Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Advocacy & Safety
Reload this Page >

How do you ride?

Notices
Advocacy & Safety Cyclists should expect and demand safe accommodation on every public road, just as do all other users. Discuss your bicycle advocacy and safety concerns here.

How do you ride?

Old 06-13-17, 11:19 PM
  #276  
rameez
Newbie
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 4
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Most of the injuries caused to bike riders occur at junctions. However, speed can be the main factor which doesn’t let a rider to be defensive with the junctions properly. A rider should be extra careful when heading towards a junction.
rameez is offline  
Old 08-22-17, 07:08 AM
  #277  
Cashn
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 14
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I live in NOLA and we have what I would call a pretty nice bike infrastructure. Lots of bike lanes, some dedicated paths through town, and two parks on either side of town that are bike friendly. Along with this there are also some of the worst roads in America if you decide to go off the beaten path. Potholes/sinkholes that will swallow your front wheel at the worst and an extremely bumpy unpleasant road that will rattle you to the bone at best. Much of these are residential "back roads" though so you won't be on them for long. Just if your going to someone's house or making a cut through to the next big road. I ride purely for pleasure when it's easier than taking a car, when Mardi Gras or jazz fest is going on for example. Or if we get a group that agrees on taking bikes out for the night to go bar hopping. It's pretty easy to get across town in 15-20 min with a small group at a leisurely pace. I ride road bikes, last bike was a Dawes single speed that was stollen this past Mardi Gras and I recently picked up a Peugeot PSV 14 speed from a friend that I have fallen in love with.
Cashn is offline  
Old 09-21-17, 11:14 AM
  #278  
Randombiker9
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 41
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I ride my bike to college some days and other days I like doing a mixture of cycling on road and off road in the big dog park near me)
Randombiker9 is offline  
Old 01-09-18, 03:48 PM
  #279  
MikeyMK
Cycleway town
 
MikeyMK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Milton Keynes, England
Posts: 1,402

Bikes: 2.6kw GT LTS e-tandem, 250w Voodoo, 250w solar recumbent trike, 3-speed shopper, Merlin ol/skl mtb, 80cc Ellswick

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 569 Post(s)
Liked 169 Times in 117 Posts
I commute to work, i do the shopping, i take the kid to school on the back, i ride for fun, i ride whenever i go out.

I have various bikes, but unless the kid is on her own bike, i almost always use the e-bike.

I do not ever ride on the roads, but for the smallest residential streets occasionally - we have a separate system here for pedestrians and cyclists to share.

I practically live on my bikes, so they have comfortable upright riding positions.
MikeyMK is offline  
Old 04-18-18, 04:29 AM
  #280  
Ritalalala
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 58
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I like to use my road bike on weekend mornings, except when the weather is bad or there are other accidents.
My red helmet is cool.
Ritalalala is offline  
Old 04-24-18, 03:24 PM
  #281  
subgrade
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Saulkrasti, Latvia
Posts: 898

Bikes: Focus Crater Lake

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 391 Post(s)
Liked 336 Times in 204 Posts
My commute to and from the work is ~10km through the city, and there is very little bike infrastructure to speak of. It is not illegal to ride on sidewalks here, although it is not encouraged (the traffic rules state that one can ride on the sidewalk only if riding on the carriageway is too dangerous or impossible due to heavy traffic/jams/weather conditions etc., but there is no stated criteria applying to these, so many, if not most cyclists choose to ride on the sidewalk at all times).

I ride generally on the carriageway, mostly because it's faster and there are less obstacles on the road, but also because I rarely find the traffic conditions to be so troublesome as to avoid it. The roads I take vary from smooth to pothole-ridden to cobblestone. My tempo seems to be above average - I usually pass far more riders than they pass me.

Apart from that, I do some recreational/fitness riding, not shying away from gravel roads or forest trails - turns out my hybrid bike copes with those just as easy as my old MTB did. Just came back from such an after-work 60km ride a couple hours ago.
subgrade is offline  
Old 06-05-18, 05:56 PM
  #282  
MidSouthBiker
Senior Member
 
MidSouthBiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: MidSouth
Posts: 352

Bikes: Mr.White Mr.Green Mr.Orange

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 60 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
It was another wonderful day in the neighborhood. Got in 100 minutes.
MidSouthBiker is offline  
Old 06-06-18, 03:07 PM
  #283  
Patriot1 
Retired loving & Life!
 
