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, ...
- 13k
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 ...
- 131k
46
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 ...
- 53.1k
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 ...
- 17.4k
29
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 ...
- 131k
29
votes
What camera could I mount or rig to my bike that can read/recognize license plates
The only thing I care about is getting the license plates, I don't care about quality or anything else as long as it can get the plates. A camera with recognition software would be a major plus, as I ...
- 21.3k
28
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 ...
- 75.9k
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 ...
- 1,119
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 ...
- 131k
24
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 ...
- 8,134
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 ...
- 24.7k
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 ...
- 1,119
15
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 ...
- 22.5k
15
votes
Accepted
Riding with clipless pedals around the city
This kind of question doesn't really have a right or wrong answer; it's all up to personal preferences and intended use case. I've been using clipless for about 20 years, starting with combi pedals (...
- 716
15
votes
What camera could I mount or rig to my bike that can read/recognize license plates
There are no cameras I am aware of that can "read" a license plate and produce that data directly as text. Not sure that it would be any use.
Instead - aim to get the best quality footage ...
- 131k
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
13
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 ...
- 131
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 ...
- 1,847
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 ...
- 1,146
10
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 ...
- 75.9k
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
10
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 ...
- 785
10
votes
Riding with clipless pedals around the city
I commute with SPDs (mountain/touring style cleats and shoes - I ride to the station and get a train so need to be able to walk and even run) and have done for some time. I use the same shoes for long ...
- 62.6k
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 ...
- 30.6k
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
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 ...
- 131k
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 ...
- 9,818
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). ...
- 46.4k
7
votes
Why do only downhill mountain bikers wear full face helmets?
A point made in a previous comment suggests full face helmets affect peripheral vision. This is a safety downside.
A bigger safety downside is this: They must also affect hearing (well-ventilated ...
- 62.6k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible