[email protected] (Jeffrey Pogodzinski) wrote in message
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[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.
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 - 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.
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), have courteousy for cars 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.
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
