Taking unnecessary chances.
 

I've been commuting a 20 mile round trip prepping for a tour.

Biggest problem I have is the times I take unnecessary chances to save mere seconds, crossing the paths of cars.

Gotta watch that.

+1 yup

Your car is probably capable of reaching 100mph, but you don't drive to work as fast as you can. Ride your bike in traffic like you'd drive your car. If you feel the need to speed, find a safer route or a track or empty MUP.

I admit I have taken unnecessary chances as well.

I do try to keep that in check though and have not had a relapse in over 6 months. Sucks to not be a perfect human being.

last week I Used the cross walk to go across stopped traffic on the Bike , got a Police lecture
to stay on the other side of the street where the bike stripe Is ..

I did not interrupt and say "but my next turn is to the Left, so I'm on that side of the street "

Ya mean you didn't pull the A&S card on the LEO and spout off about your constitutional and common law rights to travel, as well as his obvious ignorance of knowing what you think you know? :eek:

You need to re-enter the fount of Cycling Law at A&S and brush up on your technique; don't forget to use a video camera so that you can post the results on YouTube.;)

since I joined Strava a few weeks ago, I have been taking corners far too fast, braking late and taking unnecessary chances, just to save a few seconds

I recently almost hit a rider using the crosswalk while in my car.

Drivers don't expect anyone moving that fast in that area.

You want to turn left, move to the left side of the traffic lane as you approach the intersection (I know you know this).

I'd hate to hit a cyclist and I'd really hate it to be you...

Hopefully you saw the red traffic signal light and were stopped like the other cars..

I do get off and become a pedestrian when the stopping is not so controlled ..

and in 4 lane streets wait until 2nd lane , and both in the opposite direction have come to a halt.

i will admit that when i started bike commuting as a care-free bachelor nearly 10 years ago (and had a much longer one-way commute distance of ~15 miles) i used to take a lot more chances out there on the mean streets of chicago.

my commute was so damn long that i was always obsessed about "making good time", so i rolled the dice. a lot. i got lucky (except for that one time when i got hit by a bus, but the bus rolled a stop sign; that one actually wasn't my fault).

since becoming a husband and father and moving MUCH closer to my job (now only ~5 miles one-way), my attitude is vastly different. staying alive so that i can hug my wife and daughter at the end of the day is the name of the game for me now.

if slowing down, or coming to a full stop, or giving right of way to an aggressive motorist, or waiting to safely pass a bus, etc. adds some number of seconds to my commute, i don't really care anymore if it means avoiding unnecessary danger.

Good luck with that in many cities.

With me the impetus seems to be not wanting to stop the bike.

For example, a four-way stop I'm waiting for another car to roll... so I'm almost stopped, moving real slow.

Car sees I'm still rolling and waits, unsure if I've really stopped.

So with exaggerated body language I put a foot down, communicating irritation.

Surprised I ain't been run over yet.

How is your low speed handling? I can stay on the saddle almost to a standstill. Even on the tandem. I give an exaggerated bow over the bars while sweeping the appropriate hand magnanimously towards the direction I want them to go. Works most of the time...

Work on your trackstand.

Cycling aggressively doesn't necessarily mean you have a moral failing, or a death wish, or that you're foolhardy, or over-competitive.

One thing that's easy to forget is that cycling makes your body produce adrenaline to help cope with the physical demands. We seldom take into account what all that adrenaline does to our thought processes while we're under its influence.

I don't know if I produce more of it than other people or if I'm more sensitive to its effects. Either way, if I'm not careful and maintaining awareness, a good ride will unleash a tiger. I can start out all 59-y.o. mild-mannered librarian, and if I'm not careful, it can get all Premium Rush. I don't intend it, but the adrenaline gets me too pumped-up and I stop thinking right. It takes awareness and supreme effort to pull myself back down from that in-ride.

My cool-down arriving early at work is as much about temperature as it is about letting the adrenaline level drop to normal before I have to deal with the public.

Adrenaline=go for it!!

Same phenomenon that makes all the girls look prettier at closing time.

I can't ride relaxed in traffic. Always feel like I'm in competition with the cars.

A pretty mediocre movie, but I actually really enjoyed it. My favorite line: HAVE YOU SEEN MY THIGHS?!

Nothing with Gordon-Levitt is ever mediocre.

Going faster than the conditions dictate would be taking an unnecessary chance--wet pavement, snow-covered, descending. I took a spill recently corning on wet pavement. It's not worth the extra minute or two you might save.

Riding aggressively doesn't have to mean riding recklessly. Cross dangerously in front of cars might be considered reckless. When I think of riding aggressively I am thinking about riding hard but still stopping at lights and mindful of cars.

Umm. Yes. Well, have you?

True story: Two weeks ago I was at the hospital medical imaging for my annual CT scan. From the waiting room, I was called to the reception/billing desk. After I passed, but still within earshot, one woman said to another, "Did you see the legs on that guy?"

I just started commuting by bike two months ago, and my attitude has changed since I started. When I first started, I treated it like my road bike rides-- trying to ride as fast as I could. After only a couple of weeks (and a couple of close calls), my attitude changed to more of a utilitarian ride. The ride served the purpose of getting me to and from work (like driving a car). I now stop at stop signs even when there are no cars in sight. I've become a bit more defensive too.

It it also helped that I started riding with a rear camera. If I'm going to potentially accuse someone of some kind of vehicular misconduct, I needed to clean up my riding. The camera has made me more honest.

I have ridden in many cities and have never had a problem doing so. Why would it be difficult?

My annual bike mileage has varied. Some years it may have been less than 1000 miles. I'm probably up to 5000 to 6000 miles a year now, mostly commuting and errands, and mostly car-free now.

I would say that I'm fairly risk adverse. I do ride in traffic as needed including the occasional multi-lane busy street, and am always hunting for better, safer, or more interesting routes through town.

I haven't been hit by a car since I was about 6 (which wasn't bad at the time).

I do make the occasional "mistake" (not adequate defensive riding), and try to learn from those mistakes in hope of avoiding future near-misses.

I certainly do not consider a bad car/bike wreck as being inevitable, and hope I can finish my life without getting hit by a car.

I also believe that riding a bike is healthier than not riding. I suppose I'm a bit lazy, and it is hard to motivate myself to just exercise for the sake of exercising.