Just wondering how far ahead of the bike are most folks looking? I look about 15ft ahead of the bike most of the time. I do periodically look ahead farther but I catch myself looking down way to much. I ride mainly on a local bike path at the Sports park, and I am not always hauling butt, however, there are still folks to avoid. It is a habit I want to break, not the hard way either. I think I am use to walking and I don't like to keep my head up when I do.

Pretty much as far as I can - depends on the curves in the path. Sometimes 1/4 mile. Of course, if I am passing or someone is coming my way, I look there. Are you on a road bike? If so, think of looking by pulling your chin back into your neck. If on a road bike, and you have a visor, get rid of it.

Hey, so that's you who almost hit me!

Seriously, should be no different than in a car - check everywhere. Fifteen feet ensures you'll eventually run into someone/something and it's gonna hurt - both of you.

I make a point of focusing as far ahead as I can see. Looking any closer is just begging for trouble.

SP
Bend, OR

+1

Recumbent!

It's easy to look all the way to the horizon.

right now I am just mainly on the bike path at a local sports complex. I ride a hybrid but just got a mountain bike and obtained a 1990ish Bottecchia my brother built so I could try the road bike thing. When I am on the road I am more aware of everything mainly due to the fact that there are large heavy fast moving objects all around. I need to keep my head up. So no visor on a road bike? k

I started back riding DFs this year after a couple of years on recumbents. I am accustomed to seeing well ahead.
Now my neck and shoulders hurt because I hold my head high. May train this winter on the recumbents for next year.

In the hoods sitting up I look ahead pretty far. In the drops, it's much closer with semi-frequent peeks on ahead. Higher speeds dictate more careful looking of course.

A ski buddy taught me: Look way way ahead. Your brain does just fine with the subtle info it gets peripherally. You just do the right thing automatically, and are alert to distant dangers.

Look everywhere. Scan as far ahead as you can, five feet in front of you, everywhere in between and side to side. It doesn't matter how nice the day is or how great your legs feel - pay attention. You should never be focused on one place for more than a few seconds.

That little chunk of debris on the road can get you into as much trouble as the car coming over the rise or the dog walking down the driveway.

Speed is my factor- and the amount of traffic.

Only thing I don't look at is that tree stump or rock in the middle of the trail. Concentrate on it and you will hit it.

Yup. And no sweat drippin into your eyes.

Which is about 15 ft.

Agree with "all over". Cars, potholes, deer, attacking hawks (ok, so it only happened to me once...). I agree with the "15 ft.", to the extent that it represents that portion of the road ahead that you're scanning for surface irregularities, and the distance varies with our speed. You can't just focus your vision there all the time. But you need to a lot of the time, the way the roads are deteriorating.

i'm usually looking everywhere except the road. looking for cars coming out of driveways and crossstreets. watching for pedestrians who walk into the road without looking, etc.

if i'm on a trail or path, i look farther ahead and plan my route in my mind. in the city i'm just reacting to my ever-changing environment

Pretty much as far ahead as possible. Usually 100 yards or more.