silly questions

[cathleen]

OK... so I'm partly clueless:

I have two vocabulary questions.

1: what's drafting? (It seems to be a no-no, although no one says what it is.)

2: What are clipless pedals? (And for that matter, are there "clipped" ones?) What's the purpose / advantage?

I'm sure I can count on all of you for answers / help!

[bounceswoosh]

1) You know how birds fly in V-formation and the first bird is doing most of the work? The rest are drafting; they don't have to work as hard to keep up.

2) Clipless pedals .. if you have a shoe with a cleat in it that's designed to lock into the pedal, that's a clipless pedal. The story as I understand it: Track racers actually bolt their shoes onto their pedals, and those are called "clips." Clipless are clipless because you're not bolted on; you have a release mechanism. (Note though that most people call the plastic basket thingies toe clips instead.)

[cathleen]

So, drafting would be riding right up behind somebody, to ride on their pull?

I've seen the shoes that have a cleat in the bottom that snaps right on top of the pedal, with no strap or basket. Is that what "clipless" would be?

[bounceswoosh]

in sort, yes, and yes.

[trekchic]

In "paceline" riding, there is someone at the front of the line and the rest of the line drafts, or gets into his/her "jet stream" and allow the wind to pull them so they can take it easy and spin. It's not really "pulling" the whole group, it doesn't make it harder on the leader. Every so often, the leader moves out and to the back of the group to let someone else pull for a while, and everyone takes turns. That's when it's acceptable to draft. When someone comes up from behind, lets a group pull him/her and doesn't take his/her turn pulling without asking permission, that's when it's a "no-no".

It's just manners...........