Riding Etiquette from rmh

Ease up to the bar here, have a round and let me know your thoughts.

The Question

I was riding today, and I came upon a group of about 10 bikes going the same direction as I was. I dropped in at the end of the line for a little distance before they turned off the road. Is it considered OK to do this or is it poor road etiquette?

Thanks for your input. Bill '98 FXSTC Angelina

The Answer

I'm not sure there is just one answer to your question so all I can do is tell you what I do under the same circumstances.

I sort of form up at the back of the line. That is, I'll assume the staggered positioning they use but I'll do so a fair distance (4-6 bike lengths) back from them. I'll hang even further back if they are not riding in a staggered formation since there is a chance that they are fairly new at group riding (they may be old riding buddies that can handle riding side by side but why risk it) and could therefore kind of be an "event" waiting to happen. The reasons for leaving a good sized gap are a) they don't know me so I don't want to cause them any concern about a possible squid newbe ramming them from behind, b) they might be squid newbes and I want a safety cushion should they (insert dumb move here), and c) heck, I don't know them and don't want to intrude on their enjoyment of the ride (they might just be as picky as I am about who they ride with). rmh AH#52

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