apricissimus 

Sometimes I see cyclists drafting off buses and other large vehicles. And I mean, they are about five feet behind these vehicles, directly behind them. The draft must be nice (though I don't know about the exhaust), but I've never been tempted to do it myself. If I'm behind a bus like that, I won't be able to see what's coming up the road. I'd be very worried about the bus stopping without much warning.

Are these cyclists just more skilled than me, or just stupider than me?

pinkrobe

A little of both. You can't tell if there's a pothole or 2x4 coming up, but it's a very quick way to travel. You don't even need to be 5' away - I find 10' is great, and works well when the bus gets up to speed. Postal or delivery trucks are bad to follow. Those things can stop on a frickin' dime.

CliftonGK1

Through the center of Woodinville, and through the slight downhill section of 202 into the center of Redmond, if I can catch a draft off a bus or large delivery truck I'll take advantage of it. There's little better than a 40mph draft for a couple miles, where you're expending almost no energy.

I only do this on sections of the road I know very well. No potholes, no manhole covers. Yes, it's a bit scary to think that if there's a big tree branch or something on the roadway, I've got a 5' heads-up to deal with it; and at 40mph that equates to enough time to think "Oh crap!" before slamming the pavement.

Vehicles not to draft:
- School busses
- FedEx, UPS, DHL delivery trucks
- USPS delivery trucks
- City busses (in the city)
They all stop randomly, and don't always pull out of the roadway when stopping (so you don't have a clean "out" to get around them.) Drafting is fun, but you don't want to become a bumper thumper when one of those big vehicles puts on the brakes unexpectedly.

Mr. Underbridge

I don't do it myself, just because it doesn't work out where I ride, but I wouldn't be worried about the bus stopping fast. Truth is, they can't. So I'd be a lot more worried about the bus being 5 feet behind me than vice versa.

GV27

Heck yeah, I can stop WAY quicker than any bus.

caloso

These are not mutually exclusive; they could be both.

Anyway, I'll do it occasionally. RT uses liquid natural gas so there's no heavy diesel exhaust, they accelerate slowly and they brake slowly. And you can hear the foot come off the gas before they brake anyway. I've never worried about hitting the back of one.

CastIron

I draft regularly. Some basic 'rules' I follow:

Know the road ahead.
Draft behind the the part of the vehicle's wheels if you're concerned about surface hazards.
Pop out and check the traffic light cycle.
Do it in light traffic, where random reasons for the driver to nail the brakes are reduced.
Always cover your brakes and keep you exit open.

Really, it's just a matter of understanding the risks involved, much like anything else.

AdamD

I do it, but follow many of the caveats already listed in this thread. I only do it where I know the road, this obviously doesn't account for random debris in the road. I also don't draft directly off the back of the bus/truck/whatever and try to stay to the right side. This allows me to see some things coming at me as well as hopefully puts me directly in the bus/truck drivers right rear view mirror, but I'm not sure if that really matters.

JR97

Not exactly a draft, but this morning a school bus shielded me from the cross wind for about 100 yards. Lady wasn't sure if she wanted to pass me up just to cut me off for her next stop or not and I sure as hell wasn't going to slow down and let that happen. In hindsight, I should have given a friendly wave as I passed her stop.

Pig_Chaser

I drafted last night on my way home. It was a big old water truck and it took me for about 5km at 55kph... sweet.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned that kinda freaks me out when i'm drafting is the vehicle behind me. Yes i can stop much quicker than a bus, but i worry that the vehicle behind me can't stop as fast as i can, which it probably can't.

Oh and yes, i probably am both more skilled and stupider than yourself.

keiththesnake

I, personally, am skilled at being stupid. Now, that being out of the way, I'm considering trying to draft behind a bus maybe later today for the first time. One tiny problem: They stop a lot I don't really think I'll be saving a lot of time, considering all of these stops.

joseff

Used to do it. Hit a huge crater in the road once, never again since.

DataJunkie

No thanks. Most of my routes are stop and go. The others that are not stop and go tend to be training routes on state highways. Sounds like a good way to kill myself.

bhop

I draft busses and other large trucks when I can, but only on roads I ride regularly and know where all the holes and bumps are. It makes it easier to deal with traffic if the slow person holding up all the impatient cars isn't you.

Psydotek

I do it occasionally if i'm at the right place at the right time. It's only done one one short section of my commute really. I know the road, there's almost always light traffic, and there are no bus stops on that section so the only suprise i need to worry about is road debris. It's nice being able to hit 30mph on a slight incline.

chaadster

I'm another bus drafter, and I love it!

It's super fun, just follow the advice given above (know the road, watch the road ahead, be alert and aware, cover your brakes, have an escape route). Oh, and accept the risk. It's so worth it!

nahh

only on roads I really know. i find i usually catch up and pass them faster than if i was trying to draft, though. the town busses stop and go about every 300 yards.

uke

Only when riding the bars on a TT bike.

BroadSTPhilly

I don't draft off busses because the ones on my route are really slow. That being said I don't like to draft big vehicles at all because I like to be able to see the road in front of me a good ways if possible.

caloso

on the bars of a brakeless fixed gear TT bike.

JeffS

I do it from time to time, typically on the way home.

I just do it for amusement though. The road through this section is fairly narrow, so I actually stop when the bus stops to keep them from having to pass me. I then have to sprint to stay with them when they start again. I don't think they get going faster than 35 or so, but after about five sprint starts and sucking diesel exhaust for a couple miles I usually pull up.

apricissimus 

Damn, I've never been able to get above about 25 mph or so without a hill assist. You guys are making us drafting sound like a lot of fun.

benda18

stupid

nubcake

so's your mom

2 pointless responses make 1 valid one right???

anyways yes drafting busses is dangerous but so is cycling, for that matter so is driving, walking, or even just stepping out your front door. The thing is you just need to understand those risks and take some precautions to cover yourself a bit.

All of the advise given is pretty good about knowing the road, not drafting delivery vehicles and so on. If you follow all the advise given and have decent bike handling skills there is a good chance you will be perfectly fine enjoying the effortless 30 mph riding.

devianb

I think the bus will just slow you down since it makes frequent stops.