Being overtaken

[summerdays]

They should and you can hope they do but let's face it, you're foolish if you expect everyone to get it right all of the time.


Me. Cycling is so busy in Norfolk and Cambridge and my brakes sharp enough that I suspect I'd have a line of bikes concertina'd into my rear rack at times if I didn't. In that London many don't seem to have a clue about any signals which is part of why it's so slow and stressful riding there. Aren't you in Bristol? I thought Bristol was pretty cycley now: how does it cope? Or are loads of cyclists cursing each other?

Well if they run into the back because they were drafting me then I'll be annoyed with them but generally I'm not fast enough to be someone to draft frequently. I'm not going to get too close the person in front because I don't want to run into them.

As for how does Bristol cope, it seems to, it's not mass chaos. A sorry goes a long way when you get in someone else's way.

If I'm slowing I have my hands near the brakes, and I tend to slow gradually if I have time. I look ahead so I'm not normally caught out.

 

[summerdays]

Thinking about it more, is a cyclist who won't signal they're stopping for a cyclist travelling too close much better than the old classic of a motorist deliberately brake- testing cyclists?

Depends whether it's deliberate surely?

Anyway I tend to look behind before slowing if I have the time to do so. It's not the planned stops that bother me but the emergency bits.

 

[mjr]

If I'm slowing I have my hands near the brakes, and I tend to slow gradually if I have time. I look ahead so I'm not normally caught out.

So basically except for signalling, you're already pretty safe to draft. I mostly use my foot brake (Dutch bike) or front brake only (other bikes) to stop, so I've usually a left hand free to signal. Unless it's an emergency stop or something but all bets are off then anyway!

 

[Absinthe Minded]

Because I'm not confident in their stopping ability?

That's fair enough (although I'd need a reason before I doubted confidence in another rider's stopping ability), but I meant more the people that moan about others getting a 'free ride', like it's slowing themselves down or something.

 

[lukasran]

Hey, A few months ago I came on here looking for advice on which bike to buy for my morning commute. Since then I've travelled to work and back (8 miles each way) maybe 5 or 6 times, I'm slowly getting in to the swing of things. I know I'm getting stronger, my leg muscles, and my fitness is improving.

I thought I was going pretty fast the other evening coming home, and was feeling quite proud of my speed as I approached a long gradual climb. Turns out I was going at a snails pace when another cyclist shot past me. It was almost as though he was going down hill at 30mph..

I keep getting overtaken on the road, and I am well aware that most of these people will be seasoned cyclists compared to me, a beginner, but still, I mean I thought I was putting in quite a bit of effort and had a decent pace. I regularly get overtaken on the road by other cyclists, and I've yet to be the person speeding past another cyclist.

Has anyone else experienced this and has it put you off? I just keep thinking to myself, it's not a race, and I'm still a beginner. Also I have a heavier hybrid bike and they probably have a light road bike.

deer hypermind, you are weak. other cyclists are feeding on your scalp and you are right to feel disheartened. you need a scalp, any scalp, and you need to feast on that scalp to gain strength. you lie to yourself making you weaker still. it is a race, yes you are a noob, but your loosing. i hope for your sake you will soon feel the thrill of an overtake. this is the ultimate happiness of commuter cycling. dont be seduced by the pacifists on cycle chat. post this on slowtwich for the truth. you have some skills though as evident through out your post you have an innate gift for excuses which will serve you well on bike forums and strava comments. i did not experienced the depths of your failure so intensely when i was a noob, so i cant say with certainty, but you have a chance. good luck

 

[GuyBoden]

When I was coming back from a 4hour sunny ride the other day, my legs had gone and I could barely turn the pedals, an older woman on a bike with shopping bags on the handlebars over took me, I didn't really care, I was just hoping I'd make it home.

 

[ufkacbln]

Get a recumbent trike, you can't be drafted by an upwrong!

 

[ufkacbln]

When I was coming back from a 4hour sunny ride the other day, my legs had gone and I could barely turn the pedals, an older woman on a bike with shopping bags on the handlebars over took me, I didn't really care, I was just hoping I'd make it home.

This is not in fact an old lady at all

It is a Fairy

The Fairies have all aspects of cycling covered, from the various Tool Fairies who hide your tools to the P*nct*re Fairy we all know so well

This is the one that ensures that you ave the fact that you are slowing down rubbed in

 

[MarkF]

When I was coming back from a 4hour sunny ride the other day, my legs had gone and I could barely turn the pedals, an older woman on a bike with shopping bags on the handlebars over took me, I didn't really care, I was just hoping I'd make it home.

A few years back cycling up a long climb near Bilbao in the heat, I was at walking pace and on the verge of breaking down and crying. A local overtook me on a bike like Mary Poppins rode, he was about 70, wore a tweed jacket and a beret, what really upset me was that he a had plastic crate of potatoes strapped to the back.

 

[mjr]

Get a recumbent trike, you can't be drafted by an upwrong!

You can, but only for the short distance between the upright lying down and hitting the ground...

 

[mustang1]

I know when I'm going to be overtaken. It's an art.

I once turned into a minor road. Across the front of another cyclist by mistake as I didn't look properly. However, I was too big to admit my error and apologise. It was a slight down hill so I pedalled like mad. He was still quite close, I tried to make it look like I was just in a hurry.

Then I noticed a huge hill. So I pulled into somebodies drive way and got off bike, pretending that I had just got home. Then waited a few minutes to be clear of him before carrying on

Don't do that on your regular commute though.

 

[Misusawa]

I get overtaken a lot on my way too and from work, After being knocked off my motorcycle, in December i'm back to cycling again and a bit less fit than I used to be. I'm mildly amused that a lot of cyclists appear to do near double my speed, But I have a seven mile commute and use a hybrid bike, so its not like i'm going to keep up ever.
That said, I can manage around 30 minutes there (mostly downhill) and 40 back (mostly uphill) after a days running about at work.

 

[Justinslow]

When I started TT racing I was getting overtaken left right and centre, guys with full on TT bikes disc wheels pointy hats etc etc.
Then I started to overtake a few people myself (great feeling if a little meaningless as they are riding their own race and could be 30 years my senior). I haven't been overtaken for months in a TT, last week was my first of the season and I got past around 6 riders or more who started before me. However this week I've got the winner of the last race only 2 minutes behind me at the start so at some time early in the race (as he beat my time by over 6 minutes) I'm expecting to be overtaken and in style! At least I'll be able to see how the quick guys do it.
I think the whole overtaking thing depends how naturally competitive you are, if you don't like it much you tend to try to improve your fitness so it happens less often!