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Overtaking cars?

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  • August 23, 2014 at 11:39 pm #22219
    cbrookes75

    Hello all

    The other day I was confronted with a situation I never thought I would encounter, I was travelling downhill pretty rapidly and was forced to brake quite a bit as the car in front was tootling along at about 15 to 20 mph. My question is, should I have overtaken the car? and If I had tried to overtake and the buffoon sped up, who would be in the wrong? If any of you have any experience of these issues I’d be very glad to hear it! Thanks!

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Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 31 total)
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  • August 25, 2014 at 2:52 pm #811177
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    truffy

    Reminds of a time a school
    Reminds of a time a school (many years ago) when one of my class mentioned that he’d been slipstreaming a milk float. My how we pissed ourselves! =))

    August 25, 2014 at 2:30 pm #811175
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    Leeroy_Silk

    One of these bad boys!
    One of these bad boys!

    August 25, 2014 at 8:30 am #811173
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    OldRidgeback

    Leeroy_Silk wrote:I overtook

    Leeroy_Silk wrote:
    I overtook a steamroller a while back after deliberating a good few mins before making my move. My primary concern was what would happen if my chain snapped as I was cranking or slipped a pedal (I was on flats). Being hit by a steamroller was pretty low on my wish list that day.
    Overtaking stationary traffic is one thing, having to accelerate to overtake brings a few more ‘what ifs’ to consider.

    A steamroller?

    August 25, 2014 at 8:10 am #811171
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    Leeroy_Silk

    I overtook a steamroller a
    I overtook a steamroller a while back after deliberating a good few mins before making my move. My primary concern was what would happen if my chain snapped as I was cranking or slipped a pedal (I was on flats). Being hit by a steamroller was pretty low on my wish list that day.
    Overtaking stationary traffic is one thing, having to accelerate to overtake brings a few more ‘what ifs’ to consider.

    August 25, 2014 at 8:08 am #811169
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    S13SFC

    I had a similar going down
    I had a similar going down Penkridge Bank on Cannock Chase.

    I was doing around 65kmph when the car 100m ahead started to really slow, as on that stretch there is only 2 left hand turns I make the rapid decision to pass it on the right judging if that they wanted the 2nd turn (which they did), then I’d be past them before they accelerated.

    Simply a judgement call that you sometimes have to make in a split second when travelling at speed.

    August 25, 2014 at 7:35 am #811167
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    ajd

    Best article on road craft is
    Best article on road craft is Effective Traffic Riding eBooklet – British Cycling.
    It’s the bible for road cyclists.

    http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/insightzone/techniques/balance_and_coordination/article/izn20130830-Effective-traffic-riding-part-1-0

    August 24, 2014 at 10:30 pm #811165
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    rggfddne

    Perfectly fine, in principle.
    Perfectly fine, in principle. As others have alluded to, the rationale “if someone’s slowing down there’s probably a reason” is not a bad one in terms if keeping you alive.

    In general, try and work out that reason first.

    August 24, 2014 at 3:04 pm #811163
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    paulrbarnard

    Not had the situation with a
    Not had the situation with a car but have passed tractors on a couple of occasions. Treat it just as you would if you were driving a car. If you can pass safely then you are free to do so.

    I share your view on the must get past idiots. I have lost count of the number of times a car has passed me right on the lead up to a junction only to be forced to stop in front of me. There is a spot on my commute on a hill leading to a roundabout that often causes this. I finish up stuck on the slope rather than at the flatter transition to the roundabout needing a much tougher hill start. The road is narrow enough that I can’t filter either. I don’t know if it is a deliberate action on the part of the cars or just a result of a compulsion to get in front coupled with absolutely no ability to consider what it means opt other road users.

    August 24, 2014 at 3:04 pm #811161
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    pablo

    If i come up behind a car
    If i come up behind a car thats going slower than me i’d think like others have said they are looking to turn or do something crazy. keep well clear.

    August 24, 2014 at 2:33 pm #811159
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    cbrookes75

    On the note of this thread,
    On the note of this thread, is there a good online guide to roadcraft for cyclists anywhere?

    Thanks.

    August 24, 2014 at 2:31 pm #811157
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    cbrookes75

    Thanks for all your
    Thanks for all your experiences, I appreciate it! I tend to err on the side of the caution, but I am rapidly becoming angry with cars who feel the need to overtake me five yards from a roundabout especially when I am almost in the middle of the lane to try and cross the roundabout! Grr!

    August 24, 2014 at 2:10 pm #811155
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    felixcat

    I once took four cars and a
    I once took four cars and a lorry on the Llanberis Pass, when the lorry slowed for Pont y Cromlech (the bridge halfway down).
    This was youthful foolishness and Joeinpoole’s advice is good. All I can say in my defence is that there was nowhere for the vehicles to turn, their future course was pretty clear.

    August 24, 2014 at 1:57 pm #811153
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    Tinternet_tim

    Excellent advice from
    Excellent advice from JoeinPoole! I agree with everything he says.
    My only other comment would be….just because you can doesn’t mean you should. How many times have you as a cyclist been on the road when a car can’t wait behind you for 10-15 seconds and MGIF?
    We as cyclist are the first to say ‘be patient’ (I’m being polite…its usually “F$^& idiot”) or to fling our arms in the arm or shake your head as they overtake and then join the back of a queue of traffic.

    I guess what I am saying is, we are all road users and need to show a bit of courtesy to slower traffic.

    August 24, 2014 at 1:35 pm #811151
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    Joeinpoole

    I think you have to be *very*
    I think you have to be *very* careful in such situations. Cars going slowly often mean the driver is trying to make a decision over what to do next … and that can be absolutely anything … usually without warning. They will probably be oblivious to the presence of a cyclist and may suddenly accelerate, veer left, or veer right or just stop dead.

    If you do decide to overtake then make sure you overtake correctly on the right, leaving lots of space, and then only when you can execute the move quickly, can see the road clear well ahead (and ideally have somewhere to escape to if the unpredictable happens). Overtaking cars is always a risky manoeuvre.

    August 24, 2014 at 1:09 pm #811149
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    cbrookes75

    Thanks for the input!!
    Thanks for the input!! 🙂

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