Category: Traffic Skills

Understanding the dynamics of riding where there are cars

Thoughts on Rear View Bike Mirrors

Bike Mirrors

I’m an adamant mirror user; if I leave my apartment having forgotten my mirror, I go back up to get it. A bike mirror reduces that tense feeling you get from not knowing what’s coming up behind you. Increased awareness leads to a more fluid style of riding.

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Avoiding the Right Hook

It’s called the RIGHT HOOK, and it’s one of the most startling and infuriating conflicts that cyclists experience. The Right Hook conflict occurs when a motorist makes a right turn directly in front of you, cutting you off. It’s particularly surprising because it seems like the driver should have seen you – for cryin’ out …

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Go with the Flow

Everybody knows that bikes ride in the same direction as traffic. (everybody knows that, right?) So I was surprised by a conversation I had with a softball buddy this summer. “I feel safer riding against traffic”, he said. “I like to see what’s coming at me”.

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