On The TerraTrike

I will preface my remarks by stating this is not a report on a scientifically proper experiment, but relating my person experience. In other words, strictly anecdotal evidence.

I recently had a total shoulder replacement, left side. Knowing I couldn’t ride my standard bike for a while, I looked into a recumbent to use while my shoulder mended. I found Suncoast Bicycles in Inverness had TerraTrikes for rent. As soon as I could drive, I went over and picked one up. I rented a TerraTrike Sport for one month. (Being the eternal optimist that I am, I feel assured I will be back on my regular bike by then.)

Riding the recumbent is a blast. It handles very well and it’s just fun riding so close to the ground. (Can you pick up the newspaper without dismounting?) And it’s pretty comfortable. The TerraTrike has single rear wheel drive with two wheels that steer in front. I find this configuration to be very stable and easy to maneuver, although the turning radius is large. I’m riding it everywhere I rode my standard bike. It’s a little less efficient than my standard bike with more moving parts, so it doesn’t go quite as fast. But not by much.  Getting used to using a slightly different set of muscles took  just a couple of days.

I was wary about riding in traffic. Being so low to the ground makes my visibility significantly different than when I’m on a standard bike. To help visibility I have an orange flag that sticks up about six feet and I wear a high visibility jacket or shirt, as well as having a red strobe light on the back of my helmet.

You may have heard me complain about the bad treatment I frequently get from motor vehicle drivers, especially on certain roads. Close passing, honking and various unfriendly verbal admonitions have been commonplace in the past.

Well, glory be! Not only have I not had any adverse reaction while riding the recumbent, but drivers give me wide berth, changing lanes to pass most of the time. If they do stay in my lane they slow way down and inch past. Even on the RBLR arterial. Many wave and smile at me. They wave me through intersections even though they have the right-of-way.  I ride around with a big grin on my face most of the time, hardly believing my good fortune.

So why is this increase in respect happening? Here are the variables: Recumbent bike, trike, new beard (check picture). Could it be the novelty of the recumbent? Could it be my beard? (But drivers don’t see that when approaching from the rear.) Could it be the trike which apparently to the driver takes up more of the road than a regular bike? Could it be that because I’m closer the the ground they give wider berth since I’m less visible to them? Or finally, could it be what I call the “Crazy Unpredictability” (CU) factor, wherein drivers figure the sum total of what they see is far enough off the normal scale they are compelled to give it wide berth? And in connection with the CU factor they also smile and wave so I won’t do anything to harm or upset them.  I personally think it’s the CU factor combined with decreased visibility.  Drivers are thinking, “better stay well away from that thing”.

Admittedly this is only based on 11 days experience. But my experience has been so exceptional I had to give you all a report.  I’ll be interested to learn any of your own experiences with recumbents.  Enjoy your ride and stay safe.

When you are riding in the morning and evening, your shadow points
to the other travelers who might have trouble seeing you in the glare
of the rising or setting sun.

—A tip from LCI Bob Bayn, Cache Valley, UT

Today was the last day of summer, though you’d never know it by the temperature. Ugh.

This time of year brings the sun a bit lower during commute times and that requires some special safety considerations. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’m just going to link up the previous two posts we’ve done on the subject:

The Blinding Sun

Beware the Equinox

Ride safe!

There can be problems from the front as well.  A left-turning motorist looking into the sun can miss you.  Motorists pulling out of sidestreets (and driveways) can miss you.

If your shadow is long and straight in front of you, then the sun is right behind you!

Some strategies:

• Find a different route that doesn’t head straight east or west.
• Leave 10-15 minutes later or earlier.
• Find a route with a good tree canopy.
• Slow down on intersection approaches and prepare for conflicts.
• Get and use a really bright tail-light.  Put it on flash mode (not those pointless chaser sequences; all the LEDs should be on or off at the same time for maximum effect).  A cheap little blinky won’t cut it.
• Get and use a really bright headlight for those on-coming conflicts and put it on flash mode.  (Go with a steady beam more than 15 minutes before sunrise or after sunset.)
• Choose a street with bike lanes or paved shoulders.  I know some readers disdain them, but in this situation, the sun is going to illuminate the lane stripe (assuming they are well maintained) and guide the motorist to keep to your left.  Of course you still need to account for turning conflicts the bike lane might present.
• Take your bike on a bus.

Some things NOT to do:

• Ride on the sidewalk.  Turning conflicts are still a greater risk.  Being on the sidewalk only aggravates those.
• Reflective gear will do little or nothing to help.
• Bright neon clothes MAY work, but I wouldn’t count on it.

The good news is, next week your ride to work will be brighter. But depending on when you leave work, you may find yourself in twilight, or darkness, on the way home.

One of the reasons it’s hard for