Wooried about the roads

[Old timer]

Speed Limits

Just an add on.

Near where I live they have started to drop speed limits even on main roads. they seem to be gradually dropping speeds down from 60mph to 40mph and as annoying as it seems at times when driving a car with a clear main road you can see the sense of it.

Now i got into a discussion tonight, we have a main road close by where they have dropped from 60mph down to 50mph and in parts 40mph, our village is 30mph but either side of it the limit is 60mph on country lanes that are not really safe above about 40mph. I think it`s about time that tight bendy lanes should have lower limits. Many times out here you come across horses or cyclists around bends that are just accidents waiting to happen let alone the poor old pheasants that seem to be knocked down in as many times as shot down by the local land owners.

 

[661-Pete]

Hi OT.
Choose a helmet that you feel comfortable in by all means, but don't let's make this thread a helmet debate. If none of the ones in the shop suit your comfort (or your pocket!) defer for a while. For the record, I gave up wearing one some years ago and I feel just as safe! Others put exactly the opposite point of view. Something we've all got used to.

It's all down to statistics (yeah - those numbers we all tell lies, damn lies, about!). Somewhere there's probably a statistic that says, you're more likely to have a serious injury going downstairs to get breakfast and wheel your bike out, than any number of cycling 'offs' on the road. All of life is risky. The posts on this forum distort the picture: no-one's going to notice a post that says "I went for a ride today. I wasn't hit by a car. I didn't fall off".

Leaves on the road? Yes, one of the things to look out for. Like potholes. Like diesel oil (even more dangerous to motorbikes). Like (in a few weeks time) ice. I'm scared of all these and rightly so. Once, in the spring (not autumn) I had that sickening sensation of the rear wheel breaking away whilst turning a corner at speed slightly downhill (I managed to stay upright - just!). Not leaves, not at that time of year. No, it was a mass of catkins fallen off the trees which had accumulated to form a damp sticky but slippery layer on the road. There's always something. You'll learn where the hot-spots are likely to be and be prepared for them, just like I wasn't.

But there are miles and miles of perfectly safe and trouble-free cycling ahead of you. Go to it and happy cycling!

 

[BentMikey]

...and of course cycling is actually a relatively safe activity, not particularly different from walking in the risk of getting KSI'd. Even if helmets did work to the best hopes of helmet proponents, their effect on cycling safety would still be so negligible you needn't worry about wearing one anyway.

The two biggest factors affecting your safety are the numbers of cyclists in the area in which you ride, and next how good your cycle craft is. They will likely have several orders of magnitude more effect on your safety than both helmets and hiviz.

 

[jonny jeez]

Just an add on.

Near where I live they have started to drop speed limits even on main roads. they seem to be gradually dropping speeds down from 60mph to 40mph and as annoying as it seems at times when driving a car with a clear main road you can see the sense of it.
.

I think you have it spot on here.

Driving with a "clear mind" or I would say, the right frame of mind.

Rather than try to fight speed restrictions, I just go with it and find my journey is a whole lot calmer..plus I dont get jumpy and edgey (which I can do when driving in a spirited fashion).

And, odly, I get to wherever I want to get to at about the same time I would if I "chucked the car about".

There's a reason the speeds are restricted

 

[Old timer]

Went and bought a helmet

Just started to ride again and having just read the thread where the young lady was injured.

I live in the country, traffic might not be such a problem but I`m nervous about the wet roads with leaf litter.

Do most bike spills happen around traffic? I`m tempted to lower the pressure in my tyers to get more grip but know it will make for harder riding.

Also, I don`t wear a helmet which makes me more careful. Am I wrong?
Luckily I had a number of years on motorbykes which gives you road sense and teaches you to be wary of road conditions. I must admit that when I`m around cars I tend to take charge and don`t give them a chance to push past me and find that it works quite well( till you meet the nutter that is)

I went out this morning at purchased a helmet. What I didn`t realise was just how light they are and the other thing was that they have built in adjustment for head size and comfort

again I just went to my local byke store (Halfords) and saw the same helpful bike rider salesman (it just makes so much difference when the sales person is knowledgable) and knows some of the pitfuls. Tried on several hats and like has been said here "you sort of know when youv`e got the right one"

Thanks for your help

Dave

 

[shunter]

Just an add on.

I think it`s about time that tight bendy lanes should have lower limits. Many times out here you come across horses or cyclists around bends that are just accidents waiting to happen let alone the poor old pheasants that seem to be knocked down in as many times as shot down by the local land owners.

It's not the speed limit that is the problem in this case but driving too fast for the road conditions. A speed limit is not a speed that has to be reached but a maximum speed when the conditions are right. There are advanced techniques for driving around corners, using road positioning, that will allow you to use more speed. But common sense and reading the road will keep you right especially if you are always able to come to a complete halt in the clear bit of road you can see ahead.

Unfortunately the general masses equate the speed limit as the safe speed recommended for the road concerned and then when they suddenly meet a horse or cyclist ...............nowhere to go! Kaboom !

Pheasants however are a hazard you will not easily predict unless there are signs in the fields - best to slow down if you see signs as they tend to try to fly straight through you.

 

[HobbesChoice]

PS I started riding to work in July and have collected over 1500 miles since then with only one Altercation (that was partially my fault)so ride easy and you’ll get an easy ride.

You had an "altercation" Jonny??? Do you mean you had strong words with someone (or they had strong words with you?) Finding that hard to link with you to be honest so I'm assuming I've understood that incorrectly?

 

[J4CKO]

Secret is to not generate too much centrifugal force, i.e. turning quickly, the bike will have higher limits in the wet than you think but the trouble is all surfaces arent created equal, worn smooth, covered in the usual friction reducers so always assume the lowest common denominator in terms of grip, ice notwithstanding, I just leave the bike in the garage.

A little reduction in tyre pressure within the min and max can help but the lower you go the more effort required.

Try to brake earlier and smoothly.

Read the reviews for your tyres online to see what you can expect in terms of grip, if you dont like what you read, change them for something well regarded.

Good quality Slicks grip better rain or shine on the road, anything with a tread pattern wont really help in terms of wet grip on tarmac, elsewhere, maybe but sometimes the bike can go all squirmy with knobblies.

Main rule with cycling for me is, if you arent sure, don't, stop, take stock and plan, dont blunder through assuming it will be allright.

 

[jonny jeez]

You had an "altercation" Jonny??? Do you mean you had strong words with someone (or they had strong words with you?) Finding that hard to link with you to be honest so I'm assuming I've understood that incorrectly?

They had strong intention to run over me with their lorry...which lead to strong word's from me and then having the last word by running me into the side of a moving bus.

it was the reason I invested in a head cam. I partially blame myself as I should have let the first incident go...and then the second would not have happened

 

[HobbesChoice]

I partially blame myself as I should have let the first incident go...and then the second would not have happened

I don't think you're to blame in the slightest. Letting them know that they've worried you is a good way of letting them know they've done something potentially dangerous, although I know that fear can often mean we react in a louder way than we normally would do. Being pushed into the side of a bus is just vindictive on their part and I can never work out how they think their bullying is justified.

I'm aware I don't know you, but I'm still struggling to link you with someone who would react aggressively. I think a lot of the time people just don't like having their faults pointed out, in whatever manner, and that turns them into point scorers!