Drafters on commute

lennymc

Couple of times recently I've had people sit right on my back wheel. Now, I wouldn't have a problem with that, the more the merrier, except for the fact that if I have to brake hard, the rider behind has no where to go but in to the back of me. Anyone else come across this?

Lumen

I've had this before. I braked hard to avoid car pulling out, cyclist behind me clipped my rear wheel, came off and broke his thumb. Blood everywhere. I think my rear wheel needed a quick re-true.

Moral of the story: ignore it.

MB Lacey

Yes, last night, cycling the Parnell Rd/ Dolphin rd section of the canal, I had quite a speed on me (after getting my puncture fixed) with a good straight stretch of road in front, this massive guy deffo started drafting me, he was constantly close and made no signs of overtaking, eventually I had to turn left and on he went.
I didn't like it, he was too close.

Kav0777

lennymc wrote: »

Couple of times recently I've had people sit right on my back wheel. Now, I wouldn't have a problem with that, the more the merrier, except for the fact that if I have to brake hard, the rider behind has no where to go but in to the back of me. Anyone else come across this?

Have you tried flicking your elbow to get them to come through?

Surveyor11

Yeah, had it a few times on various commutes. No real issues with it really, once I'm aware I will do a quick hand signal if I'm changing direction, stopping etc. Would be pretty p!ssed off if a drafting commuter rear ended me though. Had one this morning to City West - passed him on the Strawberry Beds, then I hear him behind me all the way to City West. No real problem with it, but if you're a fellow boardsie, feel free to take the front for a while!

lennymc

Kav0777 wrote: »

Have you tried flicking your elbow to get them to come through?

yes. They obviously didn't cos their teammate was away up the road in a break.

I like Lumen's leave it to Karma to sort it out approach tho

QueensGael

Incentive to pedal faster?

Chips Lovell

It isn't very wise to go drafting a stranger.

rollingscone

QueensGael wrote: »

Incentive to pedal faster?

True, I've never been drafted at 30kph+

But in this weather I rarely go that fast on a commute, too much chance of hitting a car or ped in on the funslides formerly known as roads.

It has happened to me before though, particularly when I've got loaded panniers. Best CoA when available is to leave them in your jet stream.

Kav0777

lennymc wrote: »

yes. They obviously didn't cos their teammate was away up the road in a break.

I like Lumen's leave it to Karma to sort it out approach tho

Sit up, you have to be prepared to lose if you want to win.....

colm_gti

Had it a few times, just pedaled harder and dropped them....gets awkward when they catch you at lights though

Seweryn

Never happened to me, bu to be clear I have never met a cyclist commuting on my route. I commute 5 days per week, approximately 53 - 60km return.

Very interesting story by the way...

monkeypants

Only had it happen once on spin between Malahide and Baldoyle. We took turns in front. It was tough going in front that evening, but good fun overall.

on_the_nickel

The obvious solution is a few pints of Guinness the night before, porridge and coffee for breakfast.

And/or a "If you can read this, you're too close. Feel free to take a turn or the front." sticker on your back.

Canis Lupus

Drafting lorries is where it's at.

seamus

colm_gti wrote: »

Had it a few times, just pedaled harder and dropped them....gets awkward when they catch you at lights though

They can be a bloody pain in the ass. Those guys who draft you, then slowly roll around you at the lights. I give them one chance to take the lead, but they always take forever to get started when the lights go green.

Usually I just ignore them, or if I know there's a drag coming up which is 0.5km or more, I put the hammer down. The one time someone held onto my wheel for that, I just then slowed down to an annoying speed, waiting for him to overtake and then drafted him.

buffalo

seamus wrote: »

waiting for him to overtake and then drafted him.

It wasn't lennymc, was it?

Wishbone Ash

seamus wrote: »

They can be a bloody pain in the ass. Those guys who draft you, then slowly roll around you at the lights

I had one last week - wheel sucked and then positioned himself in front of me at each light and then always seemed to be in the wrong gear for taking off.

(...and he had a RCSI backpack. I thought we only sent those with the finest brains into the medical profession!)

doozerie

I occasionally get people drafting me on my commute. Unfortunately I find that such people more often than not have terrible awareness and seem to focus on nothing beyond the rear wheel directly in front of them. So when you inevitably have to stop because of a red light, or an obstruction, they don't anticipate it and the outcome is unpredictable at best.

