I sold my road bike. I wasn't using it anymore for fear of my life. I'm reluctant to allow either of my children to use bikes on the public highway when they're old enough. They will of course, be inducted into the way of dirt at the earliest opportunity!
I'd say out of an average week with 4 days commuting of 6 miles each way.
I think that at least one car each day is inconsiderate and one a week a real danger.
so 1 life risking, in 48 miles. the drivers in hampshire are shocking.
as a side note; it was a bus which tried to take me out this morning. When it went past the ad on the back was a watch out for bikes poster! Oh the irony!
I find that with a knog front flasher, a cateye flasher and a Dinotte 5W flasher I still get cars pulling out on me
Use a bright steady and a smaller flasher. Don't only use flashers, and especially don't use a load of really bright ones. It just looks like a horrible flashing mess and you can't see bugger all as a driver. As a driver, you need to gauge movement and position of objects, and a slew of madly flashing lights makes this much harder.
Use one bright rear light on steady, and a small one on flashing because drivers are used to flashing lights meaning cyclist. And wear bright clothing and reflective bits - this really helps (speaking as a motorist).
As for wearing headphones, it's lunacy. Yes, you don't know if a car is going to hit you or not, but when you hear an engine approaching quickly you can turn round and make eye contact (or at least show your face to the driver) - it makes a massive amount of difference. I often have cars that are about to squeeze by in a tight spot, but when I turn round and look they drop back and wait.
I do ok for road cycling down here in Cardiff. When commuting things really are fine, and when I'm out road biking I stick to wider roads and I often find if it's busy then it's easier, since people are going slower and everyone is pulling out to overtake so people can see you by other people's actions.
I have noticed though that every time I drive up north the standard of driving is shocking. Way worse than it is down here, and tbh kind of frightening.
I am likely to get flamed for this, but I feel safer riding my Brompton or the cargo bike than I do on my faster bikes. I tend not to wear a helmet on those jauuts, and keep the speed to a fairly sedate, not-working-up-a-sweat pace. I don't jostle at junctions, rush to catch lights or weave through moving traffic, just amble along 2.5 times as fast as I could walk, and slightly quicker than the bus. It is relaxing, speed is at all times well within the limits of the brakes, I'm closer to the speed that the dozy expect me to be going and I don't look like a "lycra lout". Quite nice.
🙂
drivers struggle to see what speed a 'road' bike can do, so often misjudge their overtaking.
i feel much safer on an mtb on the road - but where is the fun in that.
im in danger twice a day, on my way to work and on my way home
Well, I have a meeting in Notting Hill this afternoon - I shall Brompton there and back and report back on quite how awful it was compared to riding my road bike which was how I got into work this morning.
on my commute i feel at risk once or twice a day but never in risk of my life, just at risk of being clipped. yesterday a van cut across me in straightline a left hand curve in the road and another car stopped 2 foot past the give way line on the side road when i was in the cycle lane which is only about 2 foot wide at that point. i gave him a gesture to suggest he didnt stop before the give way line as he should have done and he just stared back at me blankly, not even a hand up to apologise.
on my leisure rides at weekends and after the rush hour in the week i find people are much more curtious and i dont really feel at danger on the country lanes.
Perhaps they were blinded by your 700 lumen light - I'd imagine most cars drivers are too. Yes you need to be seen but you also need to be careful you're not blinding other road users.
A) Car headlights are far brighter
B) The light is aimed downwards 5 feet in front of the bike
C) It was in flashmode
C) It was in flashmode
Again - flashing is horrible for motorists. How are you supposed to track movement when it's only on half the time?
Again - flashing is horrible for motorists. How are you supposed to track movement when it's only on half the time?
Car headlights are a nightmare for cyclists but I wouldn't expect drivers to only drive with side lights on.
And it's a strobe flash which should be easy to "track" and make me far more visible to peds and drivers, which is always a bonus.
And it's a strobe flash which should be easy to "track"
I disagree (speaking as a motorist). Our eyes notice movement very well in peripheral vision. If your light is off for part of the time, there's a good chance that it'll be off at that crucial split second when a driver throws a cursory glance your way - eyes move very fast. If you are seen, it'll take twice as long for a driver's brain to work out your vector and where you'll end up if the light's off for half the time.
Yes, you don't know if a car is going to hit you or not, but when you hear an engine approaching quickly you can turn round and make eye contact (or at least show your face to the driver) - it makes a massive amount of difference. I often have cars that are about to squeeze by in a tight spot, but when I turn round and look they drop back and wait.
I just don't get this! Do you turn round and look at [b]every[/b] car you hear coming up behind you? If they're not looking you in the eye, do you leap off onto the verge? And you can tell that they were going to squeeze past too close before you look round or they've even reached you? I'm impressed - your spatial awareness must be awesome! 😉
I commute 10 miles a day on some pretty busy roads, and I think I'd go mad if I worried that much about what was behind me. I just make myself visible, don't try and hide in the gutter, and use my eyes if I have to turn or move out into the road or something. Other than that, I don't worry about what's behind me, I don't believe there's a damn thing I could do about it anyway. I rarely feel like I'm in danger and don't get easily spooked by "near misses"; I don't think I'd ride to work if I did.