I've tried every sort of tactic. The cough, the sniff, the whistle, but nothing seems to work. I have yet to find a good way to alert another rider that I am about to catch and pass them on the trail. (There are a lot of begginer riders in Draper. It's a common place to catch and pass).
Whenever I try to say (in my still small voice), "On your left" or "when you get a chance, I'm coming around" the rider usually experiences a violent, full body shake, followed immediately by a hot flash and almost crashes. It happens all the time. The rider has no clue I am coming up behind them and no matter how much noise I try to make to alert them of my presence, they never hear it. It's not until I actually say something that they hear me.
Is it my voice? Do I sound like a serial killer?
The thing is. I kind of look forward to seeing the reaction. It's funny as hell. It's like watching someone who thinks they are about to die.
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13 comments:
this isn't a problem for normal people, because when normal people try to go as fast as you go, we make horrible wheezing sounds, and you can hear the blood in our veins from 50 yards away.
but you go so fast, you come up on people like a crazy driver on the freeway comes up on a tractor in the slow lane. but it's like you're the crazy freeway driver driving a stealth bomber.
get a bell. a cowbell.
Dug- You've mistaken me for Kenny or Brad. And Draper is popular for beginner riders so this passing thing applies to all of us.
I usually make a few really noisy clunky shifts, and it seems to work. One of the nice things about riding with gears.
More cowbell.
Hope Pro II freehub. Loudest freehub I've found, and I need to do is coast a few feet and every rider in the same county knows I'm around.
Just buzz their tire. It works for Jamie.
I'm with Anon. Quick reverse spin of the WI freewheel and I'm good.
Rick, I just remembered I have seen a solution to your problem. When I rode the Muller Park trail (the busiest trail I have seen in Utah) I watched a guy stop at the trail head and retrieve a big jingle bell from his CamelBak and attach it to his bars. The bell made a pleasant sound that was just loud enough to warn people at the right distance away. Or use a cowbell as Mark suggested - not just a punchline!
You should get an air horn and blow it before you hit the trailhead to alert riders that you are in the canyon and you will be riding and riding fast.
You could clip a couple of playing cards to your spokes!!
I happen to know a certain SSer looking for a new wheelset, I have never heard a louder one than my Industry 9 freehub. I have heard hubs from Shimano, Amer Classic, WTB, DT Swiss and Chris King but none are as good at letting people know you are coasting behind them as the Industry 9s. They're also pretty bling as you go by too. Bonus!
I think getting a loud hub is a great suggestion from "anonymous" because you now have a great excuse to go deep on the wheelset. It's a much better investment than pillows.
WTH???
Oh, Whit was using my computer before we launched at Lake Powell and apparently was still logged on.
Oops!
That last post was from me not my wifey.
tibiker: what do they call men who impersonate women? cross dresser? transvestite? You're secret's safe with us. ;-)
FWIW, I've made the same mistake.
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