I've had at least one such person yell at me for stopping at a red light. One other particular clown of note couldn't stop when I hauled on my brakes due to a car pulling into my lane on top of me - I anticipated it happening and was well prepared, the guy behind me was oblivious. He seemed to decide that the thing to do was to use me as an impromptu brake, so he put out his arm and shoved me into a parked car. Then he promptly fell over, which is probably just as well as my initial reaction was to verbally rip him a new one until I saw him in a heap on the ground and decided that his life was clearly challenged enough already.

Drafting on a commute is silly, and potentially dangerous for both parties. Just say no.

el tel

I've never experienced this type of drafting as I don't commute by bike, however, I am very familiar with the phenomenon from the many posts and threads on the very subject on boards.ie :P

WAPAIC

Very annoying, particularly when they sneak up behind you and don't announce their presence. Have had two muppets go into the back of me over the years, didn't even realise one of them was there. The N11 is terrible for it, the few times I use it.

check_six

Waiting at a light yesterday. A queue of cyclists formed up behind me. One punter rolled past and plonked themselves in front of me. The punter looking to pre-empt the green light started rolling, then the light went green, and they waited a beat, and then jammed on their brakes. This caused me to lurch to a unexpected stop, and a stream of curses and oaths to come from the queue behind me who were variously toppling over and running into one another.

I figured it was all a (very) badly thought out insurance scam that was blunted by me replacing my brake blocks the other week!

On the substantive issue of drafting commuters, if they can catch me, they're welcome to my wheel, but I'm not going to wait for them on the climbs.

ROK ON

Bugs me greatly. If this happens to me while cycling on a commute or driving my car I gradually bring my speed down. I find that the bike or car behind eventually loses patience and allows a safe gap to build or overtakes.
Have to say tailgating happens to me more on my car than on my bike.

1750W

I actually find it quite funny. ESP when looking at the PM and ramping it up 20watts per min!

LiamOSullivan

I've only had it twice on the N11, and both times they took their time in front, too. Props if ye're on Boards.
I've only a short commute down the N11, so I'm usually pretty quick, and having people come up behind isn't common.

I definitely wouldn't fancy being drafted by somebody who doesn't know what they're doing, though. From the previous posts, it doesn't sound all that great.

Dermot Illogical

I had a line of cars drafting me this morning. Lazy feckers.

Dietmar Hamann

Happened to me before and the lads brakes were open on his mountain bike. He went straight into the back of me when a car turned left ahead of me and I had to jam on. When it happens me now I sprint ahead and turn off if he chases back on.

flatface

I take been drafted as a sign of respect, it's being dropped I hate. There's only an odd time I have drafted someone on the commute and it was only because they were annoyingly fast

Zyzz

I enjoy people who try and draft my tail, if you can keep up fair play

What I dislike is those that go in front of me at lights/stops/roundabouts and then I'm forced to overtake

Ole Rodrigo

Its kind of like a challenge for a commute race

Seweryn

ror_74 wrote: »

Its kind of like a challenge for a commute race

I would like one and I would love to meet a cyclist on my commute actually no matter drafting me or not :pac:.

Darkglasses

Seweryn wrote: »

I would like one and I would love to meet a cyclist on my commute actually no matter drafting me or not :pac:.

Same! The closest I came was a few days ago, I turned onto the main road and saw three roadies coming down my way. They came zooming past me, and I just managed to catch onto the last guys wheel as they overtook me (my commuter is about 14kg, it wasn't easy!). I was thinking to myself, great, I'll have a lead out train all the way to work! A few minutes down the road, two of them stuck their bikes in the ditch Emergency braking required not to go over the top of them. Both guys were alright, but the bikes weren't looking too healthy when I left them.

I would have taken a turn on the front, if a guy on a hybrid leading 3 roadies isn't too ridiculous for them :cool:

el Bastardo

Darkglasses wrote: »

Same! The closest I came was a few days ago, I turned onto the main road and saw three roadies coming down my way. They came zooming past me, and I just managed to catch onto the last guys wheel as they overtook me (my commuter is about 14kg, it wasn't easy!). I was thinking to myself, great, I'll have a lead out train all the way to work! A few minutes down the road, two of them stuck their bikes in the ditch Emergency braking required not to go over the top of them. Both guys were alright, but the bikes weren't looking too healthy when I left them.

I would have taken a turn on the front, if a guy on a hybrid leading 3 roadies isn't too ridiculous for them :cool:

You guys need a Pixar movie.

Maybe someone here could arrange for a tail for Seweryn? ... or would that make it all wrong?....?

Sundy

The route I cycle to work here in Perth is a cycle path along by the river. Its pretty open to the wind and has a lot of traffic so its not unusual to have 4 or 5 people drafting some mornings on the way to work.

