Questions tagged [safety]
Riding safely, safety equipment, and safe places to ride.
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Is it unsafe to put a stoker stem on the front?
This year my wife and I bought a used tandem and have been having fun. We like long rides on our singles, but the tandem cockpit is uncomfortable for me. I'd like to put an extra-long stem on the ...
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Time for a new tyre?
On my ride yesterday the rubber on my tyre seemed to rip away revealing the second layer of the tyre. I was wondering whether this would still be safe to ride on. Maybe the tyre is less puncture-...
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Are these scratches in my aluminum frame structural or purely cosmetic?
My aluminum bike (Cannondale Adventure 1) was scratched on the welds connecting the seat tube and seat stays, and I was wondering if the damage is purely cosmetic, or if there is any structural damage....
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Is it safe to have pedal cage reaching wheel when slightly turned?
This setup doesn't look good to me. If the wheel can touch the pedal cage in when the pedal's in its forward-most position, it could cause me to come off the bike. I have come off recently, I think to ...
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How long can I use a bicycle helmet?
My helmet for road cycling has seen some good use and I was considering to replace the padding because it is falling apart, but at this point I was wondering myself: Should I even keep the helmet?
I ...
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What is the role of the "safety plate" on a Shimano Hollowtech II crank?
The left crankarm of an HollowTech II crank has a little part called "safety plate" (number 4 on the drawing below). What is exactly its role, and what kind of 'safety' does it offer given ...
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What is a safe weight for front rack + luggage for a steel race bike fork?
I frequently commute with a backpack on my '90s steel race bike, and encounter the usual issues of sweaty back and tired shoulders. The riding position is also not perfect for carrying a backpack on ...
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Prepping for winter riding: Hills
This isn't necessarily a gear question, as there's myriad articles & arguments over the best tires, pressure, brake pads, etc. Rather, I consider it more of a technique question.
My daily commute ...
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Used mongoose BMX started having issues with rear sprocket not engaging when pedaling causing safety issue
I got a used Mongoose BMX for my son. I know when I was younger Mongoose was halfway decent. But now they kinda stink. Putting that lightly!
Anyway the bike rode well at first, then after a flat tire ...
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Is it generally safe to ride on with a puncture like this?
I had a puncture on my big ride yesterday that hurt my tire and even the carcass quite visually. In the end and due to lack of options to source a fitting tire on a Sunday in more remote Alpine ...
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When does the braking power stop scaling with Rotor Size
It's commonly established that the braking power scales with rotor size, and an optimal braking technique is to provide enough force for the rear wheel just to lift up. However, my question is wouldn'...
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Are these hairline cracks on an aluminum wheel dangerous?
I have an older aluminum rear wheel that has a continuous line of hairline cracks. The hairline cracks proceed in a circle around the wheel on both sides of the wheel. The front wheel does not display ...
- 141
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Started to drill into alu frame - how bad is it?
While attaching an equipment on my bike, I accidentally started to screw into the bike frame.
I only realized a few weeks later when I dismounted that said equipment.
I'm pretty sure I used a ratchet ...
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I have a Weeride child seat (mounted on top tube). I worry that if the handlebars turn suddenly, they will hit my child. How can I manage this risk?
I have a Weeride child seat, mounted atop my top tube.
I am concerned that if my handlebars turn abruptly, they will stab my child (please do say if there's a better term for this than stab). How do ...
- 2,285
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Bike too large, if I change the wheels to a smaller size will this lower the height?
I've got a second hand Raleigh racing bicycle. The frame is too big, when I stand on the bike, off the seat, my toes only just touch the ground. I'm not thinking this is safe to ride around London. I ...
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Safe to remove plastic chainring cover?
I have a bike with a Shimano Tourney 2x chainset (this one) and the plastic cover that sits on top of the outer chainring has started to creak whenever the driveside crank is under load.
Is it safe to ...
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Ways to find a safe route on flooded roads
Recently during my cycling holiday I have been riding after a severe thunderstorm in the countryside, which meant the roads where covered in running muddy water and some underpasses had 5-6 cm of ...
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Slipping handle bar, how to torque safely
I ride a bow shaped handlebar mounted in quill stem. I am riding this with a somewhat sporty setup, which means I do have weight on my hands and thus handlebar grips.
Originally I torqued this to 8Nm....
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What was your worst bike accident, and how could it have been prevented? [closed]
How can we improve our safety?
We can lean from past accidents or near-accidents. Most of us are able to share relevant experiences. Could the incidents have been avoided, in hindsight? What can we ...
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Why do men's bikes have high bars where you can hit your testicles while women's bikes have the bar much lower?
Why do men's bikes have high bars where you can hit your testicles while women's bikes have the bar much lower?
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Stem top bolt wouldn't screw in after transport
I transported my bike via plane in a canyon shuttle 2. It was well secured and safe. To pack it up I had to unscrew the top stem bolt and unhinge the stem along with the handlebars.
Once I attempted ...
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Magnitude of load and cycles needed during testing of bike forks
I want to do a structural test on bicycle forks. Is there any specific criteria I need to follow of what should be the magnitude of the significant load and also how many cycles would need to be ...
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What is the status of brake lights? seems like a decent idea? inadequate solutions? [duplicate]
I'm familiar with bicycle brake lights but not sure why they aren't more common? What is the public perception, if any? Or not the public but more serious cyclists like we find here? There are a ...
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Are wider tires better on ice?
Assuming there are no studs, would a wider tire be safer on tarmac with pockets of ice? How does also the profile or other features of the tire impact this?
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Why don't my studded tyres grip on ice?
For the first time in my life, I have had stud tyres installed on my bicycle, because I've nearly killed myself bicycling the last few winters, no matter how slowly and carefully I go. It seems like ...
