Are we riding too fast?

[BlackPanther]

Since getting my first road bike, my average cruising speed has increased from around 15mph to 20mph, and my top speed by a fair bit more than that. I've had a couple of close calls, where cars have pulled out on me which I don't think would have happened on the town bike. I think it's because car drivers just aren't used to bicycles approaching at near the speed limit. Has anyone else changed to a faster bike and noticed an increase in brown trouser moments?

 

[marinyork]

Yes. Ride further out. You'll adapt, don't worry.

 

[BSRU]

I have not changed to a racer yet but I am going faster than before and I would agree with what you have written.

Some drivers are useless at judging speeds of bicycles/motorbikes, some drivers see a bicycle and assume it is going at about 10mph.

 

[GrasB]

Yes. Ride further out. You'll adapt, don't worry.

+1 the faster you are the more you need to appear where motorists expect faster travelling vehicles to be.

 

[cyberknight]

I have not changed to a racer yet but I am going faster than before and I would agree with what you have written.

Some drivers are useless at judging speeds of bicycles/motorbikes, some drivers see a bicycle and assume it is going at about 10mph.

+1
I see plenty of overtakes when they pull in a little early based on their assumption of where you should be, i ride a good 1 and a half foot + from the kerb and into primary when necessary.
On the last downhill of my return trip i have been clocked by a mate from work freewheeling at over 35 mph in a 30 zone so i ride well out and do shoulder checks to ensure no one is trying a fast one, why over the speed limit? because cars are doing 40 + and unless i floor it then i get silly over takes .

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Its something that's been around for many years, but seems to have become more common in recent years. Some drivers seem to have a preconceived idea of what sort of speed cyclists travel at, about 5 to 10mph in most cases, and just can't cope with cyclists travelling above that speed. These days I work outside Coventry and I see more of it outside the city than inside the city. Tis puzzling.

 

[gannet]

+1 ride further out

increasing number of drivers don't perceive cyclist speed well at all.

 

[XmisterIS]

+1!!

It is strange that when they do it to me on my bicycle - and I have the audacity to say something - they often tell me I'm riding "too fast", even though I am riding below the speed limit for the road.

It is even more strange that when I am on my motorbike, they look at me with the rabbit-in-the-headlights look and remain frozen to the spot, even when there's plenty of room to pull out into.

 

[Brommie77]

It is strange that when they do it to me on my bicycle - and I have the audacity to say something - they often tell me I'm riding "too fast", even though I am riding below the speed limit for the road.

Exactly that happened to me last night - I was just pushing 24mph (according to my speedo) a car overtook dangerously, then screeched to a halt as it pulled in to avoid hitting a car coming the other way - at the next junction I decided to 'have a word' and he had a go at me for riding so fast that he had to break the speed limit to overtake me......

At that point sense took over and I just rode off, didn't thing someone with that mentatiliy was worth talking to.

 

[I like Skol]

It is even more strange that when I am on my motorbike, they look at me with the rabbit-in-the-headlights look and remain frozen to the spot, even when there's plenty of room to pull out into.

Could it be due to the long running (and hard hitting) TV and public awareness campaigns that have been running for at least 2 decades that I know of. everyone has been programmed to 'think bike' when out on the roads but they seem incapable of stretching that to include 'think bicycle'!

 

[yello]

Yes, motorists do misjudge the speed of some cyclists...

...but I think also some cyclists misjudge their own stopping distance!

I don't see it now but I used to in London; cyclists zipping down bus or cycle lanes etc with little thought for what may pull across their paths. I'd see it and shudder, thinking it too fast for the conditions.

 

[BrumJim]

I have a theory that if you put on your "race face", maybe with added grimace, car drives will realise that you are at least trying to push it hard, and will therefore consider you to be travelling faster. Add high cadence and serious looking cycling gear, and you reduce the odds of a pull-out even further.

But this is just theory. I always assume that a driver is going to pull out on me until I have clear evidence otherwise.

 

[Origamist]

But this is just theory. I always assume that a driver is going to pull out on me until I have clear evidence otherwise.

The only clear evidence that a driver is not going to pull out on you is when you've passed the junction and vehicle!

 

[BrumJim]

I also count:
1) if there is a car alongside or ahead of you that is also blocking his path.
2) Driver approaches the junction slowly, is judging the traffic, and then comes to a definite stop.
3) Driver flashes at you, and there is clearly no one else that he is indicating to (happened to me once)

 

[Origamist]

I also count:
1) if there is a car alongside or ahead of you that is also blocking his path.
2) Driver approaches the junction slowly, is judging the traffic, and then comes to a definite stop.
3) Driver flashes at you, and there is clearly no one else that he is indicating to (happened to me once)

Sorry to be cynical, but all of the above make it less likely a car will pull out on you...