[Closed] Road cycling advice pls

"but the honkers force me to be awkward and make them wait until they can pass,"

They're not forcing you at all. You're choosing to be awkward. You could put your hand up to acknowledge you are a ware of them, pull over as soon as you can, same as I suppose you do for the non "honkers". Let them pass and find roads that are not so narrow to ride on so you avoid confrontation and, I dare say, enjoy your ride more?

The etiquette is that if you are holding someone up on a lane where passing is impossible, then it's reasonable to sit up at the next opportunity, swing into a passing space, and let folk through.

Honking your horn immediately and tailgating is a dick move, but I wouldn't advise trying to 'punish' aggressive, narky drivers by not letting them through when an opportunity arises, as chances are eventually one of them will force their way through and scrape you along a hedge.

When you see a car coming towards you at pace take an assertive position, this means you can help them decide to slow and if they dont you have space to move over.

When someone is behind you let them past asap, unless they are being a dick, then stop and ask them what their ****ing problem is and would they like to get out of their protective bix to explain, oh hang on no, what I meant to say was just let them past asap and try not to let it spoil your ride.

I think for my own safety and peace of mind I'd just let people pass at the first safe opportunity if I was moving a lot slower. It's much nicer if they aren't rude and aggressive, but the aggressive ones are the ones you don't want sitting behind you.

Car vs Bike is a war that cannot be won. Bite the bullet and let whoever is behind you past at the earliest opportunity.

I had a chat with my Brother in Law who is a lorry driver about cyclists, i said ill always let people past on a country lane and he was really suprised as in his experience this never happens and it is so fustrating for them. And guess what they are all talking about when they get back to the depot.

Check the ego, bite the bullet and pull to the side when its safe to do so. Its actions like that which will change perceptions.

What I do with oncoming cars is NOT move right over when they're a good distance away - encourages them to keep coming at the same speed.  I slow down but out from the edge and make it fairly clear I'm searching for a spot to stop.  That way they see that you care about their precious 5 seconds but you're not letting them smash past

Behind?  Same again really, though it's a bit more scary as you can't look 'em in the eye.  If there's an obvious passing place coming up I'll merrily take primary (i.e. "block" them totally) while signalling that I'm about to move.    I do have a rear light camera and the light pattern makes it look as though it's more than a light.  I suspect that helps.

Some people are just ****s though.  Worth remembering, especially if you both might meet again some time - there's a short road on my commute where once or twice I've "stopped" overtakes because I can see the oncoming car before they can.  I'm sure they were cross at the time but the appearance of the car probably then calms them down and it feels to me as though some regular users have started to be nicer to me.  (I NEVER wave them through if I can't see oncoming stuff though, unless it's utterly obvious anyway; that's a decision for them)

Carry on a s you are by sounds of it, you’re letting them pass when it’s safe to do.

The only thing I’d do differently is to put my hand up to acknowledge them, maybe make a polite gesture asking them to be patient. Then waving them through as soon as.

Just don’t get caught up in a row, if they’re stupid enough to drive aggressively then they’re thick enough not to listen to reason, it’s not worth it.

As above, you should pull over to let them by, that goes for any road really though most I see won't pull into a bus stop or layby to let a few cars through despite it not impacting their own speed.

Pretty sure the above is a recommendation in the highway code but that may be an urban myth

Yeah take the lane for those coming towards you, it’s assertive enough to force them into the right action,

If you try to influence the actions of an oncoming car it probably won't end well one day.  You have no idea if the oncoming car has seen you. I'd rather not be in a position where your life is in the hands of someone else...you have no idea if they've seen you, if they're distracted by something else, if they're drunk or high or anything. I simply move as far out of their way as I possibly can.

If I'm on a narrow lane or road and a car comes up behind I speed up to get to a place where I can pull over a bit to ease them passing me.

I don't subscribe to this idea that you as a cyclist can 'influence' a drivers behaviour.. some are dicks and won't be influenced by a cyclist, some are simply not aware of your presence and some are just dicks full stop, so I'd rather take things into my own hands as much as possible and make it as easy for them to pass me as quickly as possible and just take the risk out of the situation altogether. Holding them up will end in tears in the end. In my experience its a case of if you make it obvious you're doing what you can to make life easier for the driver then they usually respect that and will be fine...some won't, but most will and often I get a little wave of thanks or a flash of the hazards to say thanks that I've made an effort....just like if you're driving a car yourself and holding others up...if you arrogantly and stubbornly continue then you just piss people off, if you make it obvious you're making an effort to ease them passing you then usually things remain friendly.

get the map out and find a quieter route?

I don’t subscribe to this idea that you as a cyclist can ‘influence’ a drivers behaviour ... In my experience its a case of if you make it obvious you’re doing what you can to make life easier for the driver then they usually respect that and will be fine

That's still trying to influence their behaviour and I think it's pretty much all that most of us are proposing.  Course, you could throw yourself into a hedge at the first sound of an engine but that's not in the interests of your safety either.  You're buying time to get SAFELY out of the way

If you try to influence the actions of an oncoming car it probably won’t end well one day.  You have no idea if the oncoming car has seen you.

This is rubbish, firstly you can pull out a bit so they can see you better and it gives you room to pull back. If you start in to the left and they dontc see you theres no where to go.

Take up position at safe distance where possible, wait to gauge driver reaction then either a thank you and polite nod or you’ve allowed yourself time to move aside if it’s an idiot.

+1 for taking the lane against oncoming traffic. I will also do a Froome & pretend to be staring at my stem so that you don’t make eye contact with the driver. (While monitoring them in my peripheral vision).  Slows up virtually everyone, but  on the odd occasion with a psycho you need to be ready to move across if they look like they want to plough straight through you.

I always let them pass when I am near a gate or layby etc and I wave/signal them to go past.

AND

I always wave at them to acknowledge that I have (obviously) heard them and I will use my hand to signal them to move back as sometimes they get really close. Depending upon my legs I will also cycle a but faster so that I can let them go past safely.

I'm not moving away from country lanes as I do prefer it to the main roads and often they are the links between some nice villages etc.

In the future I will move right a little bit so am not right next to the gutter/drains/hedge, to be a bit more assertive as I think they try and squeze by.

There aren’t any hard and fast rules, treat every situation as it comes, like you are doing.

Must say, my commute, in rush hour, takes a lot of quiet back roads, as well as A roads where its too busy to pass and in 20 odd years I’ve never once experienced a horn honking tail gater trying to force me to move over, and just a few coming too fast towards me. So I’m very surprised this is happening a lot or enough to be considered a regular thing worth worrying about.

And the driving round here is pretty bloody appalling.

One thing I never think, as someone said above, is that I’m “holding someone up”. The road not being wide enough isn’t my concern and when it is, whoever is behind me can get past.

Suggest you come and ride in Yorkshire. All the drivers are really nice round here.

I mean the nice rural bits of Yorkshire of course, not dumps like Huddersfield or Bradford.

Suggest you come and ride in Yorkshire. All the drivers are really nice round here.

Not entirely my experience!