Jack Fabros

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Jun 24, 2016
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Fort McMurray
So I just got my fixed gear bike today and tomorrow I'm going to try to ride on this highway.

Do you guys think I should take the sidewalk first and practice riding my bike before taking this narrow highway? I'm not quite sure for myself. I'm confident but not really.
 

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Yeah, you should ride on the sidewalk. The highway looks very busy and that is why I would recommend you to use the sidewalk for your first ride. You should practice before riding on the main road. Most people try to ride without practicing at all but that is a bad idea and you should not do that. So, go and practice.
 
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I don't see any sidewalk and that road is too narrow and busy to practice with a fixed gear. I would suggest a road less traveled.
 
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I agree with everyone else, I've been riding for over 40 years and did a lot of riding in the downtown Los Angeles and the county of Los Angeles, on many highways all over California (areas where bikes were allowed to be on of course) and that highway you're showing doesn't look like an idea place to ride on. You would have to ride it by taking the lane, and if the speed limit is 55 or so and with people too busy text messaging and yakking on their cell phones may not see you as they race up behind you doing 65 or 70 not expecting someone to be on a bike doing 14 mph.
 
thanks for your responses. I actually did not know that the sidewalk was wide enough for pedestrians and cyclists since Im new to the area lol. Yeah I guess no highways for me from how I performed today. Still need to fully know how my bike works
 
Agree with the others. I've been riding highways all my life and I would not ride that one. A highway with no shoulder and a raised curb like that is just about the worst highway you can pick to ride. Find a different highway. At the very least, one without a curb so you can take the ditch if absolutely necessary.
 
If you're not confident, then it's best that you stick to roads in your neighborhood. Highway roads can be incredibly risky, especially if they have heavy traffic. It's best that you become accustomed on riding on town and city roads before hitting the highway. Perhaps, you can consider riding on the highway after a couple of months.
 
Pardon me but I think it is only you who can answer your question. If you don't have full confidence in yourself to engage in that adventure then maybe you have to stop and think it over. But I would suggest that it is best if you have company. It is easier to ride when there is another rider who could give you the moral support and assistance in case you encounter a problem. Just remember that a highway means there are fast vehicles.
 
Pardon me but I think it is only you who can answer your question. If you don't have full confidence in yourself to engage in that adventure then maybe you have to stop and think it over. But I would suggest that it is best if you have company. It is easier to ride when there is another rider who could give you the moral support and assistance in case you encounter a problem. Just remember that a highway means there are fast vehicles.

The only problem with your advice is that particular road in which the OP showed us, there is no place to ride, you don't have a shoulder just curbing then the road, and it looks to be at least a 45 mph road if not 55, if you take a long a friend than all your really doing is endangering two lives. That road is not necessary to ride on, I'm sure there are other nearby roads they can take that would be a lot safer.
 
The particular highway looks dangerous to me so I agree with what most of the others have said. I think it's best for you to choose a safer route like a not-so-busy street near you or within your neighborhood first. It's still best to be really sure about the biker's skill and confidence coupled with road safety first before finally going for it. :)
 
Highways are intimidating as hell. Cars riding at speed above 100 mph will be buzzing near you. I suggest to stick with the sidewalk until you build enough confidence.
 
Highways are intimidating as hell. Cars riding at speed above 100 mph will be buzzing near you. I suggest to stick with the sidewalk until you build enough confidence.
You know that you are speaking to a global audience right? For example people don't travel at such speeds in the USA or Canada because it isn't legal, and sidewalk riding is unlawful in many cases unless you are mistakenly calling the shoulder of the road a sidewalk. They are not the same thing. The shoulder is where a cyclist should stay on a high speed limit road.
 
As everyone said, practise before you go. I thought there would be some kind of extra lane for cycles but I don't found any extra lane on the image. So, if you drive on the main road, you should be careful and please don't ride too fast. You should maintain a proper speed on the road.
 
So I just got my fixed gear bike today and tomorrow I'm going to try to ride on this highway.

Do you guys think I should take the sidewalk first and practice riding my bike before taking this narrow highway? I'm not quite sure for myself. I'm confident but not really.
No shoulder. no lanes, and lots of traffic, find a different route if you can. Don't ever ride on a sidewalk, thought there isn't one in the image you provided. If you use this highway you may end up holding traffic up pretty badly. If you can go when traffic volume is lighter it would be better.