Changes to your driving caused by cycling...

[ComedyPilot]

Far more chilled a driver now. Not in as much of a hurry. If I want to be somewhere in the car, I just set off earlier.

 

[Davidc]

I like to think I've always been considerate driver. Cycling only reinforced my rules:
* absolutely no speeding (30 mph on a bike feels bloody fast),
* keeping good distance from the traffic ahead of me,
* careful driving around anyone not in a metal box.

I'd say I also developed an idiot-driver radar, it kicks in even when I'm driving. Finally, like so many people above, I really don't enjoy driving and try to avoid it as much as I can. The stats for this year speak for themselves: car 600 miles, bike 6800 miles.

A good point - on a bike you KNOW what 20 mph really is, i.e. fast, and 30 is very fast. In a car you're insulated from reality.

Perhaps that's why I find being driven by cyclists more comfortable than being driven by people who aren't.

 

[Norm]

I find that saying a cheery "Good morning!" to fellow cyclists is more often ignored when I'm on my CB1300, maybe because I've got my full-face lid on.

I have the same issue on my Buell but twice over as I also start to nod at bikers when driving the Land Rover.

 

[BentMikey]

Depends how much engine braking you've got and how big your front discs are! In my case, hoofin' great V-Twin and hoofin' great front discs

So that's no, you can't brake harder than a car, assuming you're both trying. The limiter, in the dry, isn't the power of your brakes, but on a bike is taking it to an endo. With a car it's tyre adhesion because the line from the front wheel contact patch to the centre of gravity is much flatter than that on a bike.

 

[BentMikey]

And, usually drive round pot holes....

Very good! Me too now you mention it.

I have the same issue on my Buell but twice over as I also start to nod at bikers when driving the Land Rover.

LOL, same here, though with me it's skaters.

 

[XmisterIS]

So that's no, you can't brake harder than a car, assuming you're both trying. The limiter, in the dry, isn't the power of your brakes, but on a bike is taking it to an endo. With a car it's tyre adhesion because the line from the front wheel contact patch to the centre of gravity is much flatter than that on a bike.

I'm sure you're right! But my experience has shown me that my bike slows and stops much more readily than my car.

Don't ask why, I don't know why, all I know is that's the way it happens.

 

[GrasB]

A race rep with a well maintained brake system should be able to conclusively out-brake all but the best braked cars around. The main reason in momentum, you're talking about 1/5 to 1/10 the weight with generally a very similar amount of available braking force. From there on out it's all about pilot ability.


Personally I've been riding seriously long before I learnt to drive. The 2 big things I do is avoid pot-holes & I also have to watch my self in traffic not do a quick dart down the outside into that gap 4 places up.

 

[BentMikey]

I think that's another fail on braking physics.

 

[PBancroft]

All I have to say on the matter is this.

 

[Campfire]

I did my IAM in the 1980s, have also driven a truck, have always cycled from childhood & nowadays seriously dislike driving fast. It irritates me when people overtake me, only for me to draw up at traffic lights behind them. Obviously I try to obey the rules of the road (unless I slip up occasionally) and give cyclists LOTS of room. I also try to cycle with the rules I would use driving my car making it clear to everyone what I'm doing. I'm not really such a prig!

 

[GrasB]

I think that's another fail on braking physics.

Actually it's not, we messed about with this on a car/bike control course. On dry surfaces m'bikes, well race reps anyway, typical have have:
* More grip per kg than a car
* Similar braking power to a car in absolute value
* Better brake modulation (the really key item here)
Put those 3 together with good pilots you'll end up with braking distances that are reduced for the m'bikes. The problem comes when things get slippery because the bike's grip per kg is reduces much more quickly than a cars.

 

[BentMikey]

...unlikely. I still think endo is the limiter in the dry, not traction, though I could be wrong. Try comparing like with like: say F1 vs any motorbike class on the same track. The bikes will lose on braking and cornering.

 

[GrasB]

Yeah, however an F1 car gets more deceleration via drag when coasting than an average small hatch back can pull of at it's braking limit (I'm constantly surprised at how bad a lot of modern cars brakes are). They have massive amounts of downforce which make what's delivered on the best road cars look insignificant. The motorbike however will have much lower drag but has little to no downforce. It's an apple & pears comparison.

What I'm talking about is production vehicles on the same day, same bit of tarmac with the same measurement equipment doing braking test race reps from Suzuki, Kawasaki & Honda were typically beating scoobies, evos, Loti, BMW M3/M5s & 911s. For the bikes endos were the order of the day, however endos are much softer on recovery added to the fact the pilot has better modulation control of the brakes leads to noticeable braking distance reduction.

 

[Archie]

I think that's another fail on braking physics.

You throw this type of comment out without backing up your argument, which comes across as rather arrogant. Is it a fail on braking physics? If so, why?

Back on topic. Since I've been cycle commuting my parking skills have deteriorated badly!

 

[thomas]

Back on topic. Since I've been cycle commuting my parking skills have deteriorated badly!

Did you scrap all the way up the side of the car as you tried to fit it in between two bike stands?