wannaride

Very stylish but it tells me what you think you're head is worth.

roccobike

+1, Other etiquette observations, it drives me crazy when someone is having a deep conversation with someone else in the pace line and constantly looks at them instead of the road or whats up ahead (especially when they have the pull position) or someone who changes lanes in a double pace line without signaling.

sabazel

I will still check on my riding style, but this is more what I think happens, since I've spoken to some people who have been with the ride for a while and apparently it's a regular occurrence. I was just wondering what the "rules" were in a broader geographic sense, since most of the rides around here seem to have etiquette problems. I just didn't know which aspects of the rides were the "problems."

martinus

Donno ... did you ahve too many bean burritoes for lunch ?

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ls01

Sounds like the "pace line " is being run back wards. according to the op. New leaders are surging to the front from the back? I thought the leader moved over after his turn and rotated to the back, thus the #2 man is now the leader. Oh well what do I know.
op: where 's your frame pump? That will fix a lot of these rude behaviors.

invwnut

what sucks is when you are one of the 5-6 riders who will pull but when the ride turns up and you want to get back in the paceline, no one will let you in. They won't pull and they won't let you in.

noise boy

The more I read about group ride behavior here, the less interested I am in doing a group ride. They really sound like ******bag conventions.

Loose Chain

there are people who simply cannot deal with life until they are half a wheel in front of the next guy. Iti s so completely irratating to ride with people who cannot grow up.

I like my Ray Ban Aviators.

nahh

the correct term is "passing", I believe. It's a heck of a lot easier to hold a good position when the pace jumps up when you're already in a good position. If you're towards the front, you can drop back a couple guys and still maintain a good place in line.

sometimes i think these answers are a lot simpler than a lot of BF makes them out to be...a lot of people just ride bikes because it's fun, and don't go type about them online for hours afterwards

rollin

"We"? It might be what you call a rotating paceline but you'd be wrong.

This is why people yell

Jay-W

That's kind of funny.

Some etiquette is actually there for safety. Remember choose your group wisely and you might enjoy it.

BarryJo

Yell at them to get the f to the back of the line.
Or talk to them at a break and let them know their lack of group riding skills are screwing up the ride.
This stuff is never tolerated on the fast ride, and for good reason.

I don't understand. Why should anyone who's holding a wheel let another rider in? Fall to the back, or jump in where a gap's opened.
I'll do it from time to time, let another rider in, but it's usually a courtesy I extend to the regulars who know how to ride.... and without jerking the brakes so as not to screw up the ride behind me..... Or when there's a Car Back.

ColorChange

I think what invwunt is saying that only the front 5-6 are taking turns doing the work at the front. Then when it really gets fast, they won't let you back in but won't pull through and do any work either so it breaks the paceline and the faster guys have to ride around the now slower, non-working pack at the front. The paceline reforms with the faster, working riders, and the slower pack is now often gapped.

At normal speeds, they allow a gap for the workers to tuck back into, but when it gets heated, you're looking over your shoulder and dropping back, looking for a break. If I go about a dozen deep, and still no luck, I'll usually gun it back to the front and join the faster workers and really try to bury it for a bit. This usually shakes the hangers on ... off.

BarryJo

Thanks!
If that's the case it's time to yell at the offenders.

RiPHRaPH

If you are teammates, then the paceline should be smooth. The riders should be calling out "last" as they pull through. So if it is a clock-wise double breasted rotation, the guy in the right rear quadrant should be pulling left to follow the wheel then calls out 'last' as he passes the guy on his left.
As you pull through you (and only you) are in charge of your front wheel. You soft pedal as you pull through to the fogline (whiteline)
So you accelerate through the rotation then keep the speed or slow a tad bit after the pull. This is trickier on slight inclines or declines.

Gaps can happen as road hazards are called out. You can keep a steady pace with this.

However guys who don't work together, and want to turn it into a slugfest will behave differently and try to drop you at every chance and accelerate out of turns and stops. This racer mentality only serves to be a ride of individuals, not of teammates. Testosterone takes over and riders can get strung out all over the place.

There are smooth riders who you can ride behind/beside/in front of all day long and then there are the ones who will tear it up.
On a group ride... there is nothing that states you have to chase down everything.

The mob rules. If a guy or guys want to tear off the front..... you can let them go. You don't have to chase.

stonecrd

All group rides are a bit different, this doesn't sound like a very organized ride though. If the ride is really rotating the front then there should be no other riders moving through the line unless there is a sprint or gapping going on. If you are holding the wheel of someone then why let someone move in? Many group rides though don't follow an organized rotation it is just a peloton with stronger riders moving to the front and weaker riders staying protected and holding on. In those rides you can have people moving up on both sides of you and you better be able to hold a line and a wheel. Both are fun but quite different.

MDcatV

this, plus consider the length of your pulls. you might be on the front too long and while you think you're throwing down a good pace, are slowing down too much in reality.

Yaniel

you obviously don't know anything about riding in a paceline, or even what a paceline is.

Nachoman

i ride with one guy who always lets a little too much of a gap open up. consequently everyone is always trying to jump him.

Val23708

in an aggressive ride or racing if there is a gap on the descending line, i will jump into it. this does two things: gives me more rest and gaps the guy behind me so he gets more beat up.

billallbritten

I found this summary of etiquette and good practices some years ago. It helped me understand the dynamics of this type of riding and what would and would not be a safe and/or courteous practice.

I wish I had a reference but FWIW, always be sure that everybody is following the same set of practices - i.e. response to traffic signs and signals, railroad tracks, voice/hand signals, alerting others to potential changes in speed (standing for sure) etc. Watch for the accordion effect. This nailed me once with a bad fall and broken collarbone.

NomadVW 

Show up to our local weekly rides with TT bars and you'll either be asked to ride off the back or set the pace alone on the front. Even very experienced TT riders I don't trust in the middle of our pace lines if they are even remotely indicating they are heading to the aero bars.

All sounds to me like they don't trust you in the pack, and therefore would rather be in front.

milkbaby

Outta curiosity, what constitutes a "gap" and should it vary between different groups? I'm a newbie, but the biggest gap I would see on the rides I've done is maybe a little over half a bike length, and lots of times that's when somebody is yakking and not paying attention or is a little toasted.

Erzulis Boat 

They feel like that at first, but no matter how fast you think you are, a fast group will kill you. Your fitness will improve to a level that is virtually (basically impossible) without group riding. Even having my much faster oldest brother pull me ( just the 2 of us) jacks up my fitness. What is nuts, is that you have to hit certain "speeds" to improve.What I am trying to say, is that group riding with all it's "faults" is required if you want to be really fit.

I remember my first group rides, they called me "Frankenstein" because I would mash these stupid big gears on the rollers and mess up the line ( and the big gear mash came from inexperience, not strength!). A few weeks later, they had someone else to pick on. That's cycling.

I have not been in a group bigger than 3-4 for the last few years (busy at work) but now that I have dedicated more time to cycling, I have to get back in the bigger rides. I am not looking forward to it, but it has to be done.

noise boy

The instant anything related to cycling "has to be done" despite it's negatives is the last day I do it. I have an extremely high stress job that consumes about 80 hours a week on a slow week and I get to deal with arrogant *******s all day long (musical artists), cycling is something I do to stay in shape and spend time doing something I enjoy, if I stop enjoying it, I will stop doing it.