"HOLE!" Don't be that guy
 

Calling out holes in a group is a good thing. But doing so without pointing is close to useless. A hand signal - even silent (but combo is ideal) - works so much better. The point, the gravel sign, move left, etc. just so much more helpful. When I hear "HOLE!" without any L/R indication, I hear "Get ready to bunnyhop" (which I avoid at all costs, that royally screws the riders behind me).

Ride up front.... where it's safer.

How big was your group and how experienced were the riders in it? We don't ''yell'' things when we're group riding unless it's an imminent danger. We just point and make signs that everyone understands.

Is someone doing this consistently or just once in a blue moon? I can see someone calling out a hazard, without hand gestures to communicate location, if they've been caught off guard and they need both hands on the bars to maneuver around it, themselves.

Proper! Too much yelling anymore.

If you are ever riding in a position where you can't easily see and avoid road hazards on your own maybe that's not all that safe to begin with.

I've done that, just yell out because there is no time to point.
It also sucks when a rider ahead hits a rock and it is rolling around when I get there.

Next time, hit the hole one-handed so you can point at it with your other hand while remaining silent.. or we're going to yell at you!

If one is riding in a reasonably sized group, voice is important because the people 5-6 wheels back aren't going to see your hand signal and the people who see the hand signal may not have time to signal by hand either because the hazard is coming by too fast or because they need both their hands to handle their bikes as they and the group move around the hazard.

You do what you can do, but the whole group will hear what you call out, whereas only 2-4 will see your hand signal.

Agreed. I've ranted about this before.

Most do OK pointing and avoiding hazards, but the few seem committed to the blood-curdling yell.

well yes, group rides are inherently dangerous. It's not a "safe" sport but you can do things to make it safer like acting predictable. Screaming hole isn't predictable but I've been guilty of it lol.

How about the blood curdling "car back" for EVERY car that comes by? There are times when it's appropriate, of course.

What’s the deal with bunny hops? It’s just a z-axis swerve. Sometimes necessary, it shouldn’t cause any issues for riders around you.

Sorry, I don't get it. And what's your hand signal for when there is a sudden unexpected stop? You don't like it when people yell out then, either?

The other day in a fast pace line, somebody had a sudden mechanical and it sent a shockwave through the line. Everybody managed to brake or swerve -fortunately, there was no curb and a grassy shoulder - and nobody went down. Although most of the "saves" were just people being aware and knowing how to handle their bikes, several loud calls of "slowing!" surely helped.

I do agree that on a bad road where there is pothole after pothole, there's no need to call out all of them. Once everybody knows that the road is crap, they can be on the lookout.

It's hard to imagine a bunny hop that doesn't produce a momentary slowing unless you were already putting negligible power to the pedals. Usually not a big deal I admit, but it can affect other riders.

At a recent "Ride Leader's" meeting of my club, people argued for 30 minutes about whether you should point out a hole or yell it out, or both, or neither. There was no way everyone was going to agree.

Like most situations, the best answer is "it depends on many variables, and use your best judgement."

Sometimes you can't take your hands off the bar to point, based on what the road conditions. I agree yelling out is sometimes quite disruptive but realize that people in back may not see the pointing.

The difference is that when calling out slowing or stopping, it's pretty clear what to do, whereas "hole" tells you nothing about what to do, except maybe brace for a damaged rim.

I agree that pointing gives more info than yelling "hole", but as already noted, not everybody sees the hand gesture and what the voice call does is get people to look down and ahead, when they might not otherwise be at that moment. Don't tell me that in a good group everybody has all of their attention on the road in front of them 100% of the time. That's not true.

Also, the reaction time is slower for a hand gesture than for vocalizing.

The two are not mutually exclusive and as I said earlier, you do what you can do.

I agree with this. I am much quicker to jam my head down into neck, tighten grip on bars, & randomly swerve when someone yells "HOLE", than

when someone points.:)

If I'm trying to shake a guy that is riding in my draft, I might want him to hit the hole and crack a wheel.

We found it's most effective to yell at the hole.

On edit: Sorry, I thought you meant @holes.

if you hit the hole hard enough, not only will your MPH will instantly drop to signal as a warning, your now faulty equipment will also serve as a warning to others behind you. Take one for the TEAM!

Oh dear Lord. I bike to escape stuff like this.

ikr

I love my club but it's too big for its britches and it may be time to take my rides private.

That really should be your signature.

When I first saw it, I was like :twitchy: