Mayberry32

Thanks, Grad. I actually live out in Oconee County, near Bishop, in the Lane Creek area. There are a ton of cyclists out here, and I plan to find a few groups to ride with. My main concern is when I'm riding alone most days after work.

Grad

Shoot me an email, you are close to me. I'm off Daniel's Bridge Rd. and ride out of Watkinsville a lot. Some great roads down there with very little traffic.

Nachoman

Correct.

jon c. 

In my experience, bikers generally pass me in my lane. Motorcycle enthusiasts move to opposing lane. Either way is fine with me. The Harley riders pass closer, but they know what they're doing and I never feel unsafe.

f4rrest

@banerjek +1 I'd choose mirror over helmet as well... except that it's a helmet mirror.

OP, you're not necessarily safe in residential areas.

At the end of 60 miles, including a fast training crit, a mountain descent with commuter traffic, and a couple heavy arterial roads, I was on a 15mph limit residential street with speed bumps and was hit. 5 fractures and a week in hospital. Wheelchair, surgery, etc.

So yeah, car danger should be respected regardless of where you ride.

That said, always trust your gut. If you feel a little scared, don't ride there until you feel confident.

Up North

Look at it this way, if everyone riding a bike on the roads got killed by cars you would have no answers to your question. Bright lights and bright clothes are your friends.

radiored

I look like a rolling neon sign, and a lot of the after work group I ride with do too. We've managed to assemble all the scaredy cats in our hospital to ride together, and have collectively cheated death all summer. Our gallows humor during the ride sometimes speculates on who would stop and help us if we were hit by a car . . . The butcher? The baker? The candlestick maker? The doctor? The lawyer? The nurse? Everyone gets a chance to be the road medic in the rolling story . . .

starman99

Ten ways not to get hit by cars: https://bicyclesafe.com/

It's always the 11th way that will get you.

smarkinson

Here's some perspective: In the time that I have lived in northern NSW (just over a decade) I've never heard of a cyclist dying on the roads. A handful of motorists still manage to kill themselves each year, there is usually a murder every second year or so and in the last 12 months 2 surfers have been killed by sharks with another 3 or 4 being mauled.

bruce19

Harley riders "know what they're doing".....that's funny. My 40 yrs. of motorcycling experience, some of which were as an MSF Instructor, would not support that. At least not where I live. Maybe it's different where you are.

TimothyH

Axiom Pulse 60 Lumen LED Tail Light. $39.99 list. Bright as hell to the point where it cannot be used on group rides. Confuses motorists enough so that they hit the brakes hard which is exactly what I want. I don't ride without it. Mine is charging right now. Maybe I'll post a video later.




-Tim-

Mayberry32

I really like the idea of a rear light. Are they bright enough to catch a driver's attention in full daylight?

TimothyH

Yes. Without a doubt. 60 lumens is extremely bright and the LED is piercing. It really can't be used on a group ride even on the low setting.

The two best right now are the Axiom Pulse 60 LED Tail Light by Performance Bike which is about $40 and the USL-TL60 Shield by Sefras which lists for $60.

Here is a review of the "Absurdly bright" Shield: https://www.bikelightdatabase.com/serfas/shield/
Here is my Axiom. The video doesn't do justice to its brightness or color. It is more red than yellow at a distance.

I live in Cobb County GA by the way.



-Tim-

TimothyH

Sun glare is another factor. Avoid East/West routes at sunrise or sunset to the extent that it is possible.

Motorists driving into the sun are effectively blind due to glare as they approach you from either the front or the rear. Being hit from the rear while riding East in the morning and West in the evening is a greater danger than it being hit head-on but motorists blinded by glare making a left turn is still a concern.

Every area has roads that are notorious for blinding drivers and the angle of the sun changes throughout the seasons so it isn't always consistent throughout the year.

Roads with lots of trees help reduce the risk. Routes which place you just over the crest of a hill riding into the sun are the worst.


-Tim-

AlmostTrick

It's apparent to me that most peoples fear of "cars" is greatly out of proportion to the actual risks. Out of millions of riders, only 700 or so are killed in the USA each year. And frankly, many of them F'd up. (RUI or riding without lights at night, etc.) Do everything right and your risk is even lower.

JohnJ80

I agree. Act like a vehicle and you're predictable to drivers. Then ride super defensibly (i.e. as if you were invisible to traffic).

I'm constantly amazed at the stupidity of cyclists, almost all of whom have motor vehicle driver's licenses, at how they get stupid about being on the road as a vehicle when you put them on a bike. Just last night, I wound up with two knuckleheads riding the wrong way on the shoulder against traffic coming at me. Then, when they see me, they want to go deeper to their left which would have been my right where I should be able to go to get further away from traffic which almost set up a head on with another cyclist (i.e. me)!

J.

Phamilton

I, too, have ridden a motorcycle and was taught to always be looking for an escape route. Either I missed it, or this advice hasn't been mentioned in this thread. It basically boils down to being very proactive, constantly observing and changing your game plan depending on your environment. Granted, this is not as relaxing maybe as a leisurely ride down the MUP (which can actually be more stressful at times than riding on the road), but IMO is still much less stress and perceived risk than driving. One of the many things I enjoy about cycling as opposed to driving is that I am also basically removing the potential for me to maim/kill someone with my vehicle from the equation.

Phil_gretz

You MUST expand on that thought. Don't tease, please...

bmcer

An attempt at a full explanation would take more time and space than would be appropriate for this venue, and would most likely leave you still scratching your head.

The Reader's Digest version: Let's just say while I was for all clinical purposes dead, i.e. without a pulse or respiration, I had an experience that convinced me, a life long skeptic, empiricist, and non-believer, that there is more to human consciousness than the brain's electro-chemical activity and that death is more a change of state than an ending. No, I didn't see a bright light nor did I pass through a tunnel or recall my entire life. I was aware of my body, but as if it was separate from me. I simply don't have the vocabulary to tell you what I saw and heard and felt. But I do know it happened, and because of some things that happened a few months later, I believe it was real. I'm reluctant to get into specifics because I don't want to come off as a nut case.

It is possible it was nothing more than a crippled brain trying to make sense of the situation, but I don't think so. Real or not, the experience did change me. Based on my wife's comments, for the better. Let's just leave it there.

JohnJ80

It's not just for motorcycles. I was taught the same way in driving a car (i.e. The Smith System). The thought occurred to me when re-reading about this type of driver training, it is completely applicable to riding a bike.

J.

gc3

I've already lived 30+ years longer than I planned or expected to.if I die on my bike, at this point is a good a way to go as I could envision. Getting chewed up and crippled by a car isn't an exciting prospect, but the risk is worth the reward for me. I don't like flying, either, but I still do it.

TimothyH

some of us understand.


-Tim-

ClarkinHawaii

Very true--for a fun and very informative read, I recommend "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda.

bmcer

I sincerely appreciate that.

The experience threw a major wrench into my "if you can't measure it... " belief system. I myself had a hard time embracing what I'd learned for a while afterwards. But then I started recognizing people (like one of the folks who took a turn doing compressions on me) who had been there while I was down. Things like that just don't get explained away easily.

Dave Cutter

Kids, work, your good health.... you have a lot to live for. It is perfectly normal for you to be concerned.

If you aren't into dying while cycling.... how do you feel about getting seriously injured? You know... broken limbs... back and brain injuries? Serious ouchies are a part of cycling. Fortunately not a major part. But much greater than getting killed. Being retired myself... I could heal-up for months on end... and never miss a days work. And the kids feed themselves (and my grandkids).

If you can become at peace with the idea of serious injury I think you'll be able to discard the idea of death. As Baretta used to say:


https://youtu.be/c8rMPWxRk5Y Oops... that was sponge bob

https://youtu.be/5HNWhVXcjV8