8 ms·

yes, they are expensive, but once you have a cargo bike you can carry home a tig welder, alu pipes and all the other stuff to build a cargo bike :D No seriousl

by TomK32 8y ago

yes, they are expensive, but once you have a cargo bike you can carry home a tig welder, alu pipes and all the other stuff to build a cargo bike :D No seriously, they are expensive but if you look at craigslist and similar, they keep their value if you take care of your bike. and regarding road safety, ride in the right tire-mark left by the cars. you'll be safe from dooring and cars have to slow down and change lanes to overtake you instead of squeezing through.

whatshisface 8y ago
>ride in the right tire-mark left by the cars. If you're going to do that, why not just ride in the center of the lane like a motorcycle?
- edoceo 8y ago
  The center of the lane is slick with oil drippings, especially after rain. Right side tire rut is visible in rear-view mirror.
- 1over137 8y ago
  Riding in the centre of a lane is illegal in many places.
  - bluejekyll 8y ago
    Where? In CA a cyclist has as much right to the road as a car. A mistake I often see cyclists make is to allow themselves to be stuck in a very narrow space between the center of the lane and the edge of the road/curb/parked cars. When the road is too narrow, and there isn’t a safe place for a car to pass you, it’s important to consume the space in a way that makes it obvious to cars that they should not attempt to pass you. Yes, there are some a-holes this pisses off because they had to slow down and lose 30 seconds of their day, but it’s far safer, and worth being honked at.
    - maxerickson 8y ago
      Michigan has a keep right except when necessary law. So you can take the lane to turn left or if you believe keeping right is dangerous, etc.
    - monkeywork 8y ago
      https://losangelesbicyclelaw.com/california-bicycle-laws-overview/ https://losangelesbicyclelaw.com/california-bicycle-laws-ove... "When there isn’t a bicycle lane, try to stay near the right curb. Unless you are moving faster than vehicle traffic, passing another bicycle, or making a left turn, you should typically stay close to the curb or road’s edge." http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_road http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_r... "The law says that people who ride bikes must ride as close to the right side of the road as practicable except under the following conditions: when passing, preparing for a left turn, avoiding hazards, if the lane is too narrow to share, or if approaching a place where a right turn is authorized."
      - btrettel 8y ago
        "If the lane is too narrow to share" can legally be invoked in most cases from what I understand, because most lanes cyclists ride in are narrow enough. https://www.bikeleague.org/content/traffic-laws https://www.bikeleague.org/content/traffic-laws > Bikes can share the same lane with other drivers. If a lane is wide enough to share with another vehicle (about 14 feet), ride three feet to the right of traffic. If the lane is not wide enough to share, “take the lane” by riding in the middle. In Texas, 14 feet is explicitly written into the law. As a cyclist I frequently point this out to aggressive drivers. From what I understand there's often case law establishing this in states without an explicit law, but as I said, I live in Texas, so I'm not entirely familiar with other states' laws. Quotes from Texas' law: http://www.biketexas.org/en/infrastructure/texas-bicycle-laws http://www.biketexas.org/en/infrastructure/texas-bicycle-law... > (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a person operating a bicycle on a roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway, unless: > [...] > (4) the person is operating a bicycle in an outside lane that is: > (A) less than 14 feet in width and does not have a designated bicycle lane adjacent to that lane; or Also, in the US, my understanding is that cyclists can ride whereever they want if they are at or near the speed limit. Still doesn't stop some drivers from almost killing me because they think 20 mph in a 15 mph zone is too slow.
- monkeywork 8y ago
  This is often very illegal to do on a bicycle. On a motorcycle lane position is very situational... however very very rarely if you are in motion is being in the middle of the lane a good idea. Generally speaking you should only be in the middle of the lane when you are fully stopped at a stop sign or light to keep cars from trying to squeeze by you. On a normal two lane road (one each direction) you want to stay in the left hand side of the lane. This is so people over taking a car behind you spot you and don't force themselves in putting you in a dangerous spot. On a four lane road (two lanes each way) you would hold the same position as previously mentioned if you were in the right lane however if you are in the left lane you would want to stay to the right side of that lane... this way again someone merging in from the right lane would see you.
  - kevinschumacher 8y ago
    > [riding in the middle of the lane] is often very illegal to do on a bicycle. Where are you from? In the few major US cities I've lived, this is legal. The road laws here typically treat bicycles the same as other cars (with exceptions). IME, in urban, US east-coast cities, if you are toward one side of the lane, cars will try and pass you (even on the right... and yes that pushes the cyclist into oncoming traffic). It's a common opinion that you should take the whole lane, and let faster vehicles pass you as they would a slower car.
    - monkeywork 8y ago
      I would suggest actually looking into the traffic law - MOST - places explicitly state that bicycles should (with very few very specific exceptions) remain to the right side of the lane. The Cyclist community disagree's with this in most places I've seen it mentioned but that doesn't change what the laws are. I'm not arguing safety I'm simply stating what is written. Obviously this varies from area to area but again suggest looking up what it actually states rather than your impression of it. As far as cars passing you - if you are to the right side of the lane as most traffic laws require then cars should be able to easily pass you on the left without incident. In my opinion a cyclist should not be purposely using an entire lane and backing up traffic for faster moving vehicles (forcing them to pass as they would a slower car which can cause issues during high traffic periods) when simply moving to the right is all that is required. Using the entire lane as a matter of principle increases your danger by provoking aggressive driving / road rage.
u801e 8y ago
It's actually better to ride slightly to the left of center (between the center and left tire track). Some cars, will try to squeeze themselves between you and oncoming traffic when you ride in the right tire track. Riding further to the left will make it clear to those behind you that they must change lanes to pass you.

