"Women who ride"... on the sidewalk...

[kfergos]

I guess I'll throw in my $0.02...

I've only been hit by a car one time in my two years of fairly intensive commuting. Here are all the things I was doing wrong:

1. Riding on the sidewalk in a downtown area (ironically, I was afraid of cars!)
2. Riding against traffic (on the left-hand sidewalk)
3. Riding at night with only a faint blinky light
4. Crossing an intersection without slowing down at all
5. Crossing an intersection without looking for turning cars

Not surprisingly, a driver turning right hit me as I rode the wrong way across the cross walk. He probably didn't see me at all. I walked away unscathed, and my bike was fine, but after that I switched to riding on the road just like a car. I've never been hit again.

I guess I have to admit that, after that experience, I've fallen into the Vehicular Cyclist camp. When I ride, it's always in the road, following traffic laws, and taking the lane when potholes, parked cars, ice, sand dunes, turning cars, or other obstacles make it unsafe to stay near the shoulder. By and large drivers respect that behavior and treat me more like a car, only occasionally edging me out in that nerve-wracking "If I'd twitched I'd be dead" way. I also never "filter through," but always wait in line with the traffic. I've had too many close calls with drivers unexpectedly swerving to the right and almost hitting me. (Once my front wheel touched the side of the car, it was so close. Good thing I was going slow enough to stop on a dime!)

Bike lanes don't make much of an appearance in Metro West Massachusetts. However, my Seattle bicycling experience has made me leery of them: Bike lanes seemed more like shoulders with a bike painted on the road, rather than anything special. The proximity to parked cars and the door zone, in addition to the high glass and grit accumulation in those lanes, made me rather leery of thinking they were all that great. I spent most of my time in the driving lane or the shoulder. Perhaps the issue with bike lanes is they tend to usurp common sense, so a normally cautious rider thinks "I'm safe in this lane," which is no more true than in a regular driving lane. Exercising caution wherever you choose to ride -- even to what feels like an extreme level -- can never hurt.

OK that's more like $2, but there it is.

[Trek420]

ummmmm how does one put a tennis ball on ones spokes and have it actually fit through the fork...... I don't think I have that kind of clearance on any of my bikes - not even my cross bike....

Ah, here is where I posted about "riders who put tennis balls in the spokes". So I saw one of these riders on the train this morning. Conversation went somethin' like this:

Trek: that's an interesting way to carry the tennis balls, do you play?
TBCR (tennis ball carrying rider): a little
Trek: don't you worry at all about throwing the spokes out of true or getting caught in the brake pads?
TBCR: no. I just do this as a conversation starter.

So far this non-scientific study shows these just to be a conversation starter. Maybe chicks dig 'em.

[GLC1968]

Ah, here is where I posted about "riders who put tennis balls in the spokes". So I saw one of these riders on the train this morning. Conversation went somethin' like this:

Trek: that's an interesting way to carry the tennis balls, do you play?
TBCR (tennis ball carrying rider): a little
Trek: don't you worry at all about throwing the spokes out of true or getting caught in the brake pads?
TBCR: no. I just do this as a conversation starter.

So far this non-scientific study shows these just to be a conversation starter. Maybe chicks dig 'em.

When we were kids, we put tennis balls in our spokes because it drove our dogs nuts trying to 'fetch' them. Of course, back then we also rode our bikes on the left, facing traffic because that's what we were told to do. And no one EVER wore a helmet. What did we know?!?

[Trek420]

When we were kids, we put tennis balls in our spokes because it drove our dogs nuts trying to 'fetch' them. Of course, back then we also rode our bikes on the left, facing traffic because that's what we were told to do. And no one EVER wore a helmet. What did we know?!?

and yet we survived to adulthood

[Spec&TrekGirl]

What a timely discussion...I'm going to a BikeLeague Road I class tomorrow.

I've recently gotten back into cycling after a break from my early 20's to my late 30's - not uncommon on this board it seems. The funny thing is, I remember having seen cyclists "control a lane" on several occasions while driving or riding in a car and thought they were absolutely nuts for being in the middle of traffic. But after reading the pre-class book and other online info about riding in traffic, I can completely understand the thinking behind it now. And it is a fact that we clearly saw those cyclists that I thought were "nuts" for getting right in the middle of the lane.

