Just wanted to check – overtook a roadie on Saturday on the A6 who jumped on my wheel for a tow from Ambergate to Cromford, and then last night went past two dawdling commuters in different places, only to have them climb on board to be towed up the next hill.

This whole commuting thing is becoming far more serious and tactical than I had expected!

Two words
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Brake Test

your chance to try and drop them, no better feeling imho

~Sit up, let them past and jump on their tails whilst keeping the pace up. They’ll soon blow :O)

I think you are confusing a work commute with an official competition. If you dont want them to draft you then don’t overtake them or just ride faster.

I commute and tend not to draft but if i see someone go past that clearly just wants to get past me to make himself feel good cos of his inferiority complex then yes, I will draft him deliberately.

I couldn’t drop them – I’m not that fit.

M_F – I went past them as they were riding even slower than my pace when I caught up with them. My chronic inferiority complex had nothing to do with it!

does someone drafting you cause you to be slowed at all? Genuine question.

I often draft lycra’d up people on road bikes when I am on my Brompton wearing jeans and a coat, normally because they do that ‘I’m faster than you so I’ll push in front at the lights’ thing.

It makes them mad 🙂

No – if anything it encourages me to make more of an effort. I just get a little annoyed by people who pootle along, then speed up to get on your wheel for a faster easier ride without making any effort to do a turn at the front.

Rush out and buy a copy of American Flyers and learn to ‘drop those wheelsuckers!’

or modify your bike in some sort of James Bond style 🙂

I seem to remember a study that said the bloke in front gets a small advantage. Obviously the bigger advantage of the draughter should be shared.

“I commute and tend not to draft but if i see someone go past that clearly just wants to get past me to make himself feel good cos of his inferiority complex then yes, I will draft him deliberately. “

does that make you feel good?

the correct thing to do is flick your right elbow as a signal for them to come through and take their turn on the front, if they don’t then you’re allowed to everso gently up the pace, or ask them if they’ve brought you up a new water-bottle

There is no better feeling to me than doing my personal best 10 mile TT on my commuter because someone has decided to jump on my wheel for a draft… 🙂

Go into a aero tuck and rip their legs !!!

If you cant drop them weave in and out a bit.

Hack up a good sized grolly and spit it out 😉

Have a particularly strong curry the night before and let them have your “toxic draft”

Glad some of you are not taking this so seriously now – I quite like the water bottle comment idea.

Johni – the bloke on Saturday was quite brave, considering the beers and curry on Friday night!

Really annoys me when people do this, mainly because it’s dangerous – you don’t know their skill level and they don’t know yours. If they are prepared to swap off on the front then that can be fun, but just to jump on someone’s wheel without saying anyting and expect a free ride is just rude and potentially dangerous.

remember the end of the southern sportive last year, i was convinced there wa sonly a mile to go, then another etc etc (for 20 miles)

so i sprinted

and sprinted

ended up towing a whole line of roadies arround the south downs untill i got fed up and shouted back “are you fekers just lazy or are you hurting to much to take your turn?”

reply came back “hurting”

so i uped the pace a bit for the last three 😉

mainly because it’s dangerous

Thats why I ring my little Brompton bell to crack the whip and let them know I’m there.

Wow. There seems to be a lot “going on behind the eyes” when you lot ride.

I’ve never been aware that someone drafting me was causing me extra drag or then meaning that I had to push harder to keep going.

Let them sit there, is what I say. Although the safety point is a good one, once or twice some numpty has nearly crashed into my back wheel.
Much to their embarrasment 🙄

Anyway, don’t let it get to you, just do your own ride 🙂

S.

From some of these posts I reckon we must have the creme de la creme of UK road talent on STW! 😉

Isn’t there a very silly, and somewhat competitive, commuting game on bikeradar where they all give themselves a level (or something) then go online and talk about it in Second Life?

Sit on their wheel for a bit save your energy, then go past fast enough they cant get onto your wheel..

I had some wheel sucker sit behind me on Wednesday morning on the commute. I slowed down so he would pass but he just sat there. I know the timings of the traffic lights pretty well so I slowed down approaching a set then put the hammer down with a few hundred meters to go as they were about to go to red. Bye sucker, luckily he wasn’t a red light junmper too.

the correct thing to do is flick your right elbow as a signal for them to come through and take their turn on the front, if they don’t then you’re allowed to everso gently up the pace, or ask them if they’ve brought you up a new water-bottle

spot on, also start playing around as you reach junctions, as an expert you wouldn’t want to be at the front to lead out the sprint now would you?

There’s a chap who does this to me, up one of the bigest hills on our route home.

He goes fairly slow so I don’t want to hang around behind him as my normal pace is about a third faster than his. But as soon as I pass him he seems to take it as a personal insult and then hangs on my back wheel all the way to the top of the hill where we go our seperate ways. He’s a fit chap, I can never shake him, but I always think if he wanted to ride that fast, why is he never riding that fast when I first see him?

I think he just doesn’t like being overtaken.

Personally I’d lead them straight over a large pot hole but bunny hop it. ;o)

“does someone drafting you cause you to be slowed at all?”

Yes, and riding behind you using your better lights to see by uses up your batteries twice as fast.

or ask them if they’ve brought you up a new water-bottle

I ride through Moss Side in Manchester. I’d be better off asking them if they’d brought me my pot belge….

“also start playing around as you reach junctions, as an expert you wouldn’t want to be at the front to lead out the sprint now would you?“

no, i’ve lost more “Tesco Sprints” than you can imagine that way

i dont think most commuters even know the benefits of drafting someone, they just want to try to keep up.

what is the correct thing to say if i am passed and want to hop on for the ride?

there should be a small theoretical advantage for the leader, as the second rider pushed through the air he ever so slightly increaces the air pressure behind the first rider, pushing him allong.

I wouldnt say anyone on here was being overly optimistic in their fitness, roadies are less fit than we give them credit 🙂

This use to happen a lot to me in Australia – you know how competitive Aussies are! At first it irritated me; but then you simply see it as a friendly game. Also, there was a sense of ‘turn-taking’. So that they’d ovetake and you’d benefit. It did improve my fitness during my time there.

“what is the correct thing to say if i am passed and want to hop on for the ride? “

“Can I sit on your wheel a bit mate, please? I’m fat, slow and paggered.”

Works for me everyday of the week 🙂

Jackthedog – this isn’t Nottingham Road, Ilkeston by any chance…….?

Jackthedog – this isn’t Nottingham Road, Ilkeston by any chance…….?

‘Fraid not, no. Why, you suffering the same thing?

flamejob – Member

mainly because it’s dangerous

Thats why I ring my little Brompton bell to crack the whip and let them know I’m there.

I’d like to subscribe to your newsletter please.

Drop em you big wuss 😉

what is the correct thing to say if i am passed and want to hop on for the ride? Do you mind if I tuck in behind you as I’m far too slow to pass you. The only thing is if they are behind you then you wouldn’t here them anyway, they would have to pull alongside and they’re too slow for that.

Where is all this happening? I don’t get to race anyone on my way to Bruntsfield from Leith in Edinburgh 🙁 I saw someone on a Willier and thought i’d get a bit cocky and zip past him, but he turned off at the next lights, boo.

Although i do suspect i’m a bit of a ‘target’ for others, fully lycra’d up with a racer… I would try to overtake me.