The ultimate guide to your two-wheel ride
With a growing student population, there are more and more students opting to bike to class instead of walking. Biking provides riders with many benefits-you can leave for class later, get some exercise, and most importantly, you look cool speeding past all those slow pedestrians.
Riding a bike has several different aspects to it: the safety gear and equipment required to ride, the upkeep and care for a bicycle, and the interaction between cyclists and others.
If you plan on riding to class, be sure that your bike is properly equipped and that you are following all safety guidelines and laws, otherwise you might find yourself or others getting injured.
The state of Georgia only requires riders 16and under to wear a helmet while riding, but it is strongly recommended that everyone wear one to avoid head injury in case of an accident.
For those student riders who have classes that end at night when it’s dark, the state requires you to have a white headlight that is visible from 300 feet away and a red tail reflector with the same visibility requirements. Most bicycles come with the reflector already, but you’ll need to buy a headlight to be in accordance with the law.
Once your bicycle is equipped with all the necessary accessories, and you start to ride often, you’ll need to be sure you maintain your bicycle. This includes checking the tires, chain and brakes before you ride. A well cared for bicycle will return the favor and keep the rider safe.
The boom of bikes has lead to a lot of confusion about how cyclists should ride and react to motorists and pedestrians, as well as how motorists should deal with riders.
“A lot of times you get in a bad situation because the motorist just doesn’t know what to do,” said Adam Heagy, an employee of Milledgeville’s bike shop, Oconee Outfitters. “Part of that is a lack of education on the motorist and part of that is a lack of education on the part of the cyclist.”
Students who ride their bikes around town tend to cling to the sidewalks in an attempt to avoid getting run over by a car, but Heagy claims that students should use the road when riding.
“A lot of people fool themselves into thinking they’re safer on the sidewalks,” Heagy said. “But a lot of them get hit in a crosswalk, because they’re coming off the sidewalk into the roadway and you know somebody in a car isn’t paying attention to what you’re doing on the sidewalk.”
As Milledgeville and GCSU continue to grow, expect to see the number of students riding bicycles to increase. Cyclists need to understand how to ride, what to use while riding and how to keep their bicycles maintained. More importantly, motorists should know how to react and deal with bicycles while driving. If you ever have a question or need something for your bike you can always stop by Oconee Outfitter’s right across from Golden Pantry on Hancock Street.
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Remember: Cyclists and motorists both share the road and both are responsible for obeying all traffic laws and showing respect to each other.
Tips for Motorists:
- Always scan for bicycles around you like you would other cars
- Take extra care when exiting alleys and driveways
- Give bikes the right of way at intersections
- Allow at least 3 feet between a bike and your car
- Be patient and wait until it’s safe to pass a bicycle
- Yelling, honking, and other antagonizing acts will not make a bike go any faster
- Do not speed ahead and cut off cyclists, as you turn right
- Do not harass or endanger a cyclist
Tips for Cyclists:
- Ride to the right of the road with the flow of traffic.
- Always use hand signals when turning or changing lanes
- Ride predictably
- Take up whole lane when it’s not safe for traffic to pass you
- Do not pass traffic on the right; ride with it
- Stay on the road at intersections; do not swerve into crosswalks
- When passing a parked car make sure you’re far enough away to not get hit by the door
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Equipment
Brakes: One of the most important parts of a bike-if you can’t stop then it’s all over for you. Now everyone knows that your brakes should work, but in Georgia, there’s a law that you must be able to make your bike skid on dry, level pavement. Over time your brakes will naturally start to deteriorate from use. Most cyclist agree that you test your brakes before any ride and if they seem bad then your cables may need to be adjusted or your pads replaced, both of which your local bike shop can do easily.
Chain: The chain of a bike is what makes it go forward, connecting the pedals to the wheels and make everything go round. If your chain breaks or becomes worn and rusty then chances are your riding experience won’t be a pleasant one. All that you have to do to take care of your chain is lube it every week or so. And then after lubing it, be sure to wipe off the excess lube. This will reduce the friction and strain on your chain and increase the lifespan of your chain. Nothing’s worse than heading off to class and halfway through your chain breaks and you have to walk the rest of the way all because you neglected to care for your chain.
Tires: Always choose tires that are designed for the type of riding you plan to do. Wider knobby tires are best suited for dirt trails and unpaved surfaces. Thing tires with less tread and better suited for road riding. No matter the type of tire, make sure to inflate your tires to the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. Just like brakes, your tires start to wear from use so check them every week for loss of air pressure or tread wear.
Helmet: They aren’t the coolest looking things, but wearing a helmet could potentially save your life. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, wearing a helmet reduces chance of head or brain injury by 85%. Simply, wearing a helmet isn’t good enough; you’ve also got to wear it correctly. The front of the helmet should rest an inch or less from your eyebrows and not titled back. You should be able to fit a finger between the chinstrap and your chin; otherwise the helmet is not properly secured.
