Your "comfort distance" for drafting is........?
 

The old guys I ride with, and some times the young studs being there too, are all fairly educated so 3-4 inches from my front wheel to their rear is just fine. Flat riding, anywhere from 20mph to 30mph.

What say you**********?

It really depends on the wheel in front of me. Most of the time I am reluctant to get closer than 1/2 a bike length. When behind a consistent, knowledgeable wheel I am comfortable within 6 inches or so. I am not really fond of riding close in large lines. There's always someone in the line who is inconsistent and that just comes down the line at you. Especially on my clubs' B ride. It can get scary.

Depends on who (or what) I'm drafting. In the best of circumstances, six inches is about the extent of my comfort zone. Drafting vehicles, about six feet.

I'm not comfortable at -1 inches or less. In other words, I avoid wheel overlap. After that it depends on who I am riding with and the condition of the road. Squirrel y riders and rough roads make me move back a bit or take more turns in the front. Usually about 6 inches or so.

I have two cycling buddies that I know and trust so much that we ride in a pace line on aerobars. Looks like a team time trial. We've done thousands of miles like this and only had one incident - which is one too many of course.

I don't draft much and when I do, it's at the back of not-so-fast groups. On my long wheelbase bike, the front wheel is so far in front of me, I can only estimate how far away I am and with the short wheelbase bike, the front wheel is tucked in under the bottom bracket/crank. Same with our tandem. Never very close but can still feel a positive effect. Easier to keep up than to catch up is very true.

I'm too smart to participate in any pace line that would tolerate the likes of me.

Generally about 12" minimum, sometimes more depending on circumstances. I rarely (ever) do pace lines per se, just casual riding with friends on the road and they're as good or better than I at consistency. All my cycling friends are either shorter than me, and/or on smaller frames, and/or riding recumbents, so I rarely get the full benefit of drafting anyway (I'm 6'2" on a 61 frame). The converse is true for them: They say drafting behind me is I'm like riding behind a truck (a slow one) :) . Every little bit helps, though.

1' for every 10 mph works fine, though I often draft at 6". Stay to one side, the leeward side if possible. Hold your line, be consistent.

"1' for every 10 mph" seems like a good idea, but seems impractical. At 10 mph, I'm going up a hill and drafting doesn't matter much. It's also hard to keep a set distance grinding it out. One foot at 20 seems OK, two seems a little long. Three feet at 30 - well, I only hit 30 downhill, so I don't have experience.

I took a "racing course" (2-3 hours on about 5 Saturdays) to improve my handling skills. Lots of pace line. We intentionally practiced (on grass) hitting the wheel in front and overlapping wheels. I was the oldest, fattest, and slowest by a large margin, but I was a favorite to ride behind! And I learned a lot.

6"-12" slightly to one side seems like a good general rule at the speeds I ride (15-25) if the other riders know what they are doing (constant cadence, steady line, good awareness).

With my glacially slow reflexes and insufficient attention span, I maintain the "2 second rule" with any rider in front of me, at any speed where drafting would actually make a difference. I'm of the "Neither a Drafter Nor a Draftee Be" persuasion, so any drafting distance is an "uncomfortable distance" to me :D.

Same here -- 2-3 seconds headway when driving a car or when riding a bicycle.

Same here. In a tight formation I would be a hazard to myself and to others.

Yup, I have my hands full just trying not to get tangled up with myself.

Probably 12" to 18". On a fixed gear I am comfortable being closer, as the bike responds immediately to speed changes.