Two unrelated injuries in a row have hit me hard. There were a couple days when I couldn't ride at all. :eek: Now I'm "back in the saddle" but only for short and essential trips. (Bike is usually my sole transportation.)
Well, now I can barely do 8 mph and any bursts of speed are out of the question. When I first got hurt, I asked myself, "Can I still ride VC?" After a failed experiment with sidewalk cycling, I decided I had to either master slow motion VC, or else hang up my helmet until I recover completely.
Actually, this has worked out pretty good. I made a few changes in my riding strategy, but not many. For example, I sure don't try to beat any lights now. Also, today there was a delivery truck parked in the NOL, and I stopped and waited for a gap in traffic before I passed it in the inner lane. (Ordinarily I would have sped up and negotiated and merged my way into the inner lane.) I have also noticed that the slower speeds allow me to stay to the right longer when there's an obstruction ahead in WOLs and bike lanes, so I actually don't "hold up" cagers any more than I ever did--that is, very little.
I guess my point is that VC techniques can work for slow riders as well as fast and fit riders. A few minor modifications seem to be all that is required so far. However, I have not yet ridden on any higher speed (over 35 mph) roads, so I don't yet know how well slow-mo VC will work there.
Although it's been no fun being injured, I was very relieved to discover for myself that I can ride slowly and still use the public streets. I'm 51 years old, and I have a feeling that I will be very old and very slow long before the bike lane utopia many of you dream of is ever implemented. It's good to know that I'll still be riding with the cars when I'm "of an age."
genec
06-09-06, 11:19 AM
Sure they work... but merging in fast traffic can be more difficult... it is harder to negotiate with high speed motorists when you are just a quick flash as they speed by.
Roody
06-09-06, 11:31 AM
Sure they work... but merging in fast traffic can be more difficult... it is harder to negotiate with high speed motorists when you are just a quick flash as they speed by.
But i wonder how much the bike's speed is relevant to cagers going much faster. I mean, can they tell the difference between a bike moving 8 mph versus 15 mph? 20 mph? I guess I'll find out soon!
In other words, what impact will my slower speeds have on merging and negotiating? What modifications will i need to make, if any?
Helmet Head
06-09-06, 11:46 AM
Drivers of all slow moving vehicles have to make accomodations from time to time. The slower you are, the more likely you may have to choose to do a ped-style 2-step left turn, for example (as opposed to the vehicular 3 right turns to go around the block you might have to do if driving a bulldozer at that slow speed in that situation).
ghettocruiser
06-09-06, 11:49 AM
The speed difference between myself and traffic is usually the deciding factor for me, rather than the actual speed I'm travelling at. Most of the arterial roads around here have a limit of 60 or 70 kmh, but cars are travelling at 70-90km/h when the traffic is lighter. With my road bike I can usually hold roughly half of that pace, and I figure I can ride out in the lane. On my mountain bike, I generally stay out of the way.
Otherwise, I think that the closing speed is just too fast for motorists to react in time. Last year while I was waiting at a red light, a van came speeding over a rise, saw the red ahead, locked up the brakes, and still plowed into a stopped car waiting for the light to change. I had to dodge the car that was struck as it slid through the intersection.
genec
06-09-06, 03:08 PM
But i wonder how much the bike's speed is relevant to cagers going much faster. I mean, can they tell the difference between a bike moving 8 mph versus 15 mph? 20 mph? I guess I'll find out soon!
In other words, what impact will my slower speeds have on merging and negotiating? What modifications will i need to make, if any?
No, motorists cannot tell your speed... but if the difference in speed is great, you are standing still when compared to them... your desire to merge may not be greeted well by motorists flying by.
But it can be done. Signal long and hard and eventually an understanding motorist will give way. It just may not be the first one.
Yes, I do speak with experience... I am 50 years old and one part of my commute involves making a left merge on an uphill freeway offramp while I am moving about 8MPH, and motorists move at about 60+MPH. A lookback alone is not enough as these motorists only see me at the last second. (look back being when one peers over their shoulder to see if the way is clear... This may be enough "negotiation" to work to signal a lane change when traffic is moving at or near your speed).
