Ty0604

This was an email this morning from MapMyRide. What do you find most annoying? Mine is people (of any age) riding on sidewalks when clear bike paths are available or adults riding on the sidewalk any time regardless.

If you want the video links in #9 , go to this link: 10 Annoying Things Cyclists Should Stop Doing - MapMyRide Blog

While the act of riding a bicycle is fairly simple, the rules of the road can sometimes be a bit more confusing.
In order to clarify some of that gray area, we’ve created a short guide so you can put the etiquette into practice.

To be clear, these are 10 things cyclists should never, ever do:

1. Promote an elitist culture.
You’ve seen these people before. They sneer at other cyclists, yell at motorists and think pedestrians should cease to exist. Whether you’re a road cyclist or a mountain biker, the only way to encourage others to take up the sport is to make them feel welcomed and encouraged. Acting like the road is your own personal raceway and everyone else is an obstacle just gives all cyclists a bad name. The next time you’re out on the road and see a fellow cyclist, wave and say hello. Taking your eyes off your data, believe it or not, isn’t going to result in the end of the world.

2. Wheel sucker strangers.
So you’re cruising along, minding your own business on the way home from work, when suddenly a shadow approaches from the rear. You move to the right, then to the left and the shadow follows. When you turn to look over your shoulder, there sits the wheel sucker in your draft — head down, eyes forward, with a serious-looking grimace. No introduction, no “how are you.” Don’t be that guy. Riding up behind another cyclist without introducing yourself or taking your turn at the front is just weird.

3. Disobey traffic laws.
Yes, there will be times when you’re sitting at a red light all by yourself without a car in sight. There will also be moments when you’re about to break a Strava record, and all of a sudden a stop sign appears out of nowhere. Regardless of what you’d like to do, you should not ride through that red light or stop sign.
Disobeying traffic laws isn’t just dangerous; it gives motorists the fuel they need to act abusively and irrationally toward other cyclists on the road.

4. Ride on the sidewalk.
There are some cyclists who think they are safer riding on the sidewalk. Regardless of which end of this argument you may agree with, riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is illegal in most states. Sidewalks are intended for pedestrian use, and if you don’t want them walking in bike lanes, it’s best to return the favor and stay off their sidewalks.

5. Ride without a helmet.
Do helmets look cool? No, not really. But you know what’s way less cool than a helmet? That’s right, a head injury. No matter how short or long you plan to go, you should always wear a helmet. It could make the difference between a simple spill and an overnight stay at the hospital.

6. Tighten bolts on carbon parts without a torque wrench.
If you think a bolt can never be too tight, this advice is for you. All carbon parts on your bicycle have torque specifications that you must adhere to. If you tighten past these recommendations, you’ll likely cause damage that can’t be repaired — whether it be a handlebar, seat post or even your bike frame.
The good news is torque wrenches are pretty inexpensive, not much more than your standard set of Allen wrenches.

7. Turn the commute home into a race. Getting “chicked” can make some men go mad. But really, whatever it is that causes you to go bonkers when you’re passed by another cyclist, take it easy, stallion. Not every ride is a race, even if you are a racer at heart. Stick to the training plan, and let other cyclists on the road do their own thing. That Gran Fondo or century ride isn’t too far away.

8. Ride at night without bike lights.
I know. I really like those old ninja movies, too. But riding at night without bike lights isn’t the time to mimic your heroes. And in most states, riding with lights is a legal requirement between sunset and sunrise.

9. Be unprepared for a mechanical failure.
Even if you usually ride in a group, there will come a day when you jump on the bike and everything goes wrong. A flat tire, a loose screw on your handlebar and a broken chain are just a few of the things that you’ll need to be prepared for and know how to fix. Instead of always relying on others, check out this video (and maybe this one, too) to learn how to do basic repairs yourself.

10. Go cheap on your cycling shorts.
Cycling-specific clothing is expensive. But one item you definitely don’t want to skimp on is your cycling shorts. A good chamois is worth its weight in gold, especially if you plan to spend more than an hour on the bike. Instead of getting multiple pairs of cheaper options, buy one or two pairs of quality cycling shorts. Chances are they’ll last a lot longer than all your cheaper pairs combined, and they will be much more comfortable on those sensitive spots when you do decide to go long.

