bike safety - I Love Bicycling

Safety in Numbers: More Cyclists, Safer Cycling

January 25, 2016 by Wade Shaddy

Statistics prove that there are risks associated with riding a bicycle particularly on roadways. Statistics also prove that the more cyclists there are on the road, the safer they are. The premise of safety in numbers helps in that a greater number of motorists expect a cyclist to be there on the side of the road. Cycling safety is not going to change overnight, but the persistent efforts of cycling advocates, cyclists themselves, and awareness by motorists can go a long way to keeping cyclists safe.

Stats and Cyclists

Bicycle fatalities represent less than two percent of all traffic fatalities. However, statistics are not always a good indicator. Stats typically only include cyclists killed or injured in road accidents when reported to the police. Some cyclist casualties are not reported to the police, even when the cyclist is inured badly enough to be taken to a hospital. The figures might also exclude cycling accidents that occur away from roads. Although the number of deaths is accurate enough, there could be two or three times as many seriously injured cyclists and double the number of slightly injured.

What The Stats Say

743 people lost their lives in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2013. It amounts to just less than about two people every day of the year. Stats report that in 2014, 113 cyclists were killed in the United Kingdom. Injuries for both countries rise well into the thousands.

Risk Assessment

The risk varies by time of day with night time being more risky. Other variables include the experience of the rider, location of riding and many other factors. Until we have better data, the risk of cycling can’t be accurately compared to other modes of travel. Stats that rely on data per mile should be taken with a grain of salt. There is no reliable source for the data, because nobody knows how many miles bicyclists travel each year, or how long it takes them to cover those miles.

Common Cycling Accidents

Even though safety in numbers is proven to make cycling safer, certain types of accidents are typically responsible for a large percentage of the accidents. In no particular order, common accidents might include:

Motorist emerging into path of cyclist
Motorist turning across path of cyclist
Cyclist riding into the path of a motor vehicle
Child cyclist playing or riding too fast
After stopping at a stop sign, cyclist rides into the intersection in front of a car that has the right-of-way
Cyclist with right-of-way, without a stop sign and car drives out into the intersection, in front of the cyclist
Motorist and cyclist approach an intersection from opposite directions. As they enter the intersection, the motorist turns left, colliding with the cyclist.

Accident Seasons

Cycling accidents typically occur during the spring and summer months — May to September — with fewer occurring between October and April. This is likely due to the increased number of cyclists on the roads during this period.

Speed Kills

Country roads only account for 32 per cent of cycling traffic but 58 per cent of all the cycling deaths. The main reason is obvious: speed.

Safety in Numbers

A University of Colorado-Denver study shows that bicyclist safety significantly increases when there are more bikes on the road, a finding that could be attributed to the “safety in numbers” effect.

Changes Behavior

Wesley Marshall, PhD, PE, assistant professor of civil engineering at CU Denver’s College of Engineering and Applied Science says that: “Studies have hypothesized that when drivers expect to see a significant number of bicyclists on the street, their behavior changes. They are more likely to look over their shoulder for a bicyclist before taking a right turn.” The effect on behavior is then reciprocated by cyclists.

Safer For Motorists

University studies have also indicated that the more cyclists, the better the overall safety, even for motorists. “In fact, we are beginning to find that cities with a high level of bicycling are not just safer for cyclists but for all road users”, said Marshall. “Improving the streets to better accommodate bicycles may enhance safety for everyone.”

Stats Prove It

The trend is clear in Britain. For example: York tops the list for safety where around only one in eight commuters cycle to work and only 0.1 percent are badly hurt in accidents each year. Not far down the road in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, fewer than 1 in 120 commuters use bikes, and those that do face a danger level 15 times higher than in York.

Denmark Rules

The phenomenon of safety in numbers could be at it’s greatest example in Denmark. In Denmark, the average person rides over 10 times further than his British peer every year but only has twenty percent of the risk of being killed.

Dutch Cycling Dominates

Infrastructure is partly responsible for safety in numbers attitude. For example: Dutch riders enjoy car-free bikes lanes, secure parking at every train station and an automatic presumption of innocence in any collision with a car. The situation in the United States and the UK is very different. Cyclists are often determined to be the cause of the accident and are without the high prevalence of bike lanes, signs and overall bicycle awareness.

Everyday Activity

One way to improve cycling safety is to begin to portray cycling as an everyday activity, not just the guilty pleasure of young men and women with an assertive attitude and a wardrobe full of Lycra.

