Atlas Shrugged

I assume those of you who feel it's vital to be aware of a vehicle approaching from the rear at the earliest possible moment all also ride with a Garmin Varia radar as well as a mirror. The Varia picks up vehicles before there are heard most of the time and also indicates when approaching at a high rate of speed.

Chi_Z

"The defence said Mr Lowndes was wearing headphones and dark clothing and was riding towards the middle of the lane, almost one-point five metres from the fog line."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-...clist/11605292

Bikesax

I've learned to tell pretty well how close a vehicle coming up behind me will pass by sound. I know when I can ride in a straight line, and when I need to hug the curb because the vehicle is going to brush my left leg.
Also, when looking over my left shoulder to see if I'm clear to turn left, I rely on my ears before I ever look. I tend to veer left when I look over my shoulder, and if I hear a vehicle close, I'll wait til it passes before doing so.

MattTheHat 

So, if the car is going to hit you, where do you go? I guess you could try to hop the curb.

By the time I knew the car was going to hit me, at the speed they're closing on me, I wouldn't have time to jump the curb. I guess I could proactively jump the curb for every close pass, but that would be a lot of wheel repairs and since I've never been hit, they would have all been for naught.

MattTheHat 

If something appears in my path I either stop, or swerve to the right.

WhyFi

And?

Chi_Z

the driver's excuse was because the guy was wearing a headphone, unaware of the traffic behind him, and therefore stayed on the middle of the lane. Imagine if he was not wearing a headphone, what could the driver possibly claim then? But in the end, it is your own life on the line, do whatever you want with it.

WhyFi

Oh, so based on that defense, the driver was found not guilty?

znomit

I use my airpods now and then (on closed roads under adult supervision, and only on sunday mornings when the drunks are asleep and the oldies are at church, of course) and usually have to slow down to get Siri to understand me.

GlennR

I'm back... miss me?

I guess some of you ride only bike paths or rural roads. On Long Island I have to ride through business districts where there are parked cars on the right and a single or double lane roads.I tend to ride far enough from the parked cars so I don't have a door open in front of me. But i need to hear cars coming up behind because many will pass me. Many are going over the 25 or 30mph speed limit, many pass with cars coming from the opposite direction squeezing me to the parked cars. I've had my left arm hit by car mirrors over a dozen time because there was no room for me to move to the right. New York State law dictates a 3' distance for passing, but many roads don't allow it due to tight lanes and parked cars. There's been a few times i've had to stop because I can HEAR a car approaching and know there's not enough room for me.

I value my safety, i'm sure you do also. Everyone needs to evaluate their own risk.

MattTheHat 

Exactly. But when you make the blanket statement that people who ride with ear buds don’t care about safety you’re evaluating their risk for them.

I wouldn’t personally accept the risk of riding in your area. What you describe doesn’t sound safe to me. I’ll stop short of telling you that you don’t care about safety.

GlennR

So what about the people in my area that do? What if i'm driving in a commercial district, getting ready to pass a cyclist wearing earbuds and suddenly the door of a parked car opens and the cyclist swerves left and I hit them.

I'm sure i'll be blamed. Their risk is now my problem. Same goes for people opting not to wear a helmet.

WhyFi

A) How the world would ear buds affect a potential dooring? That's ridiculous.

B) You're close enough that you should be familiar with the girl in Brooklyn that got doored in to a bus a handful of years back. If you're familiar with that, you'd know that the person opening the door is the liable party.

GlennR

It won't bit it would let you know if its save to swerve left or if you hear a car you try to stop before hitting the door.

WhyFi

Dude. You're reaching. A lot. First and foremost, the notion that a non-ear-budded cyclist knows that it's safe to swerve based on audible cues alone is ridiculous. Beyond that, if a cyclist has enough time to consider their action, then you, the trailing driver, have enough time, too. If they don't have the time because they're in the face of an immediate dooring, the cyclist is going to swerve, regardless - instant reaction. Hazard avoidance is why most states have 3' passing laws; if their swerve were to send them in to you, then you weren't passing safely (and the person opening the door is at fault, too).

GlennR

It try to constantly have situational awareness.

And i'm sure as i'm laying there waiting for the ambulance i'll feel better knowing its the other 2 people's fault.

I guess you don't ride in with the same level of traffic as I do and have cat like reflexes and dog like hearing. I'm just a old man that knows it takes longer to heal than it used to 30 years ago.

/rant

sfrider 

If you're concerned about being noticed, use the bell you're legally required to have. It carries vastly better than your voice and is a much better tool to make people aware of your presence.

And slow down when overtaking, especially don't buzz pedestrians.

The Knog Oi works great, and is reasonably aero if you care.

Athens80

How much more awareness do you get from listening than you do from seeing behind you via your mirror?

noglider 

@GlennR, are you sure we have a 3' passing law in NY? That would be very new to me. I don't think it was even in discussion recently.

GlennR

You're right.... i'm wrong.
https://nybc.net/en/education/bike-l...tate-bike-laws
"VTL 1122 – The operator of a vehicle overtaking, from behind, a bicycle proceeding on the same side of a roadway shall pass to the left of such bicycle at a safe distance until safely clear thereof."

mstateglfr 

a bell is legally required on all bicycles?

GlennR

2 is illegal, but 1 is OK

https://nybc.net/en/education/bike-l...ke-laws#fixies
"VTL 375 24-a – Use of earphones while driving or riding a bicycle – It shall be unlawful to operate upon any public highway in this state a motor vehicle, limited use automobile, limited use motorcycle or bicycle while the operator is wearing more than one earphone attached to a radio, tape player or other audio device."

"(b) No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least one hundred feet"

Guess I should get a bell.. or just be a outlaw.

WhyFi

I lived in Brooklyn and commuted to Manhattan; I think that I have a handle on riding with traffic. Reflexes aren't too shabby and the hearing's great. More to the point (that keeps going over your head), the usefulness of hearing is often limited, which is one of the reasons that I have radar, but I guess that you don't ride in the same level of wind noise as I do.

Atlas Shrugged

What you describe is one step, short of Mad Max. Having been clipped by cars over a dozen times, the least of your issues should be if another cyclist is riding with earbuds. I would strongly recommend change where you ride or change hobbies because a serious incident is immanent. If you feel your excellent hearing and spacial awareness is what is keeping you safe it's only a matter of time. Q

Seattle Forrest

I don't wear ear buds when I ride, but I don't mind if anyone else does.