Funny how far a little education goes. Its not immediately intuitive, but it is totally logical that being assertive and acting like the vehicle you are will get you noticed more and keep you safer than hugging the curb where nobody is looking for opposing traffic.

Now, how do we tell all the people (like myself just weeks ago) called the same person "nuts" that I would now call a smart cyclist riding in traffic???

[Eden]

and yet we survived to adulthood

When I was a little one (I guess 2-4 ish - big enough to sit up on my own, but before I was big enough to ride a bike on my own) my dad used to ride me around in one of those rear mounted kiddie seats, of course without a helmet on my head..... you'd probably get arrested for doing something like that these days. I'm not even sure anyone even sells those kind of seats any more. I guess he never tipped over with me though.

[Trek420]

Arrested? Call Child Protective Services This was on a chicken farm so we weren't going very fast but when I was little the older neighbor kids would drive the old car we used to collect eggs in. This was a '50's car with those huge chrome bumpers we younger kids took turns riding seated on the rear bumper.

I think we knew enough not to sit on the front

It's a wonder I'm here today

[SouthernBelle]

It's a wonder I'm here today

I think if you don't have these thoughts as an adult, you didn't have a full childhood!

[MauiRockHopper]

Essentially a bike is a vehicle, we just happen to be the motor.

Vehicles go on the road.

Are you supposed to walk you bike in crosswalks? It is really a hassle with clip on shoes to get on and off crossing a highway or road which has "islands" in it. I've waited for cars to yield to me so I could cross, then the decide to go when I'm still crossing. I scream and flip them off and they give me a look like they did nothing wrong. You really have to be on defense. I ride on sidewalks too sometimes and nobody ever uses them because people in Hawaii don't like getting sweaty so they all hide in their AC cars.

[Eden]

Are you supposed to walk you bike in crosswalks?

It totally depends on where you are. You'll have to look up your local laws. In some places you are not allowed to ride on sidewalks period. Some places you have to walk your bike in crosswalks, some places riding is OK.

[alpinerabbit]

my dad used to ride me around in one of those rear mounted kiddie seats, of course without a helmet on my head..... you'd probably get arrested for doing something like that these days.

They are considered perfectly safe here - safety tests are done - lots of parents haul their kids with those - but with helmets.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I've only been hit by a car one time in my two years of fairly intensive commuting. Here are all the things I was doing wrong:

1. Riding on the sidewalk in a downtown area (ironically, I was afraid of cars!)
2. Riding against traffic (on the left-hand sidewalk)
3. Riding at night with only a faint blinky light
4. Crossing an intersection without slowing down at all
5. Crossing an intersection without looking for turning cars

Not surprisingly, a driver turning right hit me as I rode the wrong way across the cross walk. He probably didn't see me at all. I walked away unscathed, and my bike was fine, but after that I switched to riding on the road just like a car. I've never been hit again.

I guess I have to admit that, after that experience, I've fallen into the Vehicular Cyclist camp. When I ride, it's always in the road, following traffic laws, and taking the lane when potholes, parked cars, ice, sand dunes, turning cars, or other obstacles make it unsafe to stay near the shoulder. By and large drivers respect that behavior and treat me more like a car, only occasionally edging me out in that nerve-wracking "If I'd twitched I'd be dead" way. I also never "filter through," but always wait in line with the traffic. I've had too many close calls with drivers unexpectedly swerving to the right and almost hitting me. (Once my front wheel touched the side of the car, it was so close. Good thing I was going slow enough to stop on a dime!)

Bike lanes don't make much of an appearance in Metro West Massachusetts. However, my Seattle bicycling experience has made me leery of them: Bike lanes seemed more like shoulders with a bike painted on the road, rather than anything special. The proximity to parked cars and the door zone, in addition to the high glass and grit accumulation in those lanes, made me rather leery of thinking they were all that great. I spent most of my time in the driving lane or the shoulder. Perhaps the issue with bike lanes is they tend to usurp common sense, so a normally cautious rider thinks "I'm safe in this lane," which is no more true than in a regular driving lane. Exercising caution wherever you choose to ride -- even to what feels like an extreme level -- can never hurt.

I agree 100%.

[jobob]

Great post kfergos! I'd pony up $2 for that.