By using common sense, staying aware, and following the rules of the road, you can look forward to years of safe fun on your cycling vacations.
It goes without saying that there are inherent risks involved in riding a bicycle on public roadways. However, by using common sense, staying aware, and following the rules of the road, you can look forward to years of safe fun on your cycling vacations.
These tips for road cycling, and in particular credit-card touring are just a handful of ideas that come from experience on the road. If you have some of your own experiences or ideas that might help others, please send them to us.
Appended at the end of this article are some of the basic riding tips from our article, "Credit-Card Touring For Newbies." They could be handy for new cyclists, so we've included them here.
Tip #1: Communicate Your Intent to Others Clearly
One of the key things for you to remember is to be sure to clearly communicate your intent to those around you. You cannot expect others to be able to read your mind. Use hand signals to communicate intended changes of direction. Adults who drive will have a better understanding of how things work when negotiating among cars on the roads, but children and other non-drivers may not be as knowledgeable about traffic patterns and it might be advisable to spend some time going over such seemingly simple things as what follows below, with them:
Tip #2: Learn the Laws of the Area You're Riding In
This is easier than you think. Thanks to the Internet, you ought to be able to find a driver's licensing test pamphet download link at your local department of motor vehicles. That ought to cover the local laws governing the safe operation of a motor vehicle, which as I've mentioned above, usually apply to cyclists. Besides, you'll want to understand how the cars are going to behave so that you can figure out how to stay out of their path. Learn what the local hand signals are for turning, usually as noted below. Holland being an exception, where they stick their left hand straight to the left side for a left turn, and their right hand straight out to the right side to turn right. Not so in the U.S. I'm not so sure if they use any signals at all in India — where the streets are utter mayhem, I'm told. When in doubt, ask at a local bicycle rental shop.
Dealing With Hazardous Conditions
Every cyclist has their own set of amusing stories both good and not so good. We've observed that the not-so-good ones tend to involve either excessive speed and/or some kind of an equipment issue, either from poor maintenance or just plain bad luck.
Tip #3: Know Your Capabilities
The best way to gain skills and confidence is to ride your bike. Get out there and ride. Practice makes perfect. If you can't handle excessive speed, don't come flying down big hills. I always make sure that I know what is at the end of a hill before I let fly. Is there a flat run-off at the bottom of the hill, or even an upward climb that will allow me to check my speed? If it's a turn and I'm not familiar with the road, then I'll err on the cautious side and go slowly — maybe let fly halfway down the hill. Fortunately, credit-card touring cyclists are not out to win any speed challenges. Because you don't have to pack any camping gear or carry your food with you — aside from some energy bars or a snack — you won't be as laden with weight as a self-supported touring cyclist. That will make your ride safer and usually much more fun. Heavily weighted bicycles can sometimes have a problem with stability at higher speeds.
Tip #4: Use Common Sense
Some people are born with this , others not. Hopefully you're one of the lucky ones and it runs in your family. As noted above, know your capabilities and make good, safe decisions. If you're a former BMX star and you're still in top form, by all means keep pushing the envelope. It can be good to safely test ones limits from time to time. But that's up to you — I'm not necessarily recommending it.
Tip #5: Become a Mind-Reader
Okay, don't go out and buy a crystal ball just yet. What I meant is try to stay alert, develop the ability to observe road conditions up ahead and anticipate any potential problems with the vehicles around you, other cyclists or pedestrians, and even with the road itself. Are you approaching a turn and do you see a patch of gravel that you should go around? Maybe you need to slow down a bit? If you're on a rail trail and a family with several small children on bicycles are approaching you, it might a good idea to slow down, ring a bell to alert them of your approach, and then be ready to take action if a child swerves into your path. When it comes to motorists, you can assume certain things, i.e., that they will want to pass you if given the chance, and that they will usually do what the law requires them to do. Having said that I can now recommend that you assume nothing. Don't freak out either, but just try to be alert in case the unexpected does happen. While most drivers will give you a wide berth as they pass you, there are those drivers that come along from time to time that just have no patience and try to force themselves between you and an oncoming car. If that happens, always come to a stop and yield. This is why we prefer riding on back roads where traffic is minimal.
