- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
forum
Slipstream etiquette?
I'm quite new to cycling so I thought I'd put this out there, as it seemed rather odd to me at the time.
While out on a solo ride yesterday, on a rather windy day, I suddenly realised there was another cyclist right behind me. I wasn't sure at first, as I only noticed a shape in the corner of my eye while checking for traffic.
After a few moments I looked again and was sure there was someone there. I had a left turn coming up, signaled, and sure enough a chap who had been hugging my rear wheel said "Cheers mate" and carried on.
I'm used to riding tight together on club rides, especially in the wind, but never had a complete stranger steal my slipstream like this, without saying a word. We'd been on the road for probably a couple of miles before I noticed.
I didn't mind the slipstreaming (even though I was doing all the work); it just would have been nice if he'd told me he was there. If I needed to swerve suddenly to avoid a pothole, we'd both be in the gutter.
Anyone else encountered this? What's the best thing to say to an unannounced visitor on your rear?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- I love my bike 2 sec ago
or use a thumb? But it's not a normal direction for applying force, unlike the Campy thumb buttons.
- SimoninSpalding 48 min 38 sec ago
I joined BC years back to get the insurance, and because at the time they had the like of Chris Boardman strongly advocating for road safety and...
- David9694 50 min 18 sec ago
"Do you want me to wash it for you?" "can you do me a blowout?"* * Yeah ok I looked that one up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hairstyles
- Rendel Harris 51 min 29 sec ago
Of course not! I will be chasing up after Christmas, no point in doing so now as they will just point to "hopefully" and "in December".
- wtjs 1 hour 1 min ago
YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE, A RED LIGHT MEANS STOP...
- HKR 1 hour 3 min ago
Yes it's all very expensive. However, the article seems to suggest you get the saddle. a fit with Phil Burt, and possibly a check later - which if...
- David9694 1 hour 4 min ago
Another one for "great time saver you've got there":...
- hawkinspeter 10 hours 47 min ago
They most certainly do "separate like that"....
- Secret_squirrel 16 hours 33 min ago
Thanks Neil!
- slc 16 hours 38 min ago
All arguments I am hopeful to see validated, especially (a) and (b) combined....
Add new comment
70 comments
I don't mind people sitting behind for a while, as long as they announce themselves - usually leads to having a chat and meeting someone new! And if they are going to hang around for a little while, then I appreciate them taking a turn on front.
I do occasionally get people who wheelsuck without annoucning themselves, which I find mildly annoying. My response is to ease off a little, to the point that I can tell they are thinking about overtaking before, very calmly, surging to zone 5 and holding that for a couple mins. I then repeat this until one of us gives up.
It's basically a little bit of motivation for some interval training - quite fun on my commute home.
The way I see it the main problem is that he didn't let you know he was there. If you don't know anyone's behind you then you aren't going to let them know about road obstacles, changes of speed or direction, which could lead to a crash. There is also the fact that you don't know if he's used to riding with others or not, and could make a bit of a mess of it, bringing you down too.
As long as they don’t throw a lasso around your waste, it’s fine by me.
Really who gives a ff? As long as they don't get on the front and have you all off what does it matter?
It all depends on the situation and where you are in your own ride as to the method of giving the nodder the message.
One of my favourite is to gradually almost imperceptibly slow down to the point they are now riding at an embarrassingly slow speed but still reluctant to over take.
I find out this is a great way to meet people. Chat to them when you stop... I don't own that part of the road, so I prefer not to be a plonker.
Personally, this is why I make sure to eat a fairly high fibre diet.
You see how much they really need the draft then.
I've never worried about people drafting me. Sometimes I'll draft others and take a turn when I can.
I'm used to drafting from riding with a club so I don't see it as dangerous.
A couple of years ago I was riding on the cycle path next to the Alderley Edge bypass. It was a downhill section so I was going fairly fast (for me), when I saw an exit to my left.
I thought I'd take a look at where this path led, so I braked ready to turn on to it which unleased a torrent of abuse from behind me. Then I was then passed by a fist shaking rider.
I had no idea he was there and had no seen any other cyclist when I joined the cycle path a couple of miles back. I was on the left of the path and turning left, so I assume he was on my wheel and not to my right and overtaking.
I've often thought about this since and wondered who was at fault. One lesson I've taken from the incident is always to signal my intentions, even if I can't detect anyone behind me.
Christ, you have better hearing than me for sure! Into a headwind, all I hear is a roaring sound.
Oh.. maybe it's my helmet, but yeah into wind I can still hear the distinctive rattle and ticks of a bike behind - can't hear what people say mind, I'm like an old person with an ear trumpet at hearing people talk when on a bike..
@kempston - this happens all the time, in a group or riding solo.
In a group people are more inclined to join in, peer pressure or just showing off, I've slowed a group to let said new person or persons just pop off the front on their own if they aren't quite in sync with a group.
Solo, 1) you should know your surroundings, I can only think that if you 'didn't know' someone was on your wheel you must have been wearing headphones, if that's the case you are not spacially aware and probably wouldn't have heard any hello's from them anyway. If you weren't wearnig headphones and can hear properly, you would have probably found that the accused wheelsucker had probably only just reached your wheel, nobody's bike is that quiet.
2) Don't get annoyed at this, if I feel someone has been there a bit too long (it's nice to let them recover for a bit imo) then I simply purposefully flick the elbow and move over to let them through. It's also nice at that point to say hi to your guest on the way past, ask them where they are going.. It's my/your choice whether to sit there and get annoyed or not. (Although there has been a couple of incidents where I've done that, let them through and the pace has dropped significantly, which is rude, on those occasions it's usually clear that they've buried themselves to reach you so I've just powered away with a cheery see you later.
If the OP is that unsure about what is happening imediately behind him, perhaps he should invest in a mirror?
I think a lot of people are missing the point here. The OP said he didn't know the wheelsucker was there, just a feeling, confirmed when he pulled off and the bloke managed to say something (shame he hadn't managed to announce his joining rather than his leaving the draft!).
It really irritates me as, firstly the rider behind must have been going quicker than the OP to join his back wheel, so either carry on past, say hello and ask if you can sit in for a bit, or stay back.
I really don't want to hit the brakes for whatever reason I see fit, assuming I'm alone, only to have some secret squirrel bell-end plough into the back of me.
Show a bit of class and announce yourself and join in the effort, or piss off as far as I'm concerned.
I'm with you, well put.
Action liable to dislodge even the most persistent drafter...
I joined a road behind another rider last week. He was going slightly slower than me and I had seen him going the other way about 25k earlier so I knew he was on a longish ride in cold, windy conditions. I had choices - overtake or hold a comfortable pace behind. The road was busy, with upcoming roundabouts and traffic light controlled junctions ahead so I decided to just sit behind him. No point being a MGIFer. I wasn't slipstreaming him - just the next bike in traffic. After about a mile he turned and I shouted a 'cheers mate', not as a thank you for any 'slipstream' as I'd hung back what I thought was a reasonable distance, but just as a friendly comment to another cyclist.
I hope all this was not misconstrued and that the chap didnt think I'd used him to get a slipstream and had thanked him for his efforts, but I am now worried that he might have actually been annoyed and wanted to blow snot all over me.
Life is so complicated.
Lol. Doesn't anyone kiss their buddies anymore.. Not like you can see tread on a road bike anyway.
(Slide in behind a flatbar, they seem rather high and should block well)
He really didn't steal anything from you. If they're capable of slipstreaming I generally reckon they're mostly capable of not crashing into the back of you, esepcially if you behave like any decent person and signal issues. Like others have said, if I want them to take a turn, a flick of the elbow normally helps. I don't take it as any kind of threat to my masculinity or some such, or a challenge to race, if someone picks up my slipstream. Normally if I'm going to drop in behind someone I let them know, though occasionally I get overtaken by some serious races, and I'll just sit on the last wheel and be sure to keep out of their way.
Absolutely hate this. 80-90% of the time I just power down and drop them. Love doing that.
the rest, if i'm not feeling up to it, and its safe to do so. I'll just swing out into a completely absurd road position after having looked back at them a couple times. if they havnt got the hint by then, I'll just go over a bumpy bit a few times as punishment #evilisgood
This is not so bad, though he could have taken a turn if he was able to overtake you (though he might not have had the extra puff to do so.) Meanwhile I was going along a canal towpath recently and overtook another chap going much slower than me, after about thirty seconds I too got that sense and looked around to see he had sped up and was now drafting me. I shouted at him 'Why have you sped up... Why are you drafting me, it's not a race...' and he mysteriously went back to his previous speed. There were pedestrians with dogs down there and I might have to slow or brake, I didn't want him right up my arse. I don't know why some people think being overtaken is an invitation to a race, just make your own pace.
I don't think they are trying to race you, I think they are simply looking for an easier ride home.
I remember once having a chap go absolutely off on me after I slipped into his slipstream... it wasn't until this thread that I realised that some people take such genuine offence to it.
Won't stop me though... mwah ha ha ha.
Unless they ask me not to.... obvs.
Well it might have been me who went off on one. It's not just rude to hang in there unannounced, it's dangerous too. I used to get mightily pissed on my commute to my old job when my kids were little and I'd have the child seat on the back. Some riders would see this as an invitation to wheel suck, given the massive air dispalcement I was causing.
I explained, using some Saxon words, that simple physics says this is a bad thing to do on a busy road and especially if there's a kid on the back. It's fine to do out with your mates on a club ride, but absolutely unacceptable unannounced on a busy commuter route. Try it with me and you'll get an earful.
See... genuine offence and 5 likes to support that offended stand point. Every day is a school day.
Really windy weather will tend to bunch cyclists together. Very tough to break out of a pack in a headwind. I used to commute in Melbourne and windy days did create the largest groups.
Having someone slipstreaming me has never concerned me, after all it’s about a 5% benefit. If they take the front then great, a 20+% benefit. If it’s properly windy then any help is good as far as I am concerned.
Crosswinds....now that is tricky on an open road.....
Stay quiet and don't blame me if the snot rocket hits target.
I knew it wouldn't be long before the self important people who are so far up their own arse appeared with their pathetic comments. You really need to get over your feeling of self importance and respect other cyclists on the road. There are unpleasant people in all walks of life and as we can see, some of them ride bikes.
I can't be certain but I think you might have gotten the wrong end of the (snotty) stick...
Eh?
I think he is saying that you are a wee bit reprehensible for deliberately snot rocketing on people. But then again If you don't know they're there, is it deliberate?
Who knows? Who cares?
Pages