[tommyraleigh]

Some of my commute is on an off-road cycle path, and pretty much every other day I get someone wheelsucking off the back of me without even saying hello which is pretty annoying to be honest. I like to go at my own pace without any drafting and dnt want a race!!

Now this path can get pretty muddy and wet, luckily I have access to a hose at work so instead of mudguards I just give my bike a quick clean every morning when i get in. But my other reason for not using them is that it gets rid of the wheelsuckers on the muddy days. One actually tried to have a go at me yesterday and I said ‘well you shouldnt have been hanging off the back of my wheel without asking then!’ Plus what if i need to brake sharply or something and I dont even know they are there??

So my question is am I perfectly justified in having a little chuckle to myself when one of these leeches gets a face full of mud from my back wheel or am I been rude?!

Topic

[matthewn5]

Where I cycle to work there

Where I cycle to work there are so many bikes it’s one continuous stream most days.

In winter the riders without mudguards  are a complete pain. Their rear wheel basically puts a fountain up behind them several bike lengths long. Far from drafting, they’re just antisocial.  Fit a rear guard, if only for the riders behind you. You’re not the only cyclist on the road these days!

[Boatsie]

cougie wrote:

cougie wrote:

Get some mudguards on.  Your washing machine will thank you for it as will your bike. 

I like my friends guard. He removed it from his daughters cheap childs bike, modified to fit and wolla. Everyone’s happy. Weighs not much more than a coin and she doesn’t ride on wet days.

Yeah.. I love Australian friendliness, if your gonna sit behind and suck may as well give the leader a kiss and a you beaut smile when leaders turning look of WTF is. 😉
I had a car bump me with a strong kiss once. That Shook me. Daft not draft, I was stationary.

[cougie]

Get some mudguards on.  Your

Get some mudguards on.  Your washing machine will thank you for it as will your bike. 

[rogermerriman]

HLaB wrote:

Prosper0 wrote:

I don’t really understand the fuss some people have with wheelsuckers.

It makes no difference to your cycling/performance etc why do you care? 

It makes a large difference to my cycling performance if they crash into the back of me or the threat of it takes my attention away from other things which also endanger me. 

 

Indeed I’ve had to rescue my wife as someone had smashed into her bike when she braked.

 

I’m a club rider riding in a group is fine, you take the risk for the benefit/social aspect but having some random bloke on my rear wheel on the commute no thanks. I generally shake them off.

[HLaB]

Prosper0 wrote:

I don’t really understand the fuss some people have with wheelsuckers.

It makes no difference to your cycling/performance etc why do you care? 

It makes a large difference to my cycling performance if they crash into the back of me or the threat of it takes my attention away from other things which also endanger me. 

[Argus Tuft]

There’s quite a few things

There’s quite a few things about Australian “Culture” I’m not thrilled about,but this obsession the English have about someone else “Getting away with something”does my head in.

[hawkinspeter]

brooksby wrote:

triq-D wrote:

Cugel wrote:

“Wheel sucking” is some sort of foolish Yank terminology denoting a “freeloader” (another foolish Yank term) that is “stealing” your effort by using you to push air out of the way. The terminology reflects the ridiculously over-competative winner-loser schtick of that benighted country.

In Britain it’s called “sitting on a wheel” and is a recognised method of cycling eficiently that costs the fellow in front nothing. And, being the co-operative fellows we proper cyclists are, the usual arrangement for fellows of more or less equal ability is to take turns on the front, as relative fitness or current condition dictates.

So, you won’t be surprised to hear, OP, that I find your post rather silly, not to say infantile, especially if you cut orf your nose to spite your face by clarting up your own bike such that you have to perform the tedious business of hosing it down all the time.

My advice is, stop sucking up Yank kulturekrap.  🙂

Cugel

 

Wow. Jacob Rees-Mogg had joined road.cc.

Can’t be him – he didn’t go on about ‘common sense’…

I think it’s ironic that Cugel is complaining about Yank terminology whilst using the name “Cugel” which AFAIK is a creation of American author Jack Vance (Dying Earth series).

[brooksby]

triq-D wrote:

Cugel wrote:

“Wheel sucking” is some sort of foolish Yank terminology denoting a “freeloader” (another foolish Yank term) that is “stealing” your effort by using you to push air out of the way. The terminology reflects the ridiculously over-competative winner-loser schtick of that benighted country.

In Britain it’s called “sitting on a wheel” and is a recognised method of cycling eficiently that costs the fellow in front nothing. And, being the co-operative fellows we proper cyclists are, the usual arrangement for fellows of more or less equal ability is to take turns on the front, as relative fitness or current condition dictates.

So, you won’t be surprised to hear, OP, that I find your post rather silly, not to say infantile, especially if you cut orf your nose to spite your face by clarting up your own bike such that you have to perform the tedious business of hosing it down all the time.

My advice is, stop sucking up Yank kulturekrap.  🙂

Cugel

 

Wow. Jacob Rees-Mogg had joined road.cc.

Can’t be him – he didn’t go on about ‘common sense’…

[triq-D]

Cugel wrote:

“Wheel sucking” is some sort of foolish Yank terminology denoting a “freeloader” (another foolish Yank term) that is “stealing” your effort by using you to push air out of the way. The terminology reflects the ridiculously over-competative winner-loser schtick of that benighted country.

In Britain it’s called “sitting on a wheel” and is a recognised method of cycling eficiently that costs the fellow in front nothing. And, being the co-operative fellows we proper cyclists are, the usual arrangement for fellows of more or less equal ability is to take turns on the front, as relative fitness or current condition dictates.

So, you won’t be surprised to hear, OP, that I find your post rather silly, not to say infantile, especially if you cut orf your nose to spite your face by clarting up your own bike such that you have to perform the tedious business of hosing it down all the time.

My advice is, stop sucking up Yank kulturekrap.  🙂

Cugel

 

Wow. Jacob Rees-Mogg had joined road.cc.

[Crippledbiker]

I’d love to have some guards
I’d love to have some guards on my primary h’cycle, but it’s nearly impossible to fit them without them then being massively in the way. Front guard is doable but is a) pointless, and b) has a nasty tendency to catch my feet and foul the wheel.

As to drafting, I’m about as aero as a brick, but I’m basically a tractor for anybody behind me; draft away, but keep in mind that I might not move quite how you expect.

Recumbent is another matter – no guards on that, but you shouldn’t be directly behind my wheels anyway so meh. Your guards almost certainly won’t come down low enough to protect me anyway, goggles are a must!

No point drafting off a recumbent handcycle unless you’re also on a recumbent – I’m so low it won’t do much, and I’d really rather you didn’t even try, because if you fuck up you’ll land on my head.

It’s actually what that little T bar that comes back from the frame and covers the rear wheels is for – you tap that with your front wheel to let the handcyclist in front know you’re there. It’s also considered OK to come into contact with that bar whilst drafting, and it prevents wheel to wheel contact, which is A Very Bad Thing.
Some expensive h’cycles have a front as well as a rear drafting bar, but that’s rare. Does make a very nice handle to move it around by, though.

[Hirsute]

Yellow Peril wrote:

Yellow Peril wrote:

If someone sits on my wheel, so what? We’re all brothers and sisters on the road. I’ve also been mightily grateful for someone else’s wheel at times.

Depends on the road, traffic, volumes, pedestrians and other hazards.
No way do I want someone on my wheel on the way to work. I may have to brake suddenly, then what will the rider behind do?
Had a go at someone before for doing this with out even asking. They still did it later in the month and never attempted to take a turn.

[Organon]

Welsh boy wrote:

 

I have been ‘drafted’ as I call it by another rider who force me to run a red light which was turning amber in front of me. My choice was go through as it turned or brake rapidly and have him crash into me.

[/quote]
I love the way you assume that your riding skills are better than the other rider and justify your action in riding through a red light on some random stranger

[/quote]

I hope your riding skills are better than your reading skills.

[Welsh boy]

 

 

[/quote]

I have been ‘drafted’ as I call it by another rider who force me to run a red light which was turning amber in front of me. My choice was go through as it turned or brake rapidly and have him crash into me.

[/quote]
I love the way you assume that your riding skills are better than the other rider and justify your action in riding through a red light on some random stranger

[Anonymous]

Prosper0 wrote:

I don’t really understand the fuss some people have with wheelsuckers.

It makes no difference to your cycling/performance etc why do you care? 

yes it does, you have no idea on road safety do you!

[Anonymous]

mattsccm wrote:

Cugel has it.

To ay otherwise is daft. What about all those riders coming up behind to pass you? Oh of course the OP is to fast for that.  Equally too selfish to consider that giving a minor tow may be sociable.  Of course he is in a very important race so the rest don’t matter. Pillock to spout off like that. Ah well, not everyone is out of their teenage years yet

To say otherwise is daft eh? Frankly you and others saying that are the ones who are ignorant/daft!

No he doesn’t have anything, I used to ride without mudguards, until about 2001, I put some on to keep my feet dryer more than anthing else, however that’s entirely up to me if I choose to use a set of mudguards if riding solo. If I was riding in a group, sure, but BITD it really wasn’t that big a deal at all to ride without, certainly not in the groups I rode with, nowadays things have changed to a degree but not all road group rides will have guards on wet days.

The OP isn’t riding in a group, it’s up to the other person behind to firstly consider safety, if you’re getting sprayed then you’re too close, end of story, and if you don’t like getting sprayed then it’s ENTIRELY up to you as the person behind to do something about that. Ride wider, ride further back, get in front, or even if possible ride alongside and ask if that’s ok, I don’t always want someone right next to me for similar reasons I don’t want you right behind me getting my spray if I don’t happen to have guards on that bike, I don’t know you, I don’t know your standards/understanding towards safety nor your abilities, most of the time I don’t want to know you if it’s piddlin’ it down with rain, I want to crack on and focus on my surroundings and being safe to others and avoiding hazards, I don’t want you too close, that means buzz off unless I invite you into MY space!

The OP is getting flak for absolutely no reason whatsoever, utterly ridiculous!

[Author]

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