How do you move while in slow traffic?

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Thursday guy

Active Member
Say you're in slow stop-start traffic where you can only move about 1 car length every 10 secs or so, how would you move your bike without pedalling?

You could pedal, but seeing as you'd have to get on and off and moving very slowly would be quite unstable, I was wondering if there was a better alternative. I've tried standing over the bike, feet on the ground either side of the bike frame and tried to 'walk' my bike forward, but I can only do very small steps because the pedals kept getting in the way of my legs.
 

cosmicbike

Perhaps This One.....
Moderator
Location
Egham
Filter along the offside if possible, but if staying 'in' the traffic then I keep right foot clipped in and scoot along using left.
 

BlackPanther

Hyper-Fast Recumbent Riding Member.
Location
Doncaster.
Filter, filter, filter. Once you get used to filtering safely through heavy traffic (1 m 20 secs on the vid) you'll find your slow speed balancing, and judging of lights etc means you very rarely have to stop. Of course, if you rode a trike you wouldn't have ANY balancing problems to worry about. If I ever have to move slowly/stop on the df, I stay seated, left foot down, and pedal with my right foot.



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vcw_ydA0gk&list=UUoZNFZMOsaTfand1uZoVowg
 
OP
OP
Thursday guy

Thursday guy

Active Member
Filter, filter, filter. Once you get used to filtering safely through heavy traffic (1 m 20 secs on the vid) you'll find your slow speed balancing, and judging of lights etc means you very rarely have to stop. Of course, if you rode a trike you wouldn't have ANY balancing problems to worry about. If I ever have to move slowly/stop on the df, I stay seated, left foot down, and pedal with my right foot.



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vcw_ydA0gk&list=UUoZNFZMOsaTfand1uZoVowg


pedal with your right foot? do you mean scoot along?
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Filter - cycle on the outside of the queuing traffic, slowly and carefully looking at the traffic coming the other way and for any that might be turning right through the queuing traffic

The previous poster rides a trike, so a bike at ground level no balance needed
 
OP
OP
Thursday guy

Thursday guy

Active Member
Filter - cycle on the outside of the queuing traffic, slowly and carefully looking at the traffic coming the other way and for any that might be turning right through the queuing traffic

The previous poster rides a trike, so a bike at ground level no balance needed

oh right, a trike, my mistake

The main problem I have with filtering through traffic is my judgement on when the light turns green and how exactly I can get back in traffic. I've had a few moments where I'll be filtering along between two lanes of cars and then about 4-5 car lengths away from the traffic lights, they turn green, leaving me in no-mans land
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Don't filter between lanes of traffic! That's suicidal in my view. Only on the outside and be prepared to duck into a gap between cars as they inevitably exist in any queue

Get a copy of john franklin's cycle craft from Amazon :smile:
 

BlackPanther

Hyper-Fast Recumbent Riding Member.
Location
Doncaster.
pedal with your right foot? do you mean scoot along?

No, I meant when stop/starting that's what I do. If it's possible to 'scoot' I'd just ride really slowly. I use cleats so I just leave the right foot locked in which makes it easier to return the right crank to the top for setting off again.
 

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
As others: filter along the drivers side. As and when traffic ahead begins to move and you're mid queue, vehicles inevitably don't start as per F1 - all reacting simultaneously to a single go signal, but wait and respond to the vehicle in front moving off, it gives you plenty of opportunity think where to duck in and retake your position safely in the moving traffic. Have a quick glance at the driver you intend to drop in in front of before doing so, just to make sure they're one of the 99% normal ones and not obliviously asleep or a snarling boy racer loon. When you move, be decisive and don't be stingy with the friendly wave when you're back in the flow, as with a shoulder glance, little gestures can convey a lot of good info/goodwill to a driver behind and a wave of recognition goes a long way.

High cab vehicles are covered elsewhere on the board at the moment, I would suggest you assume that you'll be invisible in close proximity to them and use your judgement of that queue at that time to decide when (if) to filter beyond them.
 
OP
OP
Thursday guy

Thursday guy

Active Member
As others: filter along the drivers side. As and when traffic ahead begins to move and you're mid queue, vehicles inevitably don't start as per F1 - all reacting simultaneously to a single go signal, but wait and respond to the vehicle in front moving off, it gives you plenty of opportunity think where to duck in and retake your position safely in the moving traffic. Have a quick glance at the driver you intend to drop in in front of before doing so, just to make sure they're one of the 99% normal ones and not obliviously asleep or a snarling boy racer loon. When you move, be decisive and don't be stingy with the friendly wave when you're back in the flow, as with a shoulder glance, little gestures can convey a lot of good info/goodwill to a driver behind and a wave of recognition goes a long way.

High cab vehicles are covered elsewhere on the board at the moment, I would suggest you assume that you'll be invisible in close proximity to them and use your judgement of that queue at that time to decide when (if) to filter beyond them.

Cheers for the advice, but what would you do when you're queuing up rather than filtering?

have one foot resting on the pedal and scoot along with the other foot on the ground?
 
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