DougPaul
Well-known member
But it is easy to get injured immediately after leaving the bike...It is tough to get injured ON a bike.
Doug
bike training
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Doug
iceNsnow
New member
But it is easy to get injured immediately after leaving the bike...
Doug
Sounds like you know as well!
MonadnockVol
New member
Street Slicks
Ooohh, you took me back. I had a pair of Kevlar high pressure street slicks for my mountain bike. Because they were Kevlar, they took all kinds of abuse. My buddy and I rode from Albuquerque, NM to Phoenix, AZ. He was using his road bike and I had my mountain bike. There was A LOT of broken glass on the road and he went through four inner tubes and two outer tubes, and I didn't have a single flat over the whole trip. Those tires were amazing.
Anybody know if anyone still sells Kevlar street slicks?
Ooohh, you took me back. I had a pair of Kevlar high pressure street slicks for my mountain bike. Because they were Kevlar, they took all kinds of abuse. My buddy and I rode from Albuquerque, NM to Phoenix, AZ. He was using his road bike and I had my mountain bike. There was A LOT of broken glass on the road and he went through four inner tubes and two outer tubes, and I didn't have a single flat over the whole trip. Those tires were amazing.
Anybody know if anyone still sells Kevlar street slicks?
But it is easy to get injured immediately after leaving the bike...
Doug
It's hard to get injured leaving the bike. It's the impact with the ground that does it.
Tim
jrichard
New member
It is tough to get injured ON a bike.
Obviously this is a joke, but seriously...
I can't figure how road bikes don't have more accidents.
Drivers often turn right (into driveways) after passing me, and I've impacted cars twice while still on the bike. I've actually been incredibly lucky and been able to lean-turn-skid-and-glancing-impact so I haven't been seriously injured. But I sometimes replay those moments trying to decide if staying on the bike was the right move. My speed was relatively low and I could have 1) bailed, or 2) braked straight and taken the chance of t-bone and doing an endo onto the hood. And what would I have done had I been riding a road bike?
Then there's the endos after being forced off the road (grateful for the helmet). Technically that's "off" the bike though.
And the roads around here are lined with deep frost heave cracks. I worry about them with 2.5 inch tires!
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DougPaul
Well-known member
But it is easy to get injured immediately after leaving the bike...
The issue isn't leaving the bike--its what happens shortly thereafter as a result...
and Doug
I'm not sure what sort of difference you're implying with type of bike, but there are two standard ways to manage the "right hook" problem you're talking about: first, riding at least a few feet off the curb improves your visibility. If someone hooks you anyhow, that gives enough space for a quick turn to avoid a collision. John Allen's booklet gives a good intro, but this sort of thing is well-covered in the League of American Bicyclists' classes. (We've not done as good a job as we should in having classes in MA; unfortunately most of us who are into the education are overcommitted on other things, mysel included.)
I've never had a true right hook problem, but most of my riding is on streets with narrow lanes and on-street parking, so I need a pretty far-out lane position to avoid the doors. I also tend to keep an eye on my mirror and adjust my pace slightly to avoid being at a driveway or intersection at exactly the same time as a motorist is passing me. I've used the quick-turn to avoid a left cross, though.
DougPaul
Well-known member
I've been right hooked into a McD's parking lot. I managed to out-turn the car, go around the McD's and out the other entrance. My friends only knew that I had dropped back a bit...
Doug
TCD
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A friend was "left hooked" last year. She was coming down a long hill on a straight, well paved road, in daylight. The driver coming the other way turned left directly into her path. My friend was going fairly fast, but she was lucky to be able to brake, and then lay the bike down, and come away with minor abrasions.
I haven't been hooked, but I've been doored. Guy opened the door on his car without even looking. I was able to shed most of the spped, but he was pretty surprised when my front wheel slammed to a stop right next to him against the door hinge. I was lucky not to get hurt. I always watch for heads in cars.
TCD
I haven't been hooked, but I've been doored. Guy opened the door on his car without even looking. I was able to shed most of the spped, but he was pretty surprised when my front wheel slammed to a stop right next to him against the door hinge. I was lucky not to get hurt. I always watch for heads in cars.
TCD
"I've been right hooked into a McD's parking lot."
Had my own fun in a McD's parking lot long time ago. Young and dumb, I was doing wheelies with my Yammie up and down the busy parking lot, flew around the back and spun out dropping the bike where the employees threw the grease trap drippings across the pavement. Cooled my jets until the next time.
According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation stats,left turning cars are responsible for 60% of biking accidents.
