How to Survive
Road Hazards
By Fred Matheny and
Ed Pavelka of www.RoadBikeRider.com
Cycling is a unique
sport because its arena is the open road. That’s the
same place frequented by traffic, potholes, snarling
dogs and absentminded pedestrians.
But sometimes we’re our
own worst enemy. Inattention and poor technique can
put us on the pavement as fast as any hazard. Use
these tips and you’ll be less likely to take a
tumble.
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Always ride
with your head up. While cruising
along, it’s tempting to stare at the whirling
pattern of the front spokes or fixate on your
cyclecomputer’s numbers. A momentary downward
glance that lasts just a second too long can
mean riding into a problem that could easily
have been avoided.
-
Focus.
The smooth and rhythmic motion of pedaling can
have a hypnotic effect. Daydreaming cyclists
have crashed into the back of parked cars,
wandered far into the traffic lane or blithely
ridden off the road. Don’t let yourself be
separated from the outside world by the vivid
canvases created by your imagination. Keep your
head in the game.
-
Keep your bike
in top mechanical condition. Repair or
replace faulty parts sooner rather than later.
It’s a loser’s game to milk “just one more ride”
out of worn brake pads, a frayed cable, or tires
with a threadbare tread or bulging sidewall.
Your first line of defense against the
challenges of the real world is a bike with all
parts in good working order.
Punctures
It’s every rider’s fate
to flat. But it’s relatively easy to limit the
frequency.
-
Choose your
line with care. The best way to avoid
punctures is also the easiest: Steer around
broken glass, road rubble and potholes.
-
Use tires with
a Kevlar belt under the tread. Kevlar
does a good job of stopping nasty things from
penetrating. Inspect the tread after every ride
for embedded debris. Remember, most punctures
are caused by something sticking to the tread
and working through during numerous wheel
revolutions. Replace tires before they become so
thin that they’re virtually defenseless against
pointy things.
-
Check
inflation pressure every couple of days.
Tubes are slightly porous and may lose several
pounds of pressure each day. Soft tires slow you
down, corner poorly, wear fast, and don’t
protect your rims against metal-bending impacts.
Potholes
Hitting potholes can
bend your rims beyond repair. If the chasm is deep
enough, it will send you hurtling over the handlebar
when you bury the front wheel and the bike suddenly
stops. Here’s a primer on pothole evasion.
-
Note where
potholes lurk on your normal training
routes. Plan your line well in advance to avoid
them. Don’t expect the road to be in the same
condition every day. Potholes have a habit of
sprouting up out of nowhere, especially in the
winter and early spring due to the daily
freeze/thaw cycle.
-
Treat potholes
like glass. Ride around them, first
checking behind for traffic. Be mindful of
riding partners when you change your line. Newly
minted potholes present a double hazard—the
chasm itself, and the chunks of shattered
pavement around it. If the pothole doesn’t bend
your wheel, the sharp bits of rubble might
puncture your tire. Give these highway craters a
wide berth.
-
Jump your bike
over a pothole, if you have the skill
and are unable to ride around it because of
traffic or adjacent riders. Learn this move on a
grassy field. Level your pedals, crouch off the
saddle, then spring up and lift with your feet
and hands. Start by jumping over a line on the
ground, then graduate to higher but forgiving
objects such as a rolled-up towel or a shoebox.
Railroad Tracks
Unlike most dangers,
tracks can’t be ridden around. You can suffer an
instant crash if your tires slip on the shiny steel
rails. Ride with extreme caution and follow these
safety tips.
-
Slow down!
Tracks are rough, and even if you don’t crash
you could get a pinch flat. This happens when
you ride into something abrupt, like a rail, and
it pinches the tube between the tire and rim,
slicing two little holes in the tube.
-
Rise slightly
off the saddle. Have equal weight on
your hands and feet. Let the bike chatter
beneath you. Use your flexed arms and legs as
shock absorbers.
-
Cross tracks
at a right angle. If the rails
are diagonal to the road and you cross them at
an angle, your front wheel can be twisted out
from under you. A perpendicular passage is
essential in the rain. Wet metal tracks are
incredibly slippery. The slightest imbalance or
abrupt move can send you sprawling.
-
Jump if you’re
real good. Racers who need to cross
tracks at maximum speed will jump them. They use
the same technique that works for potholes, but
with more speed and lift because they must clear
two rails. Coming down too early means the rear
wheel will hit the second rail, guaranteeing a
ruined rim or a pinch flat. In most cases,
jumping isn’t worth the danger. It’s better to
slow down, square up, and creep across.
Additional Slick Spots
-
Painted lines.
These can be slippery, especially the wide
markings for pedestrian crossings at
intersections. The paint fills in the asphalt’s
texture, producing a surface that’s uncertain
when dry and deadly when wet. The danger is
worse when the paint is new.
-
Dry oil
slicks. These may be nearly invisible,
but you can spot them as darker streaks on a
gray pavement. Be real careful in corners. You
aren’t safe if you ride through oil on the
straights. The greased tread might slip in a
corner just ahead.
-
Wet oil
slicks. If it rains, a small oily patch
can grow until it covers the whole lane. Be on
the lookout for the telltale multi-colored
water. There’s no pot of gold at the end of this
rainbow, only a black-and-blue meeting with the
pavement.
-
Wet metal.
If it’s been raining and you come upon
anything metal in the road (manhole cover,
steel-deck bridge, road-repair plate), it’s as
treacherous as riding on ice. Cross it with the
bike absolutely upright. Even a slight lean can
cause the wheels to slip. Smart riders walk
their bikes across wet steel bridges.
-
Wet leaves.
Be very careful in the fall, or you will.
Even if the road is dry, there can be moisture
trapped between leaves littering the pavement.
When you see leaves in a corner, slow down and
round the bend with your bike upright, not
angled.
-
Sewer grates.
Some old ones have bars that run parallel to the
street and are wide enough to let a bike wheel
fall through. If this happens, you can look
forward to plastic surgery and possibly a
lifetime of lawsuit riches. Many municipalities
have replaced such grates with bicycle-friendly
versions, but be careful in case a town hasn’t
gotten the message yet.
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