I'm riding home from a trip to Orange county. The Santa Ana river trail ends at Green River drive. It's around 5:00 pm. Green River paralells the freeway. I think the speed limit is 45 MPH. Cars routinely drive at 60+. At one point Green River drive makes a right-hand turn and proceeds up a hill. About 30 yards past the turn there's a left-hand turn onto another road (Pallisades, I think) that takes me in the direction I want to go. I'm looking in my mirror to find an opening in the traffic so that I can get into the turn lane. The problem is that I can only see directly behind me with the mirror. I usually turn my head to the left, but that didn't work. I turned my head to the right and looked behind me. I decided to unclip at the same time and ended up swerving into the curb. Next thing I know I'm lying on my back (luckilly ther was some grass) still clipped into my other clip.
Everything happened so fast. What should I have done? Should I have taken the lane(s) before the right-hand turn? Should I have ridden all the way to Pallisades on the right, gotten off my bike, and walked across the road when there was an opening? (There's no crosswalk or signal or stop sign.) I know I need to work on unclipping while moving my head.
Chris L
06-19-04, 04:45 PM
Unclipping at the same time as turning your head was the mistake, it put you off balance, which can be very dangerous in a traffic situation. In that situation, I would have been looking behind me long before I felt any requirement to unclip from the pedals. This is, in fact, what I do on one section of my daily commute, where I'm required to make a turn across two lanes of traffic just outside the second biggest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere. This also gives me the option of varying my pace in the lead up to the turn, often meaning that I can time it so I don't need to unclip at all.
One of the reasons I refrain from using mirrors is the problem you highlighted, the view that it provides is totally inferior to what one would get from simply turning their neck. Frequently I see drivers of cars getting into ridiculous situations because they made the mistake of relying on what appeared in their mirror. In that situation, had you turned and looked before trying to unclip, you would have been OK.
madpogue
06-21-04, 11:04 PM
I find that turning my head causes me to go off course no matter what I'm doing. 'Course, I tend to do this while driving a car. I find using mirrors for lane changes to be second nature. If you can, adjust your mirror so it includes the lane to your left. I have a Cateye bar-end mirror on my road bike, and Mirrycle mirrors on just about all my other bikes. I find they both cover the lane to the left, and the lane behind, while not being so convex as to distort distance significantly. A quick head move changes the viewing angle, to show more lanes to the left, when necessary. Of course, distance is distorted, but one quickly learns to mentally compensate. My only complaint about the Cateye is that it shakes a lot on rough pavement. Not that it matters much; I'm not trying to read license plates, after all. I'm just trying to determine if something is there. Anything close enough to be of concern shows up.
lsits
06-22-04, 07:44 AM
I have a Third Eye eyeglass mirror that I have adjusted to see over my left sholder. With a slight movement of my head I can see both the lane to my left and immediately behind me. Since the road curved right (almost 90 degrees) I couldn't see what would have amounted to two or three lanes to my right. I think that Chris L was right in that it was the combination of turning my head to the right and unclipping at the same time that did me in. I think that in the future when I use this road (and I will), I'll either take the left hand lane a little sooner (before the curve) or avoid this intersection at this time of day. (It was 5:00 pm on a Friday) A lot of cars use this road to beat the traffic on the freeway that it runs parallel to.
madpogue
06-22-04, 08:22 AM
I have a Third Eye eyeglass mirror that I have adjusted to see over my left sholder. With a slight movement of my head I can see both the lane to my left and immediately behind me. Since the road curved right (almost 90 degrees) I couldn't see what would have amounted to two or three lanes to my right. I think that Chris L was right in that it was the combination of turning my head to the right and unclipping at the same time that did me in. I think that in the future when I use this road (and I will), I'll either take the left hand lane a little sooner (before the curve) or avoid this intersection at this time of day. Oh, I'm getting a better picture now. You were looking for upcoming cars that hadn't yet gotten to the curve, to see if it's okay to get into the left lane. Yeah, in that case, I'd prepare for the lane change before the curve. Even if you don't actually make the lane change 'til after the curve, check your mirror before the curve, and construct/maintain a "kinetic memory" of what traffic will/won't be there by the time you get to the lane change point.
(It was 5:00 pm on a Friday) A lot of cars use this road to beat the traffic on the freeway that it runs parallel to. That's food for thought, all by itself. Fodder for an Onion article in there somewhere.
Dahon.Steve
06-22-04, 08:24 AM
One of the reasons I refrain from using mirrors is the problem you highlighted, the view that it provides is totally inferior to what one would get from simply turning their neck. Frequently I see drivers of cars getting into ridiculous situations because they made the mistake of relying on what appeared in their mirror. In that situation, had you turned and looked before trying to unclip, you would have been OK.
Good one. I will also point out that the mirror itself probably threw you off balance as they tend to have a hyponotic effect when cycling. I get crosseyed with the mirror and use it less and less. Furthermore, when crossing two lanes of traffic, a helmet mirror will NOT see both lanes so you have to turn your head.
SchreiberBike
06-22-04, 08:58 AM
Good one. I will also point out that the mirror itself probably threw you off balance as they tend to have a hyponotic effect when cycling. I get crosseyed with the mirror and use it less and less.
It's too bad you have these troubles when you ride with a mirror. I and many other people don't have these problems. It is likely that you are right-eye dominant and that using a mirror with your left eye is an extra challenge for you. For me an eyeglasses-mounted mirror adds to safety and convenience.
AndrewP
06-22-04, 02:37 PM
I use a Third Eye glasses mounted mirror and find I can scan 3 lanes behind me with no problem. When looking behind without using the mirror, to keep riding straight, dont turn your head, but tip it forward as if you were trying to kiss the tip of your shoulder.
lsits
06-22-04, 04:57 PM
I use a Third Eye glasses mounted mirror and find I can scan 3 lanes behind me with no problem. When looking behind without using the mirror, to keep riding straight, dont turn your head, but tip it forward as if you were trying to kiss the tip of your shoulder.
Do you look through the space between your body and your arm? I'll give it a try on my next ride. I'll pay closer attention to what Lance does in his new commercial.
OmahaRider
06-23-04, 09:45 AM
Not wanting to sound like an old fart----BUT----ever thought of slowing down first????
AndrewP
06-23-04, 10:03 AM
"Do you look through the space between your body and your arm?"
No I look around my arm, But I suppose it depends on your riding position