Hot answers tagged

64 votes

Red light facing forwards?

No. You should always ride with a white light facing forward and a red light facing backwards. If you want additional illumination, you can add multiple white/red lights in the appropriate direction. ...
  • 3,783
57 votes

Wrong way on a bike lane?

In general, if a bike path (lane) is on a road, follow the direction of traffic on that road. If there isn't a bike path on the other side, then bike carefully in the road if permitted, or find a ...
  • 45.8k
54 votes

Best ways to avoid getting hit by cars?

As cyclists, we are vulnerable to any collision. A collision with a truck, bus, car, bicycle, pram, skateboard, rollerblader, pedestrian, dog, or even a domestic cat, will almost always cause a ...
  • 17.1k
54 votes

Should unconventional colors be avoided for lighting?

A quick search, however, shows other colors available to purchase. Concerning "to be seen" bicycle lights, should they be avoided? Yes, they should be avoided. First, off-colors might not be legal ...
  • 9,378
51 votes
Accepted

How dangerous are my worn rims?

Rims are worn out when the groove disappears. If the groove is clearly visible, well-defined and of uniform depth all the way around, the rim is not quite worn out and certainly not dangerous. New ...
50 votes
Accepted

How to indicate you are going straight?

It's difficult to say without seeing photos of the road layout. However, if the road itself continues round to the left, you should indicate right when you're leaving it. In general, you should ...
  • 3,458
49 votes

Can Cycle Camera Evidence be Used by Police to Enforce Dangerous Motorists?

Intro: I've heard lots of cyclists complain they submitted their helmet camera video of motorist encounters to the Police who "did nothing". To avoid wasting cyclist's time- and the Police's,...
  • 2,133
45 votes
Accepted

Is cycling on this 35mph road too dangerous?

As an experienced cyclist who has been all over the country and even done hundreds of miles on interstates, after finding that location on Google Maps, and checking how you might conceivably get ...
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 ...
  • 44.5k
45 votes

Pack of dogs - best response to owner?

To prevent this from happening again, this should be reported to the relevant authorities. You were on a public road and in all countries I am familiar with, the dog owner is responsible for ...
43 votes

How can I make it clear to other road users that I'm an inexperienced cyclist?

This is an interesting and thoughtful question, and just the fact that you are thinking carefully about how other road users think about you is very valuable and will contribute to your safety on the ...
41 votes

How should I handle a highway patrolman who stops me occasionally to give incorrect instructions about my riding duties?

There is no one size fits all answer to this, except the first point below. When dealing with police, or other authority figures, always behave respectfully. Contact the people responsible for ...
  • 17.1k
41 votes
Accepted

Should unconventional colors be avoided for lighting?

Most places will legally require you to run with white lights on the front and red lights behind. This is crucially important because it immediately tells everybody else on the road whether you're ...
41 votes
Accepted

How can I tell if my helmet is still safe after I fell?

If your head didn't hit the road, the helmet absorbed no impact so it will be as good as before the event. You're not sure whether the helmet did take an impact - which is reasonable. A lot happens ...
  • 110k
38 votes

What to do when a snake is in front of you?

Stop. Back up if necessary. Don't risk running over it. Snakes almost never chase people, they will only attack if they're cornered or you're lying very still (for very large snakes that eat things ...
  • 23.1k
38 votes

How (un)safe is it to ride barefoot?

It may well become uncomfortable after pedalling for some time, so don't rely on a quick test ride to check. More importantly though, you need to be able to stop the bike based on the need to stop, ...
  • 50.6k
37 votes
Accepted

Is cycling behind a truck a bad practice?

It is really dangerous to follow a large vehicle closely. It is possible behind a directeur sportif in a passenger car which is smaller: you can see through it, and the driver is a cyclist who knows ...
37 votes

Why should little kids not have back mirrors on their bicycles?

Literally, TMI [too much information]. Kids shouldn't have to deal with what's behind them. When learning to ride, they have the dual challenge of learning bike-control and balancing as well as not ...
  • 110k
35 votes
Accepted

Penny-farthings: Skills required to transition from standard bicycles?

Intro: Road cyclists often ask me this question when they encounter me riding my penny-farthing. It's a mystical beast little understood by many cyclists, so I'll take a moment to demystify the PF and ...
  • 2,133
34 votes

Can road bumps excite frame eigen frequencies?

A resonant frequency encountered on a road surface would be for the whole bike system, i.e. frame, wheels, rider etc. The rider is effectively attached to the frame via elements with spring, damping ...
32 votes
Accepted

How can I offer a test ride while selling a bike?

The simplest answers are ask for their ID, or for their car keys if they arrive by car. There are plenty of other options on various forums like https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cycling-discussion/...
  • 2,119
32 votes

Why do they not sell bicycles with four wheels?

Why do they not sell bicycles with four wheels? They do sell vehicles with four bicycle wheels. As Carel said, Two wheels is by definition a bicycle Three wheels is a tricycle four wheels is a ...
  • 19k
31 votes
Accepted

Safety - Improve braking power in wet conditions

You have commented I mainly use the back brake. I therefore propose option 4: improve your braking technique before spending any money. If you only use half of your bicycle's brakes, you can't ...
31 votes
Accepted

Threatening swerving by driver - should I report it? (Canada)

I also live in Ottawa so I can provide some pertinent viewpoints. Yes, you should report it, and yes, it will probably be an exercise in frustration. Don't expect the police to do anything about it. ...
  • 21.6k
31 votes

Why are there no snow chains for bicycles?

TL;DNR - They would (probably not) solve a problem that does not exist and would probably cost to much. I suspect the reasons you cannot get chains (including modern equivalents such as 'snow socks' ...
  • 44.5k
30 votes
Accepted

Is turning head to look backwards while riding a bike a safe and recommended technique?

Yes - looking behind you (briefly) is a perfectly good way to find out what's there. The dangers of not-looking-behind are much higher than a brief interruption of looking forward. You're right that ...
  • 110k
29 votes
Accepted

What is the safest and most courteous way to ride on a two-lane road?

I use the method in your 3rd picture - I take the middle of the lane when there are no bike lanes. I am helped in these cases by the fact that these roads in my city usually specify the right-most ...
  • 535
29 votes

How to handle motorists' dangerous behaviour with an impassable group?

Don't create the situation in the first place. Every large event I've ever been on would either have the roads closed down, or send the riders out in waves so as not to create a situation where a car ...
  • 21.6k
28 votes
Accepted

Is my stopping dangerous when Idaho Stop is de facto but not legal?

When it comes to stop signs, I live by some simple rules: If it's a multi-way stop and there's another car waiting or just arriving, I stop. If I can't clearly see or judge what I'm riding into, I ...
  • 1,128
28 votes

Is cycling in the Netherlands without a helmet safer than cycling with a helmet in the USA?

There's a simple answer to the question you didn't actually ask: in the Netherlands cyclists who wear helmets are much more likely to be hospitalised than those who don't Although the Netherlands is ...
  • 23.1k

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