Comments on: Commuting 101: Essential Tips For New Riders

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:23:21 +0000

Good advice, I’ve actually had this one happen to me:

Driver passes a cyclist and turns right, directly across their path.

Normally I try to hide my aggressive side but that driver got a nice dent in their car from my cleated shoe that day.

I will say it made me more aware of the people driving past me and turning and has saved me a few more times since then.

By: Bike Shop Girl

Bike Shop Girl — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:50:42 +0000

What type of “wool” have you tried?

Cotton’s fine if you can’t do anything else! Just keep riding

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:14:09 +0000

I admit that I take the bus to my university classes, but I don’t own a car, never have. So bringing home more than two small bags of groceries, or going places the bus wont take me, or on the weekends: I ride my bike. There are NO bike lanes in my town, but thank God there are wide sidewalks as I live in a college town near a major city. Drivers are dangerous sober, let alone drunk! And I am still very slow on my Townie, working on my endurance. For newbies who are scared of riding in the street (or grew up with that being against the law like myself), try to find wide sidewalks, park paths, or go before or after rush house traffic. Always stay far right on the road as possible and don’t apologise for being as slow as you are at the beginning. You’re living a better life than those poor suckers with car insurance and gas charges on their cards.

Question for the experts: wool drives me crazy and spandex doesn’t feel pleasant. Is cotton okay for the Texas HEAT?

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:03:13 +0000

Eliza (or anyone else who is new to commuting by bike),
I recommend reading philosophies about safe vehicular cycling from various authors as a first step.
Also, keep in mind that learning to ride a bike in traffic is similar to learning to drive a car safely. The defensive driving course that I took started me out in a parking lot, moving to low-traffic neighbourhoods and backroads, then eventually progressing on to major arteries and highways. As a result, I was able to practice skills to ensure that I could safely maintain a high level of situational awareness while driving, before I would need to use them in heavy traffic. By the time I made my way onto the major arteries, things like checking mirrors and blind spots, signalling, and anticipating the potentially unsafe manoeuvers of other drivers, were second nature. And, of course, I had to pass a test in order to obtain a driver’s licence.
To ride a bicycle on the road, I only needed to get one and be able to balance on it.
Cyclists seem to be expected to do something that drivers are clearly not expected to do – to be safe road users the instant they learn to operate their vehicles. I encourage new cyclists to practice the skills they will need to ride a bike defensively yet assertively in traffic, before getting into a situation where they will need them. Going for rides with a SAFE, experienced cyclist can greatly increase your confidence and abilities, as can planning routes on strategic streets for practice, or going at low-traffic times (such as early Sunday morning). Sounds like a lot of work, I know – but it’s not so bad when your practice routes lead you to places like beaches, parks, cafes, etc…

By: Horace S. Patoot

Horace S. Patoot — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:18:02 +0000

I agree with just about everything except the ipod. It’s no worse than a car radio; just don’t turn it up too loud. I’ve certainly never had a problem hearing a siren before the drivers in their glass cages. Listening to NPR and This American Life podcasts etc. is one of the great joys of commuting this way.

By: steve

steve — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:32:10 +0000

keep your eyes open for dogs… not just your ears, your eyes too… some of the really bad ones won’t make a sound till you hear them snarling and see their slavering jaws just inches from your bare leg… even an agressive dog will generally think twice if you catch it early in the chase with your most growly, loud, assertive he-man voice… learn where the troublesome dogs are on your route, because they won’t take long to learn when to expect you

By: FrankieJ

FrankieJ — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:09:08 +0000

Helmets are great places to mount cameras as well.

By: Perry

Perry — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:53:02 +0000

Eliza,

Get a copy of “Effective Cycling” by John Forester, or look up the concept of vehicular cycling on the web. John Forester’s website is here: http://www.johnforester.com/. Lots of people follow this advice, some more than others. IMHO, it’s a very good thing to understand in a situation like yours.

By: Eliza G

Eliza G — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:57:54 +0000

I am considering to buy a bike and commute to work but to be honest I never have ride a bike elsewhere than a park or sidewalk and I a feel a bit terrified of it. Any suggestions or tip in how to approach the road without being so afraid of cars? Thanks

By: Perry

Perry — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:36:51 +0000

I carry a coaching whistle around the neck (loud!) that I use when:

1) Approaching cars with drivers who might “door” me
2) Approach intersections where cars might turn in front of me
3) Approaching cars who are entering the roadway by crossing the bike lane – they are looking for cars, not me

It works very well, gets a friendlier reaction than the AirZound horn I was using and seems to be just as effective at getting their attention. Be sure to use a breakaway lanyard so that in the unfortunate event that you should go down, you don’t get a neck injury.