56
votes
Is there a way to share a tight staircase/steps with pedestrians?
I've had to commute routes where I need to use a narrow staircase to go up and down a pedestrian bridge over a highway.
For starters, any place where you have to share narrow space with pedestrian, ...
- 12.1k
49
votes
Is there a way to share a tight staircase/steps with pedestrians?
Frankly if you're going up/down steps, you're in the pedestrian's space and not somewhere suitable for cycling.
You know how sometimes vehicle traffic intrudes on our cycle lanes? Parking ...
- 120k
45
votes
Accepted
What can you do when a driver cuts you off?
Ride like every driver is a psychopath who hates cyclists; you will be wrong 95% of the time. What if the driver who just cut you off is one of the 5% and has a knife (US == gun)?
It’s easier said ...
- 47.8k
43
votes
I would like a one-mile-range e-bike: why aren't there any?
I think the ultimate issue boils down to a lack of demand for such a short-ranged product. Looking broadly at the entire electric vehicle market, range anxiety is fairly common. Most people are ...
- 15.4k
29
votes
How to learn to ride a bike better?
The simple, short answer is practice. Simply riding around at moderate to slow speeds, practicing starting off, braking, stopping and negotiating tight turns will help build balance, confidence and ...
- 75.3k
27
votes
Accepted
Why aren't 16" wheel city bikes more common?
I have ridden bikes with different sizes of wheels, from 29" MTB/622 Road wheels, through 20" folder, 12" scooters, and one folding A-bike with 6" wheels.
My perception is that ...
- 120k
26
votes
Is there a way to share a tight staircase/steps with pedestrians?
because I have no problem stopping
Objectively, this is nonsense. At best, you can stop before you start going down the steps. Once you start going down steps on a bike though, you are completely ...
- 1,049
26
votes
What can you do when a driver cuts you off?
What to do when a driver cuts you off?
Stay safe
Keep situational awareness in all directions - there may be another vehicle coming so look for it.
Keep moving - don't stop, get out to a safe place ...
- 120k
23
votes
Why Did Old Soviet City Bikes Have Longer Frames in General
A soviet bicycle is designed to carry very heavy loads on the rear (like two large containers of milk one each side). Hence the rear wheel and the pannier are moved backwards, giving more weight of ...
- 7,272
21
votes
Accepted
How to proceed when pedestrians occupy the dedicated bike path?
Whatever you do, don't be a jerk. Noone likes a cyclist who reinforces the bad stereotypes.
Do Share The Road Even though you're in the right, there's no need to be offensive.
Personally I find ...
- 120k
20
votes
I would like a one-mile-range e-bike: why aren't there any?
From a convenience point of view, a 1-mile e-bike would need to be charged every ride, for the use mentioned in the question (that would be a red flag for me, I have already enough batteries to manage ...
- 16.2k
16
votes
What can you do when a driver cuts you off?
Sometimes though, I still get drivers cutting right across me when I want to go straight and they are turning left over my lane.
What to do?
Try not to be there!
Seriously, the biggest skill you can ...
- 1,049
14
votes
Why Did Old Soviet City Bikes Have Longer Frames in General
The Ukraine bike looks like a copy of older British roadster bikes, only in more 80s-appropriate colors. It could be speculated that the longer frame and sprung saddle were more comfortable on bad ...
- 21.6k
13
votes
What can you do when a driver cuts you off?
Personal anecdotes incoming. Some useful advice after that.
I see red and I want to go bang on the window and yell at the guy
From personal experience cycling in London and flipping off drivers (bad ...
- 282
12
votes
Why Did Old Soviet City Bikes Have Longer Frames in General
You probably have В-130 «Украина» ("Украина" В-130, 1976 г)
Its longer then В-110
Why its longer? It makes it more stable on bumpy country roads, where they are used. You can call it gravel ...
- 121
12
votes
I would like a one-mile-range e-bike: why aren't there any?
A small battery does not provide enough power, as there is a limit to speed of discharge
The largest safe continuous discharge rate for lithium ion batteries is about 10C, i.e. fully discharged in 6 ...
- 1,727
11
votes
Why aren't 16" wheel city bikes more common?
I cycle round a city (Chester) every day, typically covering five to ten miles in a trip. Even though this is on allegedly high quality roads the reality is that there are a lot of potholes and other ...
- 619
10
votes
Smartphone mounted on handlebar: Will vibrations during cycling damage it?
Yes, it can.
I had my HTC One (M8) mounted to my handlebars and after only ONE RIDE the camera broke. The focus element of the camera was a moving part that just couldn't stand up to the shock. ...
- 101
10
votes
How to learn to ride a bike better?
In the UK there is a national training scheme targeting child cyclists, often organized through schools. It claims to have trained about 2.5 million children to date. It has been running under ...
- 229
9
votes
What is the safest type of pedal for all-weather city cycling?
There is a lot of discussion about this topic (i.e. a lot of anecdotes) because pedals are a very personal matter (cf. LondonCyclist or Zach Gallardo). However, I think that you're over-thinking this ...
- 3,395
9
votes
Why do only downhill mountain bikers wear full face helmets?
I think there will be a significant subjective element to answering this question, but pressing on:
Full face helmets are relatively heavy
Full face helmets offer less ventilation that standard ...
- 75.3k
9
votes
How to learn to ride a bike better?
I agree with the advice to practice.
There's a book, Effective Cycling by John Forester, which covers everything--the physiology of cycling, bike maintenance, interacting with traffic, etc. Some of ...
- 28.5k
9
votes
What can you do when a driver cuts you off?
You can do nothing
By the time they've cut in front of you, it's happened and you can't change the past. All you can do is keep calm, and make sure you don't let their aggressive driving lead to you ...
- 720
9
votes
What can you do when a driver cuts you off?
I reckon I drive, walk and cycle equal distances each year, so I feel a bit qualified to comment from all perspectives.
Yes, people should not cut you up, but you can help.
Flashing lights on cyclists ...
- 91
9
votes
I would like a one-mile-range e-bike: why aren't there any?
There are two limitations on a battery, that are quite strongly linked, in any given technology and price point at least
Capacity
Power
You need the battery to be able to provide enough power to ...
- 201
8
votes
How to proceed when pedestrians occupy the dedicated bike path?
In my country, pedestrians are also forbidden to walk on bike paths, however, cyclists are not obligated to use them, they just have to give preference to riding on bike paths. So I usually avoid ...
- 259
8
votes
Accepted
is biking lower wacker drive in Chicago a good/feasable idea?
Answer (tl;dr) Find another route.
I checked around using google street view to get the image in the question. Some observations...
There are no cyclists visible anywhere. There are also no ...
- 120k
8
votes
Accepted
Why do only downhill mountain bikers wear full face helmets?
I often wear a regular cycling helmet as it may slightly reduce the severity of traumatic brain injury in certain crashes. The probability of such a crash is very low. The probability of a crash where ...
- 9,474
7
votes
Accepted
Hybrid mountain bikes for the city?
The standard advice if you want to ride a mountain bike on the road is to fit slick tires rather than knobby tires, and lock out any suspension if you have it (since you don't need it on the road). ...
- 46k
7
votes
What tyre characteristics should I look for in a commuting tire?
Generally, wide tires have lower rolling resistance than narrow ones, and they will be more comfortable due to cushioning. Hence, there's an argument you could go all the way up to a 45mm tire, the ...
- 28.6k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible