SCR: Things you look out for in an opponent

moonio

I'm not that much of an SCR'er but do try to size up my fellow cyclists at the lights before doing battle

Generally I look at the bike..whether its a racer or mountain bike..if a commuter hybrid I don't look any further.
Then the condition of the bike..if it looks too new I don't really take my opponent seriously
Next the physical fitness, body fat and muscle tone...if they look half my bodyweight and pure muscle I just give up..

Onto clothing...are they dressed for success? Sometimes the guy in a suit on a Brompton can be really fast...however the trendy looking cyclist with completely new clothes is someone I like to play with..especially if they are on a new looking single speed

Then attitude..are they just enjoying bumbling along, or do they really want to get somewhere fast?

Do any of you size people up like this? Am I missing any crucial points?..

asprilla

I tend to look at their calves / thighs and then their pedalling action. The smoother their pedalling and the more static their upper body the quicker I assume them be.

SimonAH

They are on a bike, therefore target (or a moped). 'Tis far far better to race and lose than never to race at all!

cjcp

Depends if you're on the move or not. If you're moving, you might be able to get a sense of how fast they're going by the rate at which you're catching them (or not).

And what the learned gentlemen above said.

jzed

A combination of kit, bike, rider and upper body movement.

If they are on a tidy bike, have a waist the size of one of my thighs, and little movement in the upper body whilst a steady cadence - I know I'm in for a hard ride.

Crawler2

Dolly carrier and/or streamers from handlebar ends. And the element of surprise.

iPete

Legs and bike.

Was informed by a work colleague that my bike looks old from behind, perfect stealth :twisted:

itboffin

When every time you put in a proper effort you make NO ground, that SOB can hear your shifting and is toying with you cat & mouse style :evil:

gtvlusso

To be honest, I don't look or assess - I just go as fast as I can.....so far, it's worked out pretty well...

notsoblue

itboffin wrote:

When every time you put in a proper effort you make NO ground, that SOB can hear your shifting and is toying with you cat & mouse style :evil:

lol! True!

UndercoverElephant

I see them in the distance. I catch them. I destroy them.

Though I may take longer over doing the catching if they look fast, so I have plenty of power left for the destroyment.

kelsen

An air of aloofness and a look of boredom whilst casually spinning along are warning signs that you might be about to tangle with a cat 1

Clever Pun

they're on a bike in front of me they will be overtaken. Well that's the theory, check the bike as I get close to see if it's worthy or not

if I see the shadow in the corner of my right eye a challenge is on.

vorsprung

It depends. Say they catch me napping, not going fast. Maybe I'm having a bad day. So they go past and I usually hop on their wheel.

if they seem to have put in a massive effort to go past and if they seem slightly overweight then I just wait for the next hill and then counter attack- they usually slow up!

If they are a racing snake and are comfortably keeping a speed that I find a bit taxing then it's a bit more difficult. If they are on a fixie I might wait for a downhill. Otherwise I just sit there and see if they can keep up the pace. TBH if it gets to this point then I am usually doomed

OTOH say I catch them. i take the gtvlusso approach- I am going faster who cares what they look like

biondino

Asprilla wrote:

I the more static their upper body the quicker I assume them be.

This is it. If they are nodding, their shoulders are moving, or they're showing obvious effort, they are easy prey. Perhaps too easy.

I also look to see how high the saddle is relative to size of bike and rider. The higher the saddle, the quicker the rider usually is.

Blue Meanie

I look for race numbers, what with living on a TT route. If I see some, I try even harder

Small Fish

All that ^^

Plus tyre pressure - soft tyres = easy win!

bdave262000

Old ladies with basket on front and dog inside it.


F****Ing yeaaaaaahhhhh bring it on.

green thing

< I look for race numbers, what with living on a TT route. If I see some, I try even harder >

...and then stop at the pub along the road....!

I'm in the pink-bike-and-streamers corner, that's about my limit.

kurako

Group set. If it's Dura Ace or similar you've either got a rich poser or a serious challenge.

itboffin

Im far from fast but..... this morning I was in a hurry grabbed my wife bike with basket chucked the bits and bobs she asked for in the front including little miss itboffin's scooter dangling over the handlebars / basket and whoosh!!!!

I shot off like a rocket, must have looked a proper site

bakerstreet

I have yet to find anyone who is up for a bit of a challenge

I overtake the people who are riding at a slower pace, but on a three day commuting week, I usually only find a couple of other cyclists on the journey in and journey home.

The regular ones have full racks and mudguards.

However I did over take someone on what looked like a shiny Boardman carbon comp thing the other day

Bassjunkieuk

For me it's usually bike + kit first. Sometimes it's the subtle markers like the Castelli or Rapha gear :-) I may also size up leg muscle *if* they are wearing lycra - again this is one of the subtle hints that you can be in for a challenge.

Asides from that I think it's instinct! This evenings ride home had a couple of good examples:

1) Chap on a Seven bike, looked Ti with a carbon fork. Racing snake muscle tone. This guy looks quick :-) Now this is where I want to present a question and may even start a thread...I decided to have a play! To cut a long story short I clearly let him have a headstart from some lights (legally, he used a shared cycle path to bypass them) then proceeded to chase him down and scalp him before he RLJ'd at the end of the road :-D Is that fair?

2) A chap aboard a road bike along CS7 DRIPPING in sweat. Clearly putting in some big effort, suspect he is either a sadist or training. As it turned out he was with a friend (I hope!) on a hybrid/flat barred roadie who he was giving a decent tow too. Took quite a bit of digging and ignoring the complaints from my lungs & legs to get round them both AND hold them off.

Sailorchick

I soo rarely see any decent riders on my commute. I'm not fast by any means - I'm on a carrera subway with mudguards and panniers - yet I still seem to overtake just about everyone I meet.

I know there are some good riders in Southampton, just not on my commute.