More Cyclist Drivers

Millions more should be spent on infrastructure to improve cycling safety be it the lowering of serious injuries in cities or deaths on rural roads. However, an increase in old-fashioned courtesy might make a difference too. More cyclists means that there are more cyclists driving vehicles and cyclists who do drive, tend to drive with the thought of cyclists in mind.

Breaking a Collarbone – What to Do

January 2, 2016 by Wade Shaddy

Clavicle fractures – also known as broken collarbones – are very familiar to cyclists, but the collarbone isn’t really in your neck. It’s one of two long, thin bones that connect the breastbone to your shoulder blades. The bones act as an attachment point of several muscles. Keeping them in one piece is sometimes difficult for cyclists.

The Common Crash

The bike crash is a perfect example of how and why cyclists break collarbones. There’s that natural tendency to break the fall from a crash by putting your arm out. The arm sends the force of the impact up your arm to the collarbone and snap. If you don’t put your arm out, and have your hands on the bars, your shoulder contacts the pavement hard, resulting in the same thing, a fractured clavicle.

How to Know

X-rays are the only sure way to discern if you’ve broken your collarbone, but there are other ways to figure it out for yourself. Right after a crash, if you notice that the weight of your arm is causing excruciating pain to your shoulder, and you immediately grasp your forearm in an attempt to relieve the weight of your arm because of pain — you might have broken your collarbone. Watch for it when other riders go down. If you see someone clutching their arm after a crash, it’s a symptom that their collarbone could be in trouble.

Keep Riding?

Some cyclists can still ride with a broken collarbone. Tyler Hamilton is a perfect example, he rode the 2003 Tour de France with a fractured collarbone, seemingly in denial of the pain. Thanks to adequate taping, and not to mention bravery, he stayed in the race. It’s not recommended to keep riding with a broken collarbone.

Signs of a Mild Broken Collarbone

Look for a few indicators that are similar with most collarbone issues.

Pain and swelling
Trouble moving your arm
Sagging shoulder
Grinding sound when you move your arm
Bulging around your shoulder

Signs of a Serious Break

Tingling in your arms or shoulders, numbness
Deformed or odd-looking shape

Collateral Damage

Broken collarbones are one thing, but they go hand in hand with other possible injuries. It is extremely important to check for collateral damage to the lungs, the surrounding tissues and muscles, joint separations and other bone fractures such as the ribs. That’s one reason why you should always get it checked out by a health care professional.

Surgery Option

The medical approach — to operate or not — of the cyclist with a broken collarbone should be on an individualized basis. Things to consider are fracture type and severity, age, activity level, personal preferences, and don’t forget insurance and monetary concerns in the decision-making process. The desire for decreased pain and faster return to cycling might also come into play when concerning surgery.

Surgery Risks

The decision to operate on a broken collarbone should also be in light of the risk. Infections, collateral injury to surrounding tissue, risks of anesthesia, and if you get hardware added, the eventual need for it’s removal, resulting in still more surgery. The general rule of thumb is that: If there’s no displacement — meaning the bone is broken but still in the right place — then surgery isn’t typically necessary. If the bone is broken and in pieces, then surgery is typically needed.

Take it Personal

Each operative case should be approached on a personal basis. Poor surgical candidates might, in most cases, be better served with a non-operative approach. It’s a decision between you and your orthopaedic surgeon that should not be taken lightly.

To Feel Better

Ice packs can help to relieve pain. Make a homemade ice pack with ice in a zip lock bag with cloth around it. Don’t skip this step and put the bag of ice directly on your skin. This can injure your skin, always wrap a cloth around it.

Ice Schedule

Apply the ice for about 20 minutes each hour while awake. After the first day, ice the area every 3 or 4 hours for 20 minutes at a time for at least 2 days or longer. Over the counter pain relievers can be used, but only under the care of your personal physician. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease or stomach ulcers for example, they can cause problems such as bleeding, bleeding can also occur if you take medications within 24 hours of your injury. It’s not advisable to take anything within 24 hours unless directed to do so by a health care professional. After that, if you need a stronger medication to relieve pain, consult with your personal doctor.

The Sling

You will need to wear a sling or wrap while your collarbone is healing to keep your collarbone in the right position. The sling also prevents you from moving your arm, which you will already know by now, is painful. Once you can move your arm without excessive pain, you can start easy exercises to increase the strength and movement in your arm. When you get to this point, you will be able to wear your sling less.

Activity and Recovery

Build your strength back slowly after you restart any activity. If your collarbone begins to hurt, stop and rest. It’s advisable to avoid placing stress on your arm, and avoid contact sports for a month after collarbones have healed.

When to Call the Dr.

Call your doctor if you have concerns about how your collarbone is healing. Certain symptoms should result in an immediate call:

Your arm becomes numb, or has pins and needles feeling.
The pain isn’t diminished with pain medicine
Fingers turn blue, black, white or pale
Trouble moving fingers
Bone is coming out of the skin…duh

Collarbone Break Healing Time

Recovery is dependent on the injury and the medical support. Most cyclists report that they were able to resume riding on an indoor trainer one week after surgery, and outdoor cycling after four weeks.

Generally speaking bones heal within 6 weeks of breaking and collarbones are no different. You will be back to 90% at 6 weeks and it will take another month or so until you are full confident again. If you have any pain after 6 weeks, you need to get get checked again.

Do not try and do too much too soon, especially in the first few days of healing as the bone is setting. What are a few days or weeks in a lifetime?

In the meantime ride safe and have fun. Try not to break your collarbone cycling.

The Golden Rules of Cycling

December 12, 2015 by Wade Shaddy

There is no book, no golden tablet, no ancient scriptures, nothing carved in stone regarding the golden rules of Cycling. It’s a basic interpretation by each and every cyclist. The golden rules of cycling manifest out of courtesy, respect for fellow cyclists, respect for traffic law, self-respect, and respect for all other pedestrians who use public roadways. The rules help to provide cyclists with safety, attitude, posture and health. The common attributes go hand in hand with bike maintenance, preparation, and the improvement of skills.

Evolution and Rules

The unwritten Golden Rules of cycling have evolved with the sport, they are a blend of scientific research, opinion and common-sense. But even though the rules are not set in stone, they are applicable to each and every cyclist, every single time he or she gets on the bike. They can be regarded as suggestions, but if applied universally, cycling is safer and more fun. What may be even more important, the application of rules puts a good face on the great sport of cycling, and gives inspiration to non riders.

Cycling Diversity

Cycling rules are not isolated to a single discipline. Mountain bikers, road riders, tri-athletes, the common cruiser, vintage, group riding — which have a set of rules all to themselves — are all covered by the basic cloak of golden rules.

Discipline and Rule

With all the disciplines of bicycling in general, each category has it’s own set of specialized rules that typically don’t cross-over to any degree. For example: Mountain bikers have specific rules. Road riders have specific rules. The golden rules of cycling are general rules that can be applied universally to all cyclists.

Rule One: Just Ride

Regular rides build endurance. Don’t feel that you have to belong to a single discipline. Doing so cuts down your options. The natural imbalance of confining yourself to one bike, or one type of biking cuts down your time on the bike, and your opportunities to ride. If you’re training for a specific race, doing miles on a mountain bike can give you better climbing skills. Doing miles on a road bike builds your endurance.

Rule Two: Priorities

Cycling should be near the top of your priority list. Ride daily if possible, even if it’s only a few miles. It’s okay to skip a day or two when you have to, but if you prioritize your work schedule to allow for it, you’ll be happier, sleep better, and become an overall healthier, better, more aware cyclist. If the weather is miserable, tell yourself that you’ll only ride for 30 minutes. If you’re still miserable turn around. You’ll have logged an hour on the bike.

Rule Three: Don’t Ride Sick

Even a common cold is going to be exacerbated by riding your bike. Listen to your body, it’s trying to tell you something. Rest up and don’t ride again until you’re feeling better. And when you do get back on your bike, take it easy.

Rule Four: It’s Not a Competition

You don’t have to beat everyone. Drop the time-trial mentality. Most cyclists are just out there to have fun, but when another rider blows past them at 25 mph, it often starts a competition that some riders don’t appreciate, yet, can’t help but take up the challenge. There’s nothing more frustrating that hot-shot riders constantly challenging you.

Rule Five: Free Your Mind

Leave all your worldly thoughts behind you. Do all your worrying about finances, relationships, career etc, before you get on your bike. Once the pedals start to turn, cloak yourself in the sensations of how your body and bike feel together. Take in the scents, the sounds and the feeling of the sun and wind on your skin.

Rule Six: Stop for a Break

Don’t be afraid to pull over. Cycling is an adventure. Stop for ice cream, lunch at a quaint cafe, a hole in the wall dive, candy shop, coffee shop or bakery. If you have no destination, plan your ride around some of these diversions, relax and enjoy it, you’ve earned it.

Rule Seven: Know Your Bike

Understanding how your bike works is important. Wear out your shifters, constantly changing gears when needed to maintain a certain cadence. Challenge your bike until you come to a certain comfort level with it. Your bike shouldn’t intimidate you in any way.

Rule Eight: Basic Maintenance

Learn how to adjust brakes and shifters. Don’t ride a bike that’s performing poorly, it only takes a few twists of a nut to fix most shifter issues. Get some books, go online. There’s thousands of tutorials out there for help. Use them.

Rule Nine: Tires

Top off your tires, or at the least, check them before every ride for proper inflation. Nothing can defeat effort like under inflated tires.

Rule Ten: Learn to Fix a Flat

Always keep a spare tube with you, and all the tools necessary for fixing a flat, and know how to use them. Practice fixing flats at home if needed, so that you’re not stuck out there with a flat tire.

Rule Eleven: Rules of the Road

Follow the same laws that motorized vehicles follow. Ride on the right, pass on the left. Stop at intersections, and proceeded only when doing so won’t endanger you or anyone else. Use hand signals when appropriate.

Rule Twelve: Respect

Respect fellow cyclists. A simple nod or wave of the hand is appreciated by everyone. Respect yourself.

Rule Twelve: No Traces

Leave nothing behind. Pick up and take any small wrappers, debris from a flat tire or anything else with you.

Rule Thirteen: Make Friends

It’s always a good practice to treat other cyclists like old friends. Make conversation, join groups. Promote your sport and enjoy it, good things are waiting for you out there.

Rule Fourteen: Know Your Body

Know your body. Fluid and nutrition are your fuel. The general rule of thumb is to drink before you’re thirsty, and eat before you’re hungry. The choice of hydration and nutrition differs for all cyclists, but you should stick with what makes you feel good, and you know without a doubt, that it won’t upset your stomach.

Rule Fifteen: Keep the Rubber Down

It is completely unacceptable to intentionally turn your bike upside down. Be aware. Don’t take chances, don’t be a hotshot, and may the wind be always at your back.

Dogs – It’s You or Them

December 6, 2015 by Wade Shaddy

No matter how much you like dogs, when they’re trying to kill you, the love affair is over. All cyclists face a snarling dog at some point, and it’s not clear why it happens. One minute the dog is peacefully sleeping in the yard, the next minute he’s snapping his salivating teeth at your feet, a terrifying monster trying to tear your flesh off. What went wrong?

Natural Instinct

It’s not clear why a loveable, warm, furry dog can turn into a snarling beast just because you ride by on your bicycle. Some say that it’s the dog’s natural instinct to chase things running away from them. The dog’s natural instinct is to bite and shake prey that it has caught.

Territorial Defense

Others say it’s the sound of a bicycle that drives them mad. Some think it’s a territorial defense of the dogs property. Others contend that it’s just a bad dog, trying to bite anyone they can, bike or not.

Dogs are Fast

Dogs can hit 20-to-25 miles per hour much faster than you can on a bike, and hold it for at least a few hundred yards. If you’re coming to an intersection or otherwise slowing down, they can easily outsprint you from a slow start. If they catch up, you can’t outrun them fast enough to get out of danger.

The Ambush

Dogs often wait in ambush hiding, only to come up from behind and lock their teeth onto your ankle. This type of dog has likely done it before, and will do it again. Think of them as the stealth dog, staying in your blind spot until it’s too late.

A Few Tips

With all the rural, country miles cyclist do routinely, it’s a safe bet you’ll have dog encounters. But there are good and bad ways to deal with it. What works in one situation may not work in another. Cyclists have mixed results with dogs, because for the most part, they’re unpredictable. Understanding how they think is sometimes helpful.

The Broadside Hit

If it’s not his intent to bite you, there’s maybe even worse danger lurking: When a dog sees you, he typically comes running at you from the side, and turns parallel with your bike at the last second. Many cyclists go down hard when the dog skids on the pavement, and plows into your bike from the side, and then becomes entangled with the snarling dog. Its’ ugly. If traffic permits, drift over to the side, and give him room. It might be just enough margin of error to keep him from hitting you and sliding under your wheels.

Tail Up or Down

You may be able to out-sprint a bad dog if he is only guarding his territory, you can sometimes tell this by an easy gait, with lots of barking, ears and tail up — he only want’s to keep you away. A full on sprint with ears back, teeth out and tail down means he isn’t going to stop any time soon. If you’re going downhill, you may be able to outrun him, but he’s likely going to stay in pursuit.

The Stern Warning

Most dogs know when humans are angry. A stern shout of ” Get back!” “Bad dog!” “No!” “Stay!” or “Go home!” is sometimes enough to surprise them, making them hesitate just enough for you to get some distance between you and the dog.

The Side Kick

Even though it’s tempting, and you’d like nothing better than to kick the dog, it almost never works, and if you do manage to make contact, it typically never even bothers the dog anyway, and just offers him your foot and angle for him to bite. Besides that, you’ll have to unclip one foot from your pedals, which means slowing down and prolonging the confrontation. The other thing is, if you intentionally harm the dog, you could face potential liability.

The Rock Trick

If you have enough time to pick up a rock, or pretend that you’ve picked up a rock, raise your hand back like you’re going to throw it. This simple gesture seems to be recognized by most dogs and will stop some of them dead in their tracks. If you do have a rock, use it at your own risk, hitting a dog with a rock is almost impossible when you’re mad or agitated, and only makes things worse.

The Chase

It’s been established that the main motivation for the dog is the chase. If there is nothing to chase, the dog should lose interest. It is best to defuse the situation by removing the dog’s motivation to chase if possible.

The Most Common Option

If all else fails, you’ve lost too much speed, and it appears that the dog has the upper hand, stop and get off the bike as fast as you can. But make sure to stop in the road. Stopping on the dogs property will only make him more determined to get at you. Put the bike between you and the dog. Use your bike like a shield or weapon and start calling for help, cursing the dog loudly. Someone may eventually come out of the house, or keep the dog at bay. Call the police if you have to.

Eye Contact

The jury is out on this one. While eye contact may work on some dogs, immediately backing them down, others consider it a challenge, and it will only make things worse. If there’s more than one dog, this option is out the window.

Report It

In the event that you are attacked, bitten or injured by a dog, report it to the authorities as soon as possible. Include the location, an account of what happened and a description of the dog. Try to get the owners address and name, and seek medical attention without delay.

The Same Dog

If you’re intimidated, attacked or chased by the same dog in the same location every single time you ride, report this to authorities as well. You have every right to use public roadways free of fear. If it happens again, report it until steps have been taken to keep the dog where it belongs.

More Liability

In some jurisdictions, the law allows one “free bite.” This means that the owner won’t be held liable for the dog’s misbehavior until he’s made aware of the problem. After the first bite, the owner can then be held liable for any future attacks. But do not stray beyond any reasonable self-defense that would not be allowed against a human attacker. It’s tempting, but never retaliate against a dog.

Group Rides

Most dogs prefer to attack from behind like wolves taking down the weaker prey. Use this to your advantage in group rides by outsprinting your fellow cyclists — just kidding.

Cycling Law or Suggestion

December 6, 2015 by Wade Shaddy

Cycling law on public roadways has always been a source of controversy. Different assumptions, experiences, law and knowledge about cycling often results in a blurred distinction between universal law, common practices, and your location.

Cycling Laws That Don’t Work

Another confusion regarding the application of cycling laws centers around the fact that some local bicycle ordinances seem to actually make bikers and pedestrians less safe — such as requirements that bicyclists walk their bikes across intersections. Just visualizing this law seems dangerous. Since bicycle law can be different from one area to another, cyclists should familiarize themselves with specific laws where they plan to ride.

Rules of the Road

Generally speaking, bicycle laws are enforced at the state and local levels, and don’t apply universally. The overall consensus is that cyclists are expected to follow the same traffic laws that apply to motorists. Depending on where you live, laws and local ordinances typically cover stopping, signaling, passing on the right, helmet provisions, rules against cycling on the sidewalk, and some may include biking under the influence.

Getting Busted

Should you violate a cycling law, and get busted for it by a policeman, note that traffic violations are typically handled the same as for a moving violation involving an automobile. The ticket should indicate whether the violation involved a bicycle and should not affect your automobile insurance, hopefully.

