BOHICA

And I don't crash in pacelines.

Allow me to simplify my comment for you. In this sport (or activity) you can crash at anytime, no matter what it is you are doing or how high of a level of safety you think you are taking.

work4bike

I think you nailed it. It is not a sport to me, it is my primary form of transportation, has been for over 20years. However, I have to admit that your description does interest me some and I could see the draw in riding a paceline out in the country. I do love to ride fast and the idea of sharing in blocking wind does appeal.

Sorry y'all didn't mean to offend.

big chainring 

Great to have another forum member who rides for other reasons than speed and sport.

ultraman6970

+1 with bohica but after seeing the OP avatar that probably is his picture i would not go riding with him or his friends either. Accidents is just bad luck, broken bones is just destiny. Raced from 12 to 24 y/o, nasty accidents in the track and in the road, the fastest accident was going downhill at 75 km/h while chatting with a guy. and not even racing that day (sunday morning). Something similar, i was with wheel passed, the guy in front of me moved, down to the pavement. 3 stitches in my chin.

Met a guy like 30 years ago, he told me. "when u see the acident coming u have to try to slide the bike to the side like motorcycle and you will avoid broken bones, better a scratch than a broken bone," so far today if has worked to me. But again it is a thing of being lucky.

Another detail, old rider never have broken bones or almost never. newbies that are old (per say), almost everytime they have an accident they get a broken bones, nasty scratches and/or for some idiotic reason the bike is like two miles away from the accident and they are hanging over a tree with 3 broken ribs. Well hope your friend gets better OP.

Good luck

squamish5

I think I found my new Sig...........................

Phil85207

+1 with bohica but after seeing the OP avatar that probably is his picture i would not go riding with him or his friends either. Quote:
It amazing how much insight one thinks one has from a picture. It's true what they say... There is one born every minute.

njkayaker

??? And lightning can strike you at any time too. That doesn't mean you should stand out in the middle of a field in a thunderstorm and wave a golf club in the air.

Pacelining adds something extra to all the other things that can lead to crashes.

Note that I'm not making any comment about whether people should or should not ride in pacelines. It's just that it more risky riding in pacelines than not.

Bioluminescence

Over all, when riding flat out I think it's better to be in a paceline.

Pros outweigh the cons. =\

njkayaker

Also, there's a pleasure and a challenge to riding with other people as a cooperative group. Pacelines are part of that.

AzTallRider

I've crashed three times.

1. The first was as a total newb, solo, trying to do something I wasn't ready to do: cracked ribs, bruises and strained muscles from catapulting off the bike into the next zip code.

2. Front tire flatter on a turn. Avoidable, as I was trying to nurse a leak with CO2 to make it a few blocks home.

3. With one other rider, towards the end of a hard ride. He slowed, I thought it was a momentary thing and let myself overlap. He was getting ready to turn. We hadn't communicated the way we would have in a paceline. Separated shoulder, rash, badly bruised hip.

I still consider myself a newb, and hope I always do, because it is almost always lack of attention that takes you down. I am far LESS likely to let my attention drift in a paceline. And by the way, the single worst thing that can happen to you is the one you can't control, and we see more and more of it all the time. It's being hit from behind by an inattentive driver. That is something far LESS likely to occur in a paceline due to the increased visibility. There is a guy I ride with who -only- rides in groups because of that.

So, pick your poison.

For me, the pacelines are what I enjoy most. My first double rotating line was a revelation. I'm sitting here craving that right now. I pick rides based on which group is skillful enough that they will be setup. I go to the front to make sure I'm part of any that form. And I feel safer riding with people who have the experience, skill, and desire to ride that way.

Should we talk about crit's next?

halfspeed

OTOH, if you do go down you're less likely to be left bleeding in a ditch for an extended period of time. Especially if you ride with a bunch of MDs.

njkayaker

You can still be riding with those MDs without being in a pace line (and they might be better help not being in the pile-up). (What is it with all the MDs on bicycles???)

FLvector

So true. I joke with the MD's that I feel much better knowing we have some immediate assistance if there's a crash. However, the gyn gets no respect.

halfspeed

Why would I want to do that?

BOHICA

I never said to the contrary that you might get tangled up and go down in a pace line (or non-pace lining group for that matter). But then, I also think you are more likely to be hit by an inattentive motorist while solo. Life has risks. Chose the ones that you are comfortable with and avoid the ones you aren't.

njkayaker

If your goal is to minimize risk while cycling, riding in a paceline isn't the way to do it. And there are ways of not riding solo that don't require pacelining.

it seems that your argument is that riding in a paceline is no more risky than anything else.

Understand the amount of risk and decide whether the benefits of taking that risk exceeds the cost of that risk.

(And, again, I don't have any issues with people choosing to ride in pacelines.)

BOHICA

How is this different from what I already stated?

azshtr

It is amazing how fast threads turn ugly

TnDiamondback

The very few times I have gotten to ride in a paceline I LOVED IT!, some of my favorite cycling moments, it's fun, that's why we do this in the first place isn't it?

FLvector

I like pie

halfspeed

One can always eliminate all cycling risk by sitting in front of the TV watching reality shows and eating Doritos all day.

halfspeed

No you don't!

njkayaker

It seems that your argument is that riding in a paceline is no more risky than anything else.

While it wouldn't surprise me that you agree with what I said, you haven't managed to say it.

v70cat

1) Pace lines reduce drag by up to 30%
2) A group of riders that have trained together and know how to signal can ride safely (pace line) together even if they are not professionals.

thisisbenji

Bet you fall next week because you said that, watch your chain snap the second you stand up or maybe you'll hit a pot hole that you didn't see and go flying. Not trying to be mean to you, but you shouldn't think that you can't go down. Everyone goes down. Just last week I was going through a tight corner by myself when my back wheel hit a branch that had fallen and bounced off the ground and when it came back down it just slid and next thing I knew I was on the ground. Stuff happens.