Riding Solo - staying safe

[Irulan]

I'm going to bet, based on,

Remember, the focus of these forums is women's cycling and fitness. Other forums exist elsewhere on the Internet for involved discussions of religion, politics, etc.

probably not.

[Bike Writer]

I'm brand new here (just joined yesterday) -- and I'm not riding very much now (recovering from a broken tib/fib) -- but thought I'd share my personal "safety" precaution with you. I own a "Spot" personal GPS tracking device. It didn't cost much (I think I spent $100 on the unit -- and they have specials all the time), and you pay for a yearly subscription. There are different options - you can have it report your position to a website every 10 minutes that you can allow your family to log in and check (you can set it to private so only invitees can see). I don't do this very often although I bought the service. The one service that IS useful is that it has an emergency button that you can press when needed and it will summon emergency responders. I've take my spot in places where I can't get cell phone reception - it gives me peace of mind when I can't get cellphone reception (which is frequent than people realize).

For a small subscription (like $12 a year) it also provides emergency rescue insurance (if you use the function for emergency responders, it covers the cost). I used that just this summer -- I broke my leg parachuting in Norway and the insurance is paying the $3000 helicopter transport bill (I can't IMAGINE how expensive it would be for helicopter transport in the US).

Finally, my favorite function is a "check in" that I can send a text to my husband saying "I'm OK." I do this when I'm done parachuting, hiking, etc. for the day and I'm on my way home. If he doesn't get that check in when expected, he knows to start beating the bushes for me. I bought my first unit at Eddie Bauer, and I bought a smaller unit at Gander Mountain last year, and I've seen them at REI. You can learn more about it at findmespot.com (I know there are also other personal GPS locators out there too).

Amy

I had no idea such a thing existed. If not for you posting this and me reading it I would be unaware. Great information, thank you.

[Susan Otcenas]

roo4 & Irulan,

Good question. Being totally frank, I'm not sure I have a good answer. Full disclosure: I'm a "free speech and open, frank discussions are good for us" kind of gal, so my natural inclination is to put as few limits on topics as possible and trust everyone to be civil and thoughtful in their discussions. But, I guess I see multiple angles, some of which lead me in the opposite direction on this particular topic. Here's my thinking:

On the one hand, whether or not to *legally* carry a gun while riding isn't really "off topic" to these forums. Whether we like it or not, it is a legal thing to do throughout most of this country, and so a discussion of the merits of carrying or not while riding our bikes is a legitimate topic of discussion on the forums.

That said, discussions of this type rarely stay on topic. They tend to devolve into heated & emotional discussions of gun control laws, whether guns prevent or cause violence, etc., and *those* types of discussions are most definitely NOT on topic for these forums.

Soooo, where does that leave us? I guess the middle ground would be to approve a CLEARLY LABELED thread in Open Topic (Non-Cycling Related). Something along the lines of "Hot Topic: Carrying Guns While Cycling". (Yes, it's on topic, but we all know its going to stray, so might as well resign ourselves to that fact and put it in Off Topic.) I would just ask that everyone try to remain civil while expressing their opinions and remember that it really is hard to convey thoughts and emotions in written form. Let's try to be respectful of one another, even when disagreeing. It would sadden me greatly if feelings were hurt or people left the forums over an off-topic subject because they felt they'd been insulted or disrespected. It's happened before. Sometimes those people return to the forums, but sometimes we lose them forever. The women's cycling community is small enough as it is, that it would sadden me to see these explosive topics drive wedges between us.

Other thoughts on this? I'm open to ideas.

Susan

[Irulan]

My thought is that the topic goes so quickly into politics that there's no way to have a civil online discussion about it. I will underscore that I've never seen anyone's mind changed by an online discussion. This topic has come up in other forums, and other biking forums especially that I read, and no good comes of it. No matter how polite we think we can be here, I don't see how it could be done.

I am filtering this through my "formerly a moderator" filter. I've moderated here and MTBR and a couple of other boards, so I think it's fair for me to take a strond stance.

If there was such a thread allowed here, I'd probably just pull up a chair, grab my popcorn, and see how long it took before it did have to be shut down. I think it would be inevitable.

[roo4]

Susan,

Thank-you for your explanation. I thought the discussion was both thought-provoking and mostly civil. I did not see that it was "political" in the sense that we did not debate the upcoming elections or political parties (and here I realize that I am being USA-centric, apologies to residents of other countries). Banning such discussions is a slippery slope. I recall much discussion surrounding the Komen/Planned Parenthood issue, most of which could reasonably be termed "political."

I would hope that we could continue to discuss issues freely. Perhaps labeling the thread appropriately as you suggested and/or starting new threads if existing ones drift too much will help. Of course, if (when?) the thread devolves into name-calling and ranting, you, as the admin, will have to step in. I did not think the current thread had arrived at that point.

I would hate to lose members of the community over a flame war, and I realize I am saying this as a fairly new poster.

[OakLeaf]

Y'know, I've stayed out of this one (honestly, I mistook it for last month's thread where the SPOT device was mentioned in the first few replies - didn't even realize a new thread had started until just yesterday).

But purely from an amateur sociology point of view, I really wonder WHY the topic of firearms engenders such strong emotions.

If anyone in the world can explore that subject rationally, I'd put my money on the fine gals of TE.

So from that point of view, I'd welcome a meta-thread, ask for people's thoughtful contributions and introspection on why the topic gets them so jacked up - and get my popcorn ready.

[lph]

My take on why some topics are so hot - insert earbuds (no, not literally ), helmets, religion, gun carrying or what have you: we're really good at discussing things that are obviously personal choices. Some topics are hot because people hold opposite opinions not only on what is best for them, but on what is best for others, or for society in general. Sounds obvious, but when somebody holds a strong opinion they truly believe they are right, just as right as you are. If you truly believe that x, y or z is the best thing for everyone, it's pretty hard to phrase it in terms of "hey, this is just my opinion", and it often comes out brash and sounding like "this is obvious" or "you should be doing this instead" or "how can you possibly believe anything else". And that's what people react to - being treated as if their opinion isn't worth even listening to.

And believe me - this is not meant to target anyone, but is purely a general observation. I've both held strong views "on behalf of society", and been offended by others doing the same. Just not guns, which is pretty much a non-subject over here. I'm not sure I've ever seen a handgun.

[hebe]

For the OP. I ride often on my own, and often this is when my OH is on the other side of the pond. I do the following:

• make sure I'm in distinctive clothes so as many people as possible notice me
• say hello to everyone I pass who's on foot or bike, and acknowlege every driver who passes me. If anything were to happen, I want to know that there would be as many people as possible who were sure that they'd seen me
• I did a basic maintenance course and carry a spare tube/tools with me.
• I do a basic check before every ride (tyres and brakes)
• Carry a fully charged mobile, number of a taxi company, water and snacks
• I'm also considering checking in/out of every ride on FB, including outfit & bike details for those rides when my OH

is abroad.

[Susan Otcenas]

...checking in/out of every ride on FB...

I do this for all of my randonneuring rides. Jeff and several friends always know my route, and then I post my progress at every controle. Sure, sometimes it's hours between each check in, but I think it gives them some comfort when they see a post from me at 3am that I'm still alive and moving forward.

Something else I've just done this week is to enable the "where is my iphone" app. It should allow Jeff to log in and see where my phone is. It was designed to help you find a lost or stolen phone, but I imagine it will be useful if he wants to see where I am at any given moment, assuming I have cell service (which I often don't on the more rural legs of my ride.)

