzgood

teehee so Leeds then, I challenge you!
Do you know; Little Switzerland!?

Coriander

No, where?

But I am down in London - might be a long commute up to Yorkshire.

But I am part Swiss so no doubt would win!!

2wheelzgood

excuses shame that
250m of hill that locals use an alpine country to refer to. Tis a proper switchback and 3mph uphil on a singlespeed. There's even what us kids used to call the "witch's house" halfway up. Honest I'm not a slow slow cyclists but it took 2:30 to get up it!

Yes you would win. Cancellara anyone? although I have a bike made in Italy