by TomK32 8y ago

whatshisface 8y ago

>ride in the right tire-mark left by the cars. If you're going to do that, why not just ride in the center of the lane like a motorcycle?

edoceo 8y ago
The center of the lane is slick with oil drippings, especially after rain. Right side tire rut is visible in rear-view mirror.
1over137 8y ago
Riding in the centre of a lane is illegal in many places.
- bluejekyll 8y ago
  Where? In CA a cyclist has as much right to the road as a car. A mistake I often see cyclists make is to allow themselves to be stuck in a very narrow space between the center of the lane and the edge of the road/curb/parked cars. When the road is too narrow, and there isn’t a safe place for a car to pass you, it’s important to consume the space in a way that makes it obvious to cars that they should not attempt to pass you. Yes, there are some a-holes this pisses off because they had to slow down and lose 30 seconds of their day, but it’s far safer, and worth being honked at.
  - maxerickson 8y ago
    Michigan has a keep right except when necessary law. So you can take the lane to turn left or if you believe keeping right is dangerous, etc.
  - monkeywork 8y ago
    https://losangelesbicyclelaw.com/california-bicycle-laws-overview/ https://losangelesbicyclelaw.com/california-bicycle-laws-ove... "When there isn’t a bicycle lane, try to stay near the right curb. Unless you are moving faster than vehicle traffic, passing another bicycle, or making a left turn, you should typically stay close to the curb or road’s edge." http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_road http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_r... "The law says that people who ride bikes must ride as close to the right side of the road as practicable except under the following conditions: when passing, preparing for a left turn, avoiding hazards, if the lane is too narrow to share, or if approaching a place where a right turn is authorized."
    - btrettel 8y ago
      "If the lane is too narrow to share" can legally be invoked in most cases from what I understand, because most lanes cyclists ride in are narrow enough. https://www.bikeleague.org/content/traffic-laws https://www.bikeleague.org/content/traffic-laws > Bikes can share the same lane with other drivers. If a lane is wide enough to share with another vehicle (about 14 feet), ride three feet to the right of traffic. If the lane is not wide enough to share, “take the lane” by riding in the middle. In Texas, 14 feet is explicitly written into the law. As a cyclist I frequently point this out to aggressive drivers. From what I understand there's often case law establishing this in states without an explicit law, but as I said, I live in Texas, so I'm not entirely familiar with other states' laws. Quotes from Texas' law: http://www.biketexas.org/en/infrastructure/texas-bicycle-laws http://www.biketexas.org/en/infrastructure/texas-bicycle-law... > (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a person operating a bicycle on a roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway, unless: > [...] > (4) the person is operating a bicycle in an outside lane that is: > (A) less than 14 feet in width and does not have a designated bicycle lane adjacent to that lane; or Also, in the US, my understanding is that cyclists can ride whereever they want if they are at or near the speed limit. Still doesn't stop some drivers from almost killing me because they think 20 mph in a 15 mph zone is too slow.
monkeywork 8y ago
This is often very illegal to do on a bicycle. On a motorcycle lane position is very situational... however very very rarely if you are in motion is being in the middle of the lane a good idea. Generally speaking you should only be in the middle of the lane when you are fully stopped at a stop sign or light to keep cars from trying to squeeze by you. On a normal two lane road (one each direction) you want to stay in the left hand side of the lane. This is so people over taking a car behind you spot you and don't force themselves in putting you in a dangerous spot. On a four lane road (two lanes each way) you would hold the same position as previously mentioned if you were in the right lane however if you are in the left lane you would want to stay to the right side of that lane... this way again someone merging in from the right lane would see you.
- kevinschumacher 8y ago
  > [riding in the middle of the lane] is often very illegal to do on a bicycle. Where are you from? In the few major US cities I've lived, this is legal. The road laws here typically treat bicycles the same as other cars (with exceptions). IME, in urban, US east-coast cities, if you are toward one side of the lane, cars will try and pass you (even on the right... and yes that pushes the cyclist into oncoming traffic). It's a common opinion that you should take the whole lane, and let faster vehicles pass you as they would a slower car.
  - monkeywork 8y ago
    I would suggest actually looking into the traffic law - MOST - places explicitly state that bicycles should (with very few very specific exceptions) remain to the right side of the lane. The Cyclist community disagree's with this in most places I've seen it mentioned but that doesn't change what the laws are. I'm not arguing safety I'm simply stating what is written. Obviously this varies from area to area but again suggest looking up what it actually states rather than your impression of it. As far as cars passing you - if you are to the right side of the lane as most traffic laws require then cars should be able to easily pass you on the left without incident. In my opinion a cyclist should not be purposely using an entire lane and backing up traffic for faster moving vehicles (forcing them to pass as they would a slower car which can cause issues during high traffic periods) when simply moving to the right is all that is required. Using the entire lane as a matter of principle increases your danger by provoking aggressive driving / road rage.

u801e 8y ago

It's actually better to ride slightly to the left of center (between the center and left tire track). Some cars, will try to squeeze themselves between you and oncoming traffic when you ride in the right tire track. Riding further to the left will make it clear to those behind you that they must change lanes to pass you.