The weirdest and most obscure cycling subcultures

[Ian H]

OK, fair play.

First off, they're riding too close much of the time. The old adage "drive at a distance which will allow you to stop in the distance you can see to be clear" is as valid a mantra for cyclists as it is for motorists. If one comes off, everyone behind them will get gathered up and on a live carriageway that could have deadly consequences. About two bike lengths is optimimum - far enough to give following riders reaction time and space, close enough that overtaking drivers are discouraged from inappropriately darting in. This has secondary benefits, as we will see in a moment.

Also don't ride directly parallel. If one rider comes off they will gather their neighbour - any peloton crash video shows how that goes down. The outside rider can stay outside by all means but should stagger back slightly so their front axle is roughly level with the rear axle of the inside rider. While this is oft regarded as bad manners it does bring benefits, which are two-fold: if the inside rider starts to go wobbly the outside rider will have the visual cues to take evasive action, which they would be deprived of if directly parallel. If the outside rider drops it then the inside rider is likely going to be unaffected by virtue of already being 75% clear and trafelling away from danger.

Secondly, in the event that the group needs to drop from taking the full lane and into single file it should be the outside rider dropping to line, and in a staggered position they are better placed to do so. This allows less close manoeuvring, which = less chance to mess it up and come off. It also allows the move to be executed more quickly - youll be wanting to drop into line for a reason, so the quicker you do the safer you are.

In addition, if the following riders are two bike lengths behind, as per the first paragraph, then the space exists to enable to so instantly. As it stands when a typical group drops into single file its usually an undisciplined, dangerous shambles.

So nothing major, the boys all look like their control skills are decent enough, they just need to practice their positioning and drills for safe group riding. The road is a deadly place to have a peloton style pile up so it isn't wise to blithely emulate that positioning while training or even on a leisure ride. Staggered and spaced is the mantra.

It is a little ironic that a video intending to proppmote driver safety around cyclists features riders travelling in a less than safe manner themselves.

That's entirely contrary to normal club riding.

OK, fair play.

First off, they're riding too close much of the time. The old adage "drive at a distance which will allow you to stop in the distance you can see to be clear" is as valid a mantra for cyclists as it is for motorists. If one comes off, everyone behind them will get gathered up and on a live carriageway that could have deadly consequences. About two bike lengths is optimimum - far enough to give following riders reaction time and space, close enough that overtaking drivers are discouraged from inappropriately darting in. This has secondary benefits, as we will see in a moment.

Also don't ride directly parallel. If one rider comes off they will gather their neighbour - any peloton crash video shows how that goes down. The outside rider can stay outside by all means but should stagger back slightly so their front axle is roughly level with the rear axle of the inside rider. While this is oft regarded as bad manners it does bring benefits, which are two-fold: if the inside rider starts to go wobbly the outside rider will have the visual cues to take evasive action, which they would be deprived of if directly parallel. If the outside rider drops it then the inside rider is likely going to be unaffected by virtue of already being 75% clear and trafelling away from danger.

Secondly, in the event that the group needs to drop from taking the full lane and into single file it should be the outside rider dropping to line, and in a staggered position they are better placed to do so. This allows less close manoeuvring, which = less chance to mess it up and come off. It also allows the move to be executed more quickly - youll be wanting to drop into line for a reason, so the quicker you do the safer you are.

In addition, if the following riders are two bike lengths behind, as per the first paragraph, then the space exists to enable to so instantly. As it stands when a typical group drops into single file its usually an undisciplined, dangerous shambles.

So nothing major, the boys all look like their control skills are decent enough, they just need to practice their positioning and drills for safe group riding. The road is a deadly place to have a peloton style pile up so it isn't wise to blithely emulate that positioning while training or even on a leisure ride. Staggered and spaced is the mantra.

It is a little ironic that a video intending to proppmote driver safety around cyclists features riders travelling in a less than safe manner themselves.

'Fraid not. That's not how it's done and not how it's taught.
See for instance - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/n...-Related-How-to-ride-in-a-group---Ridesmart-0

 

[Drago]

Was this part of your training? I should admit my knowledge is a mixture of hearsay and bitter experience ...

Aye lad, professional training.

Although there is something to be said for the wonderful pass time of you and 30 mates sitting in A&E on a Sunday morning.

 

[Drago]

'Fraid not. That's not how it's done and not how it's taught.
See for instance - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/n...-Related-How-to-ride-in-a-group---Ridesmart-0

BC are considered rather poor in the professional (ie, paid to do it for a living) training community and that is putting it very, very politely. They are amateurs in every sense of the term.

Having done it for a living for the dibble (for dibble, trumpton, ambo and SAR riders), and then part time as my own company for a couple of years I know exactly how well regarded BC are in pro training circles - suffice to say that not a single emergency service in the UK selected them to train their riders on advanced toad skills, and that is despite the opportunity to get it very inexpensively.

Not. A. Single. One.

Many pro trainers wont work with a yone claiming a BC qualification, and any mention by a trainee on a course that they have some kind of BC training inevitably brings about the whistling of the Mickey Mouse Club theme. They really have little expertise in live traffic riding, and I cannot stress how poorly thought of they are and how dated and dangerous some of their advice.

The only thing perhaps worse are those with a CUK ride leader ticket...

I've already explained in a fair bit of detail why some of the techniques they espouse are dangerous for the road. If you can't see it then maybe a career as a CUK ride leader awaits you...

 

[Dogtrousers]

"Roadcraft" fetishists. They're pretty weird. Haven't seen one for a while

 

[T4tomo]

A rather pointless argument as cross purpose as @Drago is talking about how to be safe according to the police (who from my observations in London aren't particularly good bike riders anyway, and rarely hunt in large packs)
@Ian H is rightly describing how to ride efficiently in a group, where a so called "safe stopping distance" would negate a lot of the aero benefit. A good system of communication is however needed in group riding, which enable you to ride closer than a bunch of strangers or mountain biker could get away with.

Directly parallel vs overlapping is an odd one, in a through and off group riding its not fixed as one line moves relative to the other and one thing you should know is if following someone closely you don't overlap wheels.

 

[Alex321]

Also don't ride directly parallel. If one rider comes off they will gather their neighbour - any peloton crash video shows how that goes down. The outside rider can stay outside by all means but should stagger back slightly so their front axle is roughly level with the rear axle of the inside rider. While this is oft regarded as bad manners it does bring benefits, which are two-fold: if the inside rider starts to go wobbly the outside rider will have the visual cues to take evasive action, which they would be deprived of if directly parallel. If the outside rider drops it then the inside rider is likely going to be unaffected by virtue of already being 75% clear and trafelling away from danger.

There is good reason it is considered "bad manners", and that is that it is F'ing dangerous. It is the reason why most crashes in the peleton happen in the first place.

If you are riding parallel and one of you moves towards the other, you bump shoulders, and that is normally all that happens. If one front wheel is alongside the other rear wheel and one moves towards the other, there is a good chance of contact between the wheels, and that more often than not results in the rear rider making close acquaintance with the tarmac.

If you watch professional racing, 9 times out of 10 when there is a crash, it is started by a touch of wheels. You then get many more coming down, of course, because they are riding in much bigger groups (often 50+), much closer together and much faster than most amateur cyclists.

 

[Ian H]

There is good reason it is considered "bad manners", and that is that it is F'ing dangerous. It is the reason why most crashes in the peleton happen in the first place.

If you are riding parallel and one of you moves towards the other, you bump shoulders, and that is normally all that happens. If one front wheel is alongside the other rear wheel and one moves towards the other, there is a good chance of contact between the wheels, and that more often than not results in the rear rider making close acquaintance with the tarmac.

If you watch professional racing, 9 times out of 10 when there is a crash, it is started by a touch of wheels. You then get many more coming down, of course, because they are riding in much bigger groups (often 50+), much closer together and much faster than most amateur cyclists.

Indeed. In fact if you ride with a pro you'll find yourself rubbing shoulders with them a good deal of the time. Of course it works less well with wide straight bars.

 

[cyberknight]

Indeed. In fact if you ride with a pro you'll find yourself rubbing shoulders with them a good deal of the time. Of course it works less well with wide straight bars.

also depends a lot on the experience of who your riding with, beginners who are not used to group riding need a wider berth but expereinced people i know to be competent i will happily sit around half a metre from their wheel

 

[Andy in Germany]

Not weird but certainly unusual: I saw a couple of guys on handcycles today, climbing a serious hill as well; they must have arms like iron bars.

 

[tinywheels]

wow! no one pays any attention to rools of any sort on the mean streets I ride on.
Being in a big group of commuting cyclists is frankly dodgy.
See the multiple cycle cam views of cycling in London, fear is not an option.
Thankfully I suspect brompton riders are considered weirdos, so we're left alone.

 

[T4tomo]

See the multiple cycle cam views of cycling in London, fear is not an option.

Yes I recall the City to West end evening commute made a crit race look like child's play😂