Fellow riders who won't let you pass... what do you do?

[Mrs. DantesDame]

It depends entirely on your skill level, and has virtually nothing to do with the road.

Nope.  

[dietDrThunder]

Nope.  

Please post up an actual road upon which there are no such opportunities. If there is a road that is that twisty I want to find it and ride on it!

[county]

Sorry, but if it depends entirely on the road for you, you're doing it wrong.

It depends entirely on your skill level, and has virtually nothing to do with the road.

So, the hp of the bike is irrelevant?  I see you are an XX rider

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Deal's Gap is like that. You should know that.

North Cascades Hwy in Washington - western end has tight corners and no sight lines

Mt St Helens in Washington - very tight corners around blind corners. Admittedly, you could pass on the left handers, as they tend to have open views across the slopes


Those are the first 3 to come to mind and they are all more that just a few miles long. Would you like me to find more?

[bikerfish1100]

Please post up an actual road upon which there are no such opportunities. If there is a road that is that twisty I want to find it and ride on it!

Devil's Gulch Rd http://24timezones.com/mapa/usa/co_larimer/glen_haven.htm. very few options on this 10 mile chunk of heaven, even fewer if you limit yourself to only passing zones and straightaways.

Deal's Gap is another, even fewer straights on that puppy.

[dietDrThunder]

Deal's Gap is like that. You should know that.

North Cascades Hwy in Washington - western end has tight corners and no sight lines

Mt St Helens in Washington - very tight corners around blind corners. Admittedly, you could pass on the left handers, as they tend to have open views across the slopes


Those are the first 3 to come to mind and they are all more that just a few miles long. Would you like me to find more?

Deal's gap is 100% not like that. I haven't counted, but I'd say that there are well over 100 safe, non-mid-corner passing opportunities on that road. The only times I've been balked by another bike involved me trying to be 'gentle' and the other rider deciding to drag race in between corners (a scenario we talked about earlier).  This still doesn't require a mid-corner pass, but it does require either hanging back, or a more...enthusiastic approach. I haven't ridden on the other roads you mentioned, but you're making my point for me.

Look, I'm not saying that everyone should have the same comfort level passing. But,  Deal's Gap serves as a perfect example of the following, and what I've been saying all along: If you aren't comfortable passing other bikes in such a way that you can do so without them accommodating you, and without you using their lane, and without doing it in an unsafe (imo) mid-corner maneuver, then you should be working on you, not worrying about how some other guy isn't letting you by. That's all I'm saying.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Deal's gap is 100% not like that. I haven't counted, but I'd say that there are well over 100 safe, non-mid-corner passing opportunities on that road.

We'll agree to disagree, and I'll agree to never ride with you.

[dietDrThunder]

No, there are plenty of roads where passing isn't viable.

Can do? Sure.

Should do? Fuck no.

There's no black and white here.

And to be clear, my comments on "just pass you whiny bitches" (as I pretty clearly stated) applies to people doing at or near the speed limit. Church buses full of nuns, farm equipment, etc., etc., etc., I fully agree should pull over and wave folks on. For regular traffic, it's a bullshit attitude to demand that someone doing 39 in a 45 pull over for you. Pass or STFU. Bike, car, moped, rocket, race donkey... whatever.

Seems pretty simple.

And again we agree. The OP was talking about other bikes.

Like I said, yes, there are roads somewhere on which passing would probably be pretty sketchy. these roads probably make up .00005% of all roads, and the OP was not saying "I hate it when I'm riding on one of the 7 twistiest roads on Earth and nobody will let me by." He was speaking generally, about riding in twisties.

[dietDrThunder]

We'll agree to disagree, and I'll agree to never ride with you.

You'd be quite happy to ride with me I think...in this thread I've said that I always ride within my own comfort zone, that I don't expect you to accommodate me in any way, I will not ever pass you in your lane, and I will never pass you mid-corner. Other things not mentioned in this thread include things like not hanging off on the street, not blitzing through towns, or down roads with houses/driveways etc. and not blasting down straights. What about that would be bothersome? I can't begin to imagine how much safer rides on roads like Deal's Gap would be if everyone stuck to those guidelines.

[Rogue]

I always follow close enough so they know i want to pass, but not impatiently close.  I don't really expect them to move over, since i really do hate passing a stranger in thier lane and absolutely will not unless motioned to do so.  
I really prefer they wave me past just so i know they see me.  

