If you are new to cycling or worried about being safe on the bike check out the tips in this video that will help you be safer on the road.
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I’ve been asked a few times about how to stay safe on the bike and and it’s one thing people are starting cycling get a bit worried about so [Applause] keep watching the video for some top tips on how to stay safe on a bike I’m David and this is Forest Velo [Applause]
So tip number one can be a bit controversial because it is personal choice especially in the UK but wear a helmet you know if you do come off your bike there’s no discussion of whether it’s going to be safer to have a helmet on if you’re hitting the ground so you know in
My mind first thing you should do is wear a helmet thing that will keep you safe for riding is not to ride in the gutter New Riders often think they should ride really close to the edge like I’m doing now so cars can pass and it’s uh you know giving more space
To them and it’s where you should be but actually it’s far safer for you to ride out a bit the worst road is always going to be pretty much by the edge as you can see it’s quite rough here some potholes and gaps so riding out of it enables you to avoid that
And the highest puncture risk is probably going to be in the gutter where all the fits and grit gathers so try to ride out a little bit another thing you can do on the road is sometimes instead of riding out in the gutter be assertive and take the prime position on the road
If you think it would be a very dangerous place for a car to overtake you or the roads narrowing move out into the road take the prime position so that cars behind won’t overtake and then you can pull in when it’s a bit safer or the road widens
The last thing you want to do in a narrow area is pull across thinking you’re being helpful when really there’s not enough space for a car to overtake it’s always useful to have one of these a rear light modern bikes often don’t have reflectors especially race bikes don’t have reflectors or anything like
That so having that rear light just gives you an extra piece of safety especially when you’re riding like I do in forests and things like that one minute it’s really sunny next minute you’re in shade cars probably find it harder to see you in the tree cover so
Having a light does help with that do to help yourself be safe on a bike is sometimes just be courteous when you know there’s a car behind you trying to get past these over and let them go it’s nice to uh help the relationship between cyclists and cars rather than always
Insist that you’ve got right of way it’s a lot easier to do that when you’re on your own than whether you’re a group of 10 . so just be aware of what’s around you if you’ve got any good suggestions on how to be safe or make your riding safer
Drop them in the comments below be interesting to see what other people do to make sure they have safe rides another thing you can do of course to help you stay safe on the road is to wear more visible clothing I mean a lot of cycle clothing does tend
To be black or dark colors but if you are worried about being seen obviously we’re brighter clothes you can get reflective jackets or bands to wear make sure you’ve got that back light going another thing you can do to improve your safety is improve your skills
It’s really useful on a bike to be able to ride one-handed if you need to take a drink or something like that maybe you need to signal to others about holes or things in the road or signal where you’re turning so being able to go one-handed or even
No-handed confidently is a really useful skill to have and general bike handling skills if you can probably doing some mountain biking or going off-road a bit really improves your general balance and bike handling skills so hope you found those tips useful if you’ve got any other ideas for keeping yourself
Safe on the road drop them in the comments below and until next time see you soon
12 Comments
Definitely lights on the bike front and rear – even in the Summer ! – coming out of the shade out trees on coming [overtaking] cars need to see you.
High viz kit – cant understand GCN always wearing black and riding with no lights !
Nr 1 for me is to pay attention all around and to be proactive. Nr 2 is high viz jerseys and jackets that help a lot to be seen sooner. Nr 3 is a bright flashing rear light.
The roads in the UK look quite narrow by America's standards. We have generous shoulders especially in the rural southwest. When on narrow roads with no shoulder we like to "take the lane" until safe to move over to let cars pass. Good tips! Enjoying the channel!
Yes, when I came off on black ice, the side of my head, hit the road and I’m glad I had my MIPS helmet on that day.
I also use a front flashing light in daylight, as in some conditions it does make me more visible.
my pensioner mate, 81, rides like he owns the road!
Hi viz gear, front and rear flashing lights at all times, even at midday in mid-summer.
Bikers (or motorcyclist) watch out for pedestrians who cross with their heads buried in their cellphones at intersections with no lights. You are in Heaven where you are cycling.
Okay…now EBikes ….the hazards there from some of those riders is a work in progress for me🤔 they are really quiet and FAST. Ebikes here have 1000W outputs. Europe caps it 250W. Some people don't share the road properly.
I have found the Garmin RTL515 radar indispensable.
First you need a bike
I always wear a brightly coloured top, have a flashing rear light, avoid riding during rush hour and plan routes which avoid busy roads. Being courteous is a good tip, looking well ahead and regularly check your bike is road worthy especially tyres.
I use a mirror on all my drop bar bikes, as a car driver i find it very intuitive to keep checking it. I really miss it when on the flat-bar bike.
i think 1) ride where u know the route well when possible. 2) ride with riders u know well or carefully ride with an unknown rider. 3) know how to press brakes correctly: pros press 80 percent hard on the front and pressing 20 percent on the back brake while lean your body towards back. this method will allow u to stop really fast. ty