"Tanya Quinn" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
[email protected] (Jeffrey Pogodzinski) wrote in message
news:<
[email protected]>...
> > Thank you all for your suggestions!
> >
> > I will try a test run this weekend. The only thing I do not like is the lack of bicycle lanes or
> > a shoulder on some parts of my ride that can not be avoided.
> >
> > How do you deal with no bike lanes?
> >
> > I have a mountain bike -- Giant ATX 890 -- it has knobby tires.
> >
> > Should I buy some smooth tires before I try it?
> >
> > Jeff.
>
> Hi Jeff, I commuted for a while on a mountain bike with knobby tires and it was fine. However once
> I replaced the tires with slicks I was much happier
> - I could go faster with less effort.
Alot faster with alot less effort.
>
> You don't need bike lanes to ride on the road. You should ride vehicularly - the same as you would
> drive a car, with the exception that you keep as far to the right as practicable. Which is usually
> about 3 feet out from the curb
That is an off-hand measurement that is both vague and misleading. Lane widths vary and so do
shoulders, as well as the presence or absence of hard shoulders.
>- if you hug the curb you will get the impression that cars are out to kill you as they whiz by and
> leave you minimal room, and its nice not to ride over storm sewers etc. If there is not
> sufficient room for a bicycle and a car in the same lane then ride in the center of the lane so
> cars need to change lanes in order to pass, rather than give the impression there might be room.
Very good.
>
> You may need to try a couple of routes before you find one you like. I have a different route
> going to work and coming home because of what works out best for uphill vs. downhill and also for
> traffic patterns at different times of the day.
>
> Here's some ideas for picking routes:
> 1. residential roads - when you are a beginner these will seem attractive as they are less
> trafficked. However those speed bumps and stop signs designed to slow traffic through the
> neighbourhoods will slow you down too, so its a quietness vs. speed tradeoff. They also may
> require more turns and not as direct of a straight line.
> 2. minor arterials - find the road that you would pick if you were a car and look at what is
> parallel to it. Often these are good choices since they go straight through, have traffic
> lights instead of stop signs. But they may be less attractive to cars because they have less
> lanes slowing down the speed - bad for them, good for you.
> 3. speed limits and effective speeds - the slower the cars go the more comfortable it is to share
> the road with them. So choose roads with lower speed limits, or roads that are more congested.
> While picking busier roads may seem counterintuitive, congestion can slow traffic down to
> biking speed - perfect
Generally roads with high speed limits, not so wide lanes, no
> shoulder and frequent traffic should be avoided. On low frequency traffic roads with high
> speeds (such as country roads) the low traffic makes it easy for faster traffic to pass.
> 4. Width of roads - wider lanes make it easier to share bike and cars in one lane without any
> conflict. (its like having a bike lane but without the white stripe) However wider lane roads
> also tend to move faster (see point 3)
>
> To get respect from motorists, be assertive (but not aggressive),
Some people don't know the difference. I prefer to be aggressive when necessary.
>have courteousy for cars
Do not, I repeat, do not have courtesy for cars. This might sound trivial to you, but the wording is
important to the meaning of language. Cars are operated by people and you do not give courtesy to
inanimate objects. And only respect a motorist if they deserve it.
>but don't assume that you have to move for them either, signal your turns, stop for all traffic
>lights (even with no cars coming)
>
> If there are other cyclists in your area, or some kind of local group with email, they are great
> resources to ask about route planning. You may find out shortcuts you never knew existed.
>
> Be sure to have good front and rear lights when riding at night - visibility is important! You
> never know when you might have to stay late at work so even if you don't think you'll be riding
> after dark they are good insurance.
Yes, please spend more than a minimal amount of money on the weakest light you can possibly buy.
I'm constantly amazed at the number of idiots who think their life is worth no more than a $15 or
$20 headlight
>
> As for the distance - If you live somewhere with decent public transit that you can take your
> bicycle on, you could try doing a half bike and half transit if you find the distance to be much.
> Or if there is somewhere you can park your car conveniently halfway if you drive you can do a half
> drive half bike. It may take a while before your commute feels easy enough to do every day.
>
> HTH Tanya
Nice post.
Robin Hubert (
[email protected])