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| *Vultures Knob>>>Exercise Bike |
OK bike enthusiasts.....make way for a newbie......questions about safety...? |
OK. I know that everyone hates a newbie, but here goes......I have reached FORTY years old and I have MS. I finally have decided to start taking better care of myself in hopes of being active as long as possible. I decided to start biking for exercise. I ordered a bike--it will come in in a couple of days. Do most of you limit yourselves to bike trails, etc? I knew a guy once who biked EVERYWHERE and was always in great shape from the exercise. He biked through town and ran all of his errands, etc on his bike. I want to do that, but I am so skittish about biking in town. I am afraid that I will get ran over by a car. Can you give any advice? Have you found it to be dangerous? Are motorists mindful of you? What do you do or wear to make sure that you are seen? You don't need to stay on the bike paths. You are entitled to a piece of the road. You are also required to obey all traffic laws, just as you would in a car. This includes stopping for red lights, signalling for turns, yielding to pedestrians, yielding to emergency vehicles, stopping for school buses with their lights flashing, etc. You ride on the right side of the road, in the same direction as traffic, as far to the right as practical. That doesn't mean as far to the right as you possibly can; you are entilted to a piece of the road to avoid broken glass, storm drains, etc. I usually wear a bright yellow shirt for extra visibility, and I run a flashing taillight, even in the daylight. If you plan to do any riding at night, get a good light system, don't go cheap. Also get some reflective vests and leg bands. I have a light system from NiteRider. Check their whole line at www.niterider.com. Some other good light systems can be found at www.universalcycles.com. I find most drivers are respectful of cyclists, they show me the same respect I show them. Of course, there will always be a few ******** and it's just something you get used to. If you're nervous about riding in traffic, just start out in quiet areas, and when you get more comfortable, move up to the busier areas. You can always avoid roads you don't feel comfortable on. And always wear a helmet. Check out your local bike shop; they might have seminars about basic maintenance like changing a flat. If not, they would be glad to show you. Most Important: Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hi. It's good that you are trying to take care of yourself by staying fit. I too have MS and ride a bike. However, I do not ride the bike because of my MS. I've been riding it long before I found out that I have MS. I live not too far from a park, and that's where I ride it. Mainly, I ride it to and from work by cutting through that park. For safety, I wear a helmet and have reflectors and a front and back light. If you're skiddish, start in the park, trail or neighborhood etc. Once you feel good about your skills hit the road if you like. Riding with traffic varies greatly. You won't catch me on some roads, others are a pleasyre to ride. Pick and choose what you want. If you ease into it, you'll judge for yourself. In general cars (drivers) are OK. But there are jerks and drivers blabbing on their phones that never are aware of their surroundings. Bike defensively. You have to be aware because you are more difficult to see. Any brighter colors help to and a brain bucket. Likely you'll find your comfort level fairly soon. Hi.. Good choice on bike riding... Personally, I ride almost exclusively on city streets... and some park streets, in the DFW area... This is a big city, so I pick my riding times, and the routes to use... you won't see me out there at the peak of rush hours, or in terribly congested areas... For a number of different reasons, I like the early mornings, and after 6:00 p.m. - Mornings, mostly because the sun and the heat are not at their worst yet, and in the evenings, after work... Generally, I bike for pleasure, and not so much for utility... I do research out old historic points / buildings / monuments in the city, and then try to make my way to them as part of my rides... kind of adds a bit of fun and purpose to the whole thing... Is it safe? Considering the number of miles I travel on a bike every year (about 5 years now), I have not had any actual accidents - but two close calls... so I try to stay observant and aware of cars... Just a couple of months ago now, an other cyclist was hit by a car (and then died of his injuries), on one of the very routes I often travel... I did not hear many details about this accident, but it was at a "light controlled" intersection - I don't know what went wrong there.... For most parts, Motorists are fine, but in the DFW area here (land of the BIG SUV), I sense that many drivers would prefer that I was riding on the sidewalks, and not disrupting their travel times. I wear the standard(?) road cyclist jersey (many bright colors), and mostly.. I OWN the lane I ride in. Have fun (carefully). Not everyone hates a newbie, if it weren't for newbies the sport would die, Like Nike says, just do it. make sure you have a well fitting helmet that is rule one! get gloves for comfort and to protect hands if falling, rear and front lights for night rides,for day and night get a set of front and rear reflectors, if you want to go big with watching out for cars get a mirror set or an attachable helmet mirror which is fully adjustable, well that is about it, ride safe, ride smart and progress GOOD LUCK I ride bike , car , motorcycle for great number of years ! You will learn fast ....... Just wish you nice a safe riding . |
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