Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
People used to ask me why I rode on the opposite side of the road (Cars facing you)
I was scared to ride with cars behind me.... You wouldnt know if someone came swearving towards you until its too late most likely..... With the cars coming towards you,you can jump off your bike/get out of the way hopefully before they hit!!
I dunno...... I just felt safer seeing what was on the road..... (Or who I mean)
Let us all know how that works for you the 1st time you get taken down riding the wrong way on a one-way street, because drivers only have to look for traffic coming from the opposite direction to where they will be turning (traffic coming from the left if they will be turning to the right, etc).
Not to mention it is illegal in most places (like in my state), and if you do get hit because of it, you can be ticketed, and won't be able to sue for damages, because you were where you weren't supposed to be.
If riding in traffic is that much of an issue, stick to the rail trails. That's what I do.
I didn't know it was even a "problem". I ride pretty much everywhere and I hardly ever see bikes with mirrors and this is an area with lots of bike traffic. I don't even have them.
Funny, everybody gets along fine, the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west, we're all still here.
Only a minority use mirrors. Never had a need nor desire to concentrate on who was overtaking me. Unfolding situations to the front needed attention which have applied for over 200,000 miles of pedaling to work and serious recreational riding...
Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 7 days ago)
35,630 posts, read 17,968,125 times
Reputation: 50653
I only ride my bike in places where I don't need a mirror. Like, at city park on the very wide roads and I know for sure if there is a car there.
I get so stressed riding my bike on city streets where really any little wobble of my bike will kill me, or any inattention of the car driver will kill me, that I don't do it anymore. I was really very shocked, cars would give me like 2 feet clearance max.
Can't do that. I don't need a mirror for where I feel safe riding.
Washington state does not require helmets but counties and municipalities may require them. And that is the case in the places I ride. I don't mind the helmet.
I am new to riding and slower than most riders. I am working up to it but on the trail I usually ride I am getting passed several times by faster riders. I would not be without a mirror. I need to see them coming up behind me. The trail is the Cedar River trail which parallels Hwy 169. There is enough auto traffic that you cannot hear a bike coming up behind you.
I also have a bell on my bike so as to alert people walking that I am about to pass them. The rules say either a bell or announce your presence.
I wear a helmet. Might have saved some of my brain cells when I was blind-sided by another cyclist plowing into me while I was making a left turn. Fool didn't call out, and told me that I really should get a mirror, claiming that I would have seen him coming.
So I got a mirror. Using that mirror, it took so long to pick up any fast moving bicyclists behind me that they were next to me by the time I spotted them. That mirror now sits on a shelf in the garage. Total waste of money. Instead, I've become very cautious, always taking care to look behind me and to use hand signals well before I make any turns.
If mirrors work for you, great. But they don't work for me.
For myself, 64, serious recreation is average speed on a Campagnolo equipped (super record) Colnago C-50 that is peddled along flat AZ roads at 17-19 mph for 30+ miles.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
