Watch out for bicycles too.

[Redlands Okie]

One thing I am seeing in real life and apparently some in this thread is that bike riders are hard to see. If the bike rider is seen then everyone has time to react. Hunters have to wear orange hats and vest in pretty remote locations. Huge farm tractors have to have the large reflective triangles and in many areas strobe or blinking hazard lights. And they use them. Yet very few of the bikers I see in my area have the lights or reflectors they are supposed to have. Very few wear clothing thats easy to see at a distance. Yet they get upset at vehicles that do not give them room.

If your not seen then its hard to avoid you. It’s that simple.


As far as the horn being used to make a bike rider aware that a vehicle is approaching, its illegal to honk near a bike rider in Oklahoma. Seems silly to limit ways to make bikers aware that a vehicle is coming around.

 

[dodge man]

My newest ride is an e bike. It’s still requires you to pedal and there are various levels of assist you can dial up. I use an app that gives me my average speed. I only ride about 2 to 3 mph faster with the e bike because I keep the assist dialed back. The issue I have when going into a head wind I’m going probably 6 mph faster into the wind. The wind noise can be bad. I had a pickup honk coming up behind me one day and he honked. I liked the fact that he did, but he was behind me quite a bit when he did it so it didn’t scare me.

I also have a rear view mirror on my handle bar end that helps but sometimes you don’t check often enough.

 

[Code54]

I find the handlebar mirrors on my drop bars to work but not all that well. They are low on the bike and are more like a car stick on spot mirror. It can difficult to judge distance with them so I mostly use them to see if I notice anyone close then alway look over my shoulder if I am turning or planning to more out into the lane to avoid something on the side of the road. I like when she one gives me a short beep of the horn to let me know they are going to go around me. I alway wave "thank you" when they do (with all of my hand NOT one finger)

Our biggest problem around here is a lot of the roads dont have any shoulder and often drop into a ditch (often several feet deep), add to that it is not uncommon to have slips where the edge of the breaks away and falls into the ditch line. It does make riding a bit more challenging.

 

[kenmbz]

I agree , lights make a big difference and I try to use them on the bicycle.
The horn is a problem in that it could startle the rider, rather than warn them.

Try sneaking up on someone using a chainsaw with an airhorn

Most of our roads have no shoulder like by Code54. So riding to the side is difficult. And we are very hilly so line of sight is an issue. Same with people walking in the street with dogs/prams etc.

It can be nerve racking, but being from both the driver and the cycling side. We all should just do our best.
I find cell phone users the biggest issue. And cyclists that don't follow road rules the second.

 

[CobyRupert]

I use a mirror like this. It looks goofy as heck, but it’s my life on the line so I don’t care.
Plus it’s easy to slide out of the zip ties and store when I’m on a dedicated bike trail
I’ve tried the handlebar mounted ones. They seem like such a narrow small view, it’s seems they’re always aimed at the wrong spot, especially when roads curve or have hills, or if you’re turning, and by the time the car is close enough to see in the mirror it’s too late.
With a helmet mount, you can turn your head to see exactly where you want or to get a sweeping view.

I’m not one of them “dress up” bikers that you find in the biking and motorcycle world. Some clothing has functionality, but most times it’s just a uniform to signal their status to others. I find the safety shirts with the super reflective stripes a highway flagman would wear to be the best when biking. Cheaper too.

 

[bigtiller]

I kept the snow out of my discussion purposely. I was just trying to talk about the aspect of the road crown, and gravel size in relation to my ankles while running. I agree, running down the middle of the road is not smart. Jon

My knees are like your ankles, they balk when the road isn't somewhat close to level. I only had a quarter mile of road to walk with a steep crown that swerved form side to side. So I did too, staying on the most level portion.

Now I walk inside the tin shed with it's smooth level surface. And if I get hot, I turn on the fans to make my own breeze. Yesterday it was 12 degrees and very windy outside but it was a calm 46 degrees inside.

 

[dodge man]

You can see the mirror on my left handlebars, it’s convex so things have to get fairly close to see anything but it helps. You can also see my lights, the one on my bag flashes and the one below it is always on with the bike. My helmet is lime green and I wear a class III surveyors vest.

 

[ArlyA]

The only mirrors that worked for us are the steel wire made one than goes on your eye glasses. They bend but don't break. They stay adjusted, are as hight as your eyes are and you can turn you head to see more of whats behind you. Third-eye mirrors might be the brand.

 

[CobyRupert]

Hmm…I wonder if there’s a market for a rear view camera or motion detector, etc.. that bluetooths or is wired to a handlebar mounted smartphone / gps tracking screen / simple warning light, etc.. that would provide rider with information of what is behind them.

 

[Jstpssng]

On the subject of “taking the entire lane”. I will do that on occasion but only when a car is not close to me. An example would be I’m turning left at a stop sign.

If you're travelling in that part of the lane and somebody comes up behind you, you are completely in your rights. It's the jumping all over the lane which causes problems as we can't tell what you're about to do next.