The Stop Rule

One of first things to remember before cycling on the road is that you must follow nearly all of the same rules that you would while driving a vehicle. You must make a complete stop at red lights and at stop-signs, and go again when the light turns green. If you want to turn left, you may only do so if the light is green and there is no one coming in the opposite direction. You also must stop for crossing pedestrians.

The Idaho Stop

The Idaho Stop is a common name for a law that allows cyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign, and a red light as a stop sign. It first became law in Idaho in 1982, but has not been adopted elsewhere, even though it’s a common practice among cyclists. A form of the law called, “stop as yield”, deals only with stop signs, and has expanded to parts of Colorado and is being considered in other states. Advocates argue that the Idaho stop makes cycling easier and safer, and places the focus where it should be — on yielding the right-of-way. Opponents think it is less safe because it makes cyclists less predictable.

Stop Light Sensors, Not Bike Friendly

Most cyclist who’ve ridden in city traffic, or rural traffic with stop lights know that bikes don’t always trigger the underground metal detectors to change the light from red to green; bikes just don’t have the mass for it. In this instance, you can’t just stand there all day in the middle of the road, waiting for a car to come along and turn the light green.

Stopping Exception

Because cyclists don’t trigger underground sensors, some states have adopted laws allowing cyclists to proceed through a red light if the light doesn’t change due to the inability of the embedded sensors to detect them. These laws typically require the cyclist to confirm that there is no oncoming traffic, and that they wait a required amount of time before proceeding through the light. Check local ordinances in your area for this exception.

Signals Yay or Nae

Just as with vehicles, it’s important to show your intent, and let those around you know what your next move is. Basic hand signalling while on your bike is also typically required by law.

Left Arm Signal

To signal a left turn stick your left arm straight out from your side. To signal a right turn, stick your right arm straight out from your side.

Right Arm Controversy

The right arm out signal contradicts vehicle hand signals, but has proven to be safer for cyclists. Prior to the common sense approach of extending right arm to indicate a right turn, the conventional approach was for cyclist to extend the left upper-arm out to the left, horizontally and angle your forearm vertically upward. This practice is no longer in use. The Uniform Vehicle Code in the U.S. recognizes both, although it recommends the right arm out approach. State traffic laws generally conform to the UVC, but exceptions may exist. British Columbia, for example recognizes both right and left arm signals as appropriate.

Braking Hand Signal

The typical hand signal for braking — left arm out and down — is not always possible. It can be dangerous because both hands are needed to brake and stop. Cyclists therefore sometimes have to choose between giving a hand signal and covering the brake. This one is up to the individual cyclist, but any law that’s going to get you killed is questionable, and you should do what you think is best under the circumstances.

Passing on the Right

It’s common for cyclists to pass on the right when traffic is moving too slow, or if there’s an obvious bike lane on the right. General laws about passing on the right typically states that; ” Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb.” Unfortunately, if you become involved in an accident, “passing on the right,” is most often determined by insurance companies or accident reports.

The Helmet Law

Most cyclists wouldn’t be caught dead without a helmet — no pun intended. But laws don’t apply the same when it comes to helmets, and it’s mostly age appropriate law. There is no blanket law that requires helmets for bicyclists of all ages, but many local ordinances do. Most jurisdictions require the use of bicycle helmets to some degree, typically for cyclists under the age of 16 or 18. Washington state, for example, has no state law addressing the use of helmets at all, but many of its cities do.

Sidewalk Cycling

Most state and local ordinances prohibit bicyclists over a certain age –12 or 13 — from biking on sidewalks, but they must always yield to pedestrians. However, some local ordinances allow bicycling on sidewalks and even prohibit bikes on certain streets. Check it in your city if you’re curious.

Lights and Reflectors

Cyclists are required to have red lights on the back, and white lights on the front, with white reflectors on the front and red reflectors on the back in virtually every state. Details vary with respect to individual state and local laws. This is one that’s likely to be overlooked the most often by cyclists, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the law.

Biking at Night – Light Up!

December 3, 2015 by Wade Shaddy

Without the right attitude and gear, biking at night can be terrifying and dangerous. Even with the right stuff, night riding is intimidating until you get used to it. But there’s another world out there at night, all alone with the scent, the sounds and your thoughts. Don’t miss out on it.

Gear is Everything

Most of your day-only glasses wont work at night, don’t even try to use them, they’re too dark. Clear is the best choice. If you don’t have a pair of clear cycling glasses, try a cheap pair of clear safety glasses. You can pick them up anywhere. Safety glasses also offer better shielding from the wind, most of them have some type of side protection. Don’t worry too much about how you look, but if you’re self-conscious about it, designer safety glasses are available too.

