rumrunn6

it's a nice long hill where I can reach 32mph by just coasting tucked in. would love to work it tho & see how fast I can go. but my encounter with a car yesterday morning on the way to work, at about mile 18 of 22, has me thinking I didn't have proper control of the situation, next time I should either take the lane (& keep it) or hit the brakes & just resist the urge to go fast.

after reviewing the video & seeing how, at the last minute, the driver pulled over for some reason, leaving me very little room to pass (or stop).

considering the potential fatal head-on collision with oncoming traffic, I need a better plan for this hill

too fast? should have taken the lane? is there another option I'm not thinking of?

mconlonx

I don't think you could have anticipated that the driver would pass and immediately pull off the road to the right, but because that fork is an intersection, taking the lane through that section might certainly be appropriate on a regular basis -- at that turn, I'd be worried about someone right-crossing to take the right fork.

Unless this happens on a regular basis, I'd chalk it up to a one-time deal with a driver who is unfamiliar with bikes, passing situations, etc.

BTW, what's the actual speed limit through there?

andr0id

At that speed you should not be swerving in and out of the grates. Just pick a line to the left of them and stay there. You can move 2/3 to the left in your lane on the double yellow to discourage cars from passing you at that speed and then move to 1/3 on dashed. Doesn't mean some moron won't do it though.

===================== double yellow
(small gap + double yellow should discourage passing in non-morons)
o---o

---->>
[ grate]
-------------------------------------

or

--- --- --- --- --- --- single dashed
(large gap + dashed = OK to pass)


--->> o---o --->>
(maintain buffer between you and grates in all cases)
[grate ] [grate ]

dynodonn 

Personally, the motorist wasn't really an issue, but those storm grates on the side of the road.

rumrunn6

yeah was wondering that myself - will have to look into it. I may very well have been exceeding the posted limit

rumrunn6

yeah I was all over the place

indyfabz

Check applicable laws. You may be able to legally take the lane if you are capable of doing the speed limit.

dynodonn 

At 32 mph, I wouldn't be too concerned about exceeding the speed limit, but I would be more curious in how many motorists were backed up behind you, in their trying to get by you. No matter how close or over the speed limit a cyclist rides, there's always some motorist(s) thinking that you are going too slow, and some pedestrian thinking that you are going too fast.

wphamilton

Take the lane there regardless of speed.

It makes little difference to the drivers how fast we're going. They'll still want to get around. However, when one acts like they're in a real hurry like that and kind of forces it to pass, I always suspect that he's about to pull something like that and I proactively get into position, slow down for some separation, or whatever is appropriate for the situation. Looking at the video I didn't think that it was all that bad except for the driver misjudging things, or driving like a jerk as the case may be.

adablduya

my observations of that video clip:

- you appeared to be pretty erratic in your lane positions. at that speed, take the lane and hold your line.

- the vehicle that passed you did not appear to crowd you. however, it was pretty dickless of the driver to pass you then cross in front of you to move right to stop. that's one that typically gets me particularly jacked up....

- and watch those grates ! (aka, tire eaters); they make for an especially nasty and immediate fall.

be safe out there.

rumrunn6

Andover Rd, Billerica 25mph so I was almost 10mph over ... oops

indyfabz

Tsk! Tsk!


BTW...I went to high school at Deerfield Academy. Have you ever done d2r2? Great ride if you don't mind dirt and lots and lots of hills. Got a tour planned for the week after Labor Day. Train to Brattleboro, VT then ride home to Philly. Going to pass through Deerfield on the first day.

ItsJustMe

Stay in the lane, would be my advice.

Leebo

Speed limit aside, MA law allows bikes to use full lane when needed.

JoeyBike

Video footage can be deceiving but here is my take:

1. I didn't see you doing anything wrong. Dodging potholes and drains is a normal part of riding a bicycle.

2. Why motorists "MUST PASS" has always been a mystery to me. That being said, from my perspective as a video watcher, the motorist realized his/her idiocy and got off the road as fast as they could after the needless pass.

