Is road cycling dangerous?



We'll, i just felll off my bike and tore my rotator cuff - but i say - No. The positives far outweigh the negatives. If your smart, don't ride on extremely busy roads, you'll be fine. Accidents happen in all aspects of life....like falling off a bike in the rain. The happiness cycling has given me, and many others on this forum, are the reason we do this...and you should too.

Ride.
 
Actually your Mom is right. I've been biking for 4 years and could have easily been killed 4 times. Biking is lots of fun but never underestimate the risks.
 
I've been almost killed driving my car, too.

A funny story. I had a cardiac stress test at a local hospital yesterday and mentioned to the med tech who was wiring me up that I'd ridden 50 miles the day before. That released a litany of complaining about the rudeness of local cyclists. He finally asked me if I'd ever been hit by a car. Three times, I replied, but not since the 1970s. Your fault? he asked. Not once, I said. Two were hit-and-run. One driver, I cornered in the parking lot, and the other got away but I stayed up and nothing got hurt. Over the years, I said, I've learned to ride more defensively.

After a while I said, riding a bike is just something I do. Every day that I drive my car I encounter scores of cyclists who are safe and courteous, and every time I ride my bike I encounter hundreds of motorists who are safe and courteous, and these are the encounters I prefer to remember.
 
So glad someone defined "Straight Edger". I was sure it was another cycling term I was unfamiliar with. What is the consensus on bike mirrors? Useful, useless, silly? I try to be hyper aware of my surroundings which sometimes takes away form the enjoyment of the ride. On a winding two lane road the other day, I learned that a Chevy Volt is a very quiet car with a distinctive sounding horn.
 
If you worry about the dangers in any walk of life You would never get out of bed.
There are dangers while cycling but if you follow the rules of the road and behave in a
sensible manner you will have a great time on your bike weather it is on the road or
over the rough.(mothers will always worry mine does and I am 51 and married).
 
jaygeephoto said:
So glad someone defined "Straight Edger".  I was sure it was another cycling term I was unfamiliar with. What is the consensus on bike mirrors? Useful, useless, silly?  I try to be hyper aware of my surroundings which sometimes takes away form the enjoyment of the ride.  On a winding two lane road the other day, I learned that a Chevy Volt is a very quiet car with a distinctive sounding horn.
Click to expand...
Yup, mirrors are useful, and there's nothing silly about using them.
 
Its more dangerous than anyone cares to admit and for those who know that then great.

That being said its like playing russian roulette. You dont know when the bullet comes out the chance is slim but exists.

You can only control so much of any circumstance then its just plain old luck past that point.

If You think carma is gonna get You back then don't do it, if You live right and don't have too many enemies then ride on the road but watch out for psycho's.

Myself I find the longest bike trails on pathways that I can find and use those. Thats what the bike path is for. If You live in the city this works great. I can go on a 94 Km bike ride and only have to deal with a couple stretches of non bike path route where i cross roads and there im careful.

So why on earth would I ride on a street with cars that will kill me if I do the wrong thing when I can ride on bike paths and not ******** drivers or take that risk.
 
Originally Posted by jaygeephoto .

So glad someone defined "Straight Edger". I was sure it was another cycling term I was unfamiliar with. What is the consensus on bike mirrors? Useful, useless, silly? I try to be hyper aware of my surroundings which sometimes takes away form the enjoyment of the ride. On a winding two lane road the other day, I learned that a Chevy Volt is a very quiet car with a distinctive sounding horn.
Click to expand...
Useful for riders who might be hard of hearing or might have difficulty looking over their shoulders.

One should be in the habit of monitoring what's catching up to you, by listening or using a mirror. One should also be in the habit of actually looking over the shoulder before changing lanes, taking more road, making a left turn, or making a right turn from the middle of the road. This is assuming you ride on the right, of course.

I've ridden with people who use their mirrors instead of looking back. These people tend to become surprised by what's in the blind spots. Others use their mirrors as an excuse for hanging out in the middle of the road longer than needed. They are surprised by the speed of approaching traffic and riders to the right who might be inadvertently blocking their passage to safety.
 
Originally Posted by oldbobcat .


Useful for riders who might be hard of hearing or might have difficulty looking over their shoulders.