Bike Reflectors

If you ride a high end road or mountain bike, and even though it’s prohibited by most law, the mechanic at the shop you bought it from probably removed all of the reflectors long before you bought it. If he didn’t it’s likely that you removed them yourself, or they broke off at some point and you didn’t replace them. Get new reflectors.

The Law Says

According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, bicycles sold in the United States are required to have a red rear-facing reflector; a colorless front-facing reflector; and amber or essentially colorless pedal reflectors. Bicycles are also required to have spoke-mounted side reflectors that are amber or essentially colorless for the front wheel and red or essentially colorless for the rear wheel.

More Visibility

It’s been argued that you’re actually more visible to cars at night — when properly adorned with lights and reflectors. Cars aren’t looking for bikes during the day, but they can’t ignore a well-lit bike, flashing red, reflecting their own headlights on the road in front of them.

Essential Lights

The more lights the better. The more power the better. Most jurisdictions have laws governing the use of lights on bikes at night, and it’s a given you can’t ride without them. Most cycling advocates agree that the minimum standards set by law concerning adding lights to bikes are not stringent enough. Beefing up your bike with extra lights is always recommended. Here is a list of what we think are the best bike lights on the market.

Red Blinking

A rear red light is essential, particularly one that blinks. A blinking red light is more likely to get the attention of traffic that might not spot you otherwise. Blinking red lights have exploded in popularity, because they work. Some have reflective qualities and can double as the rear reflector required by law.

White Headlights

All types of cycling specific headlights are on the market, including strobes. Some argue that strobes are too bright and can blind anyone but the cyclist. But they do offer extra safety and are hard to miss. For extra points, get a second light for your helmet, which allows you to see wherever you look — although really, it’s as much about being seen as it is being able to see.

Choices Abound

The choices of a headlight for your bike are almost overwhelming, with choices ranging from about $20, to $400. Things to consider besides cost is battery life, battery placement on the frame — some of them have external batteries — and what type of riding you’re going to do at night. Some mountain bike lights are powerful enough to blind you. Others provide only enough light so that motorists see you. You can use anything you want, but go with the best one you can afford. Generally, if you want to be able to see you where you a biking at night you need a minimum of 600 lumens.

Reflective Tape

If adding all those reflectors seems a bit much, consider adding reflective tape to your bike. Reflective tape is available in bike shops in various forms. Some of it is pre-cut, and designed to be applied specific parts of the bike or your apparel. Add it to moving parts such as pedals, the inside of the rims, the pedals or even the heels of your shoe. Moving parts catch light better than frames.

Apparel is Everywhere

High quality reflective gear makes you a lot more visible. It not only works at night, but even during the day. Bike shops have cycling vests starting at about $10 to $15. When you hear or see the lights of a vehicle approaching from the rear, sit up into a vertical position, it makes your reflective gear more noticeable.

Preventative Measures

If it looks like a car doesn’t see you, hop off your bike and onto the sidewalk or ditch. Don’t chance it. Give yourself a little space between yourself and the curb. That gives you some room to move over in case you discover a large vehicle is bearing down on you. It’s a hard concept to perceive at first, but ride as if you were invisible. In other words, ride in such a way that cars won’t hit you — even if they don’t see you.

Reaction Time

A big, powerful light might shoot a decent beam 50-75 feet or more, and that’s fine until you start moving. At 30 miles-per-hour, an average cyclist requires about a half a second to react. At 30 miles-per-hour, you’ve already gone about 20 feet by the time you have time to react. With only 50 feet of illuminated pavement in front of you, it leaves little margin for error at 30 miles-per-hour.

Slow Down

Regardless of what light you have, slow down to increase your reaction time and margin for error. Constant vigilance is important. Small pebbles can become tire bouncing boulders, dark spots on the pavement can be dips or potholes. Shadows can be dogs, cats or other creatures of the night.

The Right Bike

If you can’t bear the thought of crashing your $3,000 road bike at night, consider a different bike. The right bike for night riding is one that is the safest. An older road bike, fatter-than-normal tires, is a good choice. Mountain bikes have the necessary stability to stay rubber-side down if you hit rocks or gravel. But there’s no reason why you cant ride your baby at night either, it’s just a personal choice, but you know how skittish horses are, road bikes are just like that when surprised.

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