I almost never have a harley wave me past, but they are always super easy to pass.    Unless there are 30 of them.  In those situations i usually pass on the gaps they leave on the yellow line.  

This one.  

[Rogue]

And to be clear, my comments on "just pass you whiny bitches" (as I pretty clearly stated) applies to people doing at or near the speed limit. Church buses full of nuns, farm equipment, etc., etc., etc., I fully agree should pull over and wave folks on. For regular traffic, it's a bullshit attitude to demand that someone doing 39 in a 45 pull over for you. Pass or STFU. Bike, car, moped, rocket, race donkey... whatever.

Seems pretty simple.

You are WRONG.

I have never seen a church bus full of Nuns.  Ever.

[dietDrThunder]

I would wholeheartedly disagree with that. It comes down to personal safety margins. I'd count a dozen, maybe. For me. On a good day with little traffic. There are just too many places where you have a partial-lane visibility at best. Someone coming the other way could hide in plenty of places as you move in and out of sight, too.

You've hit the nail on the head with this post. It _does_ come down to personal safety margins. To come full-circle...if your personal safety margins dictate that you aren't willing to pass the slower bike in the oncoming lane, and not mid-corner, then you should not expect the slower rider to accommodate you.  Also keep in mind that this is coming from someone who obviously likes to ride fast on a twisty road...it's not like I'm out there holding people up.

If I am in a situation where passing isn't safe IMO (a wet Deal's Gap mostly exceeds my personal safety margin for passing) then I hang way back so as to allow the slower bike to simply enjoy their ride. I feel like it's not for me to insinuate my impatience on them, and I always feel bad when I come up behind someone and they start the mirror-check head swivel because they are worried about me...so, I try to avoid that situation.

This will make people groan...but the fact is that I personally always let people by when they come up on me. I have quite a bit of track experience and 25+ years of twisty road experience. As such, I am very comfortable smoothly altering what I'm doing to let someone by drama-free, and when it happens I do so, immediately, every time. I just don't expect others to do that.

[dietDrThunder]

You are WRONG.

I have never seen a church bus full of Nuns.  Ever.

Funny you should say that.

I never thought this would happen to me, but I swear it's all true. One day, I wa...er...wait.

Sorry, wrong "Forum."

[Rogue]

This thread just goes on forever.  Let's all agree to pass and be passed.  Wave and say thanks to those who wave us by, pass with impunity those who ignore us.  

Finally, slice and dice rolling roadblocks.  

[Paul Barnard]

Today I was riding a local mountain road, having fun.  I got stuck behind three big BMW's.

After miles of slow riding, I blasted past on a straight, which required me to cross the double yellow to give them plenty of room and be safe.

What would you do?  Just sit back at a pace far slower than you wish to ride?  Wait for a safe time to pass?  Pass in their lane?  Pass in a corner, while flipping the bird, while throwing pennies at them?

am I wrong in thinking these guys on the BMW's should have let myself and the two supersports past them?

Man, I don't even know where to start with this.  If they are slow (and isn't it redundant to say slow and BMW) and you can't pass them on a SPORT bike, it's time to hang up your pumps.

[Rogue]

I will say this, most rolling roadblocks that I have encountered were more than happy to see me go by safely.  Some within the heard pull over a bit to give me room, others wave me by, then others just ignore me.  However, once I'm through (via slicing and dicing), I think I can hear a sigh of relief from the heard AND myself.  

It's rare that riders intentionally hold me back (usually a cagers will do that but still rare).  I have had a few riders ignore me and just hug the whole lane then speed up in the straights to make it even more difficult for me to pass.  It doesn't matter what type of bike or make either.  Those are the worst!

[county]

This thread just goes on forever.    

Yes, we would be done by now if it weren't for the stupid posters.

[dm_gsxr]

This thread just goes on forever.

No it doesn't!

I should have posted my little story here in this thread I guess Time for some cut and paste.

Carl

[SVTNate]

Man, I don't even know where to start with this.  If they are slow (and isn't it redundant to say slow and BMW) and you can't pass them on a SPORT bike, it's time to hang up your pumps.

I passed at the first safe opportunity.

Yes, I could have easily passed in a corner, but that's dangerous.

So is passing in a very short straight where there could be oncoming traffic just seconds away.

As is passing in their lane without some indication that they're aware of my presence and want me to pass.

I'm willing to pass, but not risk my life or the lives of others to do it.  

[Cablebandit]

I just turn around and go home.  Obviously it wasn't my day to ride.