Passed a roadie on my hybrid! Got it on video!

[luv2climb]

I don't understand the point of the criticism. This is supposed to be a supportive community. IMO if you can't be supportive or encouraging, keep your comments to yourself.

As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter if the guy was spinning as hard as he could or having a rest day. You accomplished something that made you proud of yourself. That's cause for a mini-celebration in my book

Thank you We need a "thumbs-up" smiley here

I guess I should have titled this thread differently, then the criticism would have been limited to me not saying something to the guy as I passed. I still don't regret not saying anything to him though. Whether I say anything to a rider on the few times I actually pass depends on the circumstances. If someone passes me and says hi to me I ALWAYS say hi back.

Those who criticize need to remember that some men hate being "chicked". Him passing me on the descent after I had passed him first gave me that impression. Therefore I felt it was my duty to have a little fun with him If I'm wrong, so be it. It was still fun.

[Grits]

Hey! That was me "car back" when there's nobody near me, pointing out stuff on the road "tracks pop tart wrapper pez dipsenser " calling out "on your right" as people pass me. .

Hey, that WAS you!

[Crankin]

There are some people in the group that I ride with that call out every crack in the road... I try to stay away from them, for fear their constant calling out will distract me and I'll hit them (or someone else)! Use hand signals... at least for stuff in the road.
Pam your comment made me chuckle. Both DH and I were once dropped by an inline skater going up Oak Hill in Harvard, MA. This is a major training hill for roadies. And the guy was as least as old as me. I could see dropping me, even though I was not going 5 (maybe 9-10?), but dropping DH, who was a little ahead of me . When I met him at the top of the hill, DH was like, "What the hell was that?" It was hard to tell at first, since the guy was wearing a bike helmet.

[ACG]

My favorite thing to call out is "Road Kill".

Seriously on some of the bike lanes that take us to the beach from Pasadena there are tons of families, walkers, runners, usually on the way back.

We have to call out because they take up the entire lane and we don't want to spook them, their dogs or grandma.

Normally it's like "passing on your left, thank you."

Everyone passes me by the way....I've got asthma, a cell phone and a credit card I can take care of myself.

[luv2climb]

Here's an example of me warning riders before passing

This is our local Second Saturday art festival Midtown Cruise. The first one was last month, and they plan on having these rides every month. Since I was shooting video and wanted to get good footage of all the cool rat rod, chopper, and tall bikes in the ride, I had to get ahead of a bunch of people. I start passing at 1:20 in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-sFlUUXCRI

[Artista]

Pam your comment made me chuckle. Both DH and I were once dropped by an inline skater going up Oak Hill in Harvard, MA. This is a major training hill for roadies. And the guy was as least as old as me. I could see dropping me, even though I was not going 5 (maybe 9-10?), but dropping DH, who was a little ahead of me . When I met him at the top of the hill, DH was like, "What the hell was that?" It was hard to tell at first, since the guy was wearing a bike helmet.

An inline skater smoked my husband & me about a month ago. I was astounded. This guy was really fast but I was still bummed by being passed by a guy on skates. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I passed someone else on skates. Made me feel a little better about the 1st experience...until he PASSED ME about 20 minutes later

[Velocivixen]

Well, I'm very new to this forum, so here's what I thought. The title of the thread made it sound like you were primarily going to talk about passing someone, however reading what you wrote about changing your own gears and taking it out for a test ride, then showing a video about it made me think that you obviously did a great job with installation and that you had a successful test ride. I wasn't even thinking about you passing someone.
It sounds like in different places and in various situations, calling out is appropriate/expected or inappropriate/not expected.
Overall, I think it's great that you've got a bike with gears that let you climb better and that, as you mentioned, your fitness has improved.
Cheers.

[westtexas]

I just want to say congrats to you on passing someone on your bike!!! I did the same thing tonight for the first time and I was going to post about how strong I feel after 6 weeks of riding and what progress I've made, but it's much more fun to share. This was a young guy (probably younger than me, which is scary since I just turned 25) and he was definitely struggling up the hills. But he had all the aero bar gear and a computer on his bike so I suspect he was doing some kind of cadence or heart rate training as I powered past him on a steep hill (and never saw him again).

