Group Riding in Heavy Traffic

[automogul]

This morning, I rode in to work with my wife, and it was one of the most frustrating rides I've taken in my short riding career. I'm less than a month away from turning 1 year old in the riding world, and this run must have given me some serious grey hair.

We live out in some beautiful riding country. Nice open, gently winding country roads. Well, we usually just run down about 15 minutes through the country and catch the interstate where we haul butt on down the rest of the way. It's a nice full hour of riding each way. Most mornings, we can cope with the traffic. Things get really conjested as we get closer to the city.

This morning, we were making our moves through traffic, and we got stuck. When I say that, I mean WE got stuck. There were plenty of holes small enough for me to jump into, but she'd never make it as well. It became very frustrating, and at one point, I took a hole that I swore was big enough for the both of us. She stayed put, and we got separated. Later on, she caught back up, but it was several miles down the road before she could, and I know she was speeding quite badly to do it.

Has anyone taken a morning ride in a group through traffic? I make this run all the time, and I've got to come up with a good system. How do you manage a pair of bikes in traffic? I'm sure a bigger group would just pick the middle lane and stay put, right?

[stp1971]

Lead bike moves forward with enough room and the tail swings in to open the door. Then the lead moves over if two bikes. Or I have even moved over and slowed slightly to allow the other bike to merge over and then pass alonside them. But this only works with someone who you ride with alot and you know how each other works.

If it is slightly risky then don't expect the same opportunity to be there for the other bikes.

[Louis]

Groups ride in traffic can be problematic. It's always best to have smaller groups, typically four riders. For only two, I never had any problems, but you need to make you ride close together so you don't get separated in heavy traffic.

[stp1971]

Also the lead bike should slow the pace down to allow the slower bikes to catch up. If she was having to speed to catch you then you were not setting the good example of a lead bike.

[automogul]

Essentially, this was the thick stop and go stuff. The place we got hung up is a nasty one. The traffic lanes look something like this (moving from bottom to top):

II | | |
II | | |
II | | | |
II | | | |
II | | | |
II | | | I |
II | | | I |
II | | | I | |
II | | | I | |
II | | | I | |
II | | |
II | | x

The "II" is a concrete barracade and the "I" is a double white line that people cross at will, and we started at the "x". Essentially, we didn't move quickly enough out of the right lane before the double white line. Since it's stop and go, it's really tough to get enough space to "back door" it. We usually have our husband/wife ESP channel open and she swings out and reserves a spot for me. This morning, we didn't have the connection working, so we got stuck. Traffic was on both sides of us, and it was moving. We were stuck in that same lane for MOST of the time. It was lousy.

When I finally broke out into another lane, she stayed put (not somthing I can blame her for). It's better to be safe then sorry. Since the traffic was so dense, I essentially just had to continue making my way along at the speed they were moving (once we started moving again). I did my best to move slower, and eventually she caught back up. It was just a really REALLY aggrivating ride.

I'm thinking of getting some headsets that way we can chat about this stuff while we ride. Heavy morning rush hour traffic is a huge frustration, but the more we ride, the better we get at it. I guess you just have to take your good and bad days as they come. Hopefully the ride home today is more relaxed than the ride in. I think I'm just going to get in a lane and stick with it on the way home today. Of course, around here, you're either going too slow (people will run you over even if you're going 70-75-80 in a 60) or you're stuck behind someone that wants to drive 5 under and slam on their breaks at the least sign of congestion.

Sorry. Just venting. All will be well. I just have to survive the day and use my 40 mile ride home to smooth things over. Looks nice here today, so it should be perfect so long as I don't kick someone's door in in traffic.

I like the suggestion of doing that back door technique. I'll have to use that a little more frequently.

[stp1971]

Yeah it works quite well. You continue in your lane until the bike behind has room to clear the vehicle being overtaken. Then you put your signal on and if it is safe the rear bike moves over opening up a whole lane for you to merge in front of them. Just be safe and remember that extra few seconds you are trying to save isn't worth it sometimes.

[zukirob]

One major cause of bike accidents is group riding where a less capable rider is trying to keep up with more experienced ones. Sounds like you're at least a bit more exprerienced than she is. If so and if you want to ride in close proximity to each other, then you should let her lead.

[Apertureguy]

Yeah...in high traffic like that it's nice to have riders who know enough to run a block for the leader....or sometimes get a leader that can create a block to allow the other bikes to get in.

Either way...it's nice when everything Gels like that.

[automogul]

EDIT: Replying to other posts

stp: I definitely agree there. That's why I'm debating on just getting in one of the left 2 lanes and staying there. They may slow down here and there, but it's better than frantic lane changing, possibly loosing someone, and maybe even getting in an accident. We took our MSF classes, and I guess that's why we both get so anxious and miss so many opportunities. We'd rather be safe than dead. It can be quite frustrating though. I think that's where the wireless sets would come in handy. We almost never ride alone. Why would you if your wife loves to ride?

Apertureguy: It's great when it gels. Unfortunately, she gets a bit more trigger happy than I do, so sometimes she jumps before I'm ready. I just go with her though. If she's kind enough to make a move and get me some space, I just take it.

Zukirob: We've been riding the exact same amount of time, but I've picked it up a bit quicker than she has, so I see what you mean there. I tried to get her to run lead, and she hates it. She likes me to ride out front because I am more active at following the MSF rules in staying out of blind spots and keeping seen. That makes it a bit easier for her.