Had my own fun in a McD's parking lot long time ago. Young and dumb, I was doing wheelies with my Yammie up and down the busy parking lot, flew around the back and spun out dropping the bike where the employees threw the grease trap drippings across the pavement. Cooled my jets until the next time.
According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation stats,left turning cars are responsible for 60% of biking accidents.
You can generally see a left-turning car as that is in front of you. You can also make eye contact in this case (eye contact being critical.) The exception is when someone turns left through a line of traffic - I got hit once this way, but only a grazing of the car's bumper on my back wheel - no harm done. In both MA and NH you are legally allowed to pass stopped traffic on the right. You cannot always see the right-hook until it is too late.
I've been right-hooked twice (with contact) and in both cases made the turn with the vehicle, leaving a nice a$$ print on the window.
<soapbox>
In my dreams, the bicycle is the solution to many of the problems facing us these days, including:
Healthcare
Congestion
Road rage
Dependency on fossil fuels
</soapbox>
Tim
I've been right-hooked twice (with contact) and in both cases made the turn with the vehicle, leaving a nice a$$ print on the window.
<soapbox>
In my dreams, the bicycle is the solution to many of the problems facing us these days, including:
Healthcare
Congestion
Road rage
Dependency on fossil fuels
</soapbox>
Tim
The motorcycle Safety Foundation suggests that as you approach an intersection you drop a gear, scrub off a little speed, cover your brakes, and watch the front tires of the oncoming vehicle. If the wheels are slightly turning and or moving, be very careful.
Much of this applies to bicycles as well.
Much of this applies to bicycles as well.
jrichard
New member
This is close to what I did - although I laid down the bike and skidded with my wheels parallel to (and into, then under) the car. I couldn't turn right since the road was rutted and there was a high curb. I guess my point is that the geometry of a mountain bike makes it easier to lean the bike over (fatter tires, more neutral stance) and change positions for these sort of avoidance maneuvers. On a road bike I feel like I'm spread out horizontally over the bike.
Or perhaps I haven't spent enough time on a road bike to learn the body english.
Stash
Active member
As an old time MSF instructor I'll second that. So much of what I learned by understanding what I was teaching has been applied on the bicycle. Key to that has been taking responsibility for the other guy's actions. It's easy to blame it on an error the other guy made unless you're dead. Then it really doesn't matter who was right..
Tito Alba
New member
If there's two lanes heading each way, I put the bike between the lanes at intersections and let the right hookers go.
When I ride in NYC the far right hand lane is a mine field of opening doors and cars turning right. It's safer to ride in the space to the left of the right hand lane.
Just my two cents.
I liked the advice given above to watch what the car wheels are doing and have given the same to countless riders young and old. I tell them "A car wheel has never lied to me." Can't say the same for a driver's eyes or hand motions.
When I ride in NYC the far right hand lane is a mine field of opening doors and cars turning right. It's safer to ride in the space to the left of the right hand lane.
Just my two cents.
I liked the advice given above to watch what the car wheels are doing and have given the same to countless riders young and old. I tell them "A car wheel has never lied to me." Can't say the same for a driver's eyes or hand motions.
Or perhaps I haven't spent enough time on a road bike to learn the body english.
This is more likely... You might be amazed at the bike handling skills of some roadies. Former pro TdF stage winner Davis Phinney was notorious for his skills in the heat of a 40 mph+ pro field sprint.
Tim
smitty77
New member
He also wrote an excellent article somewhere on cornering at speed on descents using "counter steering". IIRC it involved putting pressure on your inside hand and keeping your upper body more upright through the turn, using leverage on the bike to "carve" a turn like a skier would do, versus doing the traditional "lean-over".
I know I just butchered the concept, but if someone can find a link to the article please post it. He does an excellent job of describing the technique.
Jay H
New member
Until you run into a car with those stupid "spinner" wheels....
have not had a serious incident with a car in the 9 years of commuting. I've wiped out on ice, wiped out while playing with ice on my commute and a minor right-hook once but nothing serious...
Jay
I looked for this (and his knocking-over-the-cone photo) before I posted
It's all in his "Training for Cycling" book.The idea is to keep your center of mass low (not upright) and over the bike (rather than leaning) and instead lean the bike way over - which is the counter steering part. What's different about this on a motorcycle is you do not have the ability to apply power as you do on the motorcycle.
Anyone who's ridden a bike at speed and swerved to avoid a storm drain already has done this - if you go to turn left around it, pushing forward with the right hand momentarily tips the bike to the right, which you counter by moving your weight to the left and steering the bike.
Tim
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