Riding Tips for Daily Bicycle Commuters

February 13, 2020

It is never a bad time to start biking to work. If you have the right gear and an appropriate level of confidence, you can definitely tackle a cycling commute in pretty much all kinds of weather. Even if you’ve been bike commuting for a while, you are less likely to forget how amazing it felt to hop on the bike and head off into the city and streets for the very first time.

However, the first ride is always a bit intimidating. Hopping on a bike and heading out on your first ride can be very uncomfortable, confusing and even though outright dangerous if you are not aware of what exactly you are doing.

It is very important for you to understand that cycling is definitely not dangerous. There are just a few things that are a must for you to keep in mind in order to make your experience safe, comfortable, and convenient as possible. In today’s time, we have sprawling, interconnection networks of the protected bike lanes that will help in contributing many of these suggestions obsolete.

But in the meantime, there are few tips that are a must for every first-time bicycle commuter, both in and out of the bike lane. Here are some of the tips that you should use if you are a first-time bicycle commuter:

You must practice cycling:

If you have stopped cycling, and its been many years now the first step you should take while riding around the town is simply getting comfortable on your bicycle. It is very important for you to take some time in order to practice in your driveway, in a calm side street or in a park before you start to take your wheels on the road.

No matter what, make sure that you are practicing enough in order to get your bike on the road safely. Practice the range of motion that you will at some point do on your bicycle such as ridding with your one hand, checking your shoulders, standing up to the paddle and stopping quickly.

Find a partner to ride with:

Riding will be quite safe if you choose a perfect riding partner with you. An experienced rider can tag along will definitely be a great way to beat those first ride bike jitters.

Try to find a friend, family member, or a co-worker who cycles regularly, so that it will become easy for you to join them on a trip around the town. It will be good if you let them lead the way so that you can completely focus on getting comfortable.

Install the alerts on your bicycle:

Before you plan to ride a bike, it is very important to install the alerts on your bicycle. By installing the various types of alerts on your bicycle, you can definitely go on a bike ride safely and can save yourself from unnecessary accidents.

Pass on the left, and use a bell in order to alert the other cyclists and the pedestrians that you are about to pass them. Through the bell, the people around you will get alert and will give you the way through which you can pass easily. You can also say “passing on the left” if you do not have a bell on your cycle.

Try to follow the Road Safety Rules:

It is also important to obey all the traffic rules and traffic lights while riding a bicycle. There are some traffic rules that are a must for everyone to follow. Thes rules include coming to a complete stop at stop signs, ride in the bike lane, and follow the traffic lights.

Try to avoid riding on the sidewalk as that’s meant for pedestrians. When you ride a bike on a sidewalk, it will definitely be going to create a dangerous situation for those who are walking. Moreover, it’ll also become difficult to take thee essential turns to ride in the right direction.

Use the best cycle lock for yourself:

If you are a bike rider and travel a lot on your bike from one place to the other, make sure that you buy u lock bike lock in order to protect your bike from theft. The bicycles are getting stolen on a daily basis and to protect your cycle at the time you are on work, try buying the best bicycle lock for yourself.

The cycle lock is one of the most important things if you are a bike owner. Try getting the best bike locks for your bike that is portable and light in weight.

Always use the hand signals:

While cars come with pre-installed blinkers, bikes don’t have such accessories. No doubt, you can get dedicated blinkers for the bike as well, but it is always a better practice to use hand signals. Blinkers that are made for bikes are usually cheap and wear out too quickly.

So, it is very important for cyclists to use hand signals in order to let those around them to know when they are making a turn, stop or an exact movement in the roadway. This will definitely help in keeping you safe as a cyclist and will avoid an unnecessary accident.

Make yourself visible:

If you want to ride a bicycle safely on the roads, make sure you are making yourself visible to the people who are around you. Biking in a predictable manner will definitely go on a long way to keep you safe on the road. While on the other hand, the usefulness of helmet and the other safety wear for the cyclist remains a contentious issue in the cycling community.

The usage of the lights is very hard to argue against. The motorist cannot look out for you if they really can’t see you. Try to wear a helmet or a shirt that is bright in color, so that you are easily visible to the people who are far away from you.

Try driving in the same direction as the flow of the traffic:

In almost every situation, the bike riders are recommended to follow the same rules and regulations as vehicles. At the time riding on the road, the bicycles are required to travel in the same direction as the flow of the traffic.In this way, you can protect yourself from unnecessary accidents. If you go against the rules and regulations, you can seriously cause huge damage to yourself.