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Is it possible to use a 26mm clamp diameter stem with a 24mm handlebar?
I am considering getting a stem, which is meant for a 26mm grip area diameter. However, the handlebar I want to use it with is 24mm diameter (this diameter is uniform, so 24mm both at the grip and at ...
- 573
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Lots of cracks - safe to ride?
I probably shouldn't have, but I just bought this 2016 CAAD 8 second hand for cheap. I'm trying to work out if it's safe to ride.
There are cracks all over the carbon fork (and in the rest of the ...
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Why are there no snow chains for bicycles?
My last bicycle trip was a complete nightmare. Snow and ice everywhere, with no plowing anywhere. It made me re-realize what I already became all too familiar with last winter: it's a scary nightmare ...
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What's bad about dork disk/pie plate? [duplicate]
Why is this part, supposedly a failsafe to protect the rear wheel in case of damage or poor adjustment of the rear derailleur, so often maligned? Are they ineffective, or do they cause some ...
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Is cycling an aerobic or anaerobic exercise? What is the effect of cycling on weight loss?
I like to do cycling and I want to lose weight through cycling. But my friend told me about cardio instead of cycling, since cycling burns calories at a much slower rate. Is it true? So what's better ...
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Is it safe to ride after innertube bulged out (returned to normal after deflating)?
I recently inflated a tire to 50 PSI. The tire/innertube is recommended to inflated to 30 to 80 PSI (standard tires on RadWagon 3). At 50 PSI however, the innertube started bulging to the point that ...
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Are winter tires (with studs) safe to use in summer-like conditions?
The climate where I live is such that you may get snow or even true ice one day, but it will be dry gravel and tarmac on another. I understand that winter tires would not be ideal on these, but ...
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Pack of dogs - best response to owner?
Yesterday 5 large pit bull/lab mix dogs came after me, had to get off the bike and use the bike as a physical barrier between me and them, the owner eventually came out, but I have no idea what would ...
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Schwalbe tires stored in a dark humid basement for over 10 years: possible to tell if they're safe to ride? [duplicate]
I have a pair of never installed Schwalbe tires that have been hanging up for about 10 years in my dark humid basement. They have not seen the light of day in all that time. When I examine them ...
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Safe to Ride Tires Packaged for Two Years?
Below is a picture of two Continental 5000's that were kept in their boxes for about two years:
They were kept out of direct sunlight inside a house that was not climate controlled.
The tires feel ...
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Why do fixies (fixed-gear bicycles) have one brake on the front?
I've recently started riding a fixed-gear bicycle and I love it. It's simple, light and fast. However, being new to "fixies" I have two brakes with a drop-down bar, like a road-bike. It just ...
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Do bicycle stems have certified usage ratings (road/XC/Enduro/DH)?
Clamping dimensions aside, are all stems rated for all the cycling disciplines, especially in the MTB domain?
In other words, are stem manufacturers liable to guarantee their products to be safe to ...
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Should every cyclist feel a resonance frequency at a given speed?
On a stand
When I hoist the bike on a stand and spin the rear wheel with all I've got on the highest gear, then sit back and watch it slow down gradually, there is a point where the bike + stand start ...
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Choosing parallel side or main road when route mapping
When mapping routes, I often come across sections where there are roads that run parallel to each other with a block or two separating them. Often if one is a main road the other is a secondary road ...
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What is the purpose of a tread pattern on city/road tyres?
What is the purpose of tread patterns on city/road tyres?
I think I've understood (perhaps wrongly) from this site that they're unnecessary on paved roads:
Grip (friction) is more-or-less contant, or ...
- 12k
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Helmet cover starts peeling off: ok or not?
Today I noticed that in the back of my helmet the plastic cover of the EPS is starting to detach/peel off from the underlying layer (see photo)
I know that attempting to glue it back is a no no as it ...
- 7,081
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Can Cycle Camera Evidence be Used by Police to Enforce Dangerous Motorists?
The (UK) Highway Code dictating that motorists should pass a cyclist no closer than 1.5 meters is only useful to protect us if it can be enforced. Indeed, it's hardly the odd occurrence that I'm close-...
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Should cyclists on a bike path separated from the road overtake each other on the right or on the left?
I am going to assume right side traffic for this question. Switch all the left and right if you are in the UK. If you are cycling on a road with or without a designated bicycle lane you should stick ...
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Bike helmet expiration
I have a bike helmet, Specialized Align. By the manufacturer's sticker, it was produced in 2013. Most of the time, it has been stored in the garage, only saw a very light use (several hours in a month ...
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Steering torque
What defines the steering torque? What is an average value for e.g. city bikes and downhill MTB?
Is the static torque largest for returning the steering to zero position, depending on (radial) load ...
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Trail shared by bicyclists and hikers
In my community, there is a new trail for bikers and hikers to share. There are one way arrows for the bikers so they go in one direction. Should the hikers go the same way? I had a bicyclist yell at ...
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Why should little kids not have back mirrors on their bicycles?
In a paper from the mid-1980s, there is a kind of PSA box listing some things that small children should NOT have on their bicycle. Most of them make sense, but there's one that confuses me: "...
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Penny-farthings: Skills required to transition from standard bicycles?
Beyond the obvious difference of the saddle being 5 feet high, how is riding a penny-farthing different to riding a standard road bike? What unique skills are required to ride a penny-farthing?
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Safety vest: is an all-reflective one fine?
I stumbled across a question on whether yellow or orange safety vests were better for visibility, and it got me wondering - I have a vest that consists only of the silvery reflective fabric (and it ...
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Overheating: Are Latex inner tubes on rim brake carbon wheels safe?
Currently I'm using standard butyl inner tubes on my clincher carbon wheels. My bike uses rim brakes, and searching on internet I have found that carbon rims are not great for dissipating heat:
...
