Bike safety. Best practice?

Triathlon Forum
21

How did I crash? I don’t know…

I was on the relatively flats, entered a right turn at a reasonable pace. Halfway through I realized this was a nasty decreasing radius turn and I said oh shit, not good. I remember leaning into the turn, not touching the brakes, then lights out. I woke up 20 or 30 minutes later with a cop putting on a neck brace.

3 weeks later when I picked up the bike, and I saw the damage, I realized the bike flipped over (how???) And I was catapulted onto the asphalt. More than that, I don’t know…

One thing that I do want to do asap is to work ALOT on my bike handling skills. Maybe that will help… but maybe I am just clutching at straws

22

Thanks everyone for the comments.

When I mean defensive riding I mean a combination of being assertive, thinking that drivers are going to be doing something silly and prepare for it, ride at a speed that I can easily react if drivers do something g silly, etc.

I have 10 minutes of a urban riding (a small City) and then rural / suburban roads.

Found some interesting stats regarding cycling deaths. 70% are in urban environments, 35% involve alcohol (driver or cyclist), the highest risk time is the evening.

Thanks

23

You named some very basic practices so I’ll name another that you didn’t mention directly in your opening post - ride slower. Speed is proven to cause more accidents and more severe injuries in every type of vehicle. Not the best practice to get faster in races, thus the risk/reward calculations we all must make.

24

Anyone have a link for decent fluorescent jerseys?

25

You named some very basic practices so I’ll name another that you didn’t mention directly in your opening post - ride slower. Speed is proven to cause more accidents and more severe injuries in every type of vehicle. Not the best practice to get faster in races, thus the risk/reward calculations we all must make.

Great point…falls under “situational awareness”, though:

Ride slow where you need to be prepared to stop quickly for safety (heavy traffic, inner-city, pedestrians), open it up on the wide country road.

26

I like the Wiggle DHB brand gear. The Flashlight range is extra visible in the dark.

As some one else suggested moving flouro is very visible. A pair of flouro socks and flouro arm warmers is very visible. I also wear a flouro jersey.

http://www.wiggle.com.au/…=4294789716&g=25

27

“Big” lights are overrated, flashy colors are not.

To stay alive:

  • stay in the middle of the lane. A car driver is NEVER going to ride on you, but might honk.
  • make eye contact with the driver behind you (it means “hey, I saw you, give me a few seconds to move on the side”)
  • be polite, wave your hand with a smile when you are done (it says “Thank you, sorry for this, I appreciate”).

It also educates drivers (they are human beings, not robots).

Other options are 99% useless.

28

Anyone have a link for decent fluorescent jerseys?
The cool kids might sneer at you when you ride while wearing one of these (in hi-vis yellow), but it works. You can wear a base layer (or two) under it for cool/cold days, and it’s not too warm unless it’s a hot day. And for $25 you can’t go wrong.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product2_10052_10551_1158338_-1

If you want to spend money ($65), LG makes a their version of this jersey.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product2_10052_10551_1180233_-1

For hot summer days when you want to work at fading your farmer’s tan (and to make the roadies really upset with you), go with the following (also in hi-vis yellow). ($30)

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product2_10052_10551_1214274_-1

29

A lot of comments about making yourself easy to see, but I would add pay attention to your own ability to see. That means corrective lenses if you need them, eyewear that allows you to keep your eyes open at all times and doesn’t impede your field of vision, a cap with a brim (or helmet visor) if the sun is low, and powerful lights that allow you to see the terrain far enough ahead to make corrections if you happen to ride in low light or in the dark.

30

Cornering. I have crashed myself more times on a corner than anything else I have done to myself. 63 and only think I have been hit twice by a vehicle. The rest is on me.

What to do -

Unless you are training to race in a group, cornering speed is not critical to success.

As a triathlete training, you are building strength by coming out of the corner strong after a “slow” corner.

Like driving, it is better to brake before the curve/corner and then speed up once you know your safe.

It’s best not to pedal through a corner if you don’t have short cranks. Just because someone is on 165s doesn’t mean that you are.

If you do race, then practice it alone and with a group. It takes nerves, balance and skill that triathletes, other than ITU, don’t require.

If you do race ITU or USAC, be at or towards the front of corners/curves where you help set the pace and tempo of the corner. Otherwise you will be tempted to take the corner to stay with the person in front of you. Or be at the back and be ready to get on someone else’s wheel to catch up as everyone will be strung out as the person at the front loves to come out of corners fast.

SLOW DOWN while training unless specifically practicing cornering. I have a six mile loop and the most dangerous moments are the four corners - by far.

31

Don’t ride on a Friday afternoon. (Payday and cashed at the liquor store)

I was ran off the road by a drunk driver. He crashed his truck in the process.

32

You mentioned a desire to improve your bike handling skills: if you have the opportunity to do any off-road riding, either singletrack or cyclocross, take it. A season of CX training did more for my road bike confidence than I ever expected.

I also make a point to thank drivers who are courteous, both when I’m riding and when I’m running. Those who give me a super-wide berth, who wait patiently, who go out of their way not to splatter me with puddle crud, you get the picture. Because I run and ride out of my front door and I live in a rural area, it’s often the same people who pass me. You bet I know the licence plate of the dick who lives a mile up the road and made a point of doubling back so that he could shout at me and subsequently try to run me off the road this summer… But I still smile and nod when he drives by. I just consider it preventative cyclist-motorist relationship maintenance.

33

I would emphasize joining a club, above all else. So many benefits. My club rides early in the morning 7 days a week. Feels much safer riding in a group – I do almost all my riding with them. You can also learn a lot from others in the group, whether through formal coaching or informal, and if you do crash someone will be there, plus, apart from safety there are other benefits to riding in a group – more motivating, more social… Am I just lucky or do most cities and towns have cycling clubs with a wide range of levels and daily club rides? Other than that my number 2 safety tip would be ride early in the morning (but not in the dark). Personally I am also one of those who has a pretty low threshold for riding indoors. I don’t mind rain too much, too a point, but riding in the dark is not for me, nor in snow/ice.

34

After a recent nasty crash, I want to really be sure I am doing everything to be very safe while riding… My question is: what are some of the tips, tricks, and best practices to stay safe on the road. Sounds like an easy question, but honestly, what can one do to avoid (at all cost) being one of the 1000 bicycle fatalities / 45000 bike injuries per year?

My approach to date:
Always always a helmet
Front and rear lights
Garmin Varia
Avoid dangerous roads
If cant avoid dangerous roads, then ride very defensively
Dont ride in the rain; dont ride in the dark
Dont ride when temp is near / at / below freezing
In the Fall and Winter, ride with my winter training bike - slower and fatter tires
(obviously) no alcohol when riding

Despite that, I had a nasty fall (no motor vehicle involved). What else should I be doing? …or just accept that there is a small probability of an “event”? (but that scares the crap out of me now).
Your list is missing bike handling (including vision and decision-making) on the bike. Perhaps you can improve in those areas with practice. Many cyclists can.

35

Cornering. I have crashed myself more times on a corner than anything else I have done to myself. 63 and only think I have been hit twice by a vehicle. The rest is on me.

What to do -

Unless you are training to race in a group, cornering speed is not critical to success.

SLOW DOWN while training unless specifically practicing cornering. I have a six mile loop and the most dangerous moments are the four corners - by far.

Simple yet brilliant advice. Go slow on the corners unless explicitly training handling / cornering ability. Really resonates with me.

Thanks

36

Road ID
ICE (in case of emergency) # in phone
Let fear heighten your awareness & not paralyze you.
Keep going!

37

ejd,

This is a HUGE issue for me too.

