Safety Tips

Tip #4 One of our quiz questions asks about the most common error cyclists make while riding and it turns out to be inattention. Taking a page from aviation please consider two types of airplanes: one a very stable and forgiving airplane and the other a very maneuverable airplane capable of doing just about anything. The later must be “flown” or controlled 100% of the time and requires the pilot’s complete attention to stay out of trouble. Our bikes are ve

ry maneuverable capable of changing direction almost instantly and also require your full attention partly because they are so maneuverable and partly because of the environment we road bikers ride them in. We cannot depend on the cell phone operators*, readers, eaters who happen to be driving a car to compensate for any mistakes we make while riding. In fact we must constantly strive to ride error free and try to anticipate the motorist’s errors. Our reward is to be around to ride another day so the next time you began day dreaming or are tempted to settle into that training “zone” remember our first priority is to “pay attention” or as pilots like to say when they are in a tenable situation “fly the plane”. Paying attention is equally important while riding on trails or even the low traffic roads. Not doing so will allow you to miss debris, drain grates, dangerously angled railroad tracks and on trails long dog leashes, zoned out runners, walkers, roller bladders who turn instantly 180 degrees and come towards you and those too frequent intersections where cars cross the trails.

*Research shows that driving while using a cell phone can pose a serious cognitive distraction and degrade driver performance. The data are insufficient to quantify crashes caused by cell phone use specifically, but NHTSA estimates that driver distraction from all sources contributes to 25 percent of all police-reported traffic crashes - NHTSA

Tip #5 If while riding you notice a long shadow of yourself in front of your bike, let that b

e a “red flag”. It means the sun is at a low angle and probably in the eyes of oncoming drivers. If so, it will make you very difficult to see. Use extra caution when you and oncoming cars are potentially going to cross paths. On our “Your Stories” page there is an excellent example (Story #2) of how Mike was almost “taken out” by the above. Likewise if you are looking into a low lying sun and are having trouble seeing because of it the drivers approaching you from the rear are likely having trouble seeing you. Again use extra caution. On training rides or rides with discretionary routes it may be prudent to use north-south routes and avoid the Sun problem that occurs on east/west routes during the time of day when the Sun is low on the horizon.

Tip #6 Use both brakes for maximum stopping power but do it carefully:

If you are in an emergency braking situation and your rear tire starts to slide what are you going to do? Release the rear brake? Nope! You need to reduce the pressure on the front brake. Too much pressure on the front brake causes the rear wheel to slide or even rise from the surface. Why? Because too much front brake pressure causes your weight to move forward due to momentum. To counteract it you should release the front brake a bit and push your derriere backward on the seat. Both will help your rear wheel settle back down on the road and resume the stopping power of the rear wheel like the above animation.

Ideally you will practice the above so it will be automatic in an emergency situation. At the first hint of such an emergency situation slide your butt to the back of your seat and perhaps even stand and extend your butt passed the back of the seat. Doing so will help keep your rear wheel in contact with the surface even during hard braking and help prevent a spill.

Tip #7 I, Ron Jackson, have ridden the MS 150 six years and during 2002 gave a safety class to our MS 150 team (The Fearless Kaldi Coffee Grinders). We were in a St Louis Park all trying to do Quick Turns and Bunny Hops (What a sight to behold). During one of my Yatta, Yatta sessions a commercial pilot came up to our group and started listening to the infinite wisdom spewing forth from my lips. The subject of “being seen” cane up. The commercial pilot who happened to be an avid cyclist presented his insight to “being seen” that is not common but may well be true. He said we cyclists, are seen; the problem is we are not a threat. His point is if we were a threat e.g. a cement truck we would “be seen” not because the truck is bigger but because the truck is a threat. His position is cyclists are more like annoying gnats and not a real danger to drivers. Perhaps this is true maybe even on a subconscious level e.g. when the driver turning in front of us doesn’t even realize why he/she is not taking us serious. I suspect there is a bit of truth to the commercial pilot’s position and many bike safety forums say to ride like “we are invisible” which points to the same defense whatever the reason. If we ride defensively like the oncoming driver does not see us we probably will fare better while riding. Think about it and if it registers a worthwhile reading on your truth scale begin riding like you are invisible.