So congrats to you and here is to many more small accomplishments that may bring on bragging but feel really good

[emily_in_nc]

I appreciate it when someone announces they are passing me, even here on the country/suburban roads I ride on. I can usually "feel" a rider approaching, the same way I can with a car, but there have been enough times that someone (always a guy) comes up behind me, going about 25-30 to my 18 or 20 and it scared the crap out of me. This has mostly happened on one particular straight road that is a slight down hill, kind of a false flat when I am riding it to go home. It's an extremely popular route for cyclists.

Exactly why I love my Take-a-Look mirror. I nearly always see cyclists coming up behind me on the road -- and very few of them say a word. A gal I used to ride with didn't wear a mirror and would practically jump out of her skin when people passed us unless I announced their presence (which I tried to remember to do!)

[luv2climb]

Thank you to all those who understood what I was trying to say in my OP. I really appreciate it

I've learned a couple lessons from this thread. One, always follow my instincts. If I have even a shred of doubt that what I say will not be taken out of context, word it differently.

Two, have an audible warning device other than my voice available to me when I ride my hybrid or road bike. Like people here and in other forums have said, people don't always hear things like "on your left" correctly, resulting in possible dangerous situations when passing. Those two bikes were the only ones in my fleet that didn't have bells. I dug around in my parts bin and found an extra Incredibell Brass Solo, which has a very nice tone compared to other small bells. Here it is on the hybrid (click to enlarge):



I had to buy one for the road bike. The only small, lightweight one I could find that will fit the 1 1/4" diameter bars is the Incredibell Adjustabell:



I'm not going to ring my bell on every pass. Like I said before, it depends on the situation. But there have been times I've been on my road bike and wished I had one.

I also use a Take-A-Look mirror. I wouldn't ride without it.

[crazycanuck]

Since no one else in Perth seems to announce themselves when they pass me, i rarely do now either. If it's safe to pass, i pass..If not, it doesn't take a genius to wait a few seconds.

I expect people to pass me without warning & am used to people zipping on past. What BOTHERS me is people riding two abreast on the bike path...that's when i think.."excuse me..do i exist here??..hellooooo"...

There's a well known group here known as the "over 55" cycling club & they don't even announce themselves... THey're some of the MOST dangerous riders around becuase they ride two abreast on the bike path, don't call out etc.

THis is why I avoid most bike paths like the plague....!!!!

[Crankin]

And then there's the high school x country ski team who practices on my street on skates, (a very steep downhill/uphill) throughout the summer and fall. Although the coach is with them, it's scary. One time, I thought I was going to be dropped by one of them, going UP the hill. I think I was coming home from a commute. I was able to keep ahead of the guy, but it is kind of amazing that they can skate so fast up a 12% grade. Even if they are 16...

[luv2climb]

Since no one else in Perth seems to announce themselves when they pass me, i rarely do now either. If it's safe to pass, i pass..If not, it doesn't take a genius to wait a few seconds.

I expect people to pass me without warning & am used to people zipping on past. What BOTHERS me is people riding two abreast on the bike path...that's when i think.."excuse me..do i exist here??..hellooooo"...

There's a well known group here known as the "over 55" cycling club & they don't even announce themselves... THey're some of the MOST dangerous riders around becuase they ride two abreast on the bike path, don't call out etc.

THis is why I avoid most bike paths like the plague....!!!!

+1

I seldom ride on the local bike trail anymore. Joggers running three abreast taking up the entire trail, pedestrians doing the same, and cyclists weaving erratically across the entire trail cause me to use my bell every time. The thing that really irked me was the joggers running three abreast going downhill while I was about to climb the steepest part of the hill. I had to stop in the middle of the hill for them!

Like I said earlier in this thread, I really don't care whether people announce themselves when passing me or not. I have nice Mountain Mirrycle mirrors on most of my bikes, and a Take-A-Look for the times I'm riding the Sirrus hybrid or road bike. I'm aware of my surroundings