Commuting - Do you do "the wobble?"

When trying to encourage cars coming from behind you to give you more space, do you sometimes use "the wobble"? By that, I mean quickly weaving 6" or so in either direction to give the car the impression that you aren't going to keep going in a straight line? I find that this frequently causes cars to move farther to the left.

Note: There are plenty of debates about lane position and bike lanes in A&S. I'd appreciate it if the A&S regulars could confine their comments, if any, to "the wobble."

I don't wobble, I stick out my left arm and ride a bit more to the left to discourage them trying to pass me when I feel the situation demands it.

I do whatever I can to piss drivers off. I think this comes from years of dealing with people, bieng a courior and a commuter.
At night I like to play my "ghost-rider" game, and appear out of nowhere, sporting all black (along with my urban assult bike, thats all black with no reflectors) and do a huge endo right in front of them, or just to my wheelie by them, while giving the oddest face I can muster.

Mabye I have a death wish... i dunno

I voted for Other. I don't do it specifically to get more room, but I have found that up to 150 lbs. of canoe trailer, canoe and gear attached to the seat post is going to cause some periodic wobble.:o

I picked rarely, only because I used to do it. Now, if it looks like a driver is going to try and crowd me, I just move over to the left side of the lane. This pretty well forces them to get into the next lane.

I chose Other - I might do this, but I can't recall. The most effective way that I have found to get drivers to acknowledge my position in the lane is to stand and pedal as if sprinting. I guess that introduces a bit of "wobble", but I think it mostly communicates "Oh, that biker is doing something over there. I'll stay here".

I do it a lot cause I've learn to wobble and stay in control pretty well. It works best because at night, my L&M HID projects a very bright beam about a hundred or so feet forward. So that wobble lets EVERYONE know that I'm coming through, it works best with parked cars because I can fully illuminate the driver compartment so people don't open their doors or pull out on me.

I do whatever I can to piss drivers off. I think this comes from years of dealing with people, bieng a courior and a commuter.
At night I like to play my "ghost-rider" game, and appear out of nowhere, sporting all black (along with my urban assult bike, thats all black with no reflectors) and do a huge endo right in front of them, or just to my wheelie by them, while giving the oddest face I can muster.

Mabye I have a death wish... i dunno

Wow. Way to represent.

I don't "wobble". I take the lane when conditions suggest it's in my best interest. All a cyclist does in performing this "wobbling" maneuver is suggest to observers that he/she is (A) inexperienced, (B) drunk or on drugs, or (C) a jerk. Reflect for a moment as to how you would react to a motorist "wobbling". I'm betting you couldn't dial 911 fast enough.

Ride as if you're traffic, because you are.

Wow. Way to represent.

I think (hope) he was being ironic.

I think (hope) he was being ironic.

If that's the case, then I'll gladly retract my sarcastic comment. Sometimes it's difficult to tell. :D

What a silly game.

If you are going to take more space on the road, go over to the point you need to claim and stay there. Confusion causes accidents. Be easy to read and communicate well.

Yeah man, cagers are subjected to stimuli that many appear not able to handle. I ride in a straight line as to facilitate predictability as much as possible. I also take the entire lane in a couple of spots in my route where there’s just no room.

I have a 6 year old son, I have to ride in a way that improves my chances of survival. Too old for the Darwin Prize.
:D

I have used both the wobble and the arm-out tactics before and found both to be reasonably effective. I noticed today, however, that neither may need to be employed. I recently purchased a BikeE AT semi-recumbent as my work-commuter and with sitting a little lower than a standar road-bike I installed a flourescent orange pole and flag. Well, guess what, today I had cars behind me that, I'm sure on any other day, would have scuttled past me on the wide one-way streets I was on, patiently trailing me until it was safe to pass. Maybe they thought I was a physically-challenged person on a scooter or something. I don't care. Having cabs go slow behind you is a thing of beauty.

I was going to vote rarely, but I probably wobble more often than I realize, So I voted sometimes.
One cause of wobbling, was before I used mirrors. All that looking over your shoulder or under your arms causes significant wobbling.

No wobbling here. If drivers are being sketchy I take the lane.

No. I try to act like I know what I'm doing. If I need more space, I turn around, give 'em The Look, and take the lane.

I give them "the hand"

1: look over my glass mounted mirror and give them the "low-hand, stay-put palm"
2: Take the lane and crank +20 mph.
3: When safe to do so, out of the way and signal to pass me.

Mirrors are magic ....

I tend to move to the left just enough to discourage passing between me and oncoming traffic in narrow areas.

I don't. I just stay in the middle or left of the lane to discourage them trying to pass me. If they're in my lane, they just want to make a right turn and they can wait.

Where I ride makin' em wait a few seconds isn't going to kill them. I give them the plam down "hold on' sign. I'm not fond of the wobble but I have come right over towards them while employing the 'look' as if to say 'Hey bud....mine. Got it?"

I never wobble. I just take the lane...

I never wobble on purpose, certainly not for the purpose of confusing a driver. If I want them to not pass, I simply motion with my hand and move left.

