give a newbie some tips

ashleydwsmith

Morning, new to road riding and tbh a little apprehensive. How do you deal with wet conditions? What do you avoid etc. Primarily using for a 18mile commute but on a roady so want to minimise the risk of coming off in the worst places.

What tips can you offer me.
Cheers

Ash

chrisaonabike

Might sound obvious, but I just go very slowly round corners when it's wet. Apart from that, coming off will be caused by contact with traffic, so all the usual hi-vis, reflective, lights etc advice applies.

night_porter

Steer clear of ironwork and white lines as when they are wet they are treacherous. If you have to cross them then do it in an upright position going straight and then make any turns you need to.

Try to not ride if it is icy, 6 months ago I would have said different and having ridden 8,000+ miles for the last 4 years I thought I could cope with ice until the last 2 months when I have had 3 very very painful offs all due to ice. But I do commute at 6am or midnight so maybe it is just me.

fludey

Avoid painted lines there slippery when wet, as are main hole cover etc. Do all your breaking in a straight line before the corner not in it, and don't hit brakes hard wheels lock ups will have you off.
And get some decent lights on your bike, I was driving in the day other day but dull day and came across bike rider in dark clothing only just saw him!

ashleydwsmith

Got a new lezyne little light that is extremely bright and another as well. Also an endura etape jacket. Seems that generally grip will be ok its just the ironworks and lines to watch for.

What about position on the road, how far out e.t.c?

danlikesbikes

As others have said & a few others;

1) Avoid white lines where possible
2) Avoid road iron where possible
3) Break before a corner not in the corner when the bike is leaned over
4) Look far enough ahead, especially in corners so you can see whats coming and avoid early
5) Good rear light for dull grey conditions makes you easier to see no matter what your wearing
6) Junctions & roundabouts position yourself in a nice positive position away from the curb so drivers don't come along side you and block you right up against the curb, debris, holes, white lines, road iron & obstruct you from being seen by other road users
7) Good jacket, bib's & gloves will keep you warm & dry and make breaking and changing gears much easier and safer when its wet and cold

BR did a post years ago that is pretty good and covers most of the points people have made & mine above too - http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/t ... fic-28134/

ShutUpLegs

Avoid white lines

http://sy.pe/J3DV

sungod

all of the above, plus...

don't undertake/filter at lights, going down the inside of a vehicle at the lights is just asking for it to turn left across you

don't ride in the gutter: a) it's full of crap, lines and ironwork, subsided drains are also getting more common; b) it makes you less visible and cuts your manoeuvering room, ride about a metre out, more if there's room, or where the nearside tyre of a car would be

stake out your piece of the road, that doesn't mean being annoying and holding up others for the sake of it, by all means pull in a bit to let people pass when it's safe for *you*, but conversely don't leave yourself getting squeezed by riding near rhe edge of a road too narrow for safe passing

stay aware of parked vehicles, don't ride close enough to get doored or easily pulled out on, drivers may not see you or realise your speed until it's too late, the more room you leave the better

assume pedestrians, especially joggers, have even less situational awareness than drivers, a loud "hey" or "hello" works well if they're about to walk right across you

smoggysteve

Avoid puddles if you can. Not because of the water, but you do not know which is a bit of standing water and which is a pothole ready to take you out.

MattC59

Be wary of a build up grit in the corners, riding through this can either leave you flat on your ass, or with a puncture.

cornerblock

ashleydwsmith wrote:

What about position on the road, how far out e.t.c?

Maintain a nice line so you are clearly visible, not hiding in the gutter and then suddenly swinging out when you pass parked cars. With parked cars always keep far enough away from the door zone, to prevent being hit by a door suddenly being opened.

Another tip with parked cars, try to pay attention to the position of the car's front wheels as you can get an early warning that they are about to pull out. Some motorists do like to leave them turned which makes it look like they are ready to pull out, a pet hate of mine.

At pinch points on the road, by checking if it's safe to do so I'll always move into primary position until I am safely through the pinch point to prevent vehicles overtaking dangerously. This can annoy some drivers but I'd rather slow them down for a few seconds than have an idiot whizzing past me too closely.

Check here for some more advice on road positioning.

slowbike

I think most of it has already been said ...

Primary for me is just to ride steady - it's not a race - you're better off getting there than not.

You will pick up punctures - I've just got some latex gloves to put in the saddlebag (forgot this morning) for when I've got to deal with those in the wet ...

If you're commuting in the wet then make sure you've either got dry kit or the ability to dry it ... I find a spare pair of gloves handy as mine can take a long time to dry - and wet gloves at home time is horrible!

In the wet a lot of vehicles will have poor visibility - steaming up windscreens, smeary wipers etc - so you need to double your efforts on being seen ...
Lights lights lights - and the front one is important - especially about town - not for you to see, but for others to see you - I just about saw a cyclist with a very dim front light on late one evening - they were on the roundabout and I was approaching it - could easily have been a SMIDSY incident ... For the back I have at least 2 - both are on in the dark, but if one fails I still have the other one - and one has failed before now.

Reflectives are just as important - As well as suitable clothing, I've put some reflective strip down the back of my mudguard ..

Other than that - I don't avoid the wet - I just get on and ride

ashleydwsmith

Cheers everyone feeling a bit more confident think I will blast a quick couple of miles tonight to get used to it!

simon_masterson

Slowbike wrote:

Primary for me is just to ride steady - it's not a race - you're better off getting there than not.

For a 60+ mile ride for someone who doesn't ride much perhaps, but I can't agree with this ethos for commuting.

Unless you have health problems or a very poor diet, 18 hard miles before breakfast should be perfectly manageable - 'Not getting there' doesn't come into it - once you've done enough cycling to train your body a bit, unless you're going at full-on time trial pace and it's very hilly where you live. It's good for you, and more to the point it makes cycle commuting a lot more practical: keeping to an 18 mile distance, requiring 50 minutes or less to get to work as opposed to an an hour and a half gives you a lot more time in the morning...

slowbike

Simon Masterson wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

Primary for me is just to ride steady - it's not a race - you're better off getting there than not.

For a 60+ mile ride for someone who doesn't ride much perhaps, but I can't agree with this ethos for commuting.

Unless you have health problems or a very poor diet, 18 hard miles before breakfast should be perfectly manageable - 'Not getting there' doesn't come into it - once you've done enough cycling to train your body a bit, unless you're going at full-on time trial pace and it's very hilly where you live. It's good for you, and more to the point it makes cycle commuting a lot more practical: keeping to an 18 mile distance, requiring 50 minutes or less to get to work as opposed to an an hour and a half gives you a lot more time in the morning...

You misunderstand - ride steady isn't just about the effort you're putting in - it's more about taking care on the road - both with the road furniture and the traffic.
In the wet there is less grip available - so it makes sense not to do a mad panic full on TT to get to work - leave a few minutes earlier and take your time. If it's dry on route then you can push the pace.

You want an eg? I left this morning, roads were damp with very little standing water, temp was a couple of degrees.
Up & over the hill was still fine, but shortly after it started snowing quite heavily and temp was -1°c = risk of ice - so just take a little more care.

Not getting there is a point about having an off and damaging you/your bike - it is not about getting to the point of exhaustion! - So "steady riding" very much DOES come into it ...

simon_masterson

Slowbike wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

Primary for me is just to ride steady - it's not a race - you're better off getting there than not.

For a 60+ mile ride for someone who doesn't ride much perhaps, but I can't agree with this ethos for commuting.

Unless you have health problems or a very poor diet, 18 hard miles before breakfast should be perfectly manageable - 'Not getting there' doesn't come into it - once you've done enough cycling to train your body a bit, unless you're going at full-on time trial pace and it's very hilly where you live. It's good for you, and more to the point it makes cycle commuting a lot more practical: keeping to an 18 mile distance, requiring 50 minutes or less to get to work as opposed to an an hour and a half gives you a lot more time in the morning...

You misunderstand - ride steady isn't just about the effort you're putting in - it's more about taking care on the road - both with the road furniture and the traffic.
In the wet there is less grip available - so it makes sense not to do a mad panic full on TT to get to work - leave a few minutes earlier and take your time. If it's dry on route then you can push the pace.

You want an eg? I left this morning, roads were damp with very little standing water, temp was a couple of degrees.
Up & over the hill was still fine, but shortly after it started snowing quite heavily and temp was -1°c = risk of ice - so just take a little more care.

Not getting there is a point about having an off and damaging you/your bike - it is not about getting to the point of exhaustion! - So "steady riding" very much DOES come into it ...

You make a fair point, but nevertheless if you take care on corners you should be absolutely fine in the wet; beyond that I never alter my pace because of it and I have never come off on a commute because of a wet road. Ice on the other hand is a different matter entirely!

slowbike

Simon Masterson wrote:

You make a fair point, but nevertheless if you take care on corners you should be absolutely fine in the wet;

:roll: take care on the corners is part of taking it steady - no good bowling down the hill at 40+ only to get to a sharp corner at the bottom with loads of drain covers - all wet ... !

I'm not phased by the weather - I'll ride in the wet/dry/heat/cold - heck, I rode to work in the snow - but the pace you ride isn't just down to your fitness level - it's also down to the road conditions and other road users.

simon_masterson

...And chances are those you share the road with will - at least some of the time - be going fast enough that you'll be having to do some work.

caad5

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Avoid white lines

http://sy.pe/J3DV

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