During the week other riders do engage in behavior that is an affront to their fellow humans, and one such behavior is “shoaling.” As I’ve explained before, no rider, no matter how slow or diminutive, will ever come to a stop behind another rider at a red light. Instead, it is standard practice to pass that rider and stop in front of him, even if this involves doing so in the middle of the crosswalk or in the actual intersection, well ahead of the traffic signal. “Shoaling” is an incredibly rude practice, and it’s tantamount to cutting in front of someone at an ATM, supermarket checkout, or urinal line. Yet while people will speak up if someone cuts ahead of them in line, nobody ever speaks out against the equally offensive practice of shoaling. --BikeSnobNYC
Commuters in Melbourne are some shoaling mother f*cka’s! I ride fixed, so we all know our one all gear ratio means quick starts off the line, gradual acceleration on a singlespeed is no fun. I seem to get schoaled by old tards on hybrids who shift to the granny gear at every light. I knew I was annoyed by this practice, I just never knew there was an actual term and definition for it. I’m not sure I’d speak out against a shoaler, it’s just annoying having to re-pass them a few meters later.
well i think bsnyc invented the term, but its a good one. and yes he’s right.
there’s an inverse relationship in operation here, the slower off the start the rider is, the further in front they’ll push
The other thing to take off here in Melbourne is “salmoning”. Yesterday, while sitting in a tram along Swanston St, I saw 3 cyclists riding the wrong way up the street in the bike lane !
yeah, a pet hate of mine. if i overtook you 1km ago, its cos i’m riding faster than you. this doesn’t change because we have encountered a traffic light. use common sense.
whats the norm if there is three or more people coming to the lights?
The first stops, the second shoals, and i’ve found the third will shoal the first rider and sit directly next to the original shoaler. is this everyone else’s experience?
Bikes vs Bikes shoaling. What about Bikes vs Cars shoaling? I find that cars hate shoaling more than bikes. You get the worst death stares and engine revs when cars pass you multiple times after multiple red lights.
Except in the CBD most cars will catch you shortly after you take off from the lights. Then at the next red, we filter through to the front.
no bike lanes in sydney.
the reason i shoal on cars is so that i can claim my line through the intersection and not get squeezed into the gutter. if i can jump the red by a couple of seconds I’m through the danger zone by the time the cars catch up to me. it’s all about self preservation.
also, its easier to do sweet trackstands if you’re in front of the cars.
I reckon most of us here would have done it at some stage, before we were the skilled, experienced and considerate riders we all are now. :-o
I’d go further and say anyone here who didn’t/doesn’t shoal at some stage is a liar.
This isn’t a defense of the practice but I have a theory about it - it happens because riding with/behind/near other riders and cars in close quarters is scary. By propping out in front and belting away from the lights in granny gear we create the (false) impression that we are out alone and safe. It’s even more so if it’s raining. I think there’s even "how to commute safely " stuff on the interweb that recommends it, but it’s talking about shoaling cars, which is different - if you are out front of a line of cars you ARE safer because you are visible.
It takes most people time to acquire enough skill and commonsense and confidence to ride smoothly and sensibly in traffic, because each has to figure it out for themselves and no-oe takes friendly advice.
All that said, it still gives me the shits but I try to be sanguine about it.
I just accept it’s part of the fun that is commuting
My primary concerns if I’m riding behind someone is:
a) They are predictable
b) They can hold a straight line
c) In the wet, they have a rear mudguard so I don’t get covered in mud on my face
d) They can hold a reasonable pace above 15km/h
If any or these are not followed, I’ll shoal them… :evil:
shoaling both bikes and cars in any city with not much bike lanes is a course for self preservation.
You are only going to overtake a bike at a traffic light if you feel they are not far enough ahead of the car crowd. If they are you will sit right along next to them as you’re not exactly going to roll out into the crosstraffic.
The majority of deaths are from overly polite riders who sit amongst the vehicles blindspots not riding onto or ahead of the pedestrian crossing and eventually getting crushed. THESE are the people who need the most rage pointed at them, as by sitting between two cars they put everyone at risk behind them who can’t push through to the front or have to whip into another lane to get into relative safety. Mopeds are also king of doing this when they realise half way they can’t fit.
As for the bike lanes, I avoid as much as possible as the hordes of spastics who lack the spacial awareness to ride on the road are attracted to them and at 2am I don’t want to roll over a brick left in the lane and beat on by some kids looking to make a quick buck.
I shoal most riders in Brisbane because they generally fit into one of two categories:
Wobbly mountain bike riders who try to take off in the highest gear from the lights.
Roadies who still aren’t clipped in by the time they reach the other side of the intersection.
I tend to give way if I’m coming up to a downhill because I know a lot will catch me anyway as I run a stupidly low gear ratio. But I’ve been burnt by this many times as well.
well, i’ve got no problem if you’re going to move quicker than me… even so, i’d wait and see before i jumped the queue.
as for cars, i’ll often wait down the queue at the lights, but if so i’ll sit in the middle of the lane, as a car would.
and i’m not a huge fan of other cyclists who sit up your ass. i’ll try be as predictable as possible, but this isn’t the fucking peloton, so as with driving, expect the unexpected and leave enough room.
+1
But im quite conflicted. I wil tolerate someone sitting right on my arse because there have been windy days where i have done the same to someone else. sometimes i thank them for the tow if im in a good mood.
