How to Ride Safely with a Group: Safety 101 on a Bike
Riding in a group is exhilarating – whether it’s effortlessly drafting at 25 miles an hour, finding motivation to push yourself harder on Bear Mountain, or chatting over a pecan square at the 9W Market. Time flies by, new friends are discovered – it’s an overall swell time.
But with company also comes additional risks. We’re all too familiar with the unfortunate pile up of limbs and metal on the road. But have no fear – these accidents are often preventable with proper group riding etiquette. Below are guidelines on group rides with the Ostroy / NYC Velo Racing & Development Team to get you and your peloton to your destination safely!
Make sure your equipment is ready.
We entrust our safety to our beautiful two-wheeled machines. The condition of your bike will affect your safety and the safety of others. One dropped chain could send you into the pavement (or worse, others around you). Consider the following:
Check your tires! Road tires should be pumped to 80 to 130 psi (where you land will depend on your weight). You don’t want them to be rock hard, or you’ll have an uncomfortable ride, but you don’t want it to be so low that any bump risks a pinch flat (e.g., your tube gets pinched due to low pressure, and you get a flat). You’ll lose air over time, so check your tires before a big ride, or once a week. Check your tires when it’s colder, as you’ll lose air pressure. If you do get a flat and use CO2 to inflate it quickly, re-inflate with air later on as CO2 will leak out slowly. Change your tires every 1000 - 3000 miles. In the winter, change to 4-season tires for better traction.
Clean or lube your drive train. A dry chain or dirty drivetrain only slows you down and accelerates wear/tear. You’ll expend more energy to maintain the same pace due to friction. Use soap and water or degreaser to clean off the grime, then re-lube it and wipe off the excess.
Are your brakes up to date? Whether caliper or disc, if you haven’t checked them in say a month, that’s too long. check the pads. Are they aligned? Are they properly tensioned (e.g., how responsive is the brake to your brake lever?)? Do they look worn out? Caliper brakes are easier to check and replace.
Check your cassette/chain. make sure they don’t skip or shift smoothly. You should consider replacing them, especially chain, every 6+ month.
Check your bike’s loose ends. No loose bottle cages! No loose bar tape. No loose cables, bars, stems or seat post. Keeping a bike tool in your pocket or saddle bag will help you address any basic loose items while riding.
Make sure your pedals/cleats are in good shape. With a cleat system that is malfunctioning, you’ll likely topple over at stops, potentially damaging your bike as well.
Make sure your bike is well-maintained: clean and lube your chain on a weekly basis, and bring it in to the shop for a full tune-up once a year (we recommend going to our shop, NYC Velo, in the late winter / early spring before the warm weather rush!).
Always wear a helmet. Make sure it fits properly on your head: it should rest at the midpoint of your forehead. Tighten it at the back. Your helmet should stay stable on your head even without the chinstrap. The chinstrap should be pulled tight, or your helmet could lift off your head when you crash, reducing protection. After a crash, you should always replace your helmet if you hit your head.
Know the type of ride.
Ride leaders should be clear on the ride type, road surfaces, pace, regroup points and stops, and paceline type (single, double, rotating, length of pull, etc.). If this information is not provided before the start of the ride, new riders joining an established group ride should make it a point to ask someone in the group.
Understand the ride goals. What is the purpose of today’s group ride? Recovery? Social? Sprint efforts? PR on Prospect Park Hill?
Use your hands (and your voice!) to communicate.
When riding behind another cyclist, your vision of the road ahead will be limited to just a few feet. It is thus imperative that the group maintain good communication from the front all the way to the back. This means that all riders in the group should be pointing out road hazards and indicating turns.
Note that cyclist hand signals may vary slightly between riders. Be clear on the signals the group will be using during the ride. If you see a signal you are unfamiliar with – ask for its meaning.
If you are uncomfortable with riding with one hand, use your voice. In emergency situations, do not remove your hands from your handlebars. When calling out signals or barriers, make sure your voice is loud enough to hear over the wind. You may even choose to use both a hand signal and your voice at the same time! Use good judgment.
When preparing to move to the left turn lane, riders at the back should assist in checking for cars and yell ‘Clear!’ when it is appropriate for the group to move across lanes.
In addition to turns, slowing, and stopping, you should point out any road hazards that may cause an accident. This includes excessive debris, potholes (‘Hole!’), puddles/water, open car doors (‘Door!’), incoming traffic (‘Car up! Car back!’), pedestrians (‘Walker up!’), drains, gravel or leaves that reduce traction, and more. If in doubt, call it out.
Always call out when you are slowing or stopping. To signal that you are slowing, drop your hand to your side. To signal that you are stopping, lift your arm up in a fist. Riders also indicate if they will swerve left or right (e.g., to avoid another rider or a pedestrian) by patting their hip, indicating which side the obstacle is on (e.g., patting the left hip to indicate passing a rider on the left and swerving right)
Some riders also indicate they are about to stand up on the bike by swishing a hand behind them. This is necessary because standing up in your saddle can cause your bike to “kick back”, which may cause the rider behind you to crash into your back wheel. Similarly, sitting back down will cause your bike to edge forward. Be aware of these movements and try to shift your gearing up or down to minimize the back and forth movement.
Practice safe paceline etiquette.
Single, double, and rotating pacelines are all used during Ostroy / NYC Velo rides. When finishing your turn on the front, wiggle your elbow on the side you want the person behind you to pass (e.g., in a double paceline, wiggle your inside elbow and pull off to the outside, allowing the riders behind you to pull through on the inside). Make sure to check for cars before pulling to the left of the paceline and avoid changing pulls on hills or descents. Set expectations on the length of each pull (a good standard is about 2 - 5 minutes each, while faster pacelines may have people pulling for 30 seconds or less!).
Be predictable! Stay steady and smooth at all times – avoid any sudden movements. At higher levels, cyclists may be positioned within half a foot, if not inches, from each other. Every inch helps you conserve a bit more energy - so it’s important to know how to do it safely.
Keep your speed steady. Do not surge when you reach the front of the paceline, which will make everyone work harder to suddenly bridge the gap. If you need to adjust speed, feather your brakes by pumping them lightly to “scrub” your speed. Keep spinning constantly and don’t coast, because coasting can indicate to riders behind you that you are slowing down. Spinning also keeps your legs warm and is generally a good practice! If you must brake, announce that you are braking before braking by yelling ‘Slowing!’. As mentioned previously, pay special attention to when you transition from sitting to standing (and vice versa) on your bike as your bike is likely to lurch suddenly.
Do not overlap wheels. Protect your front wheel! Your front wheel is less stable than your back wheel, which supports the majority of your weight (if you’re putting weight through your front wheel, you shouldn’t be. Make sure to engage your core!). That means if your front wheel gets hit by someone’s back wheel, you’re more likely to go down than they are. While the goal of the group is to maintain a steady line, there may be instances where one must swerve to avoid a pothole, roadkill, or something else. You do not want to find yourself in the position of overlapping your front wheel with someone’s back wheel. When drafting, always stay to one side or the other of the rider’s back wheel. You don’t want to be directly behind them in case they suddenly brake: you want an exit lane. Stick to the side that is less windy.
Do not use phones or cameras while in a paceline. Doing so can be incredibly dangerous as it limits your ability to hit the brakes and avoid/point out road hazards. It also distracts you from the very important task of keeping tabs on where everyone is positioned around you!
Remember that in a paceline, you become the eyes and ears for the people behind you. Anything you do will ripple through the paceline. Group riding is much more efficient -- if we do it right!
Keep the group together on no-drop rides.
To keep the group together, ease up on the climbs, push harder on the descents, and remain steady on the flats. There is little drafting while going uphill, making climbs similarly taxing for all riders regardless of position in the paceline. When going downhill, if the person pulling does not actively push on the descent, everyone behind them will be riding their brakes.
If you’re tired, feel free to sit behind the paceline and allow it to rotate in front of you. Make it clear to the rest of the group that you will be sitting back. This helps both you and the group – you are less likely to get dropped and have the team wait for you. Conversely, if you’re feeling strong, take longer pulls at the front.
If the ride is no-drop, group members should advise people in the front to ease up if a rider has fallen off the back. Indicate that all are on by calling out, ‘All on!’. That being said, in cycling we have a saying: a little effort now, or a lot later. This is because riding alone is harder work! Make the effort to bridge the gap quickly so you’re not caught totally off the back and scrambling to catch up.
Descend safely and within your own means.
Just because Jessica is a monster at bombing hills does not mean you have to follow suit. On descents, take the wider turn (if possible), avoid painted lines, and keep the pedal on the inside of the turn, up. If you’re descending in a paceline, make sure to keep your effort steady: that means you’ll pedal through the descent and scrub your speed by feathering your brakes (lightly pump your brakes - don’t brake hard or suddenly, or your wheels may lock up and you’ll crash). Sometimes it’s hard to descend together: if you’re finding it difficult to maintain the group pace, sit up a bit or indicate and get out of the draft to slow down.
Cross intersections safely.
Check for both pedestrians and cars when crossing intersections. Do not feel pressured to follow your group through intersections or between traffic if you feel unsafe. Cyclists should wait before the crosswalk, like vehicles do, not in the crosswalk.
No aerobars allowed.
While they look super cool, aerobars are not permitted on group rides as they do not allow for quick braking. The aero-position is also inherently less stable, making it unsuitable for group rides where maneuverability is critical. In general, aerobars should not be used in road cycling and are not permitted in road races.
Become familiar with location-specific riding etiquette.
George Washington Bridge
Everyone knows the hazardous narrow turns on the bridge. When making the initial turn into the vestibule, check for any oncoming riders or pedestrians. If people are present, yell ‘Rider/walker up!’. If not, yell ‘Clear!’ for the rider behind you. When exiting the vestibule, do the same.
Central Park & Prospect Park
Do not go into the pedestrian lane. If possible, always pass on the right. Never pass a runner or cyclist on both sides (e.g., ‘swarm’ them) as they may swerve to avoid you, only to hit another rider. Call out ‘passing on your right!’ to let them know you’re there.
Group riding safety should be top of mind for every member of the Ostroy / NYC Velo Racing & Development Team. If you see something potentially dangerous, call it out! We are all learning and growing together to become safer and stronger cyclists.
Jasmine Tsai (she/her)