I only wobble after wobbly pops, or is it I go faster? :p

I don't necessarily try to look sketcy by wobbling, but I do move fully into the lane momenarily when a car is approaching from behind to give them a better chance to see me, and to give them the impression that I am a part of traffic and they need to move left if they want to pass. Then, after having made my point I move back over to the right. Also, whem I'm passing a line of slow moving or stopped traffic..when the cars start to move, I pick a space between two vehicles, extend my arm and move fully into traffic a moment to basically signal to the guy behind me that I'vew become a part of the flow of traffic as much as the other cars. Again, as the cars start to exceed my speed, I move back to the right. I find that this method works pretty well..people see me and view me as a part of traffic, but motorists don't seem to get annoyed by it.

I prefer shooting a fairly consistant, predictable line of travel versus the 'powerweave' techniques. The "wobble" is sketchier still.... I put out my left hand and make like I'm tickling the lane with my fingers. I'm with Milbach on taking a full space assertively after filtering at lineups of stopped traffic, once the NOL begins to more again.

wobbling lights at night for approaching traffic is very valid, but i wonder how effective. i like clear forward blinkies in addition to travel illumination for better 'caution' recognition by drivers. Certainely more recognizable as a bike from a distance than most high intensity system, most bike lights look like a slow moving riding lawn mower when approaching from the opposite direction.

I don't wobble after my accident.

When I was younger, 3rd grade to be exact, I was riding my bike and was swerving back and forth and kept tightening my swerve till it probably just looked like I was wobbling really bad. And then my wheel turned and killed the motion of my bike. I went over the bars, busted a good deal of my two front teeth out and rode the pavement on my face for three feet.

Needless to say, ever since then, I keep as much of a straight line as possible. Spitting out pieces of your teeth will do that to you. If I don't feel comfortable with the size of the lane I'm in, I move left to take more of the lane.

No wobble, I just looking over my left shoulder on a regular interval....keeps them wondering if I'm going to move left.

No wobble, I just looking over my left shoulder on a regular interval....keeps them wondering if I'm going to move left.

Good point. Combined with an evil look it's pretty effective.

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At night I like to play my "ghost-rider" game, and appear out of nowhere, sporting all black (along with my urban assult bike, thats all black with no reflectors) and do a huge endo right in front of them, or just to my wheelie by them, while giving the oddest face I can muster.


Ha! Very funny. If you looked like Chris Farley and your commando outfit was too small, it would add so much to the image. Belly hanging out and all. :)

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At night I like to play my "ghost-rider" game, and appear out of nowhere, sporting all black (along with my urban assult bike, thats all black with no reflectors) and do a huge endo right in front of them, or just to my wheelie by them, while giving the oddest face I can muster.


Ha! Very funny. If you looked like Chris Farley and your commando outfit was too small, it would add so much to the image. Belly hanging out and all. :)

Drivers might considering wobbling to avoid pot holes being the same as wobbling.

No, I cleary hold out my left arm, (palm facing them) and take the lane if necessary I'll ride of the left half of the lane. That eliminates any ambiguity that might occur with 'the wobble'.

. . . .
wobbling lights at night for approaching traffic is very valid, but i wonder how effective. . . .
Actually, that's not a wobble it's a waggle.

I think it helps some to point your light directly at cars waiting to pull out from sidestreets and driveways. That's what scares me the most at night!

No wobbling for me. Sounds a little risky.

I can't see how one would not wobble when checking out traffic in the rear, w/o a mirror. I always have.

I experienced severe front end drift and wobble from oversteering at low speed messing around at the last critical mass. I was able to release the pressure patch under my front tire at low speeds....trippy.

the 'a little look' wobble cyclezealot describes is much different than wobbling to show overtakers you have the lane.

I give them "the hand"

1: look over my glass mounted mirror and give them the "low-hand, stay-put palm"
2: Take the lane and crank +20 mph.
3: When safe to do so, out of the way and signal to pass me.

Mirrors are magic ....

+1



I'm with Milbach on taking a full space assertively after filtering at lineups of stopped traffic, once the NOL begins to more again.

Good practice, this really cuts down on the chances that someone is going to cut you off turning right or from being squeezed against the curb.

I've always called this technique "jinking." This is what US combat pilots did in Viet Nam to make it harder to antiaircraft fire to hit them. I think it's a valid technique to get more room on busy, fast streets. But I think the best way to do this is to smoothly go left slightly, then jink right. This is much safer that jinking left, where you might actually get right into the overtaking vehicle's fender. And the jink only needs to look like you're avoiding a pothole or rough pavement. You don't have to keep jinking back and forth (not to mention unwise for the reasons stated by others). The important thing is that the driver behind thinks you might be too sketchy to brush by, so he'll almost always give you extra room, expecting that jink to the left. Sometimes it's not good to be able to ride a perfectly straight line.

- Luis

Now that I've made the connection, some drivers use the "sway" when towing boat trailers in traffic. Essentially the same as the "wobble" on a bicycle, it's used to get enough room to change lanes. The bigger the truck, boat and trailer, the more effective the sway is.

I picked rarely, only because I used to do it. Now, if it looks like a driver is going to try and crowd me, I just move over to the left side of the lane. This pretty well forces them to get into the next lane.

This is pretty much what I do. I make it so they can't lane-split and force me into the curb. When I first started riding in the city, I invariably rode too close to the curb, and I got run up against the curb several times. Once, I endo-ed onto the sidewalk, busting one of my pedals clean off and scraping just about every bit of my right-hand side.

If the lane I am in is too narrow to share, I don't. Sometimes peeved drivers will pass, but pass super close, and whatever. Because I had that extra "wiggle room" to the right, I can take it when they pull this butthole maneuver.