All and all, I think we'll get a system down eventually. She needs to build a little confidence up, but it's amazing how much better she's gotten. We've only been at it a year, like I said, so I'm sure she'll keep getting better, as will I. I think I might just press to have her block in instead of trying to tackle other methods. If it gets heavy, we should have a signal for me to let her know to just sit tight and hold the lane. I think that might just work.

[stp1971]

Pre-planned hand signals is the key.

[automogul]

Yeah, I just have to hope I tell her to hold her lane instead of steal second! ROFL!

[Apertureguy]

Well...you're lucky then.

When I go out with my wife...she ignores me (she's enjoying the ride too much)...except when she asks if it's OK to go or not at the stop sign...then she's off & I gotta catch her.

Hand signals would be nice...but she rarely ever checks her mirrors. I've been begging her to sign up for the MSF, but no luck yet.

I'm going to start carrying pennies in my jacket pocket...this way I can chuck them at her to get her attention.

[viper94bite]

well this might not work for everybody, but this is what me and mav did on the way home from the dragon. If we needed to get over in heavy traffic one of us would get it where we could then back off the throttle just a hair to slow down the person behind. Then the other one of us could get over in front of the one that had aquired the lane. Worked well for us. Now it may not be the best or safest way with the possibility of being rear ended. So just make sure your paying attention and if the fuc*** behind doesn't slow down with you then you better speed up.

[Time4me2ride]

Leapfrog through the traffic. It only works with small groups.
When I was riding with my daughter, I had her lead, I would block for lane changes as much as possible. We just had an agreement that if traffic got too bad and we got separated, she would just head to the destiniation, ride as if solo, I would catch up if possible.

[Graywolf]

I ride solo in traffic every day and as you said it gets worse as you get closer to the city. I change lanes as needed (merging traffic, etc). Many a day I have to ride the suicide lane. Depends on the traffic and who's had their coffee that morning. When riding with my husband I keep an eye open on my rearview when he's behind. The more riding you do in traffic the more comfortable you will get. Sometimes it's a breeze...other times you may have to get a little more assertive. It all comes with mileage!

[gart]

While I haven't ridden to work with my wife, I have ridden in some heavy traffic with a wide number of bikes, ranging from 2 to 20.

If at all possible, limit the number of times you change lanes. It just makes things easier, and while it sucks watching other vehicles pass you, it's just safer.

Otherwise, having the sweep take the lane first works well in almost every situation.

--Pat

[automogul]

Thanks guys! I'm getting some great feedback. I talked to my wife this weekend, and we got a little closer to an agreement on what we'd do, but never really settled. I think the strategy of letting her take the lane and then swinging over myself will work best. We've done it a few times prior to starting this thread, and I guess the consensus is that it's the best way to handle things.

Apertureguy: I know what you mean. The penny idea is great! I do my best to keep an eye on my rearview mirrors, but it's tough. The stock Suzi C50 mirrors shake rattle and roll and it's tough to make out much past a blur of color. I try to keep an eye out on what she's doing back there, but I don't know how well hand signals would help. What's more, I also had a thought this weekend.

Discretion is usually your only ally in heavy traffic. If someone gets the idea that you're going to make a move, they'll race to plug the hole before you can take it, especially if you're on a bike. So, I think you either need to just have an understanding with each other or invest in headsets. I'm going to shoot for the latter since my wife and I spend most of our time riding together. Our riding styles differ pretty dramatically, so having a means to communicate would certainly help. Although, I might, perhaps, miss the peace and quiet...

Time4me2ride: That's pretty much what happens to us on a regular basis. I try to keep her close, but it's not always easy to judge distances based on your mirrors. So, I often make moves to pass people, and the car is closer to her than I think. So, we have tried to adapt, and we'll eventually get it to where we can stay together.

Graywolf: I agree with that. I've only got about 6k of experience on the roads. I'm still pretty green. I did take the MSF class, which now makes me wonder how I would have learned to do this without it. My wife and I actually took it as a litmus test to see if we liked riding. We also knew that if we DID decide to ride that it would help us to start riding CORRECTLY from the start. I tell people about it all the time, and it's funny how many folks shrug us off or make excuses for not going to that class.

gart: Sound advice as well. When I ride solo, I can make some fantastic moves in traffic. When you ride with 2 or more, it's more like driving a car or even a moving van. You need a large birth to make moves, and it's quite cumbersome. I suppose that as I rack more miles up, I'll learn the right way to lead through traffic, and my wife will learn the right way to help me out.

Good stuff everyone. It was certainly on my mind all weekend as I took to the roads. The ride home that initial day was pretty decent. I made fewer changes and tried to just stick to a lane. It worked out much better. Of course, you can’t stop people from running you down, but that's a completely different topic.

[Apertureguy]

Yeah, headsets would be very cool. I haven't seen a set yet that I liked. There are plenty to speak with the person on the passenger seat...but next to nothing for you to speak with the person on another bike.

If anyone knows of something...I sure would appreciate hearing about it.

[automogul]

I found something at one point, but I'm not so sure I can find the link to it now... I'll have to do some digging and see what I can turn up.

[automogul]

I know this is a bit of an old topic, so hopefully it still is helpful. This is one unit that I was looking at at one point as a suitable bike-to-bike voice system. You can mount it to your helmet or, I think there is a handlebar mount. There are several other types out there and many other places to buy from. This is just an example.

The Chatterbox:
http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/cha...ation-kit.aspx

I saw a guy riding a sport bike with one of these on his helmet. I remember thinking that it looked a bit ungainly. Anyone used anything like this? I know some bikes like the goldwing come with on-bike chat. I'm specifically focused on bike-to-bike.