TimothyH

The only time I care is when I'm riding fixed gear.

Roadies generally don't understand how fixed gear bikes need to be ridden and it can be unsafe.

The inability to shift means that I have to spin up cadence earlier than a geared bike and this often induces a roadie to shift, accelerate and ride up my back wheel. The same goes for standing - I can't shift and sometimes need to stand instead. If a roadie isn't expecting this then the momentary hesitation AKA "drop kick" will often cause a roadie to ride up my back wheel. Braking down hill is the same.

Riders of geared bikes, in general, misundertand what I am doing and think I am riding more aggressively than I am.


-Tim-

jamesdak 

+100 I'm out there for myself and my own effort. Don't really want a stranger on my back wheel whether the danger is his or not. If I accept it then I'm obligated ( I feel) to point out hazards and such. I ride the same base out and know every single hole and am always dancing around them. I'd rather pay attention to my line then worry about what's going on with some yokel behind me. That said, I always pull the earbuds in passing or if someone is closing fast behind me. I say hi and I also want to be able to hear in case there's any problem.

But yeah, I'm a big fan of riding alone so I think I'll keep my earbuds in.

wphamilton

The earbuds as a warn-off wouldn't actually work in these parts. Someone caught my wheel last week on a commute, while I was wearing sweats, no helmet, bag on the rack ... not a likely look for a roadie. First time in many months (I'm not exactly fast on that bike)

It seemed to me that when I signaled slowing when he was 5 or 6 bike lengths back that he took it as an OK to close and draft. Which, from my perspective maybe that's all the etiquette needed as long as the drafting cyclist follows the signals and knows enough to stay a bit back from a fixed gear.

f4rrest

It seems we need a little red or green card to clip onto our seat post to signal "available" or "not available" for a tow.

Similar to a wedding ring.

TimothyH

I don't know about ear buds.

A guy had money hanging out of his open pocket. I rode right next to him, waved and shouted and he wouldn't even look at me because of his buds, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Finally had to tap him on the shoulder and it startled him so that I thought he was going to fall off his bike.

wphamilton

Many would take that as a signal to draft him

Dean V

I have done a fair bit of fixed gear riding in bunches on the road. Never had an issue with geared bike riders sitting on my wheel. They actually seem more than happy to do it alot.

ElJamoquio

We're going to yell at you.

atwl77

And then we're going to grab you by the arm and forcefully eject you from drafting us.

ElJamoquio

It's amazing to me (having been largely absent from this section of the forum for the past 7 or 8 years) that people still know what I'm talking about.

GuitarWizard

I personally hate it when someone I don't know hops on my wheel. I've done everything from slowing down to >10 mph (and he still stayed there....but then again he was glued to my rear wheel for 5-6 miles prior to this as well), wait for a climb to drop them, or blowing snot rockets and spitting off to the side. I also have a habit of not calling out road debris or potholes in these situations as well.

ElJamoquio

I don't care. I don't make a habit out of taking stranger's wheels outside of races but if they've been on my wheel for a mile or so I'll stop in for a breather.

If someone's on your rear wheel and you have decent bike handling skills, nothing they do should really affect you. They're the ones taking the risk.

pickettt

You would purposely jeopardize another cyclist's safety because you don't like him or her riding behind you?

GuitarWizard

It depends - if it's really dangerous (like a deep rut or hole, a rattlesnake sunning itself or massive rocks in the road) that would cause a crash, then no.

kbarch

Regardless of whether there is anything wrong with it, if a rider doesn't like it, there's no reason to let it cause anxiety, or worry about what to say or how to send a signal. Don't be subtle, just pull over and stop for a second. One might think: why should I have to...? Well, because it bothers YOU, and you can't control the situation by merely dropping hints; also there are probably no cops around to make him stop. Besides, if the wheelsucker asks "is everything Ok?" one could say "yes, thank you, now that you're off my tail."

Paul Barnard

Any stranger tries to get up on my wheel is gonna get brake checked.

Sy Reene

Has anyone been keeping score so far between the "what's the big deal" vs. "no frickin way" teams?

gregf83 

If you just ride there is little to no risk to you. Brake check and there's a reasonable chance the rider will destroy your rear derailleur.

If you want to hurt him, better to let him pass and punch him in the face as he goes past or slow down a little and sweep across his front wheel as soon as he overlaps.

zacster

Nope, just not OK. If someone wants to ride my wheel they need to ask or be invited. I don't necessarily mind it when they do but there are also times I'm riding solo for a reason. If I don't want them there, my trick is to lurch left or right and then take off even faster. When they're out on their own they won't catch me. I'm not the strongest rider in the world for sure, but for the rider behind me it is like hitting a wall unexpectedly whereas I'm just dialing it up by a mph or two. I should add that this was true for me about 10 years ago. Nobody takes my wheel like that because I'm just not that fast anymore at 63. Still fast for my age, but let's be real.

Machka 

So ... those of you who don't mind or think it is OK for someone to come up behind you and ride right close to your wheel unannounced ....

I take it then that you don't mind when someone comes up behind you when you're walking and walks close enough to touch you ... when there's no reason to do so.

Maybe it's a female thing but these two are pretty much equal in creepiness.


And, when walking, I have walked into a shop or stopped at a bus stop or something to see if the person will keep going.

When cycling, sometimes I have turned off or stopped to "take a picture" or something.

kbarch

No doubt: decisive lateral separation is the key to either alternative - pulling over (as if) to stop or breaking away. There's no guarantee, but if you're riding on the shoulder and can swerve into the middle of the road to take off, that should do the trick. Even if it doesn't work, at least it's pro.

SHBR

Sometimes its crowded.

San Pedro

I do think for a female there is more of a creepy feeling to it.

However, I don't think walking down the street and riding a road bike down the road are really equal things. To me, it feels more like if someone joined me when I was shooting some hoops alone at the park. Kind of a like a come play together thing.

Of course, it's better to announce oneself even if you're only on the when until you can pass. BTW, apparently my announcement in Japanese was creepy as I learned when I told my wife...

ElJamoquio

As another poster mentioned, the recommended way to assault someone without making it obvious is to wait until they're overlapped and swerve over.

OBoile

My $0.02, I don't like when someone goes on my wheel for an extended time without saying anything. However, I don't care enough to do anything about it. In the grand scheme of things, it's fairly minor IMO. Having said that, since it does bug me somewhat, I don't do it to others.