To be honest I dont see the point of it. I cycle to work to keep fit, not have an armchair ride all the way there.

kenmc

Sundy wrote: »

To be honest I dont see the point of it. I cycle to work to keep fit, not have an armchair ride all the way there.

but most people cycle to work to get to work... usually cos its cheap

tomasrojo

Drafting a stranger is rude and, if they don't know you're there, hazardous. Illegal too, I think.

Knobbly Tyres

on_the_nickel wrote: »

And/or a "If you can read this, you're too close. Feel free to take a turn or the front." sticker on your back.

That would make a pretty awesome t-shirt/jersey/jacket for commuters, or

" I had Guinness AND Curry last night, so back off" lol

tunguska

Tis very annoying. I cycle up the crumlin road pretty much every day and its rare that the wind will be at your back. Even if its a seemingly windless day there'll be a typhoon working against you coming up that road. Hard enough but then some git will tuck in behind and let you do all the work. I have actually flicked the elbow for them to come through but no joy, either they didnt understand the signal or they were happy to sit in.
Sometimes I'll slow down almost to a stop and force the drafter to pass at which point I'll speed up, tuck in and become the drafter myself.

Wishbone Ash

tunguska wrote: »

.... there'll be a typhoon working against you coming up that road. Hard enough but then some git will tuck in behind and let you do all the work

I can understand the danger aspect but I don't understand how you have to" do all the work". It's not a team and you'd have to do the work anyway on your own. It's not as if you have to work harder because someone is behind.

I don't really mind being drafted. It keeps me focused and my speed rises. I tend to get a bit complacent on my own.

tunguska

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I can understand the danger aspect but I don't understand how you have to" do all the work". It's not a team and you'd have to do the work anyway on your own. It's not as if you have to work harder because someone is behind.

I don't really mind being drafted. It keeps me focused and my speed rises. I tend to get a bit complacent on my own.

Youre right in saying that I'd be doing the work anyway, but having said that, some bugger is having to do less work than he should by tucking in behind me and thats annoying. Plus one time I was being drafted on and had to jam on the brakes suddenly, guy went barrelling into me and destroyed my rear wheel, sent me flying aswell.

robertxxx

I've done it once or twice, on long straight stretches in the Phoenix park.

Wouldn't do it in city centre roads though.

RustyNut

I so wish I could go fast enough that someone would draft me

DaveyDave

I don't actually remember if anyone has drafted me, all I know is if I see someone behind me at lights I haul ass into the distance even though they're only ever behind me at lights, I'm just not a fan of having someone close to me. I hope nobody drafts me though, I tend to hit the brakes fairly hard at lights. I can't stand when people roll around me at lights, it's either a basket commuter in the wrong gear, someone on a fixie who can't get up to speed or someone in full kit on a road bike who can't clip back in and immediately overtaken by me.

As for myself, I don't draft. Sometimes when I'm not up to the effort of overtaking I'll hang back a bit from the cyclist in front once they're not going too slow.

alphabeat

i always slow down and turn the tables on them .

what i love is the fat students who decide to race you off from the lights , i just accelerate to keep a wheel ahead while in the cycling lane until they run out of puff and die back like mayflys - then i rocket off just to rub it in .

its even sweeter knowing i'm 30 years older than them

colm_gti

alphabeat wrote: »

what i love is the fat students who decide to race you off from the lights

Hey, leave me out of this!

dermo1990

alphabeat wrote: »

what i love is the fat students who decide to race you off from the lights

Hey! Not all us students are fat! I have yet to have been drafted on my commute or to draft someone else (never can find someone fast enough). TBH, I don't think I've ever seen drafting on the rock road while commuting

Wishbone Ash

alphabeat wrote: »

....its even sweeter knowing i'm 30 years older than them

I have to admit to that bit of smugness also (but perhaps 25 years older for me!). I like to lead them on for a bit, make them feel cocky and then blast away.

Darkglasses

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I have to admit to that bit of smugness also (but perhaps 25 years older for me!). I like to lead them on for a bit, make them feel cocky and then blast away.

Warning. I'll be making my return to student life next September. Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough :P

Wishbone Ash

Darkglasses wrote: »

Warning. I'll be making my return to student life next September. Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough :P

I envy you youngsters now with all those opportunities for drafting. In my student days those who cycled to work did so because they couldn't afford a car. Not much fun pretending to be this man with no suitable competition!

Darkglasses

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I envy you youngsters now with all those opportunities for drafting. In my student days those who cycled to work did so because they couldn't afford a car. Not much fun pretending to be this man with no suitable competition!

I've been riding in the break-away/commuting in Wexford long enough, when I'm back in Dublin I want to get myself a proper lead-out train.