BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

first, get the pittsburgh bike map. learn and plot out the route before hand.

try to stick to the side streets, at least until you get more comfortable riding in traffic. practice riding next to cars on a low traffic street. also, practice looking behind you while keeping in a straight line.

i'll have more in a bit

ride predictably and show confidence.

One thing about bikes and traffic is that it becomes much safer when you get experience, so be cautious getting the experience.

If you're from Pitt, there are a couple of cool, easy places to ride to.

It isn't too far (down Bouquet, Jonclare, then turn right down the valley on Boundary street to get to the bike trail. You can go downtown or to the southside on the trails, without doing too much road work. The hill on Jonclare is rough coming back up.

If you go to Schenley Park, the roads there are wide and traffic is low, for the most part. You can go up to Squirrel Hill, catch a movie, shop, or ride on trails in the park.

The back roads between Ellsworth and Fifth are good to get to Shadyside on.

In Oakland itself, be very cautious. Traffic is ruthless.

Be particularly careful on weekend nights. There are drunk drivers who are both rookie drivers and rookie drinkers - mediate on that thought for a moment and you might decide not to bike Forbes and Bouquet on Saturday at midnight.

Be careful, wear a helmet.

Others might not agree with me on this one, but if there is bad traffic/drunkards about, go on the sidewalk -but be careful to keep from being a hazard to pedestrians. Pedestrians own the sidewalk and you are a trespasser. (Drunk WALKERS are just fine by me.)

The sidewalks in Oakland tend to be too crowded to safely bike.

I'm never too proud to get off and walk my bike, if that is what conditions call for. (Well, sometimes I'm too proud, but I like to pretend I'm more righteous than I really am

If you wanted to "train", find an empty parking lot. I use the Schenley golf course parking lot.

Practice two things - panic stops (back wheel starts to leave the pavement) and biking along a painted line on the pavement while looking behind yourself without swerving. If you ride in traffic, you will get a chance to use those skils. I'm older than dirt, but I need to practice both of those things more.

It amazes me how prolific I can get at popsting when I'm avoiding work.

Good luck

Mick

Hi Sarah!

My name is Sara as well. The best way to learn to ride comfortably in traffic is to ride a few times witn someone who is already comfortable riding in traffic, and who rides responsibly in traffic. (So they don't pass on any bad habits. You'll have plenty of time to establish your own.) Send me a PM, and I'll send you my phone number. Hopefully, we can find time for a short ride over the weekend, weather permitting.

i hope i haven't passed on too many bad habits.

My responsible riding comment was added only in response to the relatively recent comment in another thread about the irresponsible rider on the HMB givng all riders a bad name. The entire POINT of riding with a buddy is to learn the RIGHT skills. I'd hate to have a newbie rider learning from the guy referenced in the other thread. As for you Erok, I am certain that you have passed on an absolute TON of good riding habits to a whole lot of people. If the stray bad habit got shared along the way, you are forgiven/excused/whatever.

ha ha, thanks sara, i was just thinking about how many people i've taken out on their first ride around town.

This sounds like a good reason to have a "commuting skillz" clinic when spring arrives.

It could be worth gathering at the Oval or some other large, car-free space to learn how to deal with riding in close proximity with other people/things. The group could then move quiet roads.

Of course, I just thought about what a nightmare it would be to ask a new rider to get to the Oval. That would be pretty stoopid. So, maybe a large parking lot or a park.

I find a valuable bike accessory is my rearview mirror. Highly recommended for road riding. A blinky light in the rear (pun intended) and reflective clothing is also recommended.

there's also a ton of good riding tips here:

http://bike-pgh.org/get_involved/ride-a-bike/bike-to-work-guide/

Speaking of beginner clinics, Bruce Woods and the Major Taylor folks are offering a Bike 101 at the Oval in mid-April...here's the info.

wow! thanks everyone!!!

practicing in a parking lot is a great idea!

i'll DEFINITELY be wearing a helmet! i can't believe how many people ride in pittsburgh without one!!

i'll be getting a reveiw bike mirror for my handlebar too.

I seen that a group called Critical Manners meets every month. has anyone road with them?

you'll get the hang out it sara. i was really nervous to start commuting on my bike a few years ago when i started and the only route i could take was on a really bad road to start on. the #1 thing i'd say is you need to be confident. it's when you aren't confident that you are most in danger of getting hurt. don't let cars push you around, but don't be stupid. i'd volunteer to go on a ride with you but i'm too much of a wuss to ride in this weather. if you're still in need of a riding partner when this weather breaks i'm all yours. good luck!

I concur... The people who get in the most trouble are not confident. I have ridden with a few nervous riders and they tend to do things that will get themselves in trouble, and actually pay less attention to what is going on around them.

I find the same thing to be true with drivers. I know a couple of people I almost refuse to go anywhere with if they are driving because I always feel like they are going to get in an accident from being so damn nervous.

One of these friends literally totaled a BRAND NEW car less than an hour after driving it off the lot!!!

She rear-ended someone and I am positive she was shaking in her boots and scared to death about figuring out all the new knobs and dials and too worried about hitting someone that she did just that.

I grew up out in hillbilly land, so it is easier to gain confidence when all of your road rides as a child involved cars whizzing past you at 60+mph. When I moved to the city, even though traffic was heavy, it moves much slower and I was not scared at all.

Mountain biking is also a good way to learn confidence because if you can ride over logs, singletrack, staircases, and jump over curbs gracefully, traffic is not so scary anymore. The bike handling skills you pick up doing that transfer nicely to the road. My road biking skills improved dramatically when I got into mountain biking a few years later.

I know a lot of "roadies" who are scared to death of potholes and things like that, while myself and others who ride off-road are comfortable taking a skinny road bike with 700X20 tires into the woods (obviously not anywhere that wheels can get broken).

When I see a pothole on my road bike I just bunny hop it, where a lot of roadies freak out and just slam into it hoping for the best.

I agree with the confidence thing. It can be pretty scary to ride on the road if you aren't used to it.