Originally Posted by
zas117
I have a question about biking on the sidewalks. This is not about the legality nor safety of doing it. My town ordnance allows it and there are hardly ever any pedestrians on the sidewalks. Whenever i do see a pedestrian, I always yield to them by going on the grass or on the road. I also do no bike fast. I am going at a leisurely pace, slightly faster than a person jogging. My question is whether or not biking on a sidewalk can be damaging to my bike. I have a Priority Ace of Spades. Its more of a road bike. The tires are 32H Alloy/WTB ThickSlick 700x28. There is also no suspension on this bike. My side walks are like any standard sidewalk, with a crack/line/divet every 2 or 3 feet. Will riding on a sidewalk, and biking over the cracks cause damage to my tire, wheel, or bike in general? I have always ridden mountain bikes. So I feel like I am noticing the bumpyness more often now that I have a road bike.
Here in Chitcago it's "illegal" to ride on the sidewalk for anyone over 12 years old supposedly.
Police never enforce this really. Some neighborhoods it is dangerous, (people walking out of their apartment building may get hit)
Never known anyone to get a ticket.
As for the sidewalks, one problem is uneven squares that you hit, and may cause a flat because of impact I think.
I almost exclusively ride on the sidewalks here, much safer.
Drummer from the "School of Rock" movie was recently killed here while biking home from a music gig.
Sad.
There are "ghost bikes" all over this city.
Safe travels friend.