Overtaking a roadie....

Buckled_Rims

iain_j wrote:

I'd be tempted to drop back behind him, and overtake him again, and do it again and again and again just to rub it in

This is one of the best pieces of advice I have read on BikeRadar

+1

UndercoverElephant

Yup, good scalp.

When I first started, it was on a BSO mountain bike, no-sus, which cost me £40 from Aldi many years ago. Over the few months and 600 miles I rode it, I overtook a number of roadies. God only knows what they thought, that was REALLY disrespectful.

iPete

Tool. I'd take every opportunity you get to overtake him again and again. Tell him you have a message from your mate lance next time, it's not about the bike.

Saying that, ever since I got panniers on my bike I've noticed a few people take my over taking with less dignity, resulting in dodgy traffic monouvers and a sudden need to RLJ to 'win'.

daviesee

He was being a tool!

Ironically there is also etiquette on double posting.
I refer you to the Road Beginners Forum. :roll:

suzyb

daviesee wrote:

He was being a tool!

Ironically there is also etiquette on double posting.
I refer you to the Road Beginners Forum. :roll:

That's cross posting afaik

pastryboy

What an idiot - the only response to being overtaken is to overtake back and leave them in your dust to make it very clear you were taking at easy at that particular time.

If that fails make a mental note of who they are and get them next time.

At the end of the day though we're all just trying to get to/from work as quick and as safely as possible so there's no need for any bad feeling, ever.

DonDaddyD

nstevo wrote:

I'm a newbie to this biking thing and recently bought a Trek 7.5FX for my 11 mile commute to work. I'm reasonably fit, so can pelt along at a fair whack. I'm assuming that there must be some etiquette for people on hybrids overtaking lycra clad people on roadbikes - as I did it yesterday and the comment I got at the next set of red lights was 'don't ever have the disrespect to overtake me on that piece of sh1t again'. Should I not overtake other bikes?

Assuming you didn't undertake him, overtake him too closely, or when he was planning to move left (or right) around a obstacle, even then he was unnecessarily rude, you did nothing wrong.

Also seems like you're a fine candidate for this: The game that shall not be named

andy83

Fair play to you for overtaking him, but what a prize knobhead

If someone done that to me (not happened but may do) and i caught up with them at the lights at just say fair play to them.

If I ever overtake someone on a mtb or hybrid or and old person I just politely say morning (some strange reason I tend to say this in the afternoon aswell)

I did actually see someone on a hybrid once and it took me an age to catch them, they were giving it some great speed, when I got with them I commented on their speed and had nice chat

bet he was a classic all the gear no idea twat

id be tempted to purposly wait for him and do it every day

antfly

I don`t believe the op`s story for a minute, it`s clearly made up.
On second thoughts if it was London it`s possible.

cyberknight

The Beginner wrote:

What a prize kn@b that guy sound,s if you don't want to be overtaken, ride faster than the other guy - simplez!

I've been passed by roadies, passed roadies, passed much more expensive mtbs and vice versa, also when commuting you never know who's travelled further to that spot and who has further to go either making actual speed somewhat irrelevant.

Of course if he bike was really so much 'better' (somewhat subjective when it comes to commuting anyway) then he should have easily been able to keep you at bay!

Etiquette is simple, if a bike is slower you pass it when it's safe to do so, if you've been caught and are being passed, don't make it unsafe for the other guy, he's travelling quicker than you! (or she!)......for that reason I rarely pass downhill as most people can stretch it out and I'll spend longer passing him.....exposing myself and the other cyclist to more danger.

Simon

+1

No matter what you ride/drive their will always will be a pranny who takes exception to anything you do. I just drove to Gateshead and back to visit relatives and the amount of idiotic bad driving saw really opened my eyes.

Get an airzound and give him a good blast before you overtake next time

turnerjohn

nstevo wrote:

I'm a newbie to this biking thing and recently bought a Trek 7.5FX for my 11 mile commute to work. I'm reasonably fit, so can pelt along at a fair whack. I'm assuming that there must be some etiquette for people on hybrids overtaking lycra clad people on roadbikes - as I did it yesterday and the comment I got at the next set of red lights was 'don't ever have the disrespect to overtake me on that piece of sh1t again'. Should I not overtake other bikes?

You go kick his ass again and again fella ! good work ... not all of us roadies are t*ssers like him !

RedGT

Being overtaken, it's God's way of telling you to go faster.