3. Even if you take the lane, they will pass you. They MUST pass. So IMO...you just need to stay alert (a mirror might help foresee some of the idiocy out there) and keep doing what you are doing. Your riding looked just fine to me. Maybe grow a little thicker skin if you have no alternative to that section of road. And if you are going 30+mph, act like a motorcycle, let the motorists treat you like one. Even motorcyclists get ignorant passes against them. All part of the program.

(Please don't hijack this thread with mirror opinions as I am up to date with the other two mirror threads currently running here)
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TenSpeedV2

If I was riding a road like that I would definitely have a bright lights on blink. At those speeds, you should be taking the full lane. You are putting yourself in kind of a bad spot straddling that white line. Give a car too much room and they think that it is OK to pass in the lane. Ride too far to the right and you deal with those grates. I would also be worried about the fork intersection and getting right hooked. As for the car that passed, that will always happen and you luckily had some room to maneuver.

skye

You were riding way, way too far to the right.

rumrunn6

beautiful part of the state! what brought you there? Mass native? looked up that D2R2 - The Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnée August 20, 2016 ... looks serious! :-)
D2R2 | Franklin Land Trust

rumrunn6

I do, a magicshine up front & 2 planet bike superflashes in the rear, 1 on the rack & 1 on left left drop bar

indyfabz

Philly native. Got a scholarship through a program for "financially-challenged," smart kids.


The first year I did it I only did the metric. It kicked my butt and then some and then again. Went back a few years ago and did the Green River Route to lunch, which was easy, and then finished on the metric route. Much easier overall. Some really hard core people on the ride, but it's a good time. You can camp in a field at the start/finish, and they feed you well. Plus, it's for a good cause.

rumrunn6

been trying one out, I forget if I saw him coming or if I was concentrating on the road. I do remember forgetting the curve was coming right up & the ground was wet. thought to myself "oh shucks" not a good place to brake hard. for 1/2 a second I considered bailing by going straight at the fork, but then he passed and I was good. but then he stopped in my path and I wasn't good anymore

almost didn't think too much about it until I looked at the vid & thought - shoot, cudda bought it right there

rumrunn6

congrats on the grant $$, my kids wouldn't be in the schools they're out w/o a little help from benefactors
the ride sounds like a fun summer highlight

JoeyBike

Yeah, not much more needed to happen for a very interesting video. Happy for you they got far right fast.
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KD5NRH

Station wagons have the same effect. I used to have a blast getting people who just had to pass up to 30+ over the limit and then nailing the brakes just before a known speed trap in my old Subaru wagon. Especially fun to watch them rocket into a revenue trap "school zone" (the school was four blocks away and K-2nd graders shouldn't be crossing a six lane road on their own) at 40 over and cops swarm them.

The part I'll never get is insisting on passing just before you're planning to turn anyway. Had a guy pass me on a 30mph across a double yellow when I was going ~20, and then turned left in the same block. He wouldn't have been behind me for another 5 seconds anyway.

JoeyBike

You have the same mean streak I have. This is one I recently invented (and keep in mind I don't own a car - I rent them or occasionally have to do some errand for my wife and use her car) and almost makes me wish I drove every day:

I stop for a red light well behind that big, fat, white line where cars are supposed to stop. Cars pull up next to me at the red light. If any of them are totally fixated on their phones I wait until there is no crossing traffic (because I am a nice guy) and accelerate forward slowly as if the light had just turned green. The phone user sees me out of peripheral vision and does the same, but I stop short of the first crossing lane and they keep going half way across the road before they realize the light is still RED, but then they can't stop because they are blocking some crossing lanes and they can't back up because the car behind them has taken their spot. You might not believe how often I can get a phone junky to run a red light. Did it perfectly just yesterday in fact. Have not accomplished that in front of a cop yet, but it is inevitable.

Repeat after me: "They MUST pass...They MUST pass...They MUST pass..." It's in their DNA - same as my mean-spirited, self serving, sense of humor coaxing them to run a red. It's a good thing I don't commute by car really. I am such a jerk sometimes.
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