Quote from: Tumbler on November 02, 2011, 11:32:12 PM

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As a side note....this is EXACTLY why I won't ride with the person that was in front of you.

I've heard far too many times that his riding has either caused a crash or almost did.
I do agree that if everyone rides their own ride that shouldn't be a problem...him included.
It's common knowledge he rides that way so people should know to keep their distance.

In my opinion, the rider in front can not cause an accident except in a few situations. If the rider in front crosses the center line, gets hit by an oncoming car and gets flung back into the following rider or causes the car to cross the center line into the following rider, or the rider in front suffers a catastrophic failure which dumps anti-freeze or oil on the road surface which the following rider can not avoid then the rider in front is at fault.

Of course the rider in front can ride erratically (the opposite of smoothly) and possibly diminish the riding fun of the following rider if the following rider follows too closely. The fix to riding with people who don't ride the same way as you do, is almost invariably more distance between you and them. Just like the fix to being around people you don't like is more distance, so it is with riding.

Quote from: gely on November 06, 2011, 02:30:50 AM

.... There was a rumor going on after the crashed, that I cause Mike to crash....

In my opinion, the notion within a group that the rider ahead can cause a crash behind them by braking is group idiocy. If in a group, you ever hear people suggest this, steer clear of them, as it is prima facie evidence they are an idiot. Groups who believe that a braking rider ahead can be responsible for an accident for a rider behind them should be avoided as they don't get what it means to be responsible for riding your own ride and are clearly willing to blame others for their riding mistakes. People who blame others for their mistakes are not people who learn anything from their mistakes.

Riding your own ride means you ride how you see fit. If you want to hit the brakes you hit the brakes. You should not have to worry about anyone ass packing you or being forced to run off the road under any circumstances. That's their problem. That's what maintaining a safe following distance is about. If someone in front of you is stopping and you hit them or run off the road trying to avoid them, you were by definition following too close. It could be you're following too close for conditions, for the performance level of your bike or the performance level of your riding, but it all amounts to the same thing, you were following too close and the only person responsible for following distance is you.