Drafting

White Horse

If you don't know them, they're tailgating and it's dangerous. The best way to get rid of them is to drop a nice air biscuit for them to chew on!

Marcus_C

clarkey cat wrote:

what route do you take marcus?

Sheffield to Chesterfield for 8:30.

El Gordo

I wouldn't draft another cyclist while riding a bike anymore than I would another car while driving.

If someone tries to sit on my tail I'l either wind up the pace until they drop off or ease up so much they have to overtake. I once got down to a comedy 10mph before a drafter overtook.

bmca2010

i'm all for drafting after somebody has over taken you, if your approaching another cyclist you have to either reduce speed or bomb on pass

rebs

It happens alot on my route to work. But I think most of the time its down to the roads and sitting at a pace where it's a big effor to overtake the person combined with the roads being a little narrow at times make it a little hairy to do it safley.

Always allow myself plenty of space to the bike ahead as their are times you jsut dont have the energy to overtake them but dont want to appear lazy (yes ok I am being lazy! :P) sitting on their wheel.

Ride I do in the morns is in East London, Blackhorse road > Lea Bridge Road > Queensbridge Road to Old Street Roundabout. Only see a handful of people gunning it on road bikes though.

cyclopsbiker

I occasionally draft, did so the other night. I'm on mtb and kept in behind a roadie, not too close - I know that annoys, just enough to benefit and get me home somewhat less knackered than I already was. funny thing was, I pulled along side him to say thanks and he went "what?" in reply....so I repeated myself and he smiled and said thanks. I do try to say thanks but its usually the case that the lead pulls off not giving me chance. so to anyone I've drafted and not had the chance "thanks, tis appreciated muchly".

if someone's too close for you why don't you just say so?

tgotb

I've had two damage-causing collisions in the last year from drafting faries with inferior stopping ability, and sereral near-misses. One even had the cheek to say "I thought you were going to go for it" after crashing into me when I stopped at a red light...

Sometimes I wonder whether I should have one of those round fuel tanks under my handlebars...

The Rookie

Drafting sounds a London thing! I rarely see a cyclist going the same way as me, if I catch them I pass, if I don't I'm not close enough to draft!

Trouble is with the place I usually catch people I end up sitting behind for a bit as it's not safe to pass (country road, only just wide enough for 2 cars, cars often squeeze past in the face of oncoming traffic so no way can we get another bike in that gap!) annoying as I often have to brake down the hill to keep behind.

Simon

Headhuunter

The Beginner wrote:

Drafting sounds a London thing! I rarely see a cyclist going the same way as me, if I catch them I pass, if I don't I'm not close enough to draft!

Trouble is with the place I usually catch people I end up sitting behind for a bit as it's not safe to pass (country road, only just wide enough for 2 cars, cars often squeeze past in the face of oncoming traffic so no way can we get another bike in that gap!) annoying as I often have to brake down the hill to keep behind.

Simon

Well when you consider that on some routes through central London cyclists are starting to outnumber drivers, there are plenty of opportunities to draft!

cjcp

cyclopsbiker wrote:

if someone's too close for you why don't you just say so?

Unfortunately, when I motion for them to ride past, some don't. Some drop back - fair enough - but some just sit there, even when you repeat the wave. (Some wear earphone/iPods, so I imagine that makes it tricky for them to hear when you say something to them, but that's another thread/argument altogether...)

attica

JZed wrote:

A couple of weeks back I had a chap draft me down LRR, an inch off my back wheel and I couldn't drop him as was on the MTB so I aimed for every crater I could find - not surprisingly he wasn't there too long - probably nursing a broken rim.

Ooh, that's a good idea, next faerie I find drafting me gets to watch me bunnyhop a pothole shortly before trashing their wheel.

:twisted:

Disclaimer - I may not be mean enough to do this, unless it's the annoying nodder on the chipped Electric bike who drafts me unnanounced. 26mph and he's not pedalling is just taking the p155

jzed

Attica wrote:

JZed wrote:

A couple of weeks back I had a chap draft me down LRR, an inch off my back wheel and I couldn't drop him as was on the MTB so I aimed for every crater I could find - not surprisingly he wasn't there too long - probably nursing a broken rim.

