MillieKY

Firstly, I'm sorry if this has come up already and if so, just direct me to the previous thread. I didn't see it when I tried to search...

I've only been riding for about 2 months, and most of that has been on the MUP that I take for the second half of my commute. (I just park at the trail head and my office is right on the trail.) That's about 6 miles, one way. To drive from my house to the trailhead is about 5miles, and I now feel very comfortable that I can go the 11 miles no sweat. I'd love to just get on the bike at home... this is my goal!

My question is, being as I'm still pretty slow (I average about 11mph, the trail is moderately hilly) is it safe or adviseable to ride on the roads? I'm in central KY which means that I will have to be riding on a two lane road with no real shoulders for at least 3 miles. Longer, about 6 miles, if I take the quieter way around, but same situation.

Should I wait till I'm faster? And if so... how fast?

Bachman

What's the speed limit? Do you ever see other cyclists on this road? Will there be heavy traffic?

Speed is all relative. You can go 11 mph, or 16 mph, but if cars around you are going 45 mph, it's not gonna make much difference. More important is whether or not drivers can pass you safely and are accustomed to sharing the road with cyclists.

nkfrench 

A minimum road speed would be fast enough to safely cross intersections while the light remains green / 2-way stop and you have the stop sign.

Determine if you will be able to share a lane with a car. If not, it's advisable to take the lane. Decide for yourself if you are comfortable with that.

I would not put myself in a situation where cars typically cannot safely pass for more than a minute. Some drivers will not be patient and will pass unsafely and possibly harrass/endanger you. If you can pull off the road to allow stacked up traffic to pass by every so often, it helps. I find the stress level (mine AND motorists) too high to do that for a stretch of road longer than about 1/2 mile.

It's actually easier for cars to pass a slower cyclist than a faster one; however, they will have faster closing speed coming up on you. Be visible.

Your commute speed sounds fine.

iheartbenben

Being predictable and consistent in your course is all the advice I can give you. If you hear a diesel and air brakes pumping, your gonna be hitting that pothole no matter what. Cyclists in my community are taking to wearing POLICE (Hi Vis POLICE, very eye grabbing) jerseys, panniers, etc, to stop the issues with cyclists and motorists. My shop is pushing them, and they say it works pretty effectively.

eric_the_poor

i'd guess that any speed would be fine as long as it's not so slow that your wobbling around in the lane.

SactoDoug

As long as you are staying to the right and get off of the road when you stop, then go at any pace that is comfortable to you. The slow riders that are dangerous are the ones that ride too far into the road and/or stop in the road.

Also, if you notice a line of cars forming behind you, then just pull off of the road and let them go by. The 10 or 15 seconds that it takes you to get off your bike and then start again will allow all the cars to safely go past. If you have a mountain bike or a hybrid, then you won't even have to stop. Just ride into the grass or shoulder on the side of the road a bit.

Max C.

I try to gauge the traffic and attitudes of drivers on the road. There's no real pattern I can determine, i.e. "Mondays are fine but Fridays everyone wants to kill me." If there are a lot of cars & everyone is being nuts, I tend to ride as if there is a bike lane (just outside of the door zone) and if there's a bus stop I'll drop in and let the cars go. Also if I find a bus, I'll follow behind it until it makes a turn off my route. When everyone is being calm and/or there aren't many cars, I ride in the right most lane as if I'm a car, even if I don't have a bus or other slow(er) vehicle to follow. Most drivers don't care as they have one or two lanes to the left. Downtown LA also has some of the most expensive and terribly short meter parking in the country, so usually most parking spaces on the street are free and serve as a bike lane of sorts.

The streets I commute on are fairly wide so I have a lot of options. I tend to average about 15-20 MPH uninterrupted depending on how level the ground is (my commute is moderately downhill going and uphill returning) and stop lights will knock it down to about 11-12MPH average. No matter what, you're going to be tailed by some idiot, who would be just as annoying if you were in a car, and they're going to honk you even though they have one or two lanes to the left they could use and a few blocks they could have made the lane change in. Don't let them intimidate you or make you feel bad about your riding in the street. Just do what you have to do to be safe and just snicker to yourself when you catch up to them at the red light they worked so hard to speed to . Just remember not to ninja (weave in and out of parked cars) and avoid salmon-ing (going up stream so to speak ).

ItsJustMe

It hardly matters. As far as a car driver is concerned, all cyclists are as good as stationary anyway - this is why when you're actually doing 35 MPH you run a serious risk of right hook or left cross accidents since drivers see "bike" and equate that to "essentially not moving at all" and once they're 5 feet past you feel free in turning right in front of you.

As mentioned above, as long as you can make it across controlled intersections before the light turns red again, I say go for it.

sggoodri

Start on slower roads and work your way up to the arterials as you grow more confident. Eventually you'll find that your speed really doesn't matter; its mostly about what is comfortable to you. I ride slowly home from century rides on busy arterials and it doesn't change my route.

ortcutt

11 mph average? You're well within the range of safe riding speeds. If you're concerned about harassment from motorists, fear not: it'll happen. It makes no difference how fast you ride. Just show courtesy (even to the undeserving) and remember your rights.

xtrajack

+1

True

This too.

pdlamb

It's a judgment call. Do you feel comfortable riding with the level of traffic on the direct route? Would you feel comfortable on the longer route?

