fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I just had to batter a quick hybrid this morning twice, only because he kept jumping red lights.
Must commuters race each other?
- Thread starter beanzontoast
- Start date
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Ian Johnson
New Member
I had a run for my money with a guy on a MTB with front suspension and slicks. Caught him up at a junction where he then pulled out before me,I had to pedal hard to catch him again. As I overtook up a slight hill he must have drafted me to the top. The next section was downhill were he stayed close,I could hear him beind on the next hill as his gears where clunking,then when I got to the flat I hammered it for about a mile in the mid 20's mph as I was nearly home. Thinking I had droped him I looked back and he was still about 150metres behind before we went separate ways ,what a fast guy,if he was on a road bike like me I am sure he would have had me lol. Was it you fossyant hehe...all good fun.
smeg
New Member
- Location
- Isle of Wight
I gave a lycra-clad roadie on a red racing bike a run for his money this morning 
, overtook him on my touring/hybrid bike although not just for the sake of it he was going slower than I wanted to go (about 19mph I do 25 or more along that stretch of road) I stayed behind him for a while but got bored and overtook him. He caught me up eventually and we laughed about it, he said "you'll have to do better than that" or something (I got the giste anyway 
). Took him about 2 miles of road to catch me up though when I had dropped into lower gears going up a slight hill, dunno if that counts as my first roadie scalp, scalped each other I guess? 
Scalped a red light jumping bloke on a knobby-tyred mountain bike too on the way home, he initially gained a lot of ground due to jumping lights but took me no time at all to catch him up and left him for dust, but that was just too easy.
, overtook him on my touring/hybrid bike although not just for the sake of it he was going slower than I wanted to go (about 19mph I do 25 or more along that stretch of road) I stayed behind him for a while but got bored and overtook him. He caught me up eventually and we laughed about it, he said "you'll have to do better than that" or something (I got the giste anyway ). Took him about 2 miles of road to catch me up though when I had dropped into lower gears going up a slight hill, dunno if that counts as my first roadie scalp, scalped each other I guess? Scalped a red light jumping bloke on a knobby-tyred mountain bike too on the way home, he initially gained a lot of ground due to jumping lights but took me no time at all to catch him up and left him for dust, but that was just too easy.
fozy tornip
A usual suspect.
benborp said:
That's good footage, as is your other stuff on YouTube. Clear steady image, and birdsong on Ditchling Beacon!
What camera are you using?
benborp
Guru
- Location
- further from Penge
The camera's a viosport scout attached to a DV500 recorder. Both are obsolete now (after a year or so) but dogcamsport.co.uk supplied them and have lots of other packages.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Ian Johnson said:
Noo....I've lowered my SCR (Silly Commuter Racing) rating as I'm now on a fixed road bike instead of a slicked MTB.....so a bit further up the food chain, so can't claim as many points now.....
I had a chap on a full sus MTB (half decent one) sit on me for a couple of hundred yards last night, that was till we hit a hill....bye.... He was pretty quick though, I put about a minute into him on the hill, then whilst waiting in traffic he caught up, then dived down the side and was off. His shaved legs gave him away though.....
Neddy
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Derby/Nottingham
As I left my driveway this morning, a young roadie cycled past (matching lycra, colour co-ordinated with his road bike, yellow tinted goggles, etc.). I smiled and gave him the cyclists' nod, but rather than reciprocate the greeting, he seemed to take it as a challenge and immediately stood up on his pedals and accelerated away. Under normal circumstances I should have been no match for him - I'm approaching forty and commute on a touring bike - but at the moment my gear shifter is broken, so I have the additional handicap of being stuck on the middle ring (with the aid of a block of wood wedged into the front mech!).
After about a quarter of a mile he eased off and over the next mile I actually caught him up. Apart from checking that I wasn't catching him after his initial spurt, he didn't look over his shoulder once in the entire journey. He probably didn't realise I was right behind him.
1. At a busy roundabout, he approached in the wrong lane and then track-stood (is that the right terminology?) for a suitable gap in the traffic. I on the other hand slowed down to match the traffic flow, filtered into the correct lane and smoothly flowed round the roundabout with everyone else (by which time I'd caught up with him again).
2. Following behind a bus approaching a stop, he stayed glued to the rear bumper. When the bus stopped, he had no road space to pull out and overtake, so he mounted the pavement and cycled along it to the next dropped kerb. Bearing in mind the bus had just stopped, this meant riding amongst the waiting passengers. Needless to say, I dropped back as we came up to the bus stop, moved out to overtake it and caught up with the roadie again around the other side.
3. Overtaking another cyclist, he barely flinched from his 'racing line', passing rudely close. Again he didn't even look behind him, despite there being a constant flow of cars going past. I suppose he'd argue that as he wasn't pulling out it didn't matter. I would like to think that I gave the other cyclist plenty of room and I deliberately said a cheery 'good morning' as I went past.
4. At a set of red traffic lights (definitely already on red as we approached), he again mounted the pavement and carried on riding. This then meant that he was on the wrong (ie, pavement) side of the pedestrian barriers and had to cycle 50m or more down a side street to get back onto the road. He then had to do a U-turn into the traffic and come back up to the original junction and turn left. Guess what? By this time the traffic lights had changed to green, I was moving again and I caught up with him.