One should be in the habit of monitoring what's catching up to you, by listening or using a mirror. One should also be in the habit of actually looking over the shoulder before changing lanes, taking more road, making a left turn, or making a right turn from the middle of the road. This is assuming you ride on the right, of course.

I've ridden with people who use their mirrors instead of looking back. These people tend to become surprised by what's in the blind spots. Others use their mirrors as an excuse for hanging out in the middle of the road longer than needed. They are surprised by the speed of approaching traffic and riders to the right who might be inadvertently blocking their passage to safety.
Click to expand...
If mirrors make one's journey on the bike safer all the better but I'm with bobcat on this. I often see car drivers who are either unable or unwilling to turn their upper bodies a single degree to check a blind spot or behind them when in reverse and can only imagine it translates to a small population on the bike. Movement on the bike (and in a car) require a very small degree of flexibility, but unused even that can be lost. If used they should be in addition to all the usual checks, not in lieu of them.
 
Originally Posted by sammyjay .

I know this question is subject to some variables, but I want to know if road cycling is dangerous if you follow the rules. My mom thinks it is quite dangerous, and has come up with all sorts of things that could happen, such as getting attacked by bears or wolves, getting knocked off the road by the wind coming off of a semi(I don't think that is very likely), getting hit by a drunk driver, or getting hit by someone who isn't paying attention and is on the wrong side of the road. Do you think that any of these things is very likely? All of her concerns are valid except probably the part about the wind of a semi knocking me off the road, but drunk drivers are rare around here, and I don't see either wolves or bears attacking me, and I have never seen anyone driving on the wrong side of the road badly enough to hit me. The only thing I saw that was very dangerous was someone driving down a hill in the middle of the road pulling a piece of farm equipment that took up the entire road, but that is quite rare. Do you guys think that road cycling is dangerous enough that I shouldn't do it at all?


Nathan
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Here's a web site that summarizes the health benefits of cycling versus the risks of cycling injuries: http://cyclehelmets.org/1015.html
 
a very very experienced cycling acquaintance of mine crashed a week ago, wearing his helmet, and still got severe head concusion, he is fighting now cerebral edema and he is not waking up yet, also suspect fractures of a couple vertebrae, this is looking very bad,
 
vspa said:
a very very experienced cycling acquaintance of mine crashed a week ago, wearing his helmet, and still got severe head concusion, he is fighting now cerebral edema and he is not waking up yet, also suspect fractures of a couple vertebrae, this is looking very bad,
Click to expand...
That's too bad for your friend. It sounds like he's suffering from something a lot more serious than a concussion, but hopefully he'll recover. Sadly, there are no guarantees about any safety equipment, no matter the activity.
 
Originally Posted by vspa .

a very very experienced cycling acquaintance of mine crashed a week ago, wearing his helmet, and still got severe head concusion, he is fighting now cerebral edema and he is not waking up yet, also suspect fractures of a couple vertebrae, this is looking very bad,
Click to expand...
Very sorry to hear. Best thoughts and wishes for his recovery. Had a friend go through same with ski accident - took some time (1yr+) but he's good now. Positive thoughts.
 
Originally Posted by vspa .

a very very experienced cycling acquaintance of mine crashed a week ago, wearing his helmet, and still got severe head concusion, he is fighting now cerebral edema and he is not waking up yet, also suspect fractures of a couple vertebrae, this is looking very bad,
Click to expand...
I'm really sorry to hear of that accident. It's frightening to ponder it considering, as you say that he was "very very experienced," but he and we bike because we love it. We could all become sedentary and then slip and fall in the shower. Until they give us roads all to ourselves, we all face the risks. None of this is to minimize the seriousness of your friend's injuries. I for one hope he makes a full recovery. Do you know what happened or just the injuries he suffered?
 
Originally Posted by alienator .


Note that site is not particularly unbiased in terms of helmet use.
Click to expand...
It is biased toward helmet use, but not all the benefits enumerated can be attributed to helmet use.
 
hyperliterate said:
It is biased toward helmet use, but not all the benefits enumerated can be attributed to helmet use. 
Click to expand...
Actually, the site tends to biased against helmet use.
 
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