Cycling tip du jour, Thursday. Spotting and dealing with sudden gusts

The UK is currently being battered by high winds. In the cities, the wind is barreling through the streets, then eddying in unexpected directions when it hits a brick wall or enormous building. It comes in waves and can be frightening - especially if you're on a bike and being blown around the road in traffic.

On my journey this morning, I realised that I could to some extent anticipate the arrival of a sudden gust. On the canal it was easy as you can see the water rippling darkly as the wind approaches. On the roads you can do it a bit too.

Look for "tells" - the trees and bushes suddenly coming to life. Pedestrians nearby being blown suddenly, umbrellas exploding inside out. Puddles can give clues - they'll ripple too as the wind gets close.

How to cope ...

The key thing is to use the warning to take evasive action. I don't necessarily mean avoiding the gust, but making sure you've got plenty of room on the road around you. This is because if you do actually get blown to one side, it won't be too dangerous as you are in space, not right next to a car.

Also - remember that you can actually stop! A lot of cyclists seem to think it's beneath their pride to stop and wait for a bit - but if the wind is horrendous and the traffic is terrible, why not pull over and wait for a bit - or walk along the pavement and take a quieter route?

I suspect that if you're clever you can chose roads where you know the wind will be consistent rather than gusty - e.g. a long thin corridor type road. But I'm not that clever.

Generally, when the weather's like this, I would go for the smaller roads where possible and be even more careful about giving yourself plenty of time - and plenty of room from other vehicles.

If all else fails. attach a sail to your bike:



I blogged about sail bikes
in Sept last year ...



Cycling tip du jour, Wednesday: Never trust people to give-way

This means: give way to traffic
on major road. A full guide can be
found on the Highway Code
website

Had a nasty little scare on the journey in this morning. I was cycling along George Street just West of Marylebone High Street. Manchester Street was coming up on my left, where there's a set of give-way markings - meaning, of course, that anything coming out of Manchester Street should give way or "cede" to those on George Street. Taking the sign at its word, I cycled past it.

But to my horror, a pretty enormous truck, clearly belting down Manchester Street, appeared on my left, and seemed not to be stopping. I started shouting and waving my hand, and he did actually come to a rest, but with the cab of his truck about 2-3 feet extended beyond the give-way sign. He did nearly hit me, and I'm still not clear whether he actually intended to stop, or just habitually stops beyond the dotted line.

Whatever happens, it led me to think that a good cyclist should not go close to the curb, and indeed should be aiming wherever possible to cycle in the middle of the road so if a car or truck doesn't stop properly, you've a fighting chance of being seen.

And the other thing I learned - just because there's a give-way marking, it doesn't mean they're going to stop. Assume the worst.

Cycling tip du jour, Tuesday. How to arrive at a set of traffic lights.

This is kind of light-hearted but I suspect there's more than a grain of truth in it.

First of all, ask yourself: are you a slow, medium or fast cyclist? Are you expecting to pull away from the lights quickly or slowly?

If you are in the medium or slow category, and there's a fellow cyclist ahead of you waiting at a light - and he or she looks like they might be quick - don't edge in front of them. They were there first and will be annoyed at having to get around you.

Now of course it's not a hard and fast rule, and you can't judge a book by its cover. Someone wearing lycra head to toe might still be slow. And what if you're medium and the other person looks medium too? Or both slow?

But anyway, it is worth thinking about. And there's a serious point too - if someone is having to pull around you, they may be in the path of a car coming from behind.

I would also add:

- don't try to sneak down beside a bus or lorry, especially if you don't know how soon the lights will change
- it's generally polite not to hover right in front of a motorbike, especially if there's room elsewhere for you

Cycling tip du jour, Monday: post-ride bike care

Most of us are so relieved to get to our destination - not to mention probably being late for something - that we lock up the trusty bike and rush off.

The poor old bike, meanwhile, sits there, perhaps pining for its owner, while the water from the rain (especially on a day such as today) slowly seeps into every possible joint, opening, corner, nut, bolt, etc etc.

A trusty rag. Source - Bike Radar which has an excellent 
guide to cleaning bikes

Solution - spend just 4 minutes with an old rag (I have an old T-shirt of my wife's which does sterling service) wiping off the worst of the water, paying particular attention to the chain area. It's mucky work, but will pay off when you don't get squeaky rusting parts down there.

Then, hang up rag to dry, and you're off to work or wherever feeling vaguely smug.

Cycling tip du jour, Tuesday. How to stick out your hand and indicate

Bicycle indication appears to be a dying art. Yet if ever I'm driving a car, I find it incredibly useful to know if:

1) a bike's suddenly going to turn right
2) which exit they're planning on getting off the roundabout on
3) if the cyclist is planning on nipping round a slowing down bus or lorry
4) generally, any information is gold dust in terms of knowing what they're about to do

Well, I was thinking about this quite a bit today as I biked across London, and was again struck by how many cyclists don't bother. It's actually quite easy once you've practiced a bit, so a few ideas:



Looking back and signalling: Source

 - in a car we're told "mirror, signal, manoeuvre". We don't normally have the mirror bit, so I'd generally advocate: "glance back, signal, manoeuvre".
- indicate giving the maximum notice
- stick that arm out boldly and with confidence, don't do it half-heartedly
- if you're sure the car behind you has clocked you and knows what you're about to do, start your turn with confidence
- there's always a tricky bit when you start turning - this is the moment to grab both handle-bars. You DO NOT want to start your manoeuvre with only one hand!

When I'm doing a little nip around a stationary bus or something, I try to incorporate a friendly wave at the driver behind me too - though arguably this is taking things too far. But it's good to acknowledge that a driver has often slowed down to let you pull out.

I'm often also heard to mutter "thanks for not killing me" but I tend to keep that to myself.

Good luck. KC

PS there's a good site Montgomery Bicycle Class which gives some good tips on this

Beautiful London morning in autumn; cycling through leaves in Victoria Park

Nuff said?

Cycling tip du jour, Monday: look behind you!

On my ride in this morning, I was struck by how few cyclists seem to know what's going on behind them. On a personal note it's irritating because fellow cyclists might not know that you're trying to overtake - and they're taking up half the road because of their position.

On a safety note, it's important to know how many monstrous trucks or impatient vans are revving up behind you, so you can be prepared to take the necessary action.

Cars, motorbikes, vans and trucks find it reassuring to know that you the cyclist are aware of their presence behind you.

And I've seen it argued that if a car or truck can see your face occasionally, they recognise you as a human being not just a bicycle, and may behave better.

Don't take this to extremes. Looking forwards is important too. I'm talking occasional but regular glances back, not riding with your head pointing the wrong way ...

Useful links:

Rather pompous sounding article but good tips on "Vehicular Cycling" at Wikipedia
There's a fear-inducing American site called Bicycle Safe, worth a read
Very long but decent article about bike safety by Myra VanInwegen