Why hello there random commuter, thanks for taking a wheel

[Kronos]

We've all seen it, or had it done to us. Some malcontent decides they can ride faster than you on their shiny new mountain bike with a mountain biking groupset. They proceed to take a wheel in front of you and then as soon as they pass you they slow down again leaving you to have to either pass them on their road, or waste your energy riding slowly up hill in one of your granny gears.

I would hasten to add that the behavior is rather unsociable. It's also incredibly dangerous when I have to shoulder check to get past you as a moving hazard. The short and the long of it really is simple. If you believe you can ride faster than me, then drop me and ride on, if you don't think you can pass me for any great extent of time please don't. All you are doing is becoming a moving hazard.

[RichB]

I've been that person before, overtaken roadies with the mtb on the flat, then got my @ss handed back to me on a long climb a few mins later. I was feeling so good too.

[bychosis]

Newbies may not realise the drafting effect. They ride along with the same effort then catch and think they can easily pass, only to slow down once they get back out in the breeze.

[silentC]

They are the same ones who overtake you on the motorway and then back off a few clicks up the road.

[Arbuckle23]

They are the same ones who overtake you on the motorway and then back off a few clicks up the road.

Happens to me on freeways all the time.
They come up behind you, overtake, then once in front back off.
If I then move to overtake them, because I was quite happy at the speed I was travelling at before I had to back off to avoid rear ending them, then they speed up

I have no idea why this happens, maybe some psychologist can explain why there is this need to be in front?

[silentC]

Yes there is a thesis in it for sure. My problem is I use cruise control, so it becomes really annoying when you get someone like that.

[Kronos]

They are the same ones who overtake you on the motorway and then back off a few clicks up the road.

Happens to me on freeways all the time.
They come up behind you, overtake, then once in front back off.
If I then move to overtake them, because I was quite happy at the speed I was travelling at before I had to back off to avoid rear ending them, then they speed up

I have no idea why this happens, maybe some psychologist can explain why there is this need to be in front?

It seems to be an ego thing as far as I'm aware, but its still near impossible to understand. Sometimes courtesy goes out the window on bikes. On the rare occasion when you're out riding by yourself, and someone decides they want to take turns, I'll take turns and do a bit of work. Until then if I find a rider that is faster than me I let them go. If I'm riding faster than someone else I drop them and move on.

Perhaps after being dropped a couple times they'll get the point. It's not that I don't like to take on newbies but if you're just gonna wheel suck and then pass me for all of 30 seconds then it gets to the point where you're just becoming a moving hazard which is both dangerous and annoying.

[Thoglette]

It seems to be an ego thing as far as I'm aware, but its still near impossible to understand.

One thing that definitely is a factor is that different bikes are "faster" in different situations. My daily commuter is heavy and middling aerowise. So people on light bikes tend to pass me about the middle of a climb from the flat only to get eaten up on the next rolling section.

[cyclotaur]

I've done a few long and hilly rides lately that mixed road and trail (on my road bike), and I've been the hunter and the hunted.

If I'm incrementally catching someone and we are climbing I always hold back on overtaking them, as they are often stronger than me on flatter sections. I'll stay off their wheel by 50m or so and really judge their pace over at least several hundred metres before deciding whether to stay put, pass, or just ride up for a chat.

Similarly if I'm passed by someone going a similar speed, I'll say g'day as they pass (amazing how many don't, even if you are miles from nowhere! ) then see how quickly they pull away. If they don't I'll ride up and chat and/or overtake if/when they tire or the terrain changes our relative pace.

A month or so back I was approaching Lake Mountain summit and a guy rolled alongside huffing and puffing, said g'day and then dropped straight back again - I looked around to make sure he wasn't literally dying and he called out to me to go on, he was just trying to 'catch' me before the top !! - his big effort was over, it seemed, and he had other mates coming up behind. At least he was friendly !

That 'pass and slow down' thing is annoying though, especially on narrow trails or, say, fast-ish bunch ride places like Beach Rd. Sometimes random bunches work and sometimes they don't. Passing then doing a decent pull on the front then flicking the elbow is OK. The worst thing is when a random bunch is doing rolling turns and someone reaches the front right position, drafting up all the way, then loses their cover and can't get ahead and across to the left. Chaos ensues...

[Kronos]

It seems to be an ego thing as far as I'm aware, but its still near impossible to understand.

One thing that definitely is a factor is that different bikes are "faster" in different situations. My daily commuter is heavy and middling aerowise. So people on light bikes tend to pass me about the middle of a climb from the flat only to get eaten up on the next rolling section.

That's my problem also, my daily bike is a steel road bike. So as it goes I tend to get dropped by people on newer carbon bikes up hills, but on the flats and short inclines its relatively even. I suppose he thought I was going to be as slow as I was before I hit the pinch. Turns out if you have someone try to pas you, you've actually got more gas than you thought you had.