Cement trucks for drafting
 

Went to the pound today to adopt a pet on the way home I saw a cement truck at a red light and wished I was on my Fuji. I love drafting cement trucks. Slow to stop, slow to start, and tons of wind turbulence. A nice add on is I have an 80,000 lb battering ram clearing the path for me.
I have fibromyalgia and really had to stop riding in the last few years. I am going to start again and just take it slow and keep it on level ground for now.

The only problem with cement rucks in particular is that they often go through muddy construction sites. When they hit a bump on the road, often a whole lot of dried mud and gravel falls off, showering whomever is right behind them-not as bad as dump trucks, but still a consideration to make...

Sure beats drafting a truck full of any given livestock:D

It's concrete, not cement. Get it right or pay the price.

There's a pig abattoir near where I live. You do not want to draft behind the trucks delivering a load of smelly pigs dripping pig water along the road. Even passing one going the other way is not enjoyable.

Drafted a fire truck for a few miles last year. Until it straddled a massive pothole that hadn't been there a few weeks before. Flatted the front tire, trashed the rear wheel.

That sucked.

I don't understand. Been cement trucks my whole life. Unless you're and engineer. Then that explains it.

Architect, but I'm kidding about being mad about it. It's a common mistake. Cement is a powder that works as a bonding agent, an "ingredient" to concrete.

cement + aggregate (sand, stone, etc) + water = concrete

You sir are quite insane. Please find help. Be good & have fun.

I prefer the 18-wheelers. Definately watch for debris and rough sections.

Howdy All;

Always check to be sure the space between the tires is clear.
Some have been known to pick-up a large rock or part of a
tree limb in the space between the tires and when it comes
out it's not wasting any time going where it wants ...

hank

Tried a garbage truck once for a quarter mile or so. Easy riding, but not at all pleasant!

My pet peeve is "alloy" when used as a synonym for "aluminum".

I agree with you about "cement" and "concrete" but I'm not taking that one on until I finish with "alloy".

I prefer big box trucks. You can draft a long ways back and still get the benefits. I'd be afraid to draft any sort of construction truck because of the aforementioned risk of getting hit with rocks. I've had a windshield broken that way. (Not drafting, just happened to be passing one on the highway.)

In all honesty though, I can draft anything but normal cars. The trucks are easiest because they start slowly. However, SUVs are nice because you can see through them and look at what's ahead.

I won't draft on one particular street because there are manhole covers in the actual car lane, and they're not in the same spot every time. Some are in the middle of the lane, some are on the left side of the lane, and some off to the right, so I just don't ride in the car lane on that road. (I learned that lesson the hard way, was drafting and not thinking about it and hit a manhole cover very hard... didn't break anything and luckily I had just pumped up my tires that day so it was all good, was just... jarring.) However, on one of the main drags of town, it's slightly downhill with a few stoplights and no manholes (or potholes.) I love drafting on that road, easily rolling at the speed limit of 35 without pedaling on my heavy as hell commuter with full fenders and panniers. Great stuff.

I dunno. I find when riding on the road, I'm quicker to 10-15MPH than most cars off the stoplights. Can't imagine riding behind something that accelerates SLOWER :)

Yeah but most cars are quicker 0-30 than you are. :)

When you're drafting, it's VERY hard to keep up with a car accelerating to 30-35. It's like a sprinter vs. car. The sprinter wins to 20 or 30 meters, but the car wins overall. (Actually I'm not sure if the car wins in the following video, but it's worth a watch anyway for... reasons...)

I'll handle the cement crowd while you handle the alloy. Tag team. :tandem:

Considering my 0-30 times are somewhere in the range of "not happening", I'm not too worried past 15-20 :)

You're missing the point of drafting. :) 30 is easy when you don't have air to push out of the way.

Is this concrete reasoning?

I'm not sure, but I think the idea is cemented in his mind.

Hmm, there is a concrete factory I ride past on the MUP, maybe one of these times I see a truck leaving I'll jump on the road and give it a shot!

I don't generally see industrial / construction vehicles, I just get buses to draft on my commutes and they like to play leapfrog with me. The buses are generally much easier to draft than cars not even just because they give a better draft, but they don't speed because they're monitored (I think). There's some stretches where traffic goes slower and I can roll with the cars, then the road gets a little wider and they just slip away into the distance...

Couple of years ago on the way to work one morning rode behind a Dept of Public Works tractor pulling a bush-hog in the upright position. Perfect wind-breaker. And not too fast for me at about 20mph for a couple of miles. Zippier than my normal 14-15.

:thumb: