The shoaling thread - understanding this phenomenon
To clean up other threads, let's have our CIVIL thoughts/opinions/discussion on shoaling.
Obviously it bugs people when it is repetitive and puts a faster rider in a situation where taking the lane to pass is the only option, thus subjecting someone to a great risk of injury. Others don't care either because they adjust their speed or weren't going that fast in the first place.
Perhaps some ground rules to the discussion?
1. Shoaling, in this arena, is the act of moving to the front of a rider/group of riders in an attempt to get to the front of a mass of riders and then proceeding at a slower speed than originally held by the group, thus causing riders to pass. This is to happen more than once on a stretch of road.
2. Shoaling is not (to be changed if needed) a faster rider moving to the front of a rider/group of riders knowing they will accelerate faster than the other riders, therefore not causing potentially unsafe passing.
3. Assume people either for or against the act of shoaling isn't form a self-righteous position.
4. Civil disagreements can ensue, mods can feel free to stop a train before it derails the thread completely. That also means NO personal attacks, if someone freely admits to being a shoaler for what ever reason, they should feel safe stating their position and why they do it.
5. State your case/thoughts/opinions/constructive criticism and let others respond. If your response is going to be too long, a cliff notes Tl;Dr would be appreciated at the beginning or end of your post.
6. Lets remember we all share something in common (myself very much included) and we very well could run into each other out on the street riding. If it is kept civil here, it will be civil out there despite our different position on shoaling.
I, for one, am excited to read other's thoughts and so on, on this topic. I am also open to learning something new and how I can best avoid having animosity towards other cyclists.
Views: 2937
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Reboot Oxnard on
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Yes, just as he's shoaling you when he finally gets up to speed and passes you mid-block. Shoals don't happen unless both styles of riders are present and involved. Its two waves, where the tortoises are slower mid-block and the hares are slower at the intersections and both are, overall, traveling at the same speed.
Michelle Stenzel said:Do you consider it shoaling if I pass them right when the light turns green?
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Permalink Reply by JMinHP on
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Shoaling only bothers me if the person does it more than once. If I'm at a red light, and they hop to the front of the line only for me to pass them soon afterwards, and then at the next light they stay behind me, I just chalk it up to not paying attention or not realizing I have the legs of Thor and hammer away at the pedals (jk).
Question for the group - Is it "shoaling" if a slower rider passes faster riders by running a red light/not even slowing at a stop sign for cross-traffic or pedestrians? This behavior really gets under my skin. No, we're not "riding at the same pace"; I'm riding faster but more safely and obeying traffic laws.
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Permalink Reply by David Altenburg on
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This is my pet peeve as well. Why would anyone deal with the hassle of clipless pedals but not bother to downshift before coming to a stop? I'm not a fast rider on my commutes, but I hate getting stuck in the middle of intersections.
Michelle Stenzel said:OK, here's a little twist. What about the people who are hares in terms of speed when they finally get up to a pace, but they're tortoises starting up? I ride my upright bike at a moderate/relaxed pace, but when I'm waiting at a red light and it finally turns to green, I am immediately pedaling forward. It's somewhat annoying when there is a person on a road bike in front of me, but when the light turns green, it takes them a second or two to register, then clip their foot onto the pedal, and then do whatever else is necessary to finally achieve some forward motion. Do you consider it shoaling if I pass them right when the light turns green?
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on
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I'll shoal you if:
- You're chillin with your foot on the curb
- You're to the right of cars in a right hand turn lane
- You're on a Divvy, cruiser, or on an otherwize visibly janky bike
- You're talking with buddies or are on the phone
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Permalink Reply by Eric R on
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My personal favorite is the Divvy shoaler. A close second is every other absentminded person that shoals.
Unrelated image:
Self-sealing Stembolt said:Just like car drivers who won't don't merge when they see the lane is closed up ahead and drive past all the stopped cars to the end of the empty lane and then want back in.
I wonder why this lane isn't moving?
They aren't "buying anything" so it's not butting, right?
Electrolytes...
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Permalink Reply by Tandemonium on
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Shoaling, AKA:
bicycle commuting microagression
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Permalink Reply by JeffB on
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At the risk of going off topic, I have to strongly disagree with this when it comes to driving.
It is much more efficient in traffic to have one merge point (where the lane closes), rather than multiple merge points created by drivers as they see fit. If everyone merged at the actual merge point, with the cars in each lane taking turns, traffic would move more smoothly. What's the sense in leaving an open lane unused?
Sorry for the digression, but this drives me nuts when I'm in traffic, especially when it becomes clear that people think I'm cutting the line or not understanding the situation by going to the end of my lane, rather than taking it upon myself to "end" the lane (by stopping and merging) prematurely.
Self-sealing Stembolt said:Just like car drivers who won't don't merge when they see the lane is closed up ahead and drive past all the stopped cars to the end of the empty lane and then want back in.
I wonder why this lane isn't moving?
They aren't "buying anything" so it's not butting, right?
Electrolytes...
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I ride pretty fast, but I'm not a "hare." Usually, I'm commuting a relatively short distance to work, so "top speed" is a priority well below "not crashing" and "not getting too sweaty." Since I usually ride the same 2 or 3 routes, it's easy to use my experience to time lights. I hold my line well and stay to the right, and certainly do not take offense to "hares" blowing by me mid-block . . . but there is a very good chance that I'm going to pass them easily when the light turns green. Since my average speed isn't slower than theirs, sprinting doesn't get them to their destination faster. When I have to stop, I make sure I'm in the appropriate gear to accelerate once the light turns green.
Neither I nor the hares are shoaling IMO, since we're not slowing anybody else down.
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so meta...
rwein5 said:Chainlink, AKA:
bicycle community passive aggression
Tandemonium said:Shoaling, AKA:
bicycle commuting microagression
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Permalink Reply by Chitown_Mike on
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Very interesting point. My commuter has a platform/clipless pedal and my road bike is clipless only. I know I can pedal on my commuter and worry about clipping in once I am moving, but my road bike is a different story. Never thought of the dawdling I do if I miss clipping in and what riders behind me have to deal with.
Michelle Stenzel said:OK, here's a little twist. What about the people who are hares in terms of speed when they finally get up to a pace, but they're tortoises starting up? I ride my upright bike at a moderate/relaxed pace, but when I'm waiting at a red light and it finally turns to green, I am immediately pedaling forward. It's somewhat annoying when there is a person on a road bike in front of me, but when the light turns green, it takes them a second or two to register, then clip their foot onto the pedal, and then do whatever else is necessary to finally achieve some forward motion. Do you consider it shoaling if I pass them right when the light turns green?
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What some call 'shoaling' is normal behavior.
How do I know this? Because everyone does it.
Drivers do it. How many times have you seen a car in a long line attempt to squeeze into what appeared to be an empty right lane, only to stop because it was too narrow? Cars also ride on the shoulder. They use the right turning lane, not to turn, but to charge ahead of the cars in the center lane and then merge ahead of those same cars. They look for any available/empty space to forge ahead in their journey. The only thing that stops them is either physical limitations or the law.
Pedestrians do it. Approaching a red light intersection, walkers fill up all of the spaces next to the street, including that narrow space between the street pole and the newspaper box that's a few feet to the left of the intersection. Only then do they mass up behind those hugging the street-side spaces. Some even spill into the street. I dare ANYONE to name ONE PLACE where pedestrians at a light line up single file as they wait to cross the street (and I don't want any absurd examples, such as students waiting to enter school, or tour groups). Even queue-happy Britons, famous for lining up for everything, don't do this.
So this anger/irritation at normal behavior is ridiculous.
And don't tell me 'But biking is different!' No, it really isn't.
The 'crime' of 'shoaling' is a myth, an invention of those displeased with reality.
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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on
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In short, a lot of humans are entitled assholes.
Bike theft is common too. Don't get upset, it's "normal" for many people to take shit from other people when they can get away with it...
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