If you have small children of your own, educating them over a series of outings about what to do is a great idea. See what author Nan Jeffrey has to say about touring with children...
What follows below is the excerpted text from our article "Credit-Card Touring For Newbies". It's some basic information that it might be helpful to review.
We hope you find this information of use in your travels via bike.
Happy Trails!
BBTouring.com
Dealing With Traffic
When riding on our nations roadways, the general rule is that bicycles follow the same rules as motorists. We cyclists are motorists.
Stay on the right side — Cyclists must ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic. It's the law and it's actually safer for cyclists to go with the flow.
Signaling for Turns — Use the same hand signals that used to be required of motorists when signaling for a turn or slowing down.
RIGHT TURN — Left arm bent upward at 90 degrees, hand toward the your right side.
LEFT TURN — Left arm and hand held straight outward to your left side.
SLOWING DOWN (OR STOPPING) — Left arm bent downwards at 90 degrees, hand pointing down.
Other Riders, Families, Children — Just as with driving, cyclists ought to try to ride defensively, anticipating the potential for other people or objects to encroach in your path. Slowing down in advance of a potential hazard is often a good course of action. Even gravel spots in the road, branches, sharp turns, etc., are best prepared for in advance. Children on rail trails can sometimes behave unpredictably so be cautious and slow down before passing them.
Basic Riding Skills:
Looking backwards — Before looking backwards, shift the hip on the opposite side of the direction in which you wish to turn to look, downwards. Then turn your head quickly and look behind. When looking left, shift the right hip downwards on the saddle. Looking right, shift the left hip downwards. Shifting your hip like this rebalances your weight and reduces the likelihood of the bike swerving toward the direction you're looking in.
Shifting Gears Upwards — Figuring out when to shift up to a higher gear will become a pretty natural thing as you will feel your legs moving faster and faster as your speed increases and not as much power being transfered to the wheels. In modern bicycles the shifters are usually incorporated into the brake levers as a separate set of levers. The right side shift lever usually controls the rear derailler and the left side shift levers control the front derailler. Shift upwards to the next gear by pressing the right lever one or two clicks as your speed increases. Pedal smoothly through each shift until you feel the chain move to the next gear. Shifting the left shift lever gives you access to the other ranges of your gears. Practice your shifting with both levers to gain a sense of which combinations give you which type of response on the road. As you become a more advanced rider, you'll start to learn more about pedaling cadence — high pedaling revolutions per minute — to extend your endurance and save your legs.
Shifting Gears Downwards — There are two main reasons for shifting downwards. The first is because you've slowed down a bit so you need to match the gear to your current speed so you can continue pedaling. If you are in too high of a gear it may be too difficult to pedal at a slower speed. The second and related reason is because you have, or are slowing down to a stop. In this case, you must remember to downshift to your lowest gear as you are braking so that you are already in low gear when you stop. If you aren't you may have to pedal really hard to get the bike to begin to move while in a higher gear.
Standup Pedaling — Sometimes you need a little more power to finish climbing up a hill, or a burst of speed to cross a street. But in most bicycle touring and even in racing, you are using your gears along with pedaling cadence to manage your speed and power. When pedaling standing up, make sure you have a good grip on your handlebars, as much of your power comes through your body's connection to the bike. A good grip on the handlebar with a tensed upper body and strong legs creates torque that transfers the maximum amount of power through the bike to the wheels.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only. BBTouring.com, its owners and publishers, administrative staff, editors, and writers cannot be held liable for accidents or injuries that occur during the operation of bicycles by the readers of BBTouring.com. Have fun, but be safe.
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