FeynmanC

lycra clad roadie wrote:

'don't ever have the disrespect to overtake me on that piece of sh1t again'.

nstevo wrote:

You're wearing lycra, so you don't need the attitude to tell everyone you've got a tiny c@ck, Mate!

Then burn him off at the lights.

Valy

RedGT wrote:

Being overtaken, it's God's way of telling you to go faster.

Aw lawlz!

But srsly though - OP are you for 100% REAL?

This has actually pissed me off. What a f*cking t*sser... :roll:

GiantMike

Rules of Cycling - Number 4:

At every opportunity cyclists should endeavour to humiliate other cyclists by overtaking them, and cyclists should avoid being overtaken to avoid humiliation. This is the natural order of things and is the basis of the Bicyclists Pecking Order.

Advanced humiliators specialise in overtaking the owners of exotic and expensive machinery on the cheapest and crappiest bikes they can find, preferably with heavy knobbly tyres and wearing non-cycling clothing. The traditional "Nice day for it" passing comment is the icing on the cake.

Kieran_Burns

At the other end of the scale...

coming in this morning I spied a middle-aged bloke (says the middle-aged bloke) on some sort of BSO, wearing his work clothes and I think he must've been in what passed for top gear as he mashed up this hill at less than walking speed... his legs barely moving, and you could FEEL the strain as he struggled up.

Then me.... actually having a low energy day... out the saddle, powered up the hill and just before I got to him, sat back down and swished past with no seeming effort, legs spinning merrily

I'm a git.

Greg T

nstevo wrote:

I 'don't ever have the disrespect to overtake me on that piece of sh1t again'.

Was he on the blob? They can get quite nippy.

Or - your irony gauge needs re-calibrating and he was acknowledging you reaming him in a self depreciating manner.

Anyway the proper etiquette for passing roadies on a geared bike is.

1. Perform a life saver 25 m back to ensure that your move will not be compromised by upcoming traffic - this needs to look good.
2. Look down the road - you need your closing distance + enough road to drop the dude comfortably in - no need for a sudden set of lights to mess up your get away
3. Spool up - match their speed - up a cog put + 3mph on them well back
4. Sit very tall on the hoods as you approach to with 2 m
5. Close your mouth
6. Put on your bored face - look into the middle distance
7. As you ease by have a quick check over your inside shoulder before you tuck back in (it's allowed) - 2 aims - 1. He gets to see your bored and "not trying face" again. 2. You get to see him trying to hang on.
8.Stick it up two cogs so you are pushing a big lazy gear - perhaps make a lazy one handed adjustment of your bag
9. Suck it up, dig deep and unload the bomb bay
10. Ease away and savour the moment.
11. At next lights make sure your skin breathing is well under control - don't blow it

lost_in_thought

Greg T wrote:

nstevo wrote:

I 'don't ever have the disrespect to overtake me on that piece of sh1t again'.

Was he on the blob? They can get quite nippy.

Or - your irony gauge needs re-calibrating and he was acknowledging you reaming him in a self depreciating manner.

Anyway the proper etiquette for passing roadies on a geared bike is.

1. Perform a life saver 25 m back to ensure that your move will not be compromised by upcoming traffic - this needs to look good.
2. Look down the road - you need your closing distance + enough road to drop the dude comfortably in - no need for a sudden set of lights to mess up your get away
3. Spool up - match their speed - up a cog put + 3mph on them well back
4. Sit very tall on the hoods as you approach to with 2 m
5. Close your mouth
6. Put on your bored face - look into the middle distance
7. As you ease by have a quick check over your inside shoulder - 2 aims - 1. He gets to see your bored and "not trying face" again. 2. You get to see him trying to hang on.
8.Stick it up two cogs so you are pushing a big lazy gear - perhaps make a lazy one handed adjustment of your bag
9. Suck it up, dig deep and unload the bomb bay
10. Ease away and savour the moment.
11. At next lights make sure your skin breathing is well under control - don't blow it.

No, no, no old bean. Changing gear in earshot of the target is right out. Stinks of trying.

You need to spin up the big gear well in advance, get the lazy cadence going so you glide past like a swan. Give him a bit of a lead so you've the time to get it right.

And yeah, skin breathing requires practice. A coughing fit is a good cover if you can't hold it down.

Greg T

lost_in_thought wrote:

No, no, no old bean. Changing gear in earshot of the target is right out. Stinks of trying. .

I've moved to a more pointed stance in this space.

Drop them and then up the ante.

Give them a sniff of the lure.

Let them see the change - let them decide to make their move.

