Do you ride a bicycle?

[Davidw2415]

Just got back from my first ride since mid December. It was in the 60's today so I met a friend and went for a nice ride Grant's Trail which is about 16 miles from one end to the other and back. It is an asphalt trail built on an old railroad bed in west St. Louis County
and a portion of it runs along the pastures of Grant's Farm which is the home of the world famous Clydesdale.

 

[Joyflyin]

Used to race mtn bikes. Give me rocks & trees any day over traffic. I don't go out on the mtn bike much these days, but I still like some down hill & single track when I can.

 

[cromwell]

It has given me a new sense of respect for cyclists (even though I think that they should stop when the traffic lights are red as other road users).

All Bicycles are suppose to follow the same rules of the road at motor vehicles. At least here in Brevard County FL you will get a ticket and depending on the offense points against your DL if you have one. Ask me how I know $50 fine for running a stop sign and $50 fine for riding on a side walk. Got the two tickets from 2 different officers in two different cities on my Mtn bike.

 

[Grammaton]

A couple of days ago, for old time sake I decided to do a run on a push bike.
I couldn't believe how unsafe and threaten by the other road users I felt. I never have had these feelings on a motorbike. Without the possibility to give the throttle a quick squeeze if necessary, being much more difficult to see and without the protective gear I felt extremely vulnerable.

Take this advice in the spirit in which it is given.
As one of the six people in Houston who don't own cars, I regularly bicycle in traffic. When I worked in an office I had a fifteen mile daily commute in traffic during rush hours.

The key to riding in traffic is:
Act like you're driving a truck. Don't pretend you're in a truck. Act like a truck.
Most people don't want to murder you with their car, they also don't want to get scuffed cyclist on their paint. Be in the way. Be visible. Don't be timid. Don't be stupid. Sometimes you have to slap a hood or a roof or a window.
You can be assertive and ride/drive defensively at the same time. Follow the rules of the road. Stop at stop signs (please). Stay off the sidewalk.

The same applies to riding a motorcycle. You can't rely on throttle to keep you out of trouble and protective gear is not a magic bubble.

 

[SPORTY LADY]

no . i have a knee replacement that ended up with not such a good out come. it will only bend 90 degrees on a good day so it will not bend enough for me to ride a bicycle but thankfully bends enough for to ride my sporty. now i have forward controls so it's more comfortable for to ride my sporty for longer periods of time. darn the luck anyway. (lol)