I'm not saying that my riding technique is perfect, but I have got many years' experience of commuting and would like to think that this proves that you don't have to be in a such a hurry to still be able to travel quickly by bike. Not only was it a case of more haste, less speed, but by riding in this manner he upset motorists, pedestrians and even other cyclists, giving more fuel to the 'cyclists don't deserve to be on the road' brigade.
After about a quarter of a mile he eased off and over the next mile I actually caught him up. Apart from checking that I wasn't catching him after his initial spurt, he didn't look over his shoulder once in the entire journey. He probably didn't realise I was right behind him.
1. At a busy roundabout, he approached in the wrong lane and then track-stood (is that the right terminology?) for a suitable gap in the traffic. I on the other hand slowed down to match the traffic flow, filtered into the correct lane and smoothly flowed round the roundabout with everyone else (by which time I'd caught up with him again).
2. Following behind a bus approaching a stop, he stayed glued to the rear bumper. When the bus stopped, he had no road space to pull out and overtake, so he mounted the pavement and cycled along it to the next dropped kerb. Bearing in mind the bus had just stopped, this meant riding amongst the waiting passengers. Needless to say, I dropped back as we came up to the bus stop, moved out to overtake it and caught up with the roadie again around the other side.
3. Overtaking another cyclist, he barely flinched from his 'racing line', passing rudely close. Again he didn't even look behind him, despite there being a constant flow of cars going past. I suppose he'd argue that as he wasn't pulling out it didn't matter. I would like to think that I gave the other cyclist plenty of room and I deliberately said a cheery 'good morning' as I went past.
4. At a set of red traffic lights (definitely already on red as we approached), he again mounted the pavement and carried on riding. This then meant that he was on the wrong (ie, pavement) side of the pedestrian barriers and had to cycle 50m or more down a side street to get back onto the road. He then had to do a U-turn into the traffic and come back up to the original junction and turn left. Guess what? By this time the traffic lights had changed to green, I was moving again and I caught up with him.
I'm not saying that my riding technique is perfect, but I have got many years' experience of commuting and would like to think that this proves that you don't have to be in a such a hurry to still be able to travel quickly by bike. Not only was it a case of more haste, less speed, but by riding in this manner he upset motorists, pedestrians and even other cyclists, giving more fuel to the 'cyclists don't deserve to be on the road' brigade.
Sh4rkyBloke
Jaffa Cake monster
- Location
- Manchester, UK
I do... everytime I can see my reflection in a window.garrilla said:
Commuter racing is the bane of my life, I'm rarely caught or overtaken (I'm a roadie that races). I just can't let it go. Whatever I've got in mind training/competition wise it is just so hard not to go for the scalp/ show them I'm just taking it easy. Many a time trial/ chaingang has been ruined by this inability to just let people go past.
A couple of times I've been turning a reasonable speed and a guy on an MTB has jsut drafted me for a couple of miles. My incredibly mature response? Interval training. Easy,easy, HARD,easy, easy HARD.
I think the best explanation for all this idiocy is: 1 cyclist=commute, 2 cyclists+=race. And I hate losing (unless they they are E/1/2's, and that's only because it happens so often!)
A couple of times I've been turning a reasonable speed and a guy on an MTB has jsut drafted me for a couple of miles. My incredibly mature response? Interval training. Easy,easy, HARD,easy, easy HARD.
I think the best explanation for all this idiocy is: 1 cyclist=commute, 2 cyclists+=race. And I hate losing (unless they they are E/1/2's, and that's only because it happens so often!)
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
Chasing busses into town is my favourite game. Where do they fit on the food chain?
OP
OP
beanzontoast
Guru
- Location
- South of The Peaks
BrumJim said:
A bus is surely in a different league, as it depends on the number and duration of stops it makes. I'm not into racing per se (as in my OP) but that doesn't stop me observing the behaviour of buses on my commute. I'm generally similarly paced to most buses going into town, often overtaking them and being overtaken by them a few times during a commute. Most drivers aren't bothered by this, but I get the feeling some think I am trying to race them; there have been the odd occasions where they've driven too close behind in bus lanes after I've overtaken a couple of times - almost pushing me along.
And as for the 'express' buses... I wouldn't want to try keeping up with them as I think my tyres would melt!
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
An ex-colleague of mine admits rather sheepishly that he used to draft the express coach on the dual carriageway (one junction only) on the way into University of Warwick when he was a student. He was almost a pro-cyclist.
I can match a Travel West Midlands bus along much of the Bristol Road into town, but the Diamond (ex Midland Red) buses are way too fast.
I can match a Travel West Midlands bus along much of the Bristol Road into town, but the Diamond (ex Midland Red) buses are way too fast.
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
When? So was I.
WMPTE then became West Midlands Travel, and then Travel West Midlands. Now they are part of National Express, so will soon become National Express West Midlands (NEWM, presumably).
No.11 buses still hunt in packs, though.
WMPTE then became West Midlands Travel, and then Travel West Midlands. Now they are part of National Express, so will soon become National Express West Midlands (NEWM, presumably).
No.11 buses still hunt in packs, though.