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, ...
- 10.5k
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 ...
- 96.3k
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 ...
- 39.3k
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 ...
- 74.2k
26
votes
Accepted
Is there a way to hop up onto a parallel curb?
You're talking about a "bunny hop" and it can be done at speed on a loaded bike but it's high risk. You'd almost certainly be better off jumping off the bike and rolling. US Bike Trials call it a "...
- 23k
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 ...
- 951
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 ...
- 96.3k
26
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 ...
- 96.3k
20
votes
Is there a polite way to take the centre of the road without antagonizing motorists?
In my experience, no. The problem is that however polite you try to be you're taking the lane so you're in their way.
My commute takes me over a narrow one-lane-each-way bridge that's a bit of a ...
- 23k
19
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 ...
- 96.3k
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 ...
- 951
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 ...
- 180
11
votes
Is there a way to hop up onto a parallel curb?
Short answer: yes, there is a way to do it. I fully support Mσᶎ's answer and have more to say than will fit in comments.
Firstly, regarding the original premise.
You happen to look over your ...
- 17k
11
votes
Is there a way to hop up onto a parallel curb?
The "trick" you're looking for is a side hop. It's really a variation on a bunny hop.
Basically, you perform a standard bunny hop but when the handlebars and front wheel reach their zenith, you pull ...
- 10.9k
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 ...
- 397
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
Is there a polite way to take the centre of the road without antagonizing motorists?
Some tips I've gathered from being on both sides of the fence. Since you're specifically asking riding safely and minimizing motorist antagonism, there are some which will work but might not appeal ...
- 191
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 ...
- 3,337
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 ...
- 74.2k
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 ...
- 23.8k
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 ...
- 351
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
8
votes
best ride to burn tummy fat
You can't really burn "tummy fat." Your body has an order that it will store fat in and it will lose fat in the reverse order. You can lose bodyfat, but it goes away in the reverse order that you ...
- 490
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 ...
- 96.3k
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 ...
- 8,677
7
votes
Accepted
best ride to burn tummy fat
When you say "to burn tummy fat", presumable you're talking about weight loss and general toning?
What worked for me was a short, 10-minute / 2-point-something km commute, twice a day, five days a ...
- 9,583
7
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 ...
- 249
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). ...
- 45.4k
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 ...
- 18.4k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible