electric bicycle observation - pedal cadence

I just wanted to share an observation that I've noticed the last couple of years while commuting to work on my electric bicycle. Perhaps its just me or maybe its just the other drivers in my area. I've noticed that aggressive drivers (the kind that follow too close or want to pass simply because you are on a bike) tend to get even more aggressive the faster I pedal / increase my pedal cadence.

I always pedal while riding.

My speed doesn't really seem to be a factor here. I can be flowing nicely with traffic at 55 kmph with a high pedal cadence (lets say 80 - 100 rpm) and the already aggressive drivers seem to become more aggravated. If I lower my pedal cadence (lets say approximately 60 rpm or less) but maintain 55 kmph; I don't seem to experience the same behavior from other drivers.

Am I crazy; is this just a psychological thing or has anyone else experienced this?

Not enough data points for me. I try to avoid situations where I have to deal with impatient drivers and the few times and places where I've found I've failed to avoid that kind of situation, I'm typically pedaling quickly and traveling over 25 mph to make it as easy as possible for the the potentially impatient driver to pass me safely and with minimal aggravation. I would never have a pedaling cadence of 60 rpm for more than a moment or two in that kind of situation cuz I'm basically either hauling ass or getting off that road.

I can only say that with CrazyBike2 and SB Cruiser, when I don't pedal, drivers are less aggressive, give me more room, and if they are waiting to pull out of driveways or cross streets they wait for me to pass.

When I pedal (which is most of the time, if I'm not hurting too much, like happens on really cold days, etc) drivers sometimes pull out in front of me in situations they woulnd't above, and they pass me closer and tend to be less patient, etc.

I am always pedalling at the same slow cadence, so I don't know if a different one would change things.

It doesn't matter that my pedalling makes zero difference to the speed or accleration times, it's purely their response to seeing "bicycle" vs "non-bicycle", AFAICT.

Keep in mind my max speed is 20MPH, and what I typically cruise at.

simply drivers dont expect any cyclist to go over 50km/h while pedalling .
I also pedal around 50km/h a lot. I want to pedal, to signal to anybody - IT IS BICYCLE.

@wturber
Avoiding those situations would be ideal; however my route is more of a "pick your poison" situation. My alternate route involves a different set of challenges such as a higher road speed and longer distance. I generally travel the same speed as traffic mostly because I don't like people passing me ; I've built up my bike to match traffic speed.

@amberwolf
It sounds like we are experiencing the similar behavior then. In your observations though; you've seen it more as a pedaling vs no pedaling factor.

amberwolf said:

drivers sometimes pull out in front of me in situations they woulnd't above, and they pass me closer and tend to be less patient, etc.

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That is the number one issue I have.

@miro13car
I guess that is really what it boils down to. Which is what amberwolf has pointed out too. My setup still looks mostly bicycle like. I pedal to assist in my acceleration and to avoid law enforcement or other road users saying "look at that guy on a bicycle not pedaling!".

FYI; I have a new, larger and brighter front light arriving soon, I am curious to see if it has any effect in regards to drivers pulling out in front of me etc... since it will make my bicycle have a larger light face; closer to a motorcycle.

Thanks for sharing and keep riding safe!

miro13car said:

simply drivers dont expect any cyclist to go over 50km/h while pedalling .
I also pedal around 50km/h a lot. I want to pedal, to signal to anybody - IT IS BICYCLE.

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Yeah but you know how Calgary drivers are.

I like to stay a doors length away from parked vehicles, and when the parked vehicles are too far away from the curb or you get a large truck parked too far away from the curb then we gotta go further into the lane. And if its a single lane with parked cars makes it interesting. We all got stories of inpatient drivers and face to face confrontations.

With my observations of Calgary drivers:
- I find they need a mile of distance and all lanes cleared to turn.
- Turning right, looking left drivers are the most dangerous, especially on a through-lane merge, but even those through-lane merges a good percentage of people stop like its a yield.
- Most drivers that see you clearly, will still block your way.
- Drivers can not handle a curve in the road, like changing lanes. Drivers on both lanes northward, around a bend with both lanes clear, will still honk at you and not change lanes.
- Drivers on said curve in the road, always move to the inside of the curve.
- Drivers on a two lane with the third a parking lane, and the outside lane is narrow but still can stay within, choose to not be so close to parked cars, they require a mile of distance between their mirror and the parked cars mirror, afraid a door might fly open perhaps.

pwd said:

My setup still looks mostly bicycle like.

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Mine does not really look like anythign else on the road (or off), except "rickshaws" as people call them, or pedicabs--that's what most of the people that talk to me about it call it, if they give it a name at all.

That alone can keep drivers farther from it (it's big enough that it might scratch their paint if they hit it), but in the daytime it's still obviously smaller than a car.

FYI; I have a new, larger and brighter front light arriving soon, I am curious to see if it has any effect in regards to drivers pulling out in front of me etc... since it will make my bicycle have a larger light face; closer to a motorcycle.

Click to expand...

At night that will probably make some difference, but in the daytime its still easy to see the rest of you and classify you as an obstacle and delay-making thing that is just in the way, rather than another road user to share with.

The more surface area the light has, at least at night, the closer you will appear to them, and the more likely they are to delay actions like pulling out in front of you, or turning across your path.

The more of a point source it is, the farther it appears, and the more likely they are to assume you're so far away it doesn't matter what they do.

pwd said:

FYI; I have a new, larger and brighter front light arriving soon, I am curious to see if it has any effect in regards to drivers pulling out in front of me etc... since it will make my bicycle have a larger light face; closer to a motorcycle.

Thanks for sharing and keep riding safe!

Click to expand...

I quite literally have a motorcycle headlight light (Harley replacement) on my bike. With that light on high beam, I had a woman in daylight who had stopped at a stop sign fail to see me and almost run me over. So I now also run a small headlight that flashes on and off in the the hopes that the apparent motion that flashing creates will be hard to miss. And today I bought some day-glo orange and green "fluorescent" shirts because I've noticed that I spot riders that have these colors much more quickly and from distances much further away than those that don't wear these colors. Every little bit of extra visibility helps.




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wturber said:

. And today I bought some day-glo orange and green "fluorescent" shirts because I've noticed that I spot riders that have these colors much more quickly and from distances much further away than those that don't wear these colors. Every little bit of extra visibility helps.

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If you ride in twilight conditions, dayglo pink is even more vvisible than either of those.

I find drivers are more courteous when I ride with a video camera prominently displayed on top of my helmet. YRMV, since drivers here are reasonably accommodating to those of us on two wheels. I'm actually more worried about being smacked by a motorcycle than a car.

In 10 years of riding electric though, the number 1 factor in keeping me safe from the mistakes of drivers is having enough acceleration and top speed to create safe riding space. Being well in front gives you the full lane(s) to position yourself to increase visibility to traffic entering from side streets, and I find that lateral motion within the lane (with or without lights on) makes me more visible to those entering from the sides. Safe distances means different things in different circumstances, since sometimes it's best to maintain little space and use a car in front as a blocking back. Of course riding with more speed comes with responsibilities to actually be safer than the slow at the side of the road guys, but I much prefer my safety being up to me rather than left to idiot behind the wheel.

I find AW's observation that drivers are more tolerant of his vehicles when they're visibly motor powered (not pedaling).