RMBRC Group Ride Safety

There are many ways to ride in groups. The following guidelines are used by RMBRC members and guests when participating in weekly impromptu rides and organized destination rides.  

1.  Have your bike and riding gear ready--this means you have fueled up, your face shield and windshield are clean, all your lights work, and your tire pressure has been checked.  Arrive at your departure point early, not late.  Use the T-CLOCK checklist:

    T- Tires and wheels condition, air pressure, spokes, rims

    C- Controls, levers, cables, hoses, throttle

    L- Lights, battery, lenses, wiring, headlight, signals

    O- Oil and gas levels

    C- Chassis, frame, suspension, chain or best, fasteners

    K- Kick/sidestand-centerstand

2.  Introduce yourself to the group, and if you are new to the group, let the ride captain know low long you have been riding.  Discuss the route, first stop, final destination and return time with the ride captain.  If you need to break off the ride earlier, let the ride captain know.

3.  The group should ride in a staggered formation, NEVER ride directly behind any other rider's tail light.  This staggered formation is broken whenever the roads become narrow twisty, or weather conditions are poor.  Riding in groups of 5-6 riders is best with a gap between to allow a car to merge or exit in the groups.

4. Slower riders and slower bikes should be directly behind the road captain in the formation.  Faster riders near the rear, but in front of the sweep rider.

5.  The ride captain will verify that everyone in line is ready and running. Left arm up and thumbs us in the signal and the sweep should signal the ride captain the final go ahead.  This procedure is used at all stops.

6. The ride captain should only pull out from any location when the traffic allows the whole group to enter traffic.  If this is not possible, the ride captain and following riders will accelerate slowly to allow remaining riders in the group to catch up.

7. Distance at highway speeds should be a 3-5 second gap between riders.  This is about the same spacing as telephone or light poles along the side of the road.  In city traffic, the gap should be closed, otherwise cars on the road will squeeze in between riders.  The further back you get, the faster you have to speed up to catch up.  If the group turns off and you cannot see them, you could get lost.  

8.  The ride captain is responsible for setting the speed and pace.  Our club practice is to keep our speeds no more than 5 miles over the posted limit.  Do not get sucked in by other riders ahead of you, as you know your capabilities and do not know theirs.

9.  Headlights should always be on high beam during the daytime.  Always use your turn signals with plenty of notice to following riders.  Do not rely on hand signals that can hardly be seen most of the time and can be confusing.  One finger on your front brake lever, flashing your brake lights as a danger signal is much more visible in all conditions--day or night.

10. If your position is that of the sweep rider, you should help the ride captain in maintaining the group.  When a group is trying to pass slower traffic, the sweep can move into the passing lane and actually create a gap for the others to enter by slowing traffic.  The ride captain usually sees this and then can move over to pass with the rest of the group following in.  However, each rider must check their own mirrors to make sure it is safe to enter the passing lane.  The ride captain should only consider a passing maneuver if the captain knows that there is enough room for the ENTIRE group to pass. The ride captain should also allow enough space after passing to allow the rest of the group to reenter the lane.