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  • #31
    Long time bike commuter in a very busy city, and have more than a few miles on open roads up here...

    My advice to OP is to stay as far to the side as you can when cars are coming up on you. Wear bright colors and setup your bike with lights or flags to make yourself as visible as reasonably possible. Ride single file if you are with others. Realize the car is going to win every confrontation, so ride defensively and yield when in doubt.

    In other words, do what you can to protect yourself and minimize the chances of an accident, but don't worry about the things that are out of your control. Life is too short.

    Oh, and have fun!

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    • #32
      This conversation makes me think of a poem my mother taught me when I was a kid. As best I can recall it went:

      Here lies the grave of Mike O'Day
      who died defending his right of way.
      His right was clear and his will was strong,
      but he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.

      I find that pulling my canoe on its trailer with a flag makes drivers pay more attention and take fewer risks when passing me. Perhaps because its different than what they expect to see so it jogs their minds a bit, or maybe it's something else.
      Zach

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      • #33
        So , did you make the ride nettijoe96 ???
        Phil



        “The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.” —Herbert Spencer

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        • #34
          Originally posted by mgc View Post
          If you are riding in a group you are not entitled to ride side by side or to commandeer the lane. If there is traffic, pull in and give the car room to pass. It infuriates me to to see cyclists that take over the road and fill the lane. These idiots give cyclists a bad reputation and fuel bad driver behavior. In areas where cyclists travel regularly this can trigger some real and dangerous driver behavior. If I see cyclists blocking a road when I am driving I will pull up next to them when there is room and tell them to pull in. Sometimes they do. Club rides seem to draw morons together.....
          Although, it would seem to make some sense that they did that (riding several side by side) - if they do that and you pass them it would be similar to passing one slow moving car (pull out, pass and then return to your lane).

          Where if they were single file, you'd have to pull out into the other lane for a longer time, especially if they were fairly close together - would be more like trying to pass three or four slower moving cars without space to pull back in between if someone should happen to come from the other direction.

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          • #35
            Originally posted by rdl View Post
            You're no more or less likely to be hit by a car on a 100+ mile outing as you are on a ride around your block.
            Absolutely not true. More exposure equals more risk over time.

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            • #36
              I ride about 2500 miles a season. A good portion of that is commuting. My ride is very rural so there's not much traffic. Paradoxically, that can be a problem. I notice that many drivers are less attentive when traffic is light and are much more likely to be texting.

              I noticed a big difference when I put a flashing red light on the back of my bike. It's just enough to make drivers aware and they generally give me a very wide berth.
              Last edited by vtflyfish; 10-21-2017, 09:08 AM.
              Oscar Wilde:Work is the curse of the drinking class

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              • #37
                What are the chances? What I most often say no matter whether I am riding a bike or driving a car.
                I can almost guarantee that even on a remote country road, when I haven't seen any other traffic for miles, if there is a narrow bridge and a bike (be it me or another rider) that there will also be an oncoming truck (often a big one), with truck , bike, and car all meeting exactly at the bridge location at the same time.
                What are the chances?
                "Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman

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                • #38
                  Maybe it's older age but I feel real uncomfortable riding with traffic even with a wide shoulder. And the NYC "incident" didn't have a calming effect. To think I used to ride to Vermont, what the hell was I thinking? These days I stick to bike paths or back roads but in today's environment I no longer trust motorists to have my back.

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                  • #39
                    Originally posted by montcalm View Post
                    There's a difference between taking the lane and owning your space. Taking the lane makes sense when you are at an intersection and need to turn left, but you only do it until you get through the intersection. Taking the lane on a highway is idiotic. Take your space, but also give cars enough room to get around you.
                    only on the internet right

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by montcalm View Post
                      There's a difference between taking the lane and owning your space. Taking the lane makes sense when you are at an intersection and need to turn left, but you only do it until you get through the intersection. Taking the lane on a highway is idiotic. Take your space, but also give cars enough room to get around you.
                      ? make up your mind bud

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by pigpen View Post
                        ? make up your mind bud
                        That is my personal opinion. I don't take lanes while riding because I don't trust motorists.

                        Despite what the law is, that's just my opinion. I've also almost been hit being far, far on the shoulder by motorists not paying attention. I've almost been by motorists running red lights. I've almost been hit by motorists failing to yield in intersections. Trust me, bicycle vs car, the bicycle is always at a disadvantage and drivers should do more be more aware and cautious around them.

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