Then do them ragged.

lost_in_thought

Greg T wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

No, no, no old bean. Changing gear in earshot of the target is right out. Stinks of trying. .

I've moved to a more pointed stance in this space.

Drop them and then up the ante.

Give them a sniff of the lure.

Let them see the change - let them decide to make their move.

Then do them ragged.

Hmmmm, dropping the gauntlet so obviously says 'Ahhh I know exactly what I'm doing here, bring it on mofo, let's race'. They've managed to goad you into definitive action...

What I'm going for is more 'Oh I was out for a leisurely spin and there you are to the left of me and now you've gone. I think I shall have Assam rather than Darjeeling at 4, what what what.'

Stuey01

In Richmond Park yesterday I was doing a couple of laps on the roadie, came off the roundabout at roehampton gate and spooling up on the flat bit before you go up sawyers hill. I move out slightly to go round a geezer on a hybrid and whoosh! some guy in street clothes on one of those Trek belt drive single speed jobs goes cranking it by.
Had to laugh and give a chapeau, unfortunately for him he was at a full tilt sprint and blew up, I cruised by about 20 metres later and span off into the distance. At least he got to overtake a roadie...

Those belt drives, total silence, amazing.

rjsterry

Greg T wrote:

4. Sit very tall on the hoods as you approach to with 2 m

Or if you're feeling particularly confident, sit right back, one hand loosely guiding the bars, the other scratching your ear or some such, for maximum nonchalance. Particularly effective when passing some RLJer who absolutely must get ahead at every set of lights, but hasn't got the legs for proper SCR.

Stevo_666

If you're feeling provocative, consider wearing a top with words on the back along the lines of 'you've just been scalped by a POS hybrid' with a big smiley afterwards so he gets the joke.

Paul E

Or unclip, put your feet on the bars and sail past on momentum alone

DonDaddyD

Surely when overtaking someone it doesn't matter how you catch, pass and leave them. The most important thing is that you look nonchalant when doing it.

Should they catch up at the lights, you mustn't even appear to acknowledge their existence unless they speak to you. If they do talk to you then respond in a friendly but 'I've just had to step down from heaven to talk to you' sort of way.

In the event that you are drawn into a coversation there is an etiquette:

Always downplay the awesomeness of your bike. "Oh this is something I ride while my proper bike is in the shop" "Oh this! This is the girlfriends bike...".

Always speak up the merits of their bike. "Really nice bike, shiny! Is it new?" "Sounds good, lovely wheels, oh wow! 105?"

That way when they can't keep up with you, it's not their awesome bike that's the problem its because they're rubbish.

DonDaddyD

Surely when overtaking someone it doesn't matter how you catch, pass and leave them. The most important thing is that you look nonchalant when doing it.

Should they catch up at the lights, you mustn't even appear to acknowledge their existence unless they speak to you. If they do talk to you then respond in a friendly but 'I've just had to step down from heaven to talk to you' sort of way.

In the event that you are drawn into a coversation there is an etiquette:

Always downplay the awesomeness of your bike. "Oh this is something I ride while my proper bike is in the shop" "Oh this! This is the girlfriends bike...".

Always speak up the merits of their bike. "Really nice bike, shiny! Is it new?" "Sounds good, lovely wheels, oh wow! 105?"

That way when they can't keep up with you, it's not their awesome bike that's the problem its because they're rubbish.

Greg T

DonDaddyD wrote:

"Oh this! This is the girlfriends bike...".

Amateur

This is the boyfriends bike....

is much more discombobulating.

UndercoverElephant

Greg T wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

"Oh this! This is the girlfriends bike...".

Amateur

This is the boyfriends bike....

is much more discombobulating.

Say that, then draft them for a while. 8)

rolf_f

Greg T wrote:

6. Put on your bored face - look into the middle distance
7. As you ease by have a quick check over your inside shoulder before you tuck back in (it's allowed) - 2 aims - 1. He gets to see your bored and "not trying face" again. 2. You get to see him trying to hang on.

For extra effect, I would recommend cycling past no handed, quite upright, whilst peeling a banana.

UndercoverElephant

Rolf F wrote:

For extra effect, I would recommend cycling past no handed, quite upright, whilst peeling a banana.

Once, on my old BSO, I went past a bloke who was really labouring on a hybrid. It was the only cyclist I'd seen all day, so to make it all the more satisfying, I went past no-handed whilst doing some trunk rotations.

Such was the position of that bike, I needed to.