feel guilty/bad over taking over people on the road

[GrasB]

If you overtake you overtake, just give reasonable room, normally I'm near the centre line, & shoulder check before pulling back in just incase the person you've overtaken is trying to race.

There is always very very rarely someone faster, and someone slower.

fixed it for you

 

[g00se]

Don't worry about it. All the rules, etiquette and tips are here:

http://www.itsnotarace.org/

 

[marzjennings]

Always try and overtake as relaxed as possible, build up some speed and glide past if you can. If you can do it while reading a text message you score extra points.

I gotta admit I like chasing and passing roadies while out on the mountain bike. You can see 'em twitch as they hear my 2.5" knobble tyres 'brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr' as I come up behind up 'em.

 

[g00se]

Get a hed of steam up and try to go past them free-wheeling. Especially if the scalped is on a fixie.

 

[John the Monkey]

I aim to overtake every cyclist I see... something to amuse me on the commute
(well, only the ones going the same way)

Ha! I love the idea that you'd u-turn, chase them down, then u-turn again and carry on your journey though. That'd show 'em.

 

[John the Monkey]

The only time it bugs me is if I'm passed too close.

Otherwise, it's all good.

 

[Hont]

Don't feel bad about overtaking someone, some don't take it well (appendage deficiency) but what are you going to do, slow down and follow them for unknown miles?

I expect to be overtaken and to overtake - depends on what I'm doing. My average speed can vary by about 5mph depending on whether I'm doing a long slow ride or a time trial.

 

[HLaB]

I just thought of another reason why not to feel bad when overtaking somebody; you are giving them the possibility to draft; surely that is a positive thing ;-)

 

[SimonC]

Came up behind somebody at traff lights on yesterdays ride home from work. I was in my commuting baggies disguise and on me winter bike, normally I'm a roadie, road race at weekends, chain gang etc.

This guy was on his spesh roubaix, assos kit etc, glanced over his shoulder then looked away and waited for lights to change. I sat on him for a mile or two while he was clearly bustin a gut to drop me, then put him to the sword once we both turned up the same hill

The joys of commuter racing, so shallow and so satisfying.

Anyway, I had to come to work on me carbon fibre race bike today, so somebody's gonna avit on the way home

 

[sarahpink]

thanks for all the responses, reckon with time will feel more confident about it

 

[Jezston]

I overtook a female cyclist this morning, and feel a bit badly about it ... although it wasn't the overtaking I felt bad about it was the sarcy "we're supposed to stop at red lights, too!" comment I made overtaking her before riding off, after she had really dangerously jumped a red light right into fast moving traffic coming in from a side road.

I probably could have said it in a less sarcastic passive-agressive fashion, especially as I sped off straight away after saying it without giving her time to reply, but ... whatever.

 

[abbie]

I'm a newish commuter, usually the one being overtaken, overtook someone for the first time today and it felt good!

There's loads of lights on my route (shared cyclepath), if I'm waiting with another cyclist I always wait for them to go first expecting them to be much quicker than me but he pootled off slowly and didn't pick up the pace so I just gave him a wide berth and went on by.

 

[addictfreak]

What's it like to be overtaken?

Seriously, it never really happens to me as a rule. Mind I don't see many cyclists on my travels anyway.

 

[ManiaMuse]

Nothing bad about overtaking people I think?

As long as you give them plenty of room and do a few shoulder checks to make it obvious to traffic behind that you want to overtake the cyclist as well.

I tend to give a bit more room if I'm passing a cycling family/children and also teens on MTBs/BMXs with the seatposts ridiculously low. If you are comfortably cycling at a particular speed and someone in front is going slower than that then I can't see anything wrong with overtaking them as long as it's all safe and sensible.

 

[summerdays]

The only time it bugs me is if I'm passed too close.

The only time it bugs me is if they make the effort to pass me and then slow down immediately in front.

Oh - just remembered another time... if they don't have mudguards and its wet!!! If you are going to pass me like that then definitely keep moving very fast.