I have five suggestions:

First, take a look at this site, it covers some of what others have told you in detail: https://bicyclesafe.com/

Second, in addition to what you do, the biggest thing I do that makes a difference is I wear a safety vest with blinking lights:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018PLPANM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Yes, other riders think I look silly. Yes, a bunch of folks will probably ridicule me on this forum for wearing this. However, it makes me so much more visible than the rear and two front lights that I have on my bike. It makes a huge difference. Plus, psychologically, I feel like I will be more aerodynamic in races and faster when I take it off.

Third, get a camera that you put on your helmet. There was an accident near me (http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Four-cyclists-on-Marin-charity-ride-injured-in-12261478.php) and the only reason that they caught the guy is because a motorcyclist had a helmet cam that caught the guy on tape and the police arrested him that night. I find that wearing a camera feels heavy, but bullies, don’t like it when they might be held accountable for what they do and so a camera isn’t just about catching someone who did something bad, it is a huge deterrent.

Fourth, this is another suggestion that will get puked on, but get a bike with disc brakes. They are safer, especially in wet conditions.

Fifth, consider the Morf bars (http://www.morf-tech.com/). On a tri bike, you have to move your hands from the aero bars to the base bars to brake taking one hand and then the other off to do it. Doing this causes you to lose time, not much, but in split second situations it matters. With the morf bars, your brakes are at your fingertips all the time.

Hope this helps,

Graham

38

Hello the slow guy and All,

Was that a troll?

Middle of lane vs. bike lane (21208) or California CVC 21202

(a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a “substandard width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway, which highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of that roadway as practicable.

http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_road

And perhaps add context to those laws with League of American Bicyclists report:

http://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/EBC_report_final.pdf

Excerpt:

For example, the most common collision type in our Every Bicyclist Counts data is a rear end collision. Approximately 40% of fatalities in our data with reported collision types were rear end collisions. This is higher than what was found in the 2010 FARS release that included PBCAT-based crash types (27% of fatal crashes with reported collision types), although the crash type “motorist overtaking bicyclist” was the most common collision type in that data as well.

Also DOT statistics show motorist** **rear end collisions as largest type of motorist to motorist crash … and note that motor vehicles are a larger target than cyclists … and I think there are something

https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving

http://i59.tinypic.com/2jfdojo.jpg

The cyclist’s choice to ride in the center of the travel lane usually resides in evaluating volume and speed of motorist traffic when other alternatives are not available.

http://i59.tinypic.com/2jfdojo.jpg

Unfortunately … if you observe cyclists they seldom actually look behind them … and WTC and ITU rules now prohibit mirrors and restrict a cyclist’s situational awareness in an attempt to prevent cheating by making it difficult for cyclists to observe traffic behind them.

Motorists largest class of crashes is rear end crashes … not encouraging when taking the lane.

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812032.pdf

Page 70 Table 29 Reported rear end motor vehicle traffic crashes each year in US: … 1,847,000 …. That is 5,060 rear end crashes each day in the US … the largest class of crashes … but motorists have about another 10,000 crashes each day of other kinds … be wary when a motorist is behind you.

Make safe choices … Stay alert … stay safe.

39

Riding outside in real conditions improves your skills which reduce future crashes. If you stay indoors on the trainer, your bike handling skills will not develop. The more you ride in the real world, the less you will crash in races. Eventually you will get better and you’ll crash less. That said, everyone crashes once in a while, so have 3m Tegaderm on hand in various sizes. Your road rash will heal faster and you’ll be more comfortable while you do.
Stay safe!

40

I just thought of something else that hasn’t been mentioned yet. There is a nice feature on the garmin edge 520 (and I assume other models from the same time frame) that is under-publicized. It has an accelerometer which detects sudden changes in speed, i.e. A crash, and sends out a text to your emergency contacts that you have had a “bicycling incident,” including a map showing where you are. You have to have the feature turned on, you have to have selected your emergency contacts, and you have to have your cell phone with you with data plan turned on and connected to your garmin with Bluetooth. This of course does not prevent an accident but it is a safety feature in that in a case like yours where you are unconscious or unable to call for help it will come to you.