Tip #8 Sometimes even when we are fully attentive to the demands of safe cycling we may end up off the edge of the road like the below picture on the left. It is usually best if at all possible to stop the bike (don’t forget to unclip first) and dismount and then lift the bike back onto the road. If riding in a group don’t forget to yell a warning e.g. “stopping” and/or give a hand signal that you are stopping. Too many times when you try to ride the bike back onto the road like the below picture on the right your front wheel will get caught on the edge of the road and down you will go requiring at the very least some first aid.

Tip #9 A variation of the above is shown below: The black asphalt hides a 2 inch ridge in the middle of the street. Crossing the seemingly innocent black asphalt to move around a parked vehicle can be hazardous if the black asphalt is hiding a ridge. The ridge is very hard to see; be suspicious of any sunken section of the road with an edge covered by asphalt.

Tip #10 Safety in numbers: Before I found the below article I always felt safer riding in a group ride than alone but I had no proof. Check out the below article and see what you think. I believe it is true because group rides represent a "critical mass" that wakes up inattentive drivers. A vehicle can approach and pass a lone cyclist before the driver even realizes the presence of the cyclist - not so for 150 + cyclists strung out along the road. Besides if one of those 150 is stuck there are potentially 149 witnesses - somebody will probably get the license number.

http://ip.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/9/3/205

Tip #11 Multiple Lanes: Choose the right-most lane that will get you to your destination. If you're turning left, and the right-most left-turn lane is also a through lane, turn from the left side of that lane.

Reference: Listening to Bike Lanes: Moving Beyond the Feud by Jeffrey A. Hiles, 1996

Tip #12 Below is how the American League of Bicyclists suggest you handle a potential motorist/cyclist head-on collision

"These are often caused when one motorist overtakes another coming toward you. Watch for a line of traffic coming toward you, when there is no traffic coming from behind you. In this situation, sit upright, move farther into the lane, and be especially watchful for the driver who peeks around the lead vehicle (usually an RV or rental truck). When you see a motorist do this, wave your left arm repeatedly in a full arc, to gain the driver's attention. If they still pull out to pass, then brake, and leave the road quickly."

Tip #13 Consider learning to execute a Quick Turn - it could prevent a serious bike wreck. Video #1 gives an overview of the Quick Turn but the Anatomy of a Quick Turn dissects it into individual frames and makes it a bit easier to understand.

Tip #14 Be cautious of moist areas that are habitually in the shadow of structures during freeze and re-refreeze conditions. On a bright shinny day during those conditions the icy patches are hard to discern. Missing them can result in a nasty spill.

Tip #15 Use your brakes going downhill. Kinetic energy increases with the square of the speed. My helmet was cracked during both of my wrecks and my speeds were below 20 MPH. Had I been going downhill say at 40 MPH the energy level of the impact would have been four times as great and probably more than a helmet would have been cracked. If the testosterone is flowing (male death rates are 5 times higher than females*) apply it to uphill riding - see if you can beat your buddy uphill not downhill.

See what the results were at 30 MPH for a MD cyclist 7 years younger than I was at the time of my first cracked helmet. Story #7 on the "Your Stories" page.

*Analysis reveals that the fatality risk for male bicyclists, adjusted for riding
exposure, is almost five times the risk for female bicyclists - CPSC Bicycle Injury and Exposure Surveys page 11 of pub 344

Tip #16 One reason a mirror can make you safer; note: he "saw the right turn signal on" in the mirror giving him a "heads up":

Yesterday when I (Bob) was riding a car passed me, and then turned right into a parking lot, right in front of me. It was close.