[PamNY]

For the OP. I ride often on my own, and often this is when my OH is on the other side of the pond. I do the following:

• make sure I'm in distinctive clothes so as many people as possible notice me
• say hello to everyone I pass who's on foot or bike, and acknowlege every driver who passes me. If anything were to happen, I want to know that there would be as many people as possible who were sure that they'd seen me
• I did a basic maintenance course and carry a spare tube/tools with me.
• I do a basic check before every ride (tyres and brakes)
• Carry a fully charged mobile, number of a taxi company, water and snacks
• I'm also considering checking in/out of every ride on FB, including outfit & bike details for those rides when my OH

is abroad.

The tube/tools and ability to do some maintenance are very important points that I don't recall seeing in this thread. Phone number of a taxi company is good too, in some situations.

[velo]

The tube/tools and ability to do some maintenance are very important points that I don't recall seeing in this thread. Phone number of a taxi company is good too, in some situations.

In my original OP, I said that I am equipped for minor repairs. I think that is a *minimum* for riding alone in rural areas. This may be a rather strong stance, but if you can't change a flat and do some very minor repairs, you have no business riding solo in the country. I'd almost say it's a given.

Also, I mentioned in my OP that I have Better World. I don't know if this has really been talked about much here on these forums, as I'm still relatively new here, but this is basically an insurance company like AAA... except unlike AAA in most of the US, it has a road-side plan for cyclists where you pay about $40/year and you can call them for road-side assistance (usually just a pick up, but I think they'll also help with a repair if you have the equipment). They are the only insurance company doing this for cyclists throughout the US, as opposed to AAA, who is doing so in just a few states. My plan if I need to call someone for a pick-up in order of preference is: hubby, good friend next door, good friends at work, then Better World as a last resort. In the past, I was a 10-month/year rider - in that case the fees turn out to be $4/month or about 13 cents/day for the assurance that SOMEONE will pick me up if I need to. I am lucky that cell towers are everywhere and I'm never without a signal. Among all the coin we shell out for this expensive sport, $40/year seems like a steal for a little more peace of mind. I'd encourage all to look into Better World Club if you haven't already.

[PamNY]

In my original OP, I said that I am equipped for minor repairs. I think that is a *minimum* for riding alone in rural areas. This may be a rather strong stance, but if you can't change a flat and do some very minor repairs, you have no business riding solo in the country. I'd almost say it's a given..

This thread has moved along so much I'd forgotten the original post. I agree that what you describe is a minimum for rural riding. Even in the city, I'm amazed at how often I loan out my tiny tool kit.

Better World is something I should look into. I live in Manhattan and offhand can't think of one close-ish friend who has a car.

[goldfinch]

In my original OP, I said that I am equipped for minor repairs. I think that is a *minimum* for riding alone in rural areas. This may be a rather strong stance, but if you can't change a flat and do some very minor repairs, you have no business riding solo in the country. I'd almost say it's a given.

Also, I mentioned in my OP that I have Better World. I don't know if this has really been talked about much here on these forums, as I'm still relatively new here, but this is basically an insurance company like AAA... except unlike AAA in most of the US, it has a road-side plan for cyclists where you pay about $40/year and you can call them for road-side assistance (usually just a pick up, but I think they'll also help with a repair if you have the equipment). They are the only insurance company doing this for cyclists throughout the US, as opposed to AAA, who is doing so in just a few states. My plan if I need to call someone for a pick-up in order of preference is: hubby, good friend next door, good friends at work, then Better World as a last resort. In the past, I was a 10-month/year rider - in that case the fees turn out to be $4/month or about 13 cents/day for the assurance that SOMEONE will pick me up if I need to. I am lucky that cell towers are everywhere and I'm never without a signal. Among all the coin we shell out for this expensive sport, $40/year seems like a steal for a little more peace of mind. I'd encourage all to look into Better World Club if you haven't already.

I also am a member of Better World. I often travel alone in unfamiliar areas. If I have a breakdown that I can't deal with on my own I need somewhere to call for reliable help. The only issue is having a cell phone signal, which I don't always have.