Slip streaming etiquette?

[400bhp]

You jump on my wheel then expect to take a turn on the front or feck off.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

How much would be an acceptable distance, bearing in mind that it needs to be quite close to be effective.

Triathlon says 10m iirc.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I was told by an old club hand...

When you take a wheel callout "on your wheel" so they know you are there. If they twitch an elbow, get past pronto or drop off. If they don't you may draught. As they also get a benefit.

But that was back in the 70's.

Nowadays if I don't know you, and you don't know me, and we haven't agreed to draught, then please, get past or go away.

 

[e-rider]

Hi, there have been a couple of encounters where I have tagged along the back of a fellow cyclist going at a decent pace and decided to stay there.

On both of those occasions I stayed within 1-2 metres of their back wheel.

On both occasions they kept straining to look awkwardly behind them, although they certainly wouldn't have been able to see me as I was careful to stay directly behind them in their wake for the best tow.

I was just wondering if you have ever been slip streamed and if it felt uncomfortable and what the etiquette is for slip streaming?

Thanks.

if you don't know the person, it is totally unacceptable.

it is also dangerous if the person has no idea that you are there

just last weekend I was riding 2-abreast with a mate, a car came the other way so he quickly pulled in behind me - what we hadn't noticed was that some guy had tagged onto my wheel, so when he pulled in behind me, he took him out - own fault really!

 

[Deleted member 35268]

Hang back and don't be annoying. They will love you for keeping up with their pace without drafting, thats the cool thing to do.

I learnt the hard way by being a tailgater, took me a while to realise its bad karma.

 

[Drago]

Don't do it. They come a cropper, you're going down with them.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I was told by an old club hand...

When you take a wheel callout "on your wheel" so they know you are there. If they twitch an elbow, get past pronto or drop off. If they don't you may draught. As they also get a benefit.

But that was back in the 70's.

Nowadays if I don't know you, and you don't know me, and we haven't agreed to draught, then please, get past or go away.

^^This^^

 

[lutonloony]

I guess I don't really hoof it enough to worry about draughtiness, but I will pull alongside for a how do and a chat. If it's full team Lycra I back off, because I always think they are going to get the Arse if I catch them up

 

[Pat "5mph"]

If friends do it it's merely annoying.
At my speed anyway, drafting me has really no benefit.
On the commute, having some weird silent stalker behind is downright scary!

 

[addictfreak]

Don't have any issues with it, as long as they take a turn.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

As some of the others said: don't draft/slipstream/tailgate/etc without permission. If I find someone doing that (and a surprising number of cyclists do), I just slow right down.

 

[HLaB]

If someone is on my wheel that I don't know I usually up the pace. If they are still there after a while I know they are a good cyclist and don't mind as much but I expect them to take a turn which a good cyclist usually does :-/

There's a time and a place for it though if a numpty tries to do it in a city/town, I do the opposite and slow down and or take another route (fortunately most folk have sense and drafting rarely happens to me in town).

 

[nickyboy]

If I catch someone then I'm going faster than them. So I never draft in that circumstance, I just pass them and, if I'm feeling generous, offer that they tuck in behind if they want a tow for a bit

If someone passes me sufficiently slowly that I can hop on their wheel then I will always ask if that's OK. I'll try to take a turn too but given they're faster than me it probably won't last long

 

[martint235]

If you can keep up, you're welcome. Please note however I do need to blow my nose and also as its not a team run, usual warnings of potholes, glass etc will not be given.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If you can keep up, you're welcome. Please note however I do need to blow my nose and also as its not a team run, usual warnings of potholes, glass etc will not be given.

Do you point out castles, thobut?