
Swarmlike collective behavior in bicycling - dnetesn
https://phys.org/news/2018-11-swarmlike-behavior-bicycling.html
======
pmontra
Cyclists minimize drag and maximize safety. When somebody slows down or they
foresee a slow down (roundabout, traffic light, intersection, traffic, etc)
the cyclists behind move to the side to get a better view and/or an unblocked
path to slow down on their own at their own pace. This is normal for amateurs
on a group ride. I've never been in a race, they also maximize speed in those.

Cyclists on a slow ride with friends and family are a different thing with
different dynamics, more like people walking. They maximize chatting.

~~~
gpvos
Many commuter cyclists _do_ maximize speed, although on less fancy bikes.

------
latchkey
Really surprised this article did not mention wind resistance. The majority of
cyclists in a peloton race are just trying to reduce the amount of effort they
expend during the race so that they have the most energy at the end, to win or
help their teammate win.

I think what they were trying to look for regarding school of fish would be
better demonstrated by watching traffic patterns of motorbikes in a crowded
city like Saigon. Small 50cc-150cc bikes are the main mode of transportation
in the city. There is no need to combat wind resistance, just get to the
destination as quickly as possible.

(Spent 9 years racing competitively and have lived and driven in Saigon for
the last two years.)

~~~
andygates
> ... aerodynamics only come into play at the outside edges of the peloton.
> Instead, the researchers found that peloton dynamics are likely driven by
> rider vision, with each rider keeping other riders within a range of
> peripheral vision that is most sensitive to motion. Additionally, wave
> propagation speeds were consistent with human reaction time ...

So this is a swarming, shoaling, flocking behaviour in the core of a peloton
where (as you'll know) the wind resistance is light enough to freewheel and
eat snacks. We're starlings!

------
fergie
Its not so much something that "just happens" as something that is learned. Go
out for a trip with your local serious bike club (after training hard for 12
months just to be able to keep up) and try "half wheeling", passing on the
wrong side, standing up incorrectly, speeding up after the crest of a hill,
slowing down at the start of a climb, or using your brakes in anything other
than a life-threatening emergency. They wont be scared to set you straight.

~~~
all2
About 200 years ago it was a similar thing for 'shave tails': new Cavalry
recruits. A shave tail would go on a spur ride (earn their spurs) and get
their butt handed to them for about two weeks straight, or until they got the
hang of riding a horse in a safe manner.

------
lifeisstillgood
Ok, so what are the fluids that other crowd behaviour act in - if cyclists are
minimising drag, what is the social equivalent for choosing which band to
listen to or which film star to like, which policy to approve of?

~~~
lolc
I'd say you'll find few commonalities between peleoton and fashion dynamics.
One is shaped by physical, the other by social interactions. I don't see what
features would transfer.

Even if you try to use terms that do transfer, like say "avant-garde", you
don't get much overlap. Imagine how the Tour de France would look if teams
would split off here and there to follow their own course, hoping the others
would follow.

~~~
jnty
There is a prize in the Tour de France for 'combativity' and it means some
competitors end up powering off on attacks that have minimal chance of
success, so you're maybe not as far off as you'd think!

