How to pass riders?

I was riding home today at rush hour up a busy two-lane street and was caught at a red light. Two riders, not my usual commuter company, merged into the main road from a side street. There was a pretty steady line of cars. These two riders, not together and, I think, new to commuting, were going pretty slowly...a lot more slowly than I go. Rider B was faster than Rider A, though behind her. Call me Rider C.

My light changes; Rider B manages to pass Rider A, but I'm really gaining on them w/o having to do too much work. I get a break in traffic and pass Rider A. Now the traffic gets thicker and I'm behind Rider B, pedaling very slowly uphill. I didn't pass him, because I would've made a right turn pretty directly in front of him and that's rude, but his bike handling skills weren't confidence inspiring in traffic and I really didn't want to be behind him.

I think I did the right thing hanging back, but it was really hard to be so slow. I can't do track stands yet :) and I won't ride on the sidewalk to go around someone.

What do you do in this kind of situation? Pedal slowly, get assertive with cars and pass along with them (no!), get off and walk? (I've had to do that with some really dim pedestrians in a construction zone...just for my own safety.)

It's not like I'm a speed demon, though I love to go fast, it's more that I rode all winter and have some conditioning on the riders who just started last week. How can I set a good example, but stay safe and maintain my speed?

Since you were going to do a right turn shortly anyway, I think you did the right thing by hanging back behind the slow rider.

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Originally Posted by Cyclo Kitty

How can I set a good example, but stay safe and maintain my speed?

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Sometimes it's not possible to do all three at once. In that case just go with the first two.

I realize now that the aggravation I felt was related to making sure I could pick up my son on time, and that the fear was about being trapped behind a slow and wobbly rider in traffic.

Riding at rush hour isn't a picnic, and going too slowly can make the bike harder to handle, which is unnerving when you're in a very narrow corridor. I think I'll practice going slowly this weekend...if I'm confident that I can handle the bike at 5-7 MPH then not being able to pass becomes more of a non-issue.

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

Sometimes it's not possible to do all three at once. In that case just go with the first two.

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What she said.

5-7 miles is sort of pokey for a long distance, but that is about how fast i go up hills. Therefore, for me, going slow isn't something new. I use my bike to commute and I think it adds way more varibles than driving a car does. So I add 15-20 minutes more than I think I will need. Also it gives me leeway if I get a flat or need a coffee break or get terribly lost. That said sometimes I jsut can't find the extra time...

It's best when a car driver waits until the turn to go... so I'd apply the same rule to myself (even if the car isn't going to fall over). I try to anticipate asynchronies like that and slow down before I"m right behind somebody (okay, sometimes I get little fits of shyness too so I'd rather not directly interact)... but if it came down to it, I'd stop (and pretend to adjust something) and then proceed until I could safely pass... that is just good driving. Every once in a while there's a slow vehicle, after all!