What I do is check my mirror, lookback and then signal... holding my arm out long and steady. Eventually a motorist slows... and provides blocking for me to make my lane change.
I do the same thing on another part of my commute to cross two lanes in 50MPH traffic to make a left turn.
The key is giving a clear signal and waiting until I can tell it has been actually acknowledged by the motorist slowing down.
Now of course there are going to be times when traffic is so heavy that no motorist feels safe slowing themselves... in this rare rare instance... it is probably best to revert to ped mode and cross at a crosswalk.
noisebeam
06-09-06, 06:08 PM
I find vehicular cycling works at 10-15mph as well. One mainly needs to adjusts ones timings for things like merges as others pointed out.
However I find that at 10mph one is much more likely to get 'left hooked' at intersections even when taking centerish position. I think motorist can tell you are slower and are more willing to cut close in front of you.
Somewhat related I was thinking riding home yesterday that bicycles not only are on average slower than motorized vehicles, but have a much wider range of typical moving speed. What I mean is if one is on a 45mph road and sees a vehicle coming, one assumes it is traveling somewhere between 40-55mph. But if one sees a cyclist coming down same 45mph street, they could be traveling anywhere from 8-35mph (maybe more typically 10-30mph) That is a 3x range in the time it takes them to reach a point. Cyclists often complain that motorist misjudge their speed, under the assumption that the average motorist thinks of them as slow, when they are really going 25-30mph. But I think it is more complex than that because motorist have to judge the speed for bicyclists much more than they do with motor vehicles, who will genrally be going a predictable speed for a given road and traffic condition.
Al
LCI_Brian
06-12-06, 10:37 AM
I find vehicular cycling works at 10-15mph as well. One mainly needs to adjusts ones timings for things like merges as others pointed out.
However I find that at 10mph one is much more likely to get 'left hooked' at intersections even when taking centerish position. I think motorist can tell you are slower and are more willing to cut close in front of you.
I find left hooks are more likely at speeds above 20 mph - the motorist thinks you're going slower than you really are. Perhaps we could both be right - good point about the wide range of cycling speeds.
chipcom
06-12-06, 10:38 AM
Sorry to hear you were feelin poorly, glad you are back in the saddle...but in reference to the speed factor...DUHHH!! Having the ability to accelerate, accelerate quickly and sometimes match traffic speed is helpful, but, as you've found, you can survive just fine at slower speeds...it just takes some adjustment to your riding style. Actually I think it is a good thing to realize that you can slow down, not be in so much of a hurry, and still get from A to B safely and in fair time. I made that discovery concerning my driving a few years back and it made driving a much less stressful experience. I've always been slow as a mutt on a bike. ;)
joejack951
06-12-06, 11:14 AM
Sorry to hear you were feelin poorly, glad you are back in the saddle...but in reference to the speed factor...DUHHH!! Having the ability to accelerate, accelerate quickly and sometimes match traffic speed is helpful, but, as you've found, you can survive just fine at slower speeds...it just takes some adjustment to your riding style. Actually I think it is a good thing to realize that you can slow down, not be in so much of a hurry, and still get from A to B safely and in fair time. I made that discovery concerning my driving a few years back and it made driving a much less stressful experience. I've always been slow as a mutt on a bike. ;)
Going out on a ride with your relatively-new-to-cycling-girl/boyfriend (in my case girl) or your 63 year old dad (who can ride forever as long as the speed is kept low) is also a good way to realize that motorists are not any less annoyed with your presence whether you are going 10 or 20mph. It's also a good way to find out that it's possible to cover 30 miles on a bike while barely breaking a sweat (at least when the temp stays below 70 the whole time).
Roody
06-12-06, 01:08 PM
Sorry to hear you were feelin poorly, glad you are back in the saddle...but in reference to the speed factor...DUHHH!! Having the ability to accelerate, accelerate quickly and sometimes match traffic speed is helpful, but, as you've found, you can survive just fine at slower speeds...it just takes some adjustment to your riding style. Actually I think it is a good thing to realize that you can slow down, not be in so much of a hurry, and still get from A to B safely and in fair time. I made that discovery concerning my driving a few years back and it made driving a much less stressful experience. I've always been slow as a mutt on a bike. ;)
Thanks for your concern. I am getting stronger with my rehab riding program.
You are so right about rediscovering the feasibility of riding slowly, and I am starting to enjoy it a bit more too. Chip, why didn't you tell me all this wise stuff BEFORE i went and hurt myself???!!! :)
At first, I got a bit of the "notion" that i was holding up traffic by going too slow, but I'm over that now. It's easir to move to the right when I'm riding slowly, to let some of those impatient cagers go around me. If there's one stereotype of Americans that's true--we do love speed!
One thing I'm coming to grips with: I'm getting older! Duh.... But I will probably have to make a permanent change in my riding style. I'm still going to ride fast and hard sometimes, but I'm going to try not to overdo it in the future. That's what got me hurt this time.
genec
06-12-06, 02:27 PM
I find vehicular cycling works at 10-15mph as well. One mainly needs to adjusts ones timings for things like merges as others pointed out.
However I find that at 10mph one is much more likely to get 'left hooked' at intersections even when taking centerish position. I think motorist can tell you are slower and are more willing to cut close in front of you.
Somewhat related I was thinking riding home yesterday that bicycles not only are on average slower than motorized vehicles, but have a much wider range of typical moving speed. What I mean is if one is on a 45mph road and sees a vehicle coming, one assumes it is traveling somewhere between 40-55mph. But if one sees a cyclist coming down same 45mph street, they could be traveling anywhere from 8-35mph (maybe more typically 10-30mph) That is a 3x range in the time it takes them to reach a point. Cyclists often complain that motorist misjudge their speed, under the assumption that the average motorist thinks of them as slow, when they are really going 25-30mph. But I think it is more complex than that because motorist have to judge the speed for bicyclists much more than they do with motor vehicles, who will genrally be going a predictable speed for a given road and traffic condition.
Al
You may have a good point there, but the reality is that a motorist could judge your speed easily if they took the time to look... many motorists are in the glance and go mold... if you don't fit their filter of what they are looking for... then you can easily go overlooked. Speed is one of those items they are looking for... as Al points out.
If, however, a motorist took the time to really look, they could easily tell how fast you are going... judging you against a background makes it easy to see how fast you are moving. Judging you in only a split second makes it difficult.
webist
06-12-06, 03:26 PM
....but I'm going to try not to overdo it in the future. That's what got me hurt this time.
You pull something? Or, was it a wreck? Sorry you aren't well.
Roody
06-12-06, 05:43 PM
You pull something? Or, was it a wreck? Sorry you aren't well.
Thanks for asking. :)
Overuse injury of the left knee, as far as I can tell. I was already off work with an upper body injury, and took advantage of the time off by riding a lot, and riding fast--at least for me. I'm so sick of doctors and hospitals by now that I didn't get this latest injury checked out. I devised my own physical therapy plan of complete rest followed, when the pain was greatly reduced, by gradually riding more and more in low gears. Today I did real good--I spun for almost 3 hours and I must have gone at least 5 miles. :D
Everybody: Learn how to rest! Rest is as important to fitness as exercise. (Rest doesn't just mean stopping activity, it can mean spinning (riding in easy gears) some of the time, or cross training.) I'm reading Friel's book, "Cycling Past 50." It's real good. (And no...I'm not moving to the 50+ Forum! Forget that. :))
sbhikes
06-12-06, 05:55 PM
I've been riding slower than my normal slow and enjoying it much more, too. And I swear I feel like I'm actually improving my fitness, whereas before I did not feel that way even though I was working harder.
webist
06-12-06, 05:59 PM
Thanks for asking. :)
I'm reading Friel's book, "Cycling Past 50." It's real good. (And no...I'm not moving to the 50+ Forum! Forget that. :))
I just got that book also. So far it does look helpful. And yes, I have posted inthe 50+. Actually, we are a really great bunch of folks.:)
Roody
06-12-06, 06:29 PM
I just got that book also. So far it does look helpful. And yes, I have posted inthe 50+. Actually, we are a really great bunch of folks.:)
I'm sorry. I sure didn't mean to imply that 50+ is not a great bunch. They are. I'm just satisfied with the forums i troll now.