Machka 

+1

Machka 

And yes, I wondered whether she is thinking of hopping off the bicycle all together.

vol

As an example of the kind of emergency I have in mind: video posted by someone a few months ago at another forum:

Video

What's the scenario if it were not a step-through or Ubike?

gregf83 

If a panic stop is required: butt back behind the saddle and 100% front brake. No need to use the rear brake as it won't help. Also no need to unclip until you're stopped.

Machka 

Well first of all you don't do what she did!!!!! What a dangerous thing to do!

Look at the traffic light ... it's green. It means the traffic has the right of way, not her. The traffic in the lanes on the right are stopped because of a traffic jam ... but that doesn't mean the oncoming traffic will also be stopped, and of course it wasn't.

imi

+1

gpburdell

Agreed. That crash(*) was entirely the cyclist's fault. The way to avoid that kind of emergency is to not be stupid. She had no business proceeding across the active lane without LOOKING to see if there was a car coming.

(*) I won't give that incident the benefit of calling it an accident since it was directly caused by the cyclists inattentiveness

rekmeyata

In case of emergency I immediately at 30 or more mph jump off the bike and tuck and roll.

vol

#30 & #32 : The issue whether the woman in the video had fault is not relevant to my question. How about supposing it was a driver running red light and a similar scenario occurred, or whatever other cause, if you are riding a high crossbar bike, what could be the result?

Machka 

First, the completely self-absorbed woman in the video was at fault.

Second, both in her case and in the case of a driver running a red light, it helps to pay attention. Look ... listen. Just because you've got the right of way doesn't mean that it is safe.


I have been in the driver-running-a-red-light situation.

I was stopped at an intersection outside my place, I had looked down to adjust something, and when I looked up the light was green. I started to pedal across when I heard the sound of a fast moving car. In a flash, I had unclippped, right foot on the ground, and I had turned the bicycle 90 degrees, as the car went past. The driver had hit brakes about when he entered the intersection and saw me, and went into a bit of a swerve and a skid, ending up stopped in the center meridian.

I walked over and asked him what he meant by running a red light and trying to kill me. His response: "I was late". Fine then, I thought ... you'll be even later. And I kept him there for several light cycles before finally letting him go. Of course I got his information, so I went inside and rang he police.

The thing that probably disturbed me the most ... he had a small boy in the passenger seat.

The intersection was at the bottom of a little dip in the road. If you're driving the speed limit, there is lots of time to see and to stop if the light is red, but of course, he was speeding which is why he didn't see me until he got quite close. However, what if it weren't a cyclist ... what if it were a larger vehicle pulling out? The boy the passenger seat would have been hit first.


Anyway, when you get a bicycle that fits properly, the bicycle almost becomes an extension of you. I was able to stop and turn the bicycle with no trouble at all. And fortunately that situation has only happened once in 25 years of cycling. Not saying it won't happen again, but happily it doesn't happen all the time.

vol

Interesting statement and makes sense. Maybe that's what distinguishes the "cyclists" and the "bike riders".

JanMM

What about "bicyclists"? Where do they fit in?

My only response to this thread is that if I were headed for a cliff and completely out of control, then, yes, I would dismount - jump off the bike - before going over the cliff............................

gpburdell

There would be no crash. I never assume a red light means a driver WILL stop and avoid entering intersections unless it is appears safe to do so. I especially watch for the right-turners who blow through a red light in a right turn only lane. You would be wiser to do the same than to worry about a bicycle crossbar.

Wallonthefloor

I don't know how I wreck really but I really do it like a ninja, or a cat. My girlfriend who rides with me said it looks like I'm doing a slide like a baseball player going into a base. One time I actually landed on my feet. Bike stays okay as well, I have only damaged a wheel, fork, and aerobars each once. I wreck differently on different frames which ride/feel different. I feel really comfortable on my main hybrid bike and surprisingly I don't get hurt terribly, even while I always have toe clips. *knock on wood* I constantly ride more, and wreck less. You learn from your mistakes I guess.

m_bisson

This. Or like when your car is about to go off a cliff/into a lake, jump out the door and let it keep going.

CliffordK

I believe in that crash, the bike was literally knocked out from underneath the woman, and she came off the back of the bike. The "step through" did nothing for her, although perhaps a low seat helped. I don't believe there was a conscious decision to dismount as much as being lucky in the way the bike was pulled form under her.

Shouldn't it be all about avoiding crashes?

What I will say is that every accident or near call is different. Had the woman from the video been 2 feet ahead or back from where she was, the crash itself would have been entirely different.

At some point, one will need to get the feet of the pedals, or extract the feet form the clips or clipless pedals, and get the feet on the ground, which will generally still be straddling the bike.