Road Etiquette

[goldfinch]

I would follow the general traffic principle that slower stays to the right and passing occurs on the left, not the right. So, the biker on the left should speed up and go around the one on the right. The one on the right should slow a bit to let him in.

[Owlie]

i would follow the general traffic principle that slower stays to the right and passing occurs on the left, not the right. So, the biker on the left should speed up and go around the one on the right. The one on the right should slow a bit to let him in.

+1.

[Veronica]

That would make sense, but sometimes the person on the outside doesn't have the legs to sprint to the front at that particular moment. That's why we're a little more flexible about who goes to the front.

Veronica

[roadie gal]

I'll generally say something to my riding partner, "I'll go ahead" or "You go ahead." It doesn't matter who goes ahead, the trick is communicating. I don't think there's any set way of doing it otherwise.

[grey]

Here's what I found, from a cycling club site:

Car Approaching from the Rear:

Two Riders Side-By-Side:
Cyclist on the left accelerates past the cyclist on the right and moves over to the right-hand side of the lane. The cyclist on the right slows slightly to let the fellow cyclists get by.

Multiple Groups of Side-By-Side Cyclist:
Each cyclist on the left accelerates past the cyclist on the right and moves to the right hand side of the lane. The cyclist on the right slows slightly to allow the passing cyclists to get by.

Group of Three Cyclist, two side-by-side with a third cyclist in the center behind the other two cyclists forming a triangle.
Cyclist on the left accelerates past the cyclist on the right and moves over to the right-hand side of the lane. The cyclists on the right slows slightly to let the fellow cyclists get by. The third cyclist in the triangle drops back behind the second cyclist.

[OakLeaf]

.... except in an ordinary situation, the rider would be on the left because they're dropping back to the end of the paceline, and already going slower than the rider(s) on the right ...

[blue_angel]

.... except in an ordinary situation, the rider would be on the left because they're dropping back to the end of the paceline, and already going slower than the rider(s) on the right ...

Even though I don't have a lot of experience riding in a paceline, every time I ride with someone else, it's typically been our practice to have whomever is on the outside drop back. But they usually announce that they're doing this as well.

[emily_in_nc]

I'll generally say something to my riding partner, "I'll go ahead" or "You go ahead." It doesn't matter who goes ahead, the trick is communicating. I don't think there's any set way of doing it otherwise.

That's what DH and I do. Depends on who is feeling stronger that day and/or carrying the heavier load of groceries. I usually only go ahead if he has a load; otherwise, he's stronger and I drop back.

[radacrider]

I'll generally say something to my riding partner, "I'll go ahead" or "You go ahead." It doesn't matter who goes ahead, the trick is communicating. I don't think there's any set way of doing it otherwise.

+1 - verbal communication takes the guess work out of it. The other option might be to agree on who does what at the start of your ride.

[Velocivixen]

That's why I'm afraid to ride with others. I only ride with DH and I prefer him in front. Or I'll say "you go in front" or some communication. We're usually riding single file in a bike lane. It's good to have this thought out ahead of time though.

[Catrin]

That's why I'm afraid to ride with others. I only ride with DH and I prefer him in front. Or I'll say "you go in front" or some communication. We're usually riding single file in a bike lane. It's good to have this thought out ahead of time though.

I don't usually ride with others, but I've a couple of friends I do ride with from time to time and we are usually riding single file with some distance between us.