Patriot1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 589

Bikes: (2) 2019 Specialized Roll Sports, 1992 Merlin Road Ti, 1986 Schwinn Peloton, 2 Trek 920’s,

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 153 Post(s)
Liked 17 Times in 9 Posts
I stay away from congested areas. Lately local group rides have had more drama/mishaps with each other on rides than my wife and I are comfortable with. So we have pretty much stopped the group ride thing.
So I ride early mornings after everyone has gone to work and we have a beautiful large sports park to ride in where I don’t have cage aka car concerns. It works for me. My wife is finishing up a long career and will soon retire.

__________________


Last edited by Patriot1; 06-06-18 at 03:12 PM.
Patriot1 is offline  
Old 06-22-18, 08:45 AM
  #284  
Frankcycles414
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Im exactly the same!
Frankcycles414 is offline  
Old 06-28-18, 11:51 AM
  #285  
ukwildcat
Junior Member
 
ukwildcat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 12
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'm in Santa Barbara where they are plenty of designated bike lanes and paths.
The problem with the paths is that people use them to walk, with kids and dogs, skateboard, rollerblade and run.
What should be the safest place to ride is often not due to these "obstacles" in the way.
ukwildcat is offline  
Old 07-22-18, 08:18 AM
  #286  
bikie2000
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Honestly riding in big cities is sometimes terrifying. I've experienced so many close calls since starting riding 3 months ago
bikie2000 is offline  
Old 04-27-19, 04:57 PM
  #287  
DucHuy
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 19
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I am 30 years old and still like to ride a bike instead of a car because it makes me healthier
DucHuy is offline  
Old 07-18-19, 02:01 PM
  #288  
BeginnerInFL
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 13

Bikes: Electra Cruiser 7D

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Liked 3 Times in 1 Post
I live in central Florida and am a new rider. Streets around here feel like a death trap to me. I'd love to work up to commuting to work (~10 miles each way) but so far it's just riding around the neighborhood and on paved trails. So far so good!
BeginnerInFL is offline  
Old 07-21-19, 10:17 PM
  #289  
jade408
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,532

Bikes: Working on replacing my stolen Soma Buena Vista Mixte

Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 417 Post(s)
Liked 95 Times in 44 Posts
I am pretty sure I posted here ages ago, but I am going to update since my circumstances have changed a bit.

I live in a mid-sized city in a big metro area (Oakland, CA). These days I work in Berkeley, a city that used to be a leader in bike infrastructure, but is resting on its laurels.

Oakland on the other hand, has really been thinking big about its bike infrastructure, and has launched a new plan focused on underserved communities. Over the past couple of years, infrastructure is getting better and better. Today I took a spin in the mini two way cycle track around the lake. It was quite nice, though a few sections were really confusing. It ends quite abruptly and it isn't obvious where to go to continue around the lake. I startled a cyclist when I slowed to figure out what was happening and crossed the lane. There was plenty of room, but the cyclist I crossed in front of was a little scared.

I am about to start commuting to work, now that my new bike arrived. But I am uncertain of the right way to get home. The traffic is terrible in the evening, and the routes with striped bike lanes all have either conflict points or lead to the shortcut to the freeway onramp. As things are congested, I really notice drivers are inattentive and in a rush. All of the logical routes home are along surface streets or alternate routes to the freeway. The three main thoroughfares all have similar issues. There is a trail that can be used for part of it, but where the trail ends is where the conflicts and congestion start. This is the part that worries me the most about my route. As I get to the last 1.5 miles or so home, it isn't too congested. My commute is just under 5 miles.

Still finding my way with this new pattern and commute.

Otherwise, I pedal to errands and outings - as long as the hill isn't too steep or I don't have to carry beyond my bike's capacity. I aspire to longer, casual rides. So I am going to keep increasing the distance till I hit my goals. This year has been rough for me from an exercise perspective. I have been dealing with a myriad of annoying issues from knee pain (from hyper extending and twisting my knee) and the latest is plantar fasciitis.

