Drafting

cutting out the Park Lane/Shaftesbury loop in getting to the British Museum was worth it to ride down Oxford Street the whole way

jayloo, there are plenty of good routes parallel to the Roman road that mean you have to do neither--you just have to learn the lie of the land a bit. Do you have the Central London Cycle Guide published by TfL? That'll show you a lot of easier and quicker routes through this area, e.g. Marble Arch to the British Museum. Park Lane-Piccadilly-Shaftesbury Avenue is a massive detour.

When drafting, I have my fingers over the brakes and I watch for possible slow downs ahead, however I am making the assumption that the other ride will ride exactly the same as I would.

jayloo, there are plenty of good routes parallel to the Roman road that mean you have to do neither--you just have to learn the lie of the land a bit. Do you have the Central London Cycle Guide published by TfL? That'll show you a lot of easier and quicker routes through this area, e.g. Marble Arch to the British Museum. Park Lane-Piccadilly-Shaftesbury Avenue is a massive detour.

Ah, well, I only was going to take that loop b/c that's the best way I'd seen to get the the 7 Dials the week before and then noticed how close to one the other was.

I don't know what we have, exactly, we have like, 15 area cycling maps, is that anything like what you're talking about? I don't mind muddling about a little bit in the beginning b/c I see a lot of London and I also get to make connections about where things are that I wouldn't if I just took the most direct route possible. That being said, I wouldn't mind having the ability to shave a mile off my route now and then! I knew there had to be a better way than going down Oxford Road, it's horrible!

if you do this to me, the two of us are going to look like Chesire Cats the whole time and be skidding everywhere... we'll also be going very very slowly.

now i just need to find you riding around!!

if you do this to me, the two of us are going to look like Chesire Cats the whole time and be skidding everywhere... we'll also be going very very slowly.

being able to ride on a wheel is an essential skill in bunch riding or racing, those forum rides where nobody knows how to work together are a perfect example of poor cycling skill. It leaves the slower riders doing extra work, and the faster riders waiting around at every junction.

get yourselves on a club run and learn how to ride in a group.

(or be the solo, hardcore fixie rider, alone and on a mission, courier bag and chip firmly strapped on shoulder)

i draft things all the time. generally not other cyclist (unless i see a carbon roadie), but bus' are very useful to draft and then eventually slingshot round.

i did that on my way home this evening and timed it poorly and had to sprint a lot faster than normal to cut him up just before i got pushed into the central reservation.

It's simple physics. Because the front guy is pushing through the air aerodynamically on his own - the air bulges round him, then comes together smoothly (see fig A), causing no drag and good speed. This is the view from above the cyclist...

When a drafter comes along he disrupts the air-flow behind the lead rider, which in effect pulls him backwards and slows him down. (see fig B).

Fig C is the lead rider doing a little skid because a taxi has pulled over in front of him without indicating. See the disrupted airflow and therefore reduction in speed.

How on earth has cyclist C attached a slotted leading-edge flap to his bike??

i drafted Oliver remorselessly all the way up chelsea embankment this evening (stopping at every traffic light, naturally). the teutonic fucker was tearing along on his geared road bike enjoying watching me spinning like a bastard with my 70" gear. if i hadn't been glued to his wheel I would've been stuffed. thanks mr schick!

drafting is ace, but it requires trust. go out with some road groups and they'll yell at you if you let a 20cm gap open up in front of you. i personally wouldn't draft anyone riding a hybrid (let's be honest it's probably not worth my while anyway)... anyone who rides a hybrid probably isn't used to bunch rides and won't be predictable enough.

if some random drafts me on my commute i usually just burn them off, or stop at the lights. depends.

lucas
When drafting, I have my fingers over the brakes and I watch for possible slow downs ahead, however I am making the assumption that the other ride will ride exactly the same as I would.

Don't assume or you may be assuming the position...
The finger on the brake is good but assumptions BAD.

i drafted Oliver remorselessly all the way up chelsea embankment this evening (stopping at every traffic light, naturally). the teutonic fucker was tearing along on his geared road bike enjoying watching me spinning like a bastard with my 70" gear. if i hadn't been glued to his wheel I would've been stuffed. thanks mr schick!

Great spinning, Tim! I've got you bracketed as a much stronger rider than me, so I didn't for a moment think I was going too fast. That was a lovely ride home. I really enjoyed that!

i personally wouldn't draft anyone riding a hybrid (let's be honest it's probably not worth my while anyway)... anyone who rides a hybrid probably isn't used to bunch rides and won't be predictable enough.

Never judge anyone by what they ride or how they look, if there's one thing I've learnt about cycling in all it's forms, it's that.

drafting strangers is a funny one, in traffic with lots of stop start it's not going to help you much.

I drafted some bloke on a bike with panniers the other day, he kept looking round at me, then began pointing out potholes and drain covers like we were on a club run! I would have gone in front and dragged him along had I not been turning off after 500 yards. On other occassions I've shared the work with a very fast roadie all the way from Herne Hill to New Cross and one of the fastest riders I've ever seen along Kennington road was a big tall bloke on a hybrid.

You just have to decide whether it's worth it, there are not many riders who are fast enough to bother drafting, but if they are fast and straight and not weaving around or nodding and throwing their upper body around then it's odds-on they are a decent enough wheel to follow.

[quote=RPM;682225]Never judge anyone by what they ride or how they look, if there's one thing I've learnt about cycling in all it's forms, it's that.

+1

Don't assume or you may be assuming the position...
The finger on the brake is good but assumptions BAD.

I am quite hesitate so I am going to back off from their wheel quite quickly, Should have made that clearer. However making assumptions is bad news.

Never judge anyone by what they ride or how they look, if there's one thing I've learnt about cycling in all it's forms, it's that.

+1 The fastest rider I ever had draft me with was a chav on a carrera MTB. If his chain hadn't had dropped off, I would have been shamed myself into a living under a rock for the next few years.

Never judge anyone by what they ride or how they look, if there's one thing I've learnt about cycling in all it's forms, it's that.

i disagree with this. of course in traffic sometimes you have to make quick decisions about other riders' ability, and it's better to err on the side of caution (note the repeated use of the qualifier "probably" in my original statement). i'm not saying that all hybrid riders are slow numpties with weak skills, but on the balance of probability it's more likely than for a guy on a carbon pinarello, so on that basis i would generally not draft someone on a hybrid.

of course the guy on the pinarello may have just ridden 150km and be in a sugar crash, so may be just as unpredictable, but it's all about using your head, innit.

This thread is ridiculous - riders with a reputation for crashing more than is healthy moaning about the danger posed by 'inexperienced' riders behind them.

true but most fixed riders ride quite slowly though, sitting upright twiddling through town on a spinny gear they are mostly a danger to themselves.

This thread is ridiculous - riders with a reputation for crashing more than is healthy moaning about the danger posed by 'inexperienced' riders behind them.
i have crashed once, in 3 years, even then i was sooooo pissed, i couldn't even walk let alone ride :p

and i wasn't moaning, all i had wrote was a +1, and i was pished.

On the other hand, I was posting directly in the faces of MA3K, and 31trum :p

Can draft, don't draft or tow.
Will leave you guys to it, just stay off my wheel.
:P

I confess, I am one of those lycra-clad, carbon-riding geared-bike riders. And yes I ride in groups. There is a 30% increase in efficiency if you are on someones back wheel so you can go further or faster, or you can tow a less strong rider. It is important once you get over 30 kph, where most of your effort goes into overcoming the wind resistance. If you touch, then it is the following rider who loses control, falls and generally does a collarbone. The lead rider might notice a small tap, before hearing the screams from behind. Always a good idea to let the lead rider know you are on the back wheel if you want to tag on so they can have a choice to agree to giving the tow or not.
My fixed ride is underway.

pffft

whats the speed limit on clerkenwell rd? because i can maintain that majority of the way up the road without having to draft a group of people or a bus

I confess, I am one of those lycra-clad, carbon-riding geared-bike riders. And yes I ride in groups. There is a 30% increase in efficiency if you are on someones back wheel so you can go further or faster, or you can tow a less strong rider. It is important once you get over 30 kph, where most of your effort goes into overcoming the wind resistance. If you touch, then it is the following rider who loses control, falls and generally does a collarbone. The lead rider might notice a small tap, before hearing the screams from behind. Always a good idea to let the lead rider know you are on the back wheel if you want to tag on so they can have a choice to agree to giving the tow or not.
My fixed ride is underway.

If a rider pissed me off on the way back home, (I was a right little prick when I was 18) ... What I used to ride up until I was just about to touch his rear tyre then just skim it so it made a weird noise, used to shit them up proper. Note: if you try this on a road bike you are likely to end up on your arse.

If a rider pissed me off on the way back home, (I was a right little prick when I was 18) ... What I used to ride up until I was just about to touch his rear tyre then just skim it so it made a weird noise, used to shit them up proper. Note: if you try this on a road bike you are likely to end up on your arse.

Ha! I used to do this to my sisters all the time, they hated it!

I drafted some bloke on a bike with panniers the other day, he kept looking round at me, then began pointing out potholes and drain covers like we were on a club run!

Sounds like me. Feel free to hop aboard again soon...

pffft

whats the speed limit on clerkenwell rd? because i can maintain that majority of the way up the road without having to draft a group of people or a bus

If I'm riding along Clerkenwell Rd on the way home from 80 hilly miles in Kent or something, and someone happens to end up in front of me doing roughly the same speed as I'm doing, I'll take a tow, thanks very much.

The speed limit's 30mph AFAIK, and even if it were practical to ride at that speed all the way along there, I bet you don't maintain it, especially westbound...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL-mD1Zem0Q

this is how it usually goes down

I do find it amusing how the ToC now seems to be so frequently rain-soaked with nearly all of the sponsors' logos covered up by rain jackets. :)