Seattle Forrest

If rule #1 is "never ever promote an elitist culture" then maybe some of the rules that follow need to be re-thought.

dr_lha

F*** off MapMyRide, seriously.

techsensei

I'd dump one of those rules to put in "ride on the street against traffic," unless that fits under "disobey traffic laws."

canklecat

Yeah, saw that same email. Keep in mind listicles are designed to generate outrage and web traffic.

That said...

I'd agree only with 1, 5 and 8. Especially 1, after riding the local MUP a few times recently.

I saw way too many guys riding way too fast on an MUP crowded with pedestrians meandering around with kids and dogs. We can't change MUPs. They invariably evolve into majority usage by slower moving folks -- walkers, families, dog owners, joggers and cyclists with kids in tow on rear racks or towing trailers. The appropriate speed will be well under 12 mph. Deal with it. Yelling "Get outta the way, kid!" Or snarling "On your left!" every 10 yards won't accomplish anything other than making all cyclists seem like jackasses. If you need to ride fast, either stick to the fastest and most distant, least used parts of the trail, or find appropriate public roads. I mostly ride a rural route with plenty of space to safely open up from my 12 mph to a whopping 15 mph. But, seriously, there are better places for wannabe racers to ride fast.

Number 6 doesn't apply to me. I didn't like carbon fiber or graphite fishing rods either.

Don't care about most of the other stuff, or disagree for the usual reasons.

Number 3 is too generalized and inapplicable to some locales. And in my experience it's often safer for bikes to roll through stop signs after carefully looking every direction. The vast majority of incidents when I've been struck by vehicles while I was riding a two-wheeler -- bicycles and motorcycles -- were at four-way stop sign intersections. And 90% of those were from behind at very slow speed by drivers who claimed they didn't see me on my motorcycle or bicycle. If I'm approaching a four-way stop sign intersection and the only vehicle in sight is directly behind me, I'm gonna roll through unless it's a cop. If a government vehicle hits me from behind at an intersection, I can pretty much retire to a grand taxpayer subsidized life of posting diatribes on the interwebs.

Regarding number 4, I ride on the sidewalk on a few stretches because it's safer and there are virtually zero pedestrians using the sidewalks, ever. There are places where it's just more sensible to divert to the sidewalk for 25-100 yards or so to navigate around a particularly dangerous section of street. I slow down, watch carefully around driveway entrances/exits, etc. -- no problems.

Also, this...
I can't even remember why I'm on the mailing list for MapMyRide. I've never used the app again after the first try. Maybe I thought it would eventually be useful? But really the only app I like so far is Cyclemeter.

Kedosto

Shame on MMR for the click-bait headline. Having said that, I pretty much agree with all of it except #3 . I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna sit around waiting for a green light anywhere in east Oakland. If it's clear and safe, I'm rolling. Period. That's not to say I blow through stops and reds, but in some neighborhoods sitting still is a sitting duck.

A personal gripe of mine are the jack-tards riding the wrong way in the bike lane. I swear, one of these days I'm gonna head-butt one of those dip****s.


-Kedosto

rumrunn6

lol, nice list!

TheLibrarian

Yes. lets all take exception to these "rules."

1. Elitist culture in cycling has less to do with the difficulties of sharing the road with other users and more to do with things like rule #10 , lbs's and competing for who has the best gear and carbon fiber whatever and who's got more strava kom's which are heavily promoted by the industry and sales.

3. I'm on a bike specifically to disobey traffic laws, bunny hop stairs between parking lots, cut through grassy knolls and everything else. Hey the guy with the strava kom had to blow through that stop sign how else am i supposed to beat this random stranger.

4. This does depend on locale, in the burbs people dont walk anywhere and there are no bike lanes.

5. Helmet shmelmet, short rides and mups I'll take my chances. probably a good idea but in today's nanny state its hardly something to worry about on casual rides.

7. whats wrong with an impromtu race with someone who doesn't know we are racing. If they think its silly they can be respectable and back down.

9. I'm sure i'll eat these words but I'm not too far from walking home or back to the car. I still need to rewatch the video everytime I change a tube.

10. I dont even wear cycling shorts, so that seems like a waste.

wphamilton

I think about half of those are either pretty dumb or the half-truth of sweeping generalizations.

Fortunately, suggested rules by mapmyrides mean less than nothing and can be safely ignored.

Retro Grouch 

Me too.

badger1

I especially liked the references to "these people" and to 'waving' in Rule 1. The incoherence there pretty much sums up the list as a whole: place Self-Evident and Tendentious in pot, stir, add a pinch of Smug, and let simmer.

FullGas

wave to everyone, blah blah, every ride is not a race, blah blah, don't ride on the sidewalk, blah blah...

can't believe someone got paid to write that crap.

Ty0604

I would say it does. I see it far too often. I rode against traffic as a kid because I liked seeing what was coming towards me. Oops.

Same here. I wait a cycle and then go through. And yes, people going the wrong way...

I have to use it unfortunately. The company I am doing my charity ride for has a contract with MapMyRide. Bummer...


I don't agree with the whole list and it's definitely clickbait but thought it'd be fun to share.

ddeand 

I've thought a lot about many of the things on that list, and many seem to be the smug protestations of someone who has a tidy little agenda. For the most part, situations dictate a lot of how we ride, and most people really do try to follow the rules - or at least the spirit of the rules. But there's always a "Yeah, but . . . ." For example, on my commute, there is a stretch of four lane city streets where traffic moves fast and steady - there is absolutely no shoulder on street, and at times traffic is curb-to-curb with no room for a bike. So, yeah . . . I'll pop up on the sidewalk to keep myself safe until I can find the spot where I can get safely back on the road. I'll continue to put my safety above someone else's sanctimony.

kickstart

4 and 10 are garbage.

Using the sidewalk is legal in most states, and can be a good option in some circumstances.

There are many options to cycling shorts that work just as good or better.


IMO, ironically the list violates its number one rule.

OldsCOOL

Really.....

Moe Zhoost

Don't agree with

3: At 6 in the AM there is no way I'm stopping for a sign or signal (that I can't trigger anyway) if there is no other traffic.
4: I generally don't do this, but sometimes it's necessary (MUP uses a sidewalk for a stretch) or prudent (poorly designed intersection)
5: I generally do this, but don't think head injuries are the primary risk in a spill or collision. I don't wear a helmet on my recumbent trike
7: All my commutes are quick just because that's the way I ride. I rarely get passed and, though I do like to use riders ahead as rabbits, I take no real satisfaction in passing them (unless they are way slow). I don't abide wheel suckers either.
10: Cost of clothing has little relation to its quality. I'm not spending a bundle on shorts that stretch out or abrade in a year or so just because the chamois is reputed to be good.

I would agree with an 11th annoying item: Making egocentric lists disguised as informative, but in reality are rather inane

Ty0604

They're all a matter of opinion and open to interpretation. I don't think any adult should ride on the sidewalk unless the bike path diverts to the sidewalk. Otherwise you don't have any business being on the sidewalk​.

Darth Lefty 

I thought The Rules had more bullet points

indyfabz

Got any support for that, especially since it is often a matter of local jurisdiction? For example, the Philadelphia Municipal Code bans cycling on sidewalks by anyone over the age of 11. And no one may ride on a sidewalk in what is defined as a "business district."

FBinNY 

Actually, I find the entire premise annoying. It's the lecturing kind of thing that makes me say "Yes, Mom!

Besides the tone, I find the juxtaposition of the obvious with the group think and politically correct offensive. Not that I'm actually offended by this kind of PC nonsense, and lecturing tone, my filters do a good job keeping it out.

Besides my bias on some of the points, NEVER is an extreme word, and I can't think of anything about bicycling where the concept of NEVER would apply.

I can summarize and improve on this with 2 rules.

1- ride smart -- be aware of your surroundings, and use your common sense.
2- don't be a jerk. If this needs explanation, you've already failed.

caloso

In my state, it's generally illegal, but a local jurisdiction can enact an ordinance to allow it. But regardless of legality, in most cases you should only be riding on the sidewalk if you're under 8 and your dad is running behind you holding your saddle as he's just removed your training wheels.

dedhed

Rode on the sidewalk tonight for a few blocks. A utility contractor is running in new gas services and has the whole R lane blocked and road plates. I did have to go on the grass to go around his excavator which was parked on the sidewalk.

I-Like-To-Bike

When did anyone in Philadelphia, cyclists or LEO's, start giving a darn about cyclists' compliance with "Municipal Codes" or traffic laws?

Paul Barnard

I break laws regularly, I hop on the sidewalk on occasion, I have carbon parts but no torque wrench and I ride without a helmet at times.

#11 Don't judge riders who do things differently from you. They may have legitimate reasons.