Bike Forums - Biking on the Sidewalk

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Quote:

Originally Posted by tkamd73 (Post 22212728)

I’ll bet our roads are way worse then your sidewalks!
Tim

I'll second that. Curb jumping could damage a wheel if you time it wrong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maelochs (Post 22213420)

If the OP is smart enough and skilled enough to ride safely on the sidewalk, and if it is legal in his region .... why not?

I strongly dislike riding on the sidewalk, but I have decades of experience fighting for space at the side of the road with drivers who would swerve, open a door, or throw stuff (back before there were bike lanes and "Share the road" signs, in certain regions, cyclists were always in season.)

If the OP really thinks sidewalk cracks will break the bike, though ......

I suspect in situations where a chunk of concrete is missing (and the rider didn't see it coming) there could be concern. If one wasn't flat knocked off the bike there is always the chance that the tire knocked out of true, or maybe even a spoke or 2 loosening up, which bodes for problems down the road (no pun intended). then, again, I've barely averted some nasty potholes in the road and on the mup/mut.

i had a cop tell me to ride my bike on the sidewalk.

it was dark, and i had no lights. cool cop.

if skate boarders can ride in the street, i see no reason why you can not ride on the side walk.

gotta be careful round here though. lots of earthquake damage still left over from years ago.

people spray dayglo paint on the really bad stuff.

most dangerous thing around here is the pier. the cracks in the boards are just large enough to eat a wheel. get parallel to those and down you go.

How can you tell if it's a sidewalk?

An arterial street about a block from my condo was widened several years ago. At the time that it was rebuilt the specifications included a "sidewalk" on one side and a "trail" on the other. I assume that affects the rules for bicycling. I don't remember which side is the "trail" and it's not marked in any way that I can see. That's okay, however, because nobody seems to pay any attention.

FWIW, when I ride to the corner convenience store I ride on the sidewalk going to the store and I ride in the street with traffic coming home. That's so that I never have to cross the four traffic lanes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zas117 (Post 22212611)

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.