Clothing: The number one cause of cars hitting bikes is that the rider was not clearly visible. Wearing bright clothing while riding is essential to your safety-a motorist is less likely to hit you if they can see you. The brighter your clothes are, the more likely other people, including motorists are to see you. Clothes that are yellow and orange are your best choice. You should avoid wearing, black, grey, and dark green or brown because those colors tend to blend in to landscapes. Avoid wearing flip-flops or sandals to decrease the likely look of injuring your feet while riding or in a crash.
Headlight: If you plan on riding at night, or even if you don’t having a headlight on the front of your bike provides an added layer of safety to your riding. Under Georgia law it is illegal for anyone to ride at night without a white headlight that is visible from 300 feet away. This law may seem over the top and just more government control, but the law is actually out there to provide safety to cyclists. Once the sun sets, both drivers and cyclists have to exert more energy to travel safely, so having a headlight make the job of being visible easier for you and the job of spotting you easier for motorists.
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Riding in Difficult or Unusual Conditions
Wet Weather
When riding in wet weather always stay as dry as possible. If you have a cycling jacket, wear it; the longer back panel on cycling jackets keeps you dryer than using a normal jacket. Avoid wearing long overcoats because the coat could easily get caught in the chain or the wheels and cause serious injuries. Try not to wear a hoodie or hooded jacket because the hood constrains head movement and makes looking behind you more difficult. To avoid getting water in your eyes you should wear glasses or a baseball cap while riding in wet weather. The most important thing to do while riding in wet weather is to compensate for the water on the road. A wet road makes braking harder, so always allow yourself extra time to stop after or during a rainstorm.
Extreme Heat
Living in Georgia it’s not uncommon for summer days to climb up into the 90s and sometimes over 100. If you find yourself out riding on an extremely hot day, there are a few ways to make your ride better. The first and most obvious thing to do is drink plenty of fluids, and no I’m not talking alcohol here, lots of water or sports drinks. If you stay hydrated, you’ll be fine. While on your ride you should also use sunscreen to avoid getting sun burned. No matter how fast you ride or where you go, you can’t escape the sun and it’s evil rays. Another thing you should do that almost goes without saying is wear lightweight clothes to avoid becoming overheated while riding.
Extreme Cold
While it may not be a factor very often in Georgia, you should be ready to deal with extremely cold temperatures while riding. When the temperature outside is low it’s tempting to just grab the heaviest coat you have and go, but the most important thing you can do while riding in cold weather is the dress in layers that can be shed easily. During your ride you might find yourself getting hot from all the energy you’ve been exerting that you may not want a big hot coat and just want a lightweight jacket so if you dress I layers it’s not a problem to just pull over and shed some clothes then continue on your way. If it gets too cold or hard to ride make sure you get inside as quick as possible. Try to avoid going out if there’s a chance of ice because it’s hard to control a bike without slipping.
Dealing with Dogs
As weird as it sounds, one of the biggest problems cyclists face are dogs that aren’t fenced in or chained. Most people assume all dogs are nice and just want attention, however that isn’t the case when cycling. Often a dog will get excited from seeing a cyclist and hearing bike noises and will take off chasing the bike. If this happens to you, don’t panic no matter how big the dog is. You should start off by pointing and yelling No at the dog. Most owners have been trained their dogs to understand that no means stop doing what it’s doing. If the dog continues the chase then slow down so you can spray the dog with your water bottle. In the rare case that the dog is too fast or persistent, you should dismount from your bike and start to walk but make sure you keep your bike between you and the dog to avoid injuries. If a dog becomes a major problem for you there are commercial dog repellants you can buy to keep them away.
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Some of Georgia’s Bike Laws
40-6-292 (a)
A person propelling a bicycle shall not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto and shallow allow no person to ride upon the handlebars.
40-6-293
No person riding upon any bicycle, coaster, roller skates, sled, or toy vehicle shall attach the same or himself to any vehicle upon a roadway.
40-6-294 (a)
Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the ride side of the roadway as practicable, except when turning left or avoiding hazards to safe cycling, when the lane is too narrow to share safely with a motor vehicle, when traveling at the same speed as traffic, or while exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction provided, however, that every person operating a bicycle away from the right side of the roadway shall exercise reasonable care and shall give due consideration to the other applicable rules of the road.
40-6-295
No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle or other article which prevents him from keeping at least one hand upon the handlebars.
40-6-296 (a)
Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a light on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of 300 feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety which shall be visible from a distance of 300 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlights on a motor vehicle. A light emitting a red light visible form a distance of 300 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.
40-6-296 (b)
Every bicycle sold or operated shall be equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level pavement.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Nov 14 2008. Filed under News.
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