'Car up', 'Car back' & 'Car down'?

[mpre53]

I think that shouting "car up!!!" is the dumbest thing that group ride idiots do. I'm not Stevie Wonder---I have two good eyes, and they aren't buried in my stem or my Garmin when I'm riding. It makes sense only when you've taken the lane to turn against oncoming traffic (right for you Brits).

Also, there's no need to yell out "car back!!!" on a busy road with a constant stream of passing cars---you assume that there's always a car back.

 

[mpre53]

On my local CC's club runs it's 'car back' for behind and 'car up' if it's in front.

IMO, riding in a group of more than 5 requires communication up and down the line and if the only thing you can see in front for the best part of 3 hours is someone else's backside, hand signals and calls are pretty essential.

Why would you turn out of a line and ride across the road in any case? I can see calling out road hazards on your side, but call out every car coming the other way? Makes no sense.

These threads make me wonder how I've managed to survive solo rides for so long, without someone letting me know about cars coming at me, or coming up behind me.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

We use "car up" for car behind and "car down" for car coming towards us. I loathe hand signals, quite a lot of people aren't good enough bike handlers to have their hands off the bars

 

[Tin Pot]

What is this place where cars are so slow you can utter two syllables before they are upon you?

 

[T4tomo]

If the person in front of you shouts car (whatever) then the car is in front of you.

If the person behind shouts it then the car is coming from that direction.

It really is that simple.

The up down ahead back oil tin box jalopy makes not a jot of difference

 

[screenman]

Why would you turn out of a line and ride across the road in any case? I can see calling out road hazards on your side, but call out every car coming the other way? Makes no sense.

These threads make me wonder how I've managed to survive solo rides for so long, without someone letting me know about cars coming at me, or coming up behind me.

So there you are riding along in a bunch of say 12, you have 3 riders in front and 2 behind as well as the one's beside them. Can you see everything the one's at the front and back can. Only a group ride idiot would say yes.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Why would you turn out of a line and ride across the road in any case? I can see calling out road hazards on your side, but call out every car coming the other way? Makes no sense.

These threads make me wonder how I've managed to survive solo rides for so long, without someone letting me know about cars coming at me, or coming up behind me.

Speaking as a 'group ride idiot' I don't think you get it - these calls are most useful when riding in a group two abreast, on a narrow road or lane, and may suggest the need to move to single file (we would then shout 'single up'). Also serves as a warning for a rider not to overtake or change position at that time. You don't call out every car on a busy road, and you certainly don't need to do it riding solo - then you'd be a 'solo ride idiot' wouldn't you?

 

[mjr]

These threads make me wonder how I've managed to survive solo rides for so long, without someone letting me know about cars coming at me, or coming up behind me.

People on our social rides tend to, well, socialise. It's useful to have others helping watch out for motorists, in case you were talking, or your look behind saw only the riders behind you and not whatever's behind them. Not often a problem for solo riders.

 

[mjr]

What I can't understand is why the patently obvious - 'Car ahead' or 'Car behind' (or something similarly unambiguous) wasn't adopted by all in the first place.

They're too easily confused if you don't hear them exactly, both having a dah dah dah sound, both typically flat or rising depending on your accent. Using up/down makes them dah dee and dah dow, one rising and one falling. Back/front are also sufficiently different IMO but not quite as much.

This is also why there shouldn't be too many different calls in a group.

 

[PK99]

People on our social rides tend to, well, socialise. It's useful to have others helping watch out for motorists, in case you were talking, or your look behind saw only the riders behind you and not whatever's behind them. Not often a problem for solo riders.

in a tight group you want to be looking forward not back!

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm in sympathy with @mpre53 here.

I can't stand riding in groups with constant bloody shouting going on. We never or *rarely* had it in the early days of our club, it's appeared since we've been joined by people from a 'serious' club and a lot more newbies.
Cars happen, we should expect that and ride accordingly whether solo or in a bunch. There will always be cars behind us on most main/busyish roads and most of the time they're trying to get past and they can bloody well wait until it's safe. There are always likely to be cars coming the other way too, so they shouldn't need to be called either, we should expect them.
I said *rarely* because calling is most valuable when the unexpected happens. When people call every vehicle it just becomes background noise and spoils a good ride.

 

[SteCenturion]

Car up your backside, so behind you. Car down your throat so in front.

Might try that with her indoors

 

[screenman]

I'm in sympathy with @mpre53 here.

I can't stand riding in groups with constant bloody shouting going on. We never or *rarely* had it in the early days of our club, it's appeared since we've been joined by people from a 'serious' club and a lot more newbies.
Cars happen, we should expect that and ride accordingly whether solo or in a bunch. There will always be cars behind us on most main/busyish roads and most of the time they're trying to get past and they can bloody well wait until it's safe. There are always likely to be cars coming the other way too, so they shouldn't need to be called either, we should expect them.
I said *rarely* because calling is most valuable when the unexpected happens. When people call every vehicle it just becomes background noise and spoils a good ride.

Seems to me that the older members may not have taught the new one's properly. Does your club run a group ride training session?

 

[PK99]

I'm in sympathy with @mpre53 here.

I can't stand riding in groups with constant bloody shouting going on. We never or *rarely* had it in the early days of our club, it's appeared since we've been joined by people from a 'serious' club and a lot more newbies.
Cars happen, we should expect that and ride accordingly whether solo or in a bunch. There will always be cars behind us on most main/busyish roads and most of the time they're trying to get past and they can bloody well wait until it's safe. There are always likely to be cars coming the other way too, so they shouldn't need to be called either, we should expect them.
I said *rarely* because calling is most valuable when the unexpected happens. When people call every vehicle it just becomes background noise and spoils a good ride.

most of the group riding I do is on roads in Surrey ,Kent, Sussex, Berkshire etc. a high % on roads without central white lines and where cars are very often few and far between Informing the group that a car is coming up from behind or down from the top of the group is an important safety factor.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Seems to me that the older members may not have taught the new one's properly. Does your club run a group ride training session?

One has been started and it's along the lines of the faux chain-gang shouty brigade