I saw the car coming in my mirror. I saw the right turn signal on (Awareness Test), and I was ready for the jerk. I slowed just enough to get in back of the car, and then passed on the left.

Without the mirror it would have been a different outcome. I was doing about 15mph at the time and would not have been able to go right with the car (see video #1). Had I tried, I'm sure I would have slid on gravel near the curb, and slid under the car.

It all happened very quickly, and I barely slowed down. I didn't even have time to think about FLIPPING OFF THE JERK! Darn

Bob

Tip #17 On a recent ride I remembered a sentence from a 10 hour documentary I watched (I know I need to get a life) on PBS called Carrier which is (duh) about life and death on an aircraft carrier. In an effort to keep the deck hands safe one of the safety mantras was “to keep you head on a swivel” and never stop scanning for dangers. We road riders would do well to make that one of our mantras and even trail riders should do so also. Trail riding may not be as deadly (due to the lack of cars) but they produce more bike accidents than road riding if you care to believe the answer to question #1 on the home page of the Bike Safety Institute web site. Please forgive the nag but it takes so long to heal (if allowed to heal) after an accident and that means way too much time sitting around not riding. - Ron

Tip #18 A friend after getting bitten by a dog as he passed the dog and owners while riding his bike on a local trail asked me for suggestions on how to avoid such an incident in the future. My response is below but there is another response from Shannon, a LCI (League* Certified Instructor), who offers some suggestions I had not heard before and they sound pretty reasonable and are probably worth a try:

*League of American Bicyclists

My response:

Jim,

I wish I had a good answer for you. I really try to give the situation you described a wide berth which is probably easier for me because I ride during the week when the trails are lightly used. However, since we are on the subject of dogs here are a few tips.

Dismounting and placing your bike between you and a free roaming dog will totally perplex it. It also gives you an opportunity to use your bike as a weapon if need be.

The above works well unless you encounter a pack; some of the pack will try and work their way behind you so carrying pepper spray is a good idea. Some riders say water from a water bottle works just as good. I prefer pepper spray. While on vacation in Alaska a sign on a bridge warned all that we were crossing into grizzly territory (salmon were running) and not to proceed unless we were carrying either a firearm or pepper spray. I figure if it is good enough for Pooh Bear it is good enough for rover.

I rode once in Jefferson Co. (never again) and was attacked six times on one ride. Each time I dismounted and walked with the bike between me and the dog and each time it worked beautifully. You usually only need to walk far enough to leave the dog's perceived territory; the last attack was the worst. Three dogs were involved and a "Devil" dog with his fangs barred and hair standing straight up on his neck wanted a piece of me and was trying to get behind me. I had just reached for my pepper spray when the owner came out of the house and called them off.

Commercial: If you sign up (it is month to month no long term contract) for Pre Paid Legal with yours truly a top notch lawyer will chat with the owners to recover your costs: medical, torn clothing, damaged bike, etc. You will receive such help plus a multitude of other services for a $26/mo fee. Just the mere fact that a lawyer called the dog owners will probably cause them to adjust their walking habits e.g. walk the dog on the grass side, use a "no bite" muzzle and possibly prevent another poor soul from going through your same experience.

Ron

Shannon's Response:

Ron,

If you'd like to pass along...

I have found that ringing my bicycle bell helps to alert dogs so that they are not spooked and thus on the defensive reaction. Plus, they don't really like that high-pitched sound. They turn to see what it is and after a few rings move away. This is an average response...not always effective. However, I do make this recommendation to all riders because warnings to any creature, be it dog or human, is our best bet for staying safe.

I also recommend not changing gears when approaching dogs. I have found this to be a sound that alerts their defense mode and triggers such an appropriate reaction.

Shannon

Tip # 19 Be careful on trails or roads when your path crosses other vehicles that may be hidden in the shadows; I was moving at a pretty good clip and looked twice but missed seeing a rider in the shadows below. How many souls do you see? There are four