Most of my commute is on four-lane city streets, but most of my weekend riding is two lane roads. If either road has good sight lines, so the cagers can see you 1/4 to 1/2 mile back, and traffic is light enough that most intelligent drivers can get around you without slamming on the brakes at the last minute, go for it. If it's a twisty road, most traffic drives 50 mph, and there's skid marks every 100 yards at each curve, think twice.

MK313

Agree with everything above. I"d probably ride the 3 miles a time or two on a weekend when traffic is lighter to get accustomed to it before you do it on a work day. This will give you a chance to get a feel for how it is to ride in traffic on that particular street, plus it gives you time to check for impediments, etc (There is a section on my commute where the road has deteriorated at the edge and I have to move into traffic. I know about it & can pull over ahead of time rather than shooting out into traffic at the last second).

cobrabyte

Try practicing turning your head around on your bike to look behind you and the other movements you will need to make (like shifting DT shifters if you have them) while keeping a straight line, and not veering into the lane too far in one direction or the other. Keeping a line is important so you stay as predictable as possible for the drivers behind you.

JimJimex

In Boston, the driver-impatient-threshold is only between 6 to 10 seconds...

ortcutt

If even that much. If decided that I was never going to inconvenience Boston drivers, I'd just leave the bike in the basement.

Motorist aggression can be a safety factor, though rarely in the form of a driver who would actually decide to plow into you. Rather, it's possible to be caught off-guard and startled by little signals of impatience or hostility -- by the blast of a car horn or by a side mirror that brushes by a little too closely. In fact, I still find the noise of a revving engine unnerving at times. Type-A personalities may find themselves caught up in a pissing contest with each other, encouraging recklessness (e.g. "Who's gonna make that left turn first, buddy?").

This is why "be thick-skinned" isn't just character-building advice; it's a safety precaution.

crhilton

I'd say it's more a question of bike handling skills. Can you ride a straight line? Can you turn your head while cycling and continue to ride a straight line (you don't have to keep your head turned, just long enough to scan back without veering)?

11mph is kind of slow, but so is 15 or 20 if you're driving at 50.

Northwestrider

It makes no difference, and in any case a 11 mph average is not bad at all. Just keep it up and keep the enjoyment flowing.

richardmasoner

11 MPH is a good speed for riding in traffic. Slower riding means more time to react and fewer problems from hitting road debris. Fast aggro jerks like me are the ones who end up getting into conflicts with other traffic -- I'm likely to be a little more assertive in my lane taking just because I don't have as much time to react.

MNBikeguy

All great responses, however you've missed the OP question.
Biking speed depends on your continuous power output to overcome the specific forces that slow you down - friction, air resistance and gravity.
Therefore the answer to "how slow is too slow" is your variable output power that is not sufficient enough to keep your bike upright while moving in a straight line.

dmcdmc

from a NYC perspective...

even though slower is generally safer, there is definitely a point at which you can go too slow (hence minimum speed limits on highways sometimes). Mainly because people will get fed up with you and do something stupid and/or aggressive to try to pass you. I personally think anything under 10mph is too slow in traffic (go as slow as you want in the bike lane). I agree with the person who said that relatively, all bikes are stationary to cars, but in the city, cars only go 35 tops and avg maybe 15-25 when they are moving which is all well within how fast a bike can travel

ortcutt

The analogy with minimum speed limits for cars is questionable. Bikes' speeds are limited by their operators' physical capacities; not so with cars. Grandpa gets to ride on the street even if he prefers to max out at a 9 mph average. Drivers who get fed up with Grandpa's poky pace are likely, in any case, to feel the same way about other riders.

In general, I think it's bad advice to a potential commuter to suggest that it's unsafe to mix it up in traffic unless one can ride at some specified speed. You'll notice that knowledgeable writers on riding in traffic, such as John Allen, never posit minimum safe riding speeds.

FooTemps

i've been averaging 14 mph on my commutes and it happens that cars can play very well with cyclists even when the speed limit is 35 or higher. Once the speed limit goes up, shoulders get bigger and traffic lights help regulate traffic so everyone is pretty much moving at a similar pace and in predictable manners. The most dangerous section I have to deal with is a freeway off ramp that merges into right turn lane, it's a dangerous criss cross but with visibility and good awareness people will generally be happy. Remember, you can maneuver around bad traffic situations so take advantage of that. As long as you can cycle with control and are aware of traffic situations there's little danger.

As everyone has been saying, keeping yourself stable and predictable is the key. If cars know you're taking a lane, things will be safer than vaguely swerving in and out of the shoulder.

kevin_stevens

Minimum speed limits came about *exactly* because of the vehicle's limited physical capacities; keeping max-loaded trucks, mopeds, and etc. off the restricted access highways. California has lane restrictions for semis for much the same reason.

To the OP - you are entitled to use the (non-freeway) road, and as has been pointed out, 11 vs 17mph doesn't really make much difference to someone trying to go 35. Hold your line and ride your ride and be considerate when safe, and don't worry about it.

KeS

MFilkins

Get a basket on the front of your bike and put a few fist sized rocks in it for those special occasions. Although this causes a whole new safety factor.