Last edited by jade408; 07-21-19 at 10:21 PM.
jade408 is offline  
Old 08-07-19, 04:08 PM
  #290  
BoBodyJones
Daily Commuter
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I bike fast but slow way down around corners. I like to move fast but take no risks with my safety.
BoBodyJones is offline  
Old 08-12-19, 08:06 PM
  #291  
Celticgirl
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Wolcott, Connecticut
Posts: 21

Bikes: Windsor Dover 2.0 Hybrid

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I'm 62 and ride casually with a comfort bike mostly to the grocery store which is two miles from the house.
I use a rear view mirror, as well as a blinking tail light. I feel safer being able to see cars coming up on me and how close they are. The tail light alerts those drivers that are incapacitated either with cell phones, or just not paying attention.

I try and always use hand signals when turning, but don't really know how to safely turn left on a busy road so I have been just coming to a stop on the side and waiting for all the cars to clear before making my turn.

We don't have bike lanes in my town, and have narrow roads. The main road has white lines on the shoulder, so I kinda ride the line, can't really ride inside the line because of all the debris.

Things have really changed since I was a kid, back then, the norm was motorists would always try and go way around pedestrians or bicycles, not anymore.

Last edited by Celticgirl; 08-12-19 at 08:12 PM.
Celticgirl is offline  
Old 09-10-19, 05:40 PM
  #292  
ali28fksklj
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Where I live: Suburbia, east of Phoenix. I have a MUP that runs right near my home, and all the major arterials near me have decent bike lanes.

Where I work: Neighboring Phoenix suburb/college town, about 10 miles away. The MUP goes straight there, as do the arterials. I switch off taking the MUP and the 40-ish MPH arterials.

How I ride: 95% commuting, although I try to leave early and take the "scenic route" by extending my commute when I can. Occasional recreational rides on vacation or on weekends, and rides with the kids when I can squeeze it in. I commute every day, and do as many single-purpose, single-occupant errand trips as I can on a bike as well.
ali28fksklj is offline  
Old 09-14-19, 09:44 PM
  #293  
Ardrid
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 14
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times in 3 Posts
I primarily ride around my neighbor. Small suburban town so there's not a lot of traffic on the side streets I ride on. If I do venture out to the busier roads, I've found that the shoulder is ample enough that I feel safe. Where it isn't, or I don't, I ride on the sidewalk. After seeing some truly horrifying vids of ppl being clipped from behind, I'm willing to bend the rules there.
Ardrid is offline  
Old 11-13-19, 08:10 PM
  #294  
XXX
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Casually with the fam.
XXX is offline  
Old 05-24-20, 06:46 AM
  #295  
ilcaccillo
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Portugal
Posts: 20
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Live in Lisbon, Portugal,
I ride mostly in cycle lines near the river. Roads can be quite dangerous around here
ilcaccillo is offline  
Old 06-03-20, 05:12 PM
  #296  
Lilly18
Junior Member
 
Lilly18's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 2 Posts
I'd be so happy to ride a bike instead of my car, however the distance is too long
Lilly18 is offline  
Old 07-11-20, 09:23 PM
  #297  
Tyagi
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
My way of riding

Simple riding is not very fun but doing some stunts adds a bit of energy in me !!
Tyagi is offline  
Old 07-13-20, 06:03 PM
  #298  
holytrousers
hoppipola
 
holytrousers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 423

Bikes: fausto coppi

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 512 Post(s)
Liked 227 Times in 163 Posts
Originally Posted by Lilly18
I'd be so happy to ride a bike instead of my car, however the distance is too long
here it's 44km in one direction, i wouldn't enjoy it that much if it were any shorter !
holytrousers is offline  
Old 12-29-20, 02:27 PM
  #299  
AmelieGagnon
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
This helped so much. I learnt to ride in just a few hours! Started with gliding at home, when I got comfortable, went to the park with my partner. Practiced gliding again in an open field and then for the first time, he pushed me so I could learn to peddle. The second time we tried, he mentioned I should peddle really fast, which I did. He let go and I couldn’t believe I could ride!! It took a couple tries to get comfortable with marking turns and starting but I rode for hours, without any help before leaving the park
AmelieGagnon is offline  
Old 01-14-21, 04:58 PM
  #300  
rumble b
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
I use my road bike for commuting, groceries, and other errands. The mountain bike is for recreation. Both are good exercise!
rumble b is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.