Safe Cycling

[415_s2k]

I'm an avid motorist and an avid bicyclist, and so I can see things from both sides of the coin.

I've nearly hit inattentive or arrogant cyclists who blew through signs, lights, didn't look over their shoulders, etc. Even before I started riding bikes again, whenever I saw a cyclist, I'd always give them a wide berth to make sure that in the event that they needed to swerve or hit a bump, they wouldn't end up hitting my car and getting hurt.

I got shouted at by a pack of fixie riders in Oakland, even though I was a lane away from them and going the speed limit, to "pay attention." I slowed and asked them how, precisely, I wasn't paying attention, and they they just sort of looked at eachother before telling me to f-off.

I saw a pack of fixie riders flying down California St's 45-degree angle hill, straight through a red light and into traffic. One broadsided a car, and the other guys doubled back around and started screaming at the driver, kicking their car, etc - even though their idiot friend beaned himself against her car, and they knew they all broke a law.

Convsersely, I've nearly been door prized a good number of times because people don't look in their mirrors before they open their doors. I've had drivers who look at me and automatically assume I'm going 4mph blow through a stop sign to "beat" me, when I'm actually going 30+mph down an incline (I ride a Specialized race bike and am building up a Pinarello Dogma Pics to follow...), so I have to swerve and lock up my rear wheel to avoid hitting an arrogant jerk that made the conscious decision to break a law because they thought that someone else on the road was below them, and an thus was inconvenience to them.

One recurring thing that I've noticed, when I ride during rush hour especially, is that some people really take personal offense if you pass them. Often, in my experience, if you end up coming to the light right as it turns green (which happens frequently, since you're moving slower and generally don't have the ability to scream up to the light while it's still red) and get a bit of a lead on a car, they will floor it, which I can understand... they want to get past a slow-moving person on the far right. What's not necessary, is how often they will veer closer to me as they floor it, as though to remind me that they could crush and kill me at any given moment (as though I wasn't aware of this already).

I also had a guy in a white BMW a couple weeks ago I kept passing in heavy traffic, and whenever he got in front of me again, he'd pull over as far to the right as possible as he stopped; I'd ride my bike up a driveway, down a stretch of sidewalk, and back to the shoulder... it was just totally unnecessary and antagonistic.

Now, all this said, for the most part, even in notoriously car-centric Los Angeles, with its debatable (largely lacking) cycling infrastructure, I find most motorists to be courteous, cautious, and aware. I make sure to wave to people who are polite to me to encourage them to treat the next cyclist with the same respect.

Originally Posted by wag more bark less

Would be nice to see a video featuring regular joes like me who use bicycles as transportation, instead of a cluster of lycra-clad road bike nerds

Werd The world has suffered enough without seeing me in spandex Admittedly, I'd be kind of torqued off if I was sitting in traffic and I sped by on my bike, jammed into spandex pants and showing my ass to everyone...


Typical riding attire for me: pair of extra-thick Levi's (the type they use for rodeos), a pair of Dr Martens or Pumas, a T-shirt and a hoodie.

[animatedmartian]

Found some of single cyclists in my area, specifically near misses.


HIT and RUN ... Cycling in the snowy Michigan ... - YouTube


Dangers of cycling. Close call... Distracted Driver Talking on His Cell phone and going wrong way... - YouTube

All 3 drivers were totally supposed to give them the right of way. Even more frustrating when the guy has his kid with him and thinking about the possibility of his kid getting hit.

[415_s2k]

Also, in terms of safety... LA's roads are something else in some areas; definitely something this city should improve upon. A few weeks ago, I rode from BH to LAX and was on my way back down Venice, when someone cut a bit too close to me and I had no choice but to hold tight to the handlebars and ride through a pothole. Mind you, this pothole was about 5 feet long, about seven inches deep where a water pipe had broken and the soil below had eroded. I was going downhill pretty fast and hit it basically full-force; didn't get knocked off, but severely bent my rear rim, put a really nasty and un-patchable hole in a week-old Vittoria Diamante Pro tire, and of course obliterated the tube.



Thankfully - and let this be sage advice to all cyclists reading this - I always keep a couple spare 700c innertubes, a patch kit, a pump, and a good Leatherman in my bag so that if this happens, I can at least get myself home!

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/421562_3234290098658_1308840717_33310322_139382944 4_n.jpg (broken link)
Voila... a bit wobbly and bumpy, but, it worked till I could buy a new rim the next day.

[MtnLion512]

Originally Posted by 415_s2k

Also, in terms of safety... LA's roads are something else in some areas; definitely something this city should improve upon. A few weeks ago, I rode from BH to LAX and was on my way back down Venice, when someone cut a bit too close to me and I had no choice but to hold tight to the handlebars and ride through a pothole. Mind you, this pothole was about 5 feet long, about seven inches deep where a water pipe had broken and the soil below had eroded. I was going downhill pretty fast and hit it basically full-force; didn't get knocked off, but severely bent my rear rim, put a really nasty and un-patchable hole in a week-old Vittoria Diamante Pro tire, and of course obliterated the tube.



Thankfully - and let this be sage advice to all cyclists reading this - I always keep a couple spare 700c innertubes, a patch kit, a pump, and a good Leatherman in my bag so that if this happens, I can at least get myself home!


Voila... a bit wobbly and bumpy, but, it worked till I could buy a new rim the next day.

Nice ride! I have the same Planet bike superflash on my seatpost...good stuff. Seconded on the emergency kit...ultimately though I got sick of changing flats on the roadie, so I switched to a cyclocross for commuting and would never go back! It takes potholes like a champ, but she wouldn't have survived that 5-footer

Good call on the thick Levi's too, unfortunately Austin's weather necessitates shorts/man-pris & Chacos most of the year save a few weeks in Dec/Jan/Feb.