New answers tagged safety
0
I can relate to your disdain for being passed to close. Preferably, everyone would give you at least 3 feet. But as you mentioned, as more and more people ride their bikes and drivers get used to your presence and others', it will get better.
The problem with your wish is, it's kind of like prosecuting someone for stealing five cents from you. Sure, it's ...
0
The problem of drivers passing cyclists too close, while dangerous, is well below the threshold of being a serious road safety concern when considering other causes of death and injury on the road (at least in my country where drunk drivers, speeding and inattention kill 100s of people every year, vs between 0 and 2 cyclist being passed too close). All you ...
2
Issues of where to find a bike have been answered pretty thoroughly here, including the standard disclaimers of making sure a bike isn't stolen before purchasing.
On advice for how to see how ride-worthy a bike is:
Definitely take a look at the bike before buying. Give it a quick once-over for general wear or use. If the bike looks like it hasn't been ...
2
Your question really seems to boil down to:
Is using such a noodle illegal?
What are possible outcomes if a driver still passes me too close?
My answers to this;
We can't say that. This is something that most likely will be dependent on the country. So I would suggest you to find out something about "allowed transport techniques on a bicycle" where you ...
1
Craigslist is a decent place to find a bike, but first know what you're looking for. You seem to be interested in the road-bike, which implies you thought about how you're going to use it (which is good).
Definitely take a look at the bike before buying. Give it a quick once-over for general wear or use. If the bike looks like it hasn't been maintained ...
6
The three-foot extension noodle is absolutely obnoxious and a genuine safety hazard (for starters, how is another cyclist supposed to safely pass her?).
The original point of these noodles, as I've seen them, is to cut one as wide as the widest part of your bike so cars could better gauge how much distance they needed to pass you. Perspective distortion and ...
1
When I ride, I usually wear a little rearview mirror attachment on my glasses that allow me to see traffic behind me. If I see a vehicle approaching and I don't get the sense that they see me, I'll actually crane my head around so it's very obvious that I've spotted them. Most drivers will notice you if you do that.
(obviously not to take away from the ...
4
Cars overtaking too closely is often down to the width of the road (ref):
For a cyclist to be safely overtaken, the width required depends upon the width of the overtaking vehicle but in general a lane width of 4m is needed. For widths of between 3 and 4m the cyclist will be 'squeezed'. Road widths less than 3m ensure the overtaking vehicle must wait ...
1
You won't be able to stop this completely. There will be always car drivers how try to pass you, no matter what. However, there are things you can do about this.
Most car drivers usually let enough space between you and the car, if possible. So they will likely pass you closer when:
The road is narrow
There is oncoming traffic
Now, you have a few ...
2
You can wobble strategically, or ride without a helmet and dress so as to appear as a woman from behind.
Sources: Linked above, as you can see. The summary from the British study, from the source.
10
Use proper positioning. This is most important. Unless the outermost lane is as wide as two SUVs, ride in its center. When it's safe, reasonable and necessary to let drivers pass, kindly move over; but always leave at least 18 inches (0.5 m) between you and the curb. The driver behind you may have to wait a minute or two, but they'll survive. If they've ...
3
Buying a "fresh" helmet every couple years sounds a bit excessive. This is based on the personal experience of needing to replace couple helmets due to impacts. Both helmets were at least two years old. One was a direct hard head hit event during a race. The other was being hit by a car. This was back in the 80's. I'm assuming helmets are better today. ...
2
I would look for evidential based information regarding brain stem injuries these helmets could/would have prevented, preferably published in medical journals, that a standard helmet would not. I think you find it fairly thin on the ground.
(If anyone has such evidence, I am happy to retract this answer)
The reason I say this is if you look at a ...
12
A lot will depend on the construction of the helmet. For example the basic material in the helmet will be some sort of sponge or foam which relies on its texture to absorb sudden impacts; does this degrade over time? For example, a loaf of bread gets its texture from the tiny air bubbles formed while rising and proving, but if left to prove too long, the ...
3
This is a difficult question because ultimately when cycling in traffic there's no substitute for experience, and even then its really out of your hands when you get some bonehead behind the wheel.
I can't imagine your age would come into play, but its good that you seem to be aware of the risks - I have a teenage daughter who will ride without lights and ...
5
I'd ride in the road before riding on the sidewalk just for the reasons you mentioned -- cars pulling out of driveways, pedestrians, etc. Note that sidewalk laws for bikes are generally up to local towns, so while one town may allow bikes on sidewalks, the next town may not.
I'm not sure what you mean about not wanting to be on the far right side by the ...
4
You have it backwards.
When you stand up, your legs (bent at the knee) provide suspension, separating the unsprung mass (the bicycle) from the weight of your body. This is easier on the bike, not harder. Though the bike complies with the bumps, it does not have to deal with your mass in doing so.
(Well, strictly speaking, standing is harder on your pedals, ...
18
If I see a significant bump coming (on my touring bike -- no suspension), or just a stretch of fairly rough pavement, I'll generally raise my bum a few inches off the seat and flex my arms, so that my legs and arms are the "springs".
This in not only more pleasant than taking the hard bumps, it also helps the bike maintain contact with the road, reducing ...
6
You should be light on your bike.
It's not really an either or thing. If you're light on the bike (letting it jump under you), it takes the hit but then is able to move how it wants after that. If you've got your full weight on the bike, then it still takes the jolt, but can't move - you're holding it down. Roughly, the bike gets squeezed between you and ...
22
This is not an either-or proposition. Your bike is hitting the bumps and supporting your full weight (minus the very small proportion of weight that might be falling at that exact moment) regardless of how you stand when you hit the bumps.
The difference is whether you're going to let the additional damping effects of the down tube, seat tube, bottom ...
-1
Rather than acrobatic movements with your bike, could you not find a cycle lane to your destination to avoid this? I had the same problem as you but got over it once I used cycle lane for part of my journey. They are usually better in this kind of circumstances. I would recommend you do that for once.
I know that it would be mental, but could you possible ...
0
In addition to the good answers already;
Lean forward and kick your leg over the back wheel so that both feet are on one side of the bike and your standing on one pedal, then hit the ground running whilst continuing to hold the bars. Takes a little practice. Maybe it cant be done at very high speeds.
0
What distinguishes the POC Trabec helmet is the MIPS System. There are a few other helmets available on the market with MIPS.
The product description for the helmet mentions this: "MIPS system, letting the outer shell and liner move in relation to each other and thereby reducing the rotational forces to the brain"
The MIPS page describes it like this:
...
0
IF YOU ARE CYCLING ON A ROAD THAT HAS OMNI-DIRECTIONAL FLOW OF TRAFFIC
You should simply signal to turn right if you need to or just carry on going forward. If the right-hand turn is into a road with bi-directional traffic flow, watch for any cars approaching from the right when you going straight forward.
IF YOU ARE CYCLING ON A ROAD THAT HAS ...
0
It's not the car behind you that matters. Whether you turn or go forward does not affect any decision which that car driver is going to make. You should rather ensure that the car which is behind you stays behind you, and does not try to take you over as it approaches the turn. You do that by checking over your shoulder and moving into the lane to fully ...
-3
Surly the webbing inside a millitary helmet would provide adequet cusioning
1
The typical case where where I encounter this is transitioning from a rideable shoulder to a right-turn lane. What I typically do, depending on the length of the turn lane and the amount of traffic, is stay on the right edge of the turn lane for that period of time where I can safely do so, to allow cars coming from behind to make a right turn.
Then, ...
21
The key thing, is that you never want to be to the right of cars that are turning right.
Depending on the exact lane setup and traffic amounts, I would do one of these:
Merge left into the go-straight (left) lane, so that anybody turning right is in a separate lane to the right of me.
Be in the center or left third of the right-turn lane, so that anybody ...
7
You are on the road, you follow the same rules of the road. A right-turn-only lane is for turning right, if you're going straight you don't belong there.
0
I've seen cyclists use a few different options in this case. Whether each option is appropriate depends on local laws, intersection layout, and traffic flow.
Claim the right-most lane that goes straight (don't go into the turning lane). This is probably the safest option (at least for fast riders) because it makes the cyclist very predictable for drivers.
...
2
If you continue straight from a right-turn only lane, what happens at the other side of the intersection? Either there's no lane for you, or else there's an area where cars will be pulling out to turn right onto your street. On the other hand, if you're out in the "go straight" lane, you're visible and predictable.
To me, the question is, "How early do I ...
1
The only really safe way to do this is to get off your bike and be a pedestrian. Depending on the drivers where you live, the amount of traffic, and your skill and confidence, this might just be the safest option. It might take you an extra 2 minutes to get where you are going. It might differ day to day depending on how much traffic is on the road, and ...
0
I up voted John P's answer. In addition I would split trafic and get a the front of the outer most lane. I would make eye contact with the driver of the car behind me, too. It'll take seconds to get across that intersection and in CA you can split lanes to get in front.
8
At any intersection that has marked turn lanes, I position myself inside the outermost turn lane, inside the line enough that I can't be squeezed between a turning car and one going straight.
I then proceed through the intersection on a slightly wider path than the car will take so as not to impeded traffic any more than possible, and head for the bike ...
3
I'm assuming here that, from left to right, S Mathilda Ave has a "right-turn" lane (Lane 1), three "straight on" lanes (Lanes 2, 3 and 4), then two "left turn" lanes (Lanes 5 and 6). (The white car second-from-right appears to be obscuring a left turn arrow painted on the road, correct?)
This being the case, my ideal position there would be sitting on that ...
3
The proper way is to signal and merge to the left turn lane. Alternatively you could stay in the right lane, cross the street and stop on the other side. Then wait for a green light and go straight.
3
One thing that may be more dangerous on a fixie is performing emergency turns. Since the pedals are always turning you need to make sure that your crank doesn't strike the ground while cornering. Other than this I wouldn't think riding a fixie would be any more dangerous.
8
If you have brakes, then a fixie is no more dangerous than a single speed once you get accustomed to not being able to coast. Simply put, on a fixie, if the bike is moving, you must be pedaling. Take it easy at first and you will adapt to this quickly.
I would recommend spending a bit of time where there isn't other bikers/pedestrians when you first ride as ...
1
I do find that when I am riding in wet conditions, I don't get as much leverage when riding on the hoods, compared to riding in the drops. Other than that, I don't have any issues with stopping while on the hoods.
1
On the question of safety, hoods are safe. The levers on brakes provide mechanical advantage enabling the rider to apply breaking power through the levers, even when hands are placed on the hoods and might seemingly be at a disadvantage in terms of applying power (vs. say the drops).
Breaking power will not be the same as with the hand position on the ...
1
If you haven't already, invest in some type of pedal-retention system. You'll find that reversing pressure on the pedals is a very efficient way of slowing down without using your brakes, but without a way to keep your foot attached to the pedal (cleats, toe straps) it can be pretty easy for your foot to slip off.
3
To complement the other answers here, I want to add that the only time I've ever felt that braking from the hoods is inadvisable is when doing fast mountain descents.
In those cases, you can be going anywhere from 35–50mph and braking hard just before turns. If you're riding on the hoods, not only is your center of gravity higher, but you're also at a bad ...
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