livedarklions

What name calling? Who's saying take the lane at all costs?

I usually ride FRAP, but these roads don't look like that's practical, but they also don't look like ones I'd expect trouble on taking the lane.

GhostRider62

No

GhostRider62

Only?

Stupid?

GhostRider62

Paranoid?

How many dead cyclists have you known.

Jughed

SC/Greenville is home to many ex pro cyclists that seem to ride 40-60 miles per day out on the more rural local roads...

Follow Hincapie on Strava - you will learn many routes that seem to be heavily traveled by cyclists.

livedarklions

In fairness, the comment he was calling stupid (not the commenter, BTW) asserted that taking the lane is a bad strategy because deer get hit by cars. It was a complete non sequitur.

You can quibble with the word "only", but I think the only two reasonable alternatives in the two situations pictured is either take the lane or don't ride that stretch. YMMV, but that's hardly asserting to do it at "any cost."

livedarklions

Do you want to start a pretty weird contest? Sorry, but Joey's postings have been overly alarmist for several years now. I don't think there's a particular number of dead cyclists one has to know to have an opinion about that.

Honestly, what's the point of this whole thread? "OMG, there's trucks on narrow roads there!"

Paul Barnard

My preference for riding is low speed, lightly traveled back roads much like the one pictured. They tend to be narrow and in many parts of the country, they are winding. The threat that Joey was pointing out is relatively manageable. It's not like the big noisy truck is going to sneak up on you. For that matter a passenger car won't either, as long as you aren't budded up or otherwise listening to music or such. I am not at all opposed to removing myself from the road if I develop apprehension that a driver may round a blind bend at a safe speed.

I am also not opposed to removing myself from the road if it appears that two large heavy vehicles traveling in opposite directions may converge on me at the same time. The below road is a 55 MPH road. My default position is center lane. I am wearing bright colors and maybe burning a tail light. When two large dirt haulers were approaching from opposite directions I dismounted my bike, picked it up and stepped off the road with it.



I also have a bail out plan with each vehicle that approaches from behind. I figure running off the road as a latch ditch effort to avoid being hit is better than being hit. I monitor them closely as they approach. Most drivers will drift over early in the game.

livedarklions

I think this is one where there is definitely more than one way to ride it. I would, depending on the quality of pavement and where the brush is overhanging, probably stay slightly to the right of the white line. I'm not a big fan of the dismount as I think the likelihood of tripping is, for me, a bit above zero. One needs to know one's own strengths and weaknesses!

Paul Barnard

You are spot on about how far the vegetation encroaches onto the road. In the place where I dismounted, it was out to the white line, and there was no pavement to the right of the white line. The pressure wave of the truck was substantial even as I stood some 6-7 feet away. I would not have wanted to experience it at closer distances while mounted. If two autos were coming from opposite directions and there was goo asphalt to the right of the line, I would have moved over. Otherwise with a single car approaching from behind, it's mid lane until they start to move over, then I move far right as well.

livedarklions

These things are so situational and riding styles/confidence varies so much, that I think trying to lay down a particular rule for all riders in all situations is absurd (I think we agree on that). I know that on the 55 mph roads I ride on in NH, I've never seen anyone ride in the lane except to set themselves up for a left-hand turn from a turn lane, and the only guy I see who does that around here is me. I don't see a lot of 55 mph roads up here with as little traffic as is in the picture, I'd find it hard to get enough of a gap just to get into the lane. Getting into the left turn lane often includes a wait on the side of the road for a gap to open up.

Paul Barnard

Ha, I almost wrote that the described style really won't work in moderate or heavy traffic density situations. I am fortunate that the roads I most frequently ride have good shoulders, bike lanes, low speed or light traffic. Narrow lanes, 45+MPH and moderate to heavy traffic would stress the hell out of me.

gpsblake

Flood control especially in the street view you submitted. We are getting a new expansion to 4 lanes on US 1 here in South Carolina and they also put a curb in and when I asked, it was for flood control, Yes, I hate them as a cyclist as it gives no good way to bail if you must.

And Greenville is def the cycling capital of South Carolina with a good trail system and really good road bicycling like old US 25 to Saluda, NC, Paris Mountain or if you like flats, the Swamp Rabbit. Locals are aware of us there but with any area, not all roads are good for cycling as you have shown in your examples.

JoeyBike

Hey, thanks for the info! Never would have guessed the curbs were water control devices. Makes sense now that I know.

I posted up on the "Southeast" forum but few responded with good Greenville info. My wife and I spent nearly 3 weeks there in April looking for a house and driving all over the place. I immediately purchased a new bike when I got back home - Surly Lowside - single speed with hydraulic disc brakes for all the hills. With the rest of my bike stable I'm pretty much ready for anything now. We're moving there around January next year.

If you think of anything especially useful for that area I have a standing post in "Southeast Bike Forums". I've done extensive research using every bicycle app and resource online, so I'm well on my way but I have never actually cycled there yet. I do know first hand that driving a car there pretty much sucks.

Cheers!

merlinextraligh

This. I’ve ridden in that area a fair amount. There’s a reason Hincapie and Christian Van de Velda among others live there.

JoeyBike

If I could average 30 mph there would be a lot more roads I would ride on also.

Camilo

I don't think you can say "Hawaii" as a single category of riding. Using Oahu as an example of the whole state is like rating New York based the New York City metro area.

Every island is different. Molokai is very nice for road cycling. Parts of Maui are too. Haven't ridden on the Big Island or Kauai or Oahu. Can't think of any reason to visit Oahu again, but I'll bet there's some fine road riding on that island away from the city. From my visit to Kauai a long time ago, I can't imagine you couldn't find great road riding there. Same for Big Island. In fact, a friend who used to live there, said the Big Island is great for road riding.

I doubt if you can label South Carolina with one label either.

njkayaker

WTH? Are you supposing people are suggesting you should dart in front of cars?

bbbean 

Exactly. I don't see the problem there.

bbbean 

I'll give you credit for being smarter than a deer. there's an enormous difference between riding lawfully and predictably in the lane with traffic and bursting from the woods into the road without warning, especially between dusk and dawn..

bbbean 

That was worth repeating.Even unfriendly drivers aren't homicidal. They may not be thrilled to wait 30 seconds til they can pass, but they aren't out there running down cyclists on purpose.

bbbean 

How many live cyclists do you know? Tens of millions of us ride the roads every day.

JoeyBike

You ever come close to hitting a deer? Often they are just standing in the road on a blind curve. A car moving at 55pmh and a deer doing 0mph or a cyclist doing 10 mph won't change the result of the impact very much. Most of the cyclists featured in news stories here on A&S didn't dart out into traffic at all, yet they are still thoroughly dead. "Taking the lane" under some circumstances is similar to a deer standing in the middle of the road. This was my point.

njkayaker

BS.

It the most common hitting deer scenario is them moving across the roadway at a fast pace at night.

It doesn't seem that "Most of the cyclists featured in news stories here" killed weren't killed taking the lane. There isn't any data collected that would establish that.

That's more BS.

(I'm not making any recommendation of where you should ride on roads you haven't really provided enough detail about.)

bbbean 

Standing in the middle of the road on a blind turn isn't "taking the lane". Also, taking the lane does not eliminate the need to use lights/clothing/time of day/route choice/speed/situational awareness, etc to remain safe on the road. Deer employ none of those tactice (well, maybe situational awareness, but they could obviously use some work on that)