biking in detroit

[ruxy17]

um i'm pretty sure izzy was joking. right?

[East Detroit]

Obviously, although not really funny and actually looking nasty.

There is a lot of bad information going around this thread, some of it from asshattery and some of it from ignorance. Not riding on the sidewalk isnt just for your own safety [[especially when you cross streets and drivers dont see you until they are in the turn) but also for the safety of others on the sidewalk. Riding WITH traffic [[as you should) DOES minimize injuries. Car is going 35 mph and you are going 15 mph. If you get hit head-on thats like 50 mph into a wall. If the car hits you from behind, guess what... its equivalent to a 20mph impact [[though your forward motion will be faster) and instead of slamming into the windshield or flying over the car, you go forward and if you're lucky you get into grass or dirt on the side of the road.

[Todd_Scott]

There is a lot of bad information going around this thread

I agree. Fortunately it seems most the people know what's best -- and two more on the ignore list.

[otter]

Ruxy,

Congratulations!

First, to address some of your questions:

-You don't have to register your bike. It's generally beneficial, though I suspect this benefit is mostly theoretical in Detroit.

-What kind of trails are you interested in? More pertinently, what kind of riding are you interested in doing, and what type of bike did you get? There are plenty of mountain bike trails outside Detroit, but I bet that's not what you had in mind. In the city, as far as off-street routes go, there is the Dequindre Cut and the Riverwalk, and that's it. But I find Detroit to be an easy city for street riding since there's so little traffic. Near the city, Hines Dr. is very nice to ride, particularly on the Saturdays in the summer when it is closed to car traffic. A little further out, Stony Creek and Island Lake rec areas have nice paved trails to ride.

Locks: No, one good lock and maybe a cable to use with it for the wheels is fine. A U-lock is more effective than a cable. Having said that, I used a cable for years, and it was fine in Detroit, and for certain parts of Chicago, but it is shockingly easy to cut a cable [[someone demonstrated for me by doing it in under 10 seconds with a hacksaw.) Among U-locks, hardened locks [[made from tool steel) are much more effective than non-hardened ones. Generally, the easiest way to tell the diff is that hardened locks are black [[the steel on the "U", not the rubbery coating) and the other kind are plated [[shiny). A cable to secure the other, or both, wheels is useful but maybe not strictly necessary. You can, as someone esle suggested, use secure wheel skewers [[the cam-lever devices that let you remove the wheels quickly) but they are at least as expen$ive as a lock, and if you expect to put your bike in and out of your car regularly you'll probably find them a PITA.

Another poster was correct in that there is plenty of bad information above. For instance, riding on sidwalks as a matter of habit [[as opposed to short distances in certain situations) is a bad idea, both for the cyclist and especially for pedestrians. Also, riding against traffic is dumb. Some people [[like the poster above) will do it no matter what, but please don't be a bike salmon.

For becoming accustomed to riding on the street, you may find some of the information in this document helpful:

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webpor...TWmanual-1.pdf

It is good infromation. I expect you likely find riding on the streets with cars a bit intimdating if you haven't been on a bike since you were 12.

You may also enjoy riding in groups, especially to start out with. Detroit Synergy [[through Alex's Detroit Bikes! project) has a regular schedule of rides, which are focused on seeing the city and take a very relaxed pace that anyone can handle. These are free. Next rides are the Bike To Work Day rides on Friday of next week [[I'll be helping with the GP ride) and I'm not sure when the next regular ride is. Also, the Wheelhouse offers bike tours. These are not free, I think.

Since you haven't been on a bike in a very long time [[I'm guessing your age is not too close to 12 it is worthwhile to spend some time in a quiet, safe place - big parking lot, emptry street, whatever - and just practice riding so that you begin to develop some bike handling skills. It is surprising, when you pay attention to it, how many people literally cannot ride a bike in a straight line. I see it every day.

Hope this helped. I ride pretty much everywhere for everything, and it is a great way to get around or to enjoy yourself outside or to just have fun with friends.

O.

[wolverine]

This thread cracks me up! The argument over street vs. sidewalk and left side vs. right side needs less absolutist thinking and a little more common sense. I actually agree more with izzyindetroit's original advice, but of course there are exceptions.

As for getting hit from the back vs. the front: If a car taveling 45 mph hits you, the few mph difference in your speed will mean the difference between dying in 1 second vs. dying in 2 seconds, i.e. no big deal.

And I only ride old, ugly bikes that no one would want to steal.

I absolutely agree that a lot of it is common sense. I think what people are providing though are some helpful tips. Of course on any quiet residential street it's pretty much all yours for the taking...but of course many destinations are on busy roads, which is where safety is more of an issue.

Please be serious though on the right vs left. I participated on a non-motorized plan for the city of Chicago and being hit from the front vs the back by 35 mph traffic DOES make a difference. Assuming the biker is wearing a helmet, they are much likelier to walk away from an incident if they were going with the flow of traffic...which is why it's the law. They haven't made this off a few people's experiences or what seems like a good idea, but solid data and injury reports. Yes, on any side street you can relax a bit because there are fewer cars, but Detroit does have a lot of busy roads that you will eventually use.

[Gleeman]

never ride on the sidewalk AND Never ride in the left side...whoever you guys are that dfo this are dead wrong with the emphasis on DEAD...many reasons why, and if I didn't care about any bikeriders on this blog I wouldn't make this post....I'm a very experienced road rider with 5000 miles per year on roads in Michigan, Ohio, Italy and France. lets take the sidewalk issue--there's too many hidden places, entrances and exits merging from stores, houses, buildings etc that both people and cars use, and they just bust out from there onto the street so a rider has NO time to react or stop. Plus what kind of realistic speed are you going to get on a sidewalk ?


about the left side of a street...[[2) main reasons to NOT ride there is [[1)...if a rider is going 15 mph and an oncoming car is going 30 mph then the force of impact from a car to a human being is 45 mph. Do YOU want to be hit with a 45 mph impact ? NO ...

and [[2), if you're going 15 mph and an oncoming car is going fast then there is MUCH LESS TIME for both a driver and a cyclist to react to avoid the collision, which could easily mean death. There is more to this, but I'll wait to see how people on this blog want to react to my post here...good luck, cyclists ....

[Russix]

and [[2), if you're going 15 mph and an oncoming car is going fast then there is MUCH LESS TIME for both a driver and a cyclist to react to avoid the collision, which could easily mean death. There is more to this, but I'll wait to see how people on this blog want to react to my post here...good luck, cyclists ....

I noticed this today as bikes going the wrong way seem to fly at you vs. the ones you casually pass.

[jjw]

People are such pussies nowadays. To afraid to do anything. Look, when you are riding your bike on a street where cars control [[most of Detroit), use the sidewalk for your survival. If it looks like you can ride the bike without being sent to hell, use the street. And... always ride with the way the traffic flows.

[mwilbert]

If you ride against traffic or on the sidewalk, drivers don't know what to expect, especially because things like right turn lanes don't work properly if you are going the wrong way, so you have to do something weird when you come to them and turning is quite a problem in general. You also can't see things like left or right turn traffic signals. Too scary for me.

If drivers understand what you are doing, they have an easier time not hitting you. If they have to guess, they very likely will guess wrong. The only way they are likely to figure this out is if you are riding in a way that approximates normal vehicle flow on the road.

If you are riding on the sidewalk, it might be better to ride against traffic, because you are already completely messed up as far as normal traffic flow is concerned, and you probably can see people turning across your path better. However, since I find riding on the sidewalk distasteful [[for anything but tiny stretches to avoid some kind of hazard) t this is strictly theoretical advice; I don't actually do it.

I agree that some streets should be avoided--in Detroit you can usually find a parallel path which has fewer cars or less crud on it. If you are uncomfortable riding on a particular street, try to find an alternative. It is much less fun riding on a street you don't like.

[sam]

I've been out of the state for over 7 years now, but would say riding in the street is fine as long as you stay out of the busy ones. And that's easy to do in Detroit. The waffle-iron street layout where you can take any sidestreet for just about miles is probably one of the few things I miss most about Michigan. Here in Arizona there are nothing but cul-de-sacs. You have to either ride along busy streets [[not very safe even though many have bike lanes) or resign yourself to turning back and forth through mazes and only having a 50-50 chance of finding an outlet. It's great for people who don't like fast traffic whizzing down their residential streets but not very convenient to bicyclists who like to ride on non-busy streets.

I grew up in Highland Park in the 50's and 60's and I rode my bike all over the city. The street grid layout made the city very accessible via bike, and the speed limits on Woodward Ave, or Grand Boulevard were never that high. I especially liked to ride down to Belle Isle. I also used to ride across the Ambassador Bridge and down to Amherstburg, but I don't know if that is possible now.

I have lived in a Northern Virginia suburb for the last 35 years, and I have always found the street design to be horrendous from just about every standpoint. The cul- de-sac is the main culprit. All traffic goes to the main arteries, which have high speed limits. Neighborhoods are strictly an in and out porposition. I never found the residential street traffic to be a problem when growing up. Given the design of the suburbs, bike trails are pretty much mandatory, which is how I ride now, unless it is out in the country.

Sam

[cycledetroit]

Come to Critical Mass!

Last Friday of the month

5:30 at Grand Circus Park

[detroitjim]

B,

There are a few thing that you probably be needing as the frequency and duration of your riding increase. Firstly , get you a helmet .Understandably, they offer limited protection but it could be the difference in you saying that you were glad you had one on ,versus your executor wondering "what if you did "at your ICU bedside. Secondly, you will need a few tools , a small 6 inch adjustable wrench,2 tire levers,patch kit,and an inflator. You will realize the value of these when your 15 miles from home and no one is answering their phone.
Ba-lyle is a nice place to ride but you will soon grow tired of seeing the same scenery.
There are a lot of nice, safe places to pedal in the Metro detroit area.
Hopefully you bought a bike that properly fits you and is adjusted properly.
Some urls to fitting and adjustments.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...2/ai_n6179804/
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
I doesn't have to be so complicated ,but if it fits you ,you will be more likely to ride it more. Saddle adjustment is probably most important since you already have purchased it.
A good online bike store is Nashbar.
http://www.nashbar.com/


J

[otter]

To add to some of detroitjim's good points, it is well worth learning how to fix a flat. It isn't hard, and, as Jim implies, you will eventually be mighty glad you know. Maybe you will be in a place where you can just walk back home or to the car, but everyone who rides should know how in case they need to. The Wheelhouse or The Hub can probably show you. I'd even be willing to show you msyelf.

[Hypestyles]

the city should invest in bike paths as a part of transit redevelopment & recreation space..

[raptor56]

at first glance, I thought the thread title said "bikini" in Detroit. Got excited for a second, then it faded after I re-read the title


Metro Parkway is a fun bike ride during the summer. Coincidentally, it used to be known for its biking bikinis back in the day :-p

[buzzman0077]

I almost shouted when I read the posts about riding on the left or on the sidewalk. Not to repeat too much, but really for the safety of all involved riding in the street on the right and behaving like a car is the best way to ride.
1. It gives car that will need to pass you a maximum amount of time to react and adjust there speed if need be.
2. If you use arm signals it will help drivers anticipate your moves and when you may be slowing.
3. If it is a street with multiple lanes and no shoulder take the right lane as your own and ride in the center of it. This will force cars to use the next lane to pass rather than trying to squeeze past you and forcing you off the road, often with unwelcome consequences.
4. Behave like a car, stop for signs and signals, don't pass a line of cars waiting at a light.
5. Be extra vigilant at cross streets, cars turning onto your street may not see you coming or misjudge your speed.
6. Whenever possible use side streets as opposed to main trafficways. The route you take by car is probably not the best route to take by bike to get to the same place.
7. Start by going on some street rides with people who have spent a lot of time riding in the street to help you get more comfortable with it. If you need someone let me know I'll be in town in June.

[Detroitnerd]

Be sure to always ride on the sidewalk. If the sidewalk isn't an option, then always ride on the left side of the street so you can be sure that traffic sees you and you see them.

Haha. That's the OLD Detroit way. The new school is called "vehicular cycling," which means you behave as if your bike is a car. Fewer accidents at intersections. Also, biking against traffic is silly because drivers are LOOKING at traffic, not at you. Also, getting hit from behind by a car is one of the most uncommon bicycle accidents.