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. ...
- 3,813
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 ...
- 46.1k
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 ...
- 10.5k
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 ...
- 75.5k
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 ...
- 3,971
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,...
- 2,203
45
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 ...
- 17k
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 ...
- 1,243
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 ...
- 49k
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 ...
- 1,484
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 ...
- 1,729
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 ...
- 17.2k
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 ...
- 121k
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 ...
- 23.3k
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, ...
- 57.1k
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 ...
- 16.1k
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 ...
- 121k
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 ...
- 2,203
35
votes
Accepted
Time for a new tyre?
Normally safe is relative, in this case, its absolute - no, it is not safe. Don't ride on that tire. I would - but only to get home, and I would be feeling for any sign of further degradation (...
- 49k
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 ...
- 75.5k
32
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
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/...
- 2,285
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 ...
- 20.5k
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 ...
- 17k
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' ...
- 49k
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 ...
- 121k
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 ...
- 545
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
29
votes
Why do men's bikes have high bars where you can hit your testicles while women's bikes have the bar much lower?
The tube is low on ladies' bikes for the skirt.
Otherwise, structurally, it is better to have the top tube higher. You can make the bike lighter with the same strength.
One should not be in a large ...
- 16.1k
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 ...
- 23.3k
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