Ooh, that's a good idea, next faerie I find drafting me gets to watch me bunnyhop a pothole shortly before trashing their wheel.

:twisted:

Disclaimer - I may not be mean enough to do this, unless it's the annoying nodder on the chipped Electric bike who drafts me unnanounced. 26mph and he's not pedalling is just taking the p155

I have only done this one and was amazed at its effectiveness. I'd only do it to deserving drafters. This guy I witnessed doing a number of dangerous manoeuvres before jumping on my wheel and making me feel uncomfortable.

I wouldn't bunny hop in case I slightly misjudge and trash my own wheels.

blacknosugar

It's quite disconcerting when you're rolling along at a comfortable pace, not thinking about anything much, when the complete stranger dressed in lycra cycling in front of you suddenly starts gesticulating at you and yelling something unintelligable above the wind and traffic noise over their shoulder.

Most people wouldn't have a clue about drafting and probably don't even know their doing it, they're just following the guy in front 'cos they're going the same way.

I'd draft a taxi though, that's fun. Or a bus if you have an escape route for when they stop...

jedster

If you don't know them, they're tailgating and it's dangerous

+1

Drafting on busy roads is risky. It's not reasonable to assume that other riders are willing to accept that risk. End Of.

Now on the (obviously very unusual ) occasions that I get overtaken then I may tuck in behind them a couple of lengths back. You still get some benefit and you present no risk. Closer than that is bang out of order unless you've been invited IMO.

I aslo agree with the comment that its even worse being boxed in. That REALLY pisses me off.

J

notsoblue

I don't really mind if others draft me as long as they know what they're doing and its on a suitable stretch of road with little traffic. Granted, its hard to tell this with strangers, and I did have a bit of a nasty experience with a female roadie who was drafting me along NKR and went right into the back of me when I slowed for the lights/ped crossing at Parson's Green. Its a ridiculous road to draft on. Generally though, I don't mind. Gives me an incentive to keep a higher pace than normal.

I rarely draft other cyclists, but when I do its only when theres an (admittedly mostly unspoken) agreement with the person I'm drafting. And even then its not too close, and only on long straight stretches with faster traffic, like Chelsea Embankment. This week I was in a small bunch (gaggle? troupe?) of faster cyclists than I usually encounter and drafted them after they had drafted me for a while along that very stretch of road. We had all acknowledged each other and took turns. Though blue lycra cervelo guy did more than his fair share... Once traffic slowed at Lott's Road/NKR we all split up. I understand that drafting is more risky than not drafting, but its fun to do as long as there is consensus.

I tend to avoid drafting most of the time though, I don't like to feel like I'm freeloading. If I'm matching the pace of someone in front and I'm not planning to overtake I tend to make a point of being behind and to the right of them, out of the slip stream.

Origamist

There's only about 3 or 4 people on my commute who I know and will work with - that is, ride within 30cms of my wheel (anything further back and the aero advantage diminshes enormously) and we signal to one another but this is only along certain stretches of road, once or twice a month.

If someone I don't know jumps on my wheel, I either speed up or slow down, depending on the conditions as I don't want somebody overlapping my wheel or ploughing into me because I'm slowing down to avoid a potential hazard.

Save drafting for the track, training rides, chaingangs, road racing etc - not urban commutes.

tailwindhome

We've had a 'nodder' thread, now a 'drafting' thread

Is it summer already?

Origamist

TailWindHome wrote:

We've had a 'nodder' thread, now a 'drafting' thread

Is it summer already?

Not quite - the thread that truly heralds summer is when someone is spotted in revealing lycra as this precipitates a nice bit of mock-revulsion and ogling/saucy comments (sometimes of the homo-erotic variety, but more often Sid James like) and this usually runs to about 3 pages. I reckon an unseasonably warm 19 degree day in mid-May is about right for that thread.

walkingbootweather

Had some kid drafting me last weekend. Right on my back wheel for about an hour then when we stopped he wanted me to buy him an ice cream. Bloody trailgators.