Bekologist

I'm curious, but not too much, as to the 'claims' of just taking the lane during steady flows of traffic coming up from behind moving 40 MPH+

I know how to do it, and it takes GUTS and fearlessness. its not a technique just anyone is going to be doing out fighting 40MPH rush hour traffic.

noisebeam

Consider this example:
Crusing along in BL approaching intersection, see a car approaching from rear, it puts right turn signal on, you signal, you look back (continue to note vehicle slowing), and merge in front of it. Likely the driver was not going to right hook, but it eliminates any possibility.

(This is just one. Others include being well outside the BL before the intersection regardless if approaching car has signal on or not, I just gave the above example as it is AC/VC/XC neutral.)

Al

Bekologist

No, AL, I meant consistently in front of faster moving traffic. it defies laws of physics.

noisebeam

You mean because the traffic will either slow or merge left so as no longer to either be faster or behind. Thats part of the point when approaching an intersection.

Al

Bruce Rosar

Curious readers may find the following quotes from a bikessandiego post interesting:

joejack951

I think it does take some guts to try it for the first time. After that, you wonder how you ever rode to the side of 40+mph traffic that has a lot of oppurtunities to turn. You also realize that there is no "fight" going on. People will either share nicely (>99%) or share begrudgingly (<1%) (the common theme is that they do share though).

In my opinion, it takes fearlessness to ride in a position where you know you may need to take sudden action to avoid a right hook.

noisebeam

Agreed one needs experience to get over the innate concern* about faster same direction traffic (fsdt) Getting back into cycling in early 2004 after a 15yr 'break' I didn't do this right away, but I also didn't ride on roads where it was needed. I stuck to more residential roads gaining experience with traffic there (and where I quickly learned how staying away from the side is so important, even more so where turns are so common and drivers barely slow for them) Yes, this meant I could not travel to some places by bike. I rode around my extended neighborhood for a month, then made short trips to stores, I'd been doing this 3mo. before I rode on busy arterials with narrow lanes so I could go to work and back. (In the interm I took a bus to work as I was on a 5mo. wait list for new car, it finally arrived and I no longer needed it )

But it was the experience of riding on busy roads with narrow lanes that requires one to ride assertively in lane controlling position that made it easy to ride this way where needed on wider busy roads.

*by concern I mean higher concern than the risk warrants. I am always still situationally aware of fsdt and monitor it as I monitor all objects that have the potential to intersect with my path.

Al

Bekologist

no, looking back, seeing a slight gap in 45 MPH traffic, and assertively signalling "I'm going there" and FORCING a car to slow down is a lot different than looking back and merging into a comfortable gap in 45 MPH traffic.

I do it all the time, but doubt it is going to EVER get practiced by the majority of cyclists in America.

Never going to happen.

noisebeam

When merging I never force a car to slow. I request the driver of the car to slow to let me merge. That is very different, the former is risky relying on a driver to react to ones sudden presence in front of them vs. first communicating to the driver that one desires to be in front of them and then getting a response (slowing usually) indicating that they will let you merge in front of them.

Now of course there is a grey area of if they are slowing because they are cautious and think you may merge in front of them even if they'd rather you didn't vs. they are happily letting you merge, but in either case you are not forcing anything and only merging after you have driver response to your indication that you are merging.

Al

derath

Do you mean this light?



I got one of these awhile back as it had been the brightest I'd seen to date.




Is the superflash even better? I might have to upgrade again.

-D

sbhikes

I'm not the type to take the lane in 40mph traffic. And I really don't care if you can get used to it. I'm not interested in that. I'm a fat old lady who just can't be bothered with all that macho nonsense.

To minimize right hooks I look back at the intersections. Not at the cars are passing me but at whoever is there or not there. If I see anybody there, even if I can't even tell what they are doing, I signal to them to hold on, don't do anything stupid.

If I rode in a situation where right hooks happened a lot, I think I would do what the OP does, which is to ride a little out of the bike lane. But I would DEFINITELY add the high-vis gear. I swear it's like you can see the little cogs going round in some people's heads. They know the officer isn't going to believe they didn't see me.

Another good piece of gear is the orange and yellow triangle attached to the back. I put mine on my left panier. Riding way to the left edge of the bike lane, that yellow triangle is practically right in their face. It glows in the dark brighter than any light I have. It is highly visible in the day time too. It sends a clear message to be cautious around me.

Let us know if you tried the high-vis gear and gained any success.

POLBOSS

I'm new to the bike world, these are my 2 cents on the subject, while driving, the one and only time when I have extreme care while passing a cyclist or driving behind a cyclist is when the cyclist is wearing, cycling shirts, a cycling jersey(when the cyclicist looks like a professional cyclist) and has a flag on the back. I really don't know why I do that, but I do it, so now that I think about it I will start wearing my cyling clothes at all times while cycling.

AlmostTrick

I have both of those units and have tested them at various distances in both daylight and night conditions. On steady mode it is hard to tell the difference between the two. But on flash, the Superflash has a more distinctive pattern,,, blink blink BLINK, which is similar to emergency vehicles. This helps it command slightly more attention in most peoples opinion. (I've had several people at my tests) But that Veiw Point unit is also very nice... and pretty hard to ignore.

sbhikes

If you haven't seen the Dinotte tail light you should. Costs something like $200. But it's super bright even in daylight.

Bekologist

PB superflash is useful in daytime as well.

Bike lanes along 40 + mile per hour roads are helpful as well particularily if a rider follows some basic rules for using bike lanes- express ride! with a lot less 'negotiation' and even less concern than a wide outside lane- BUT, heavens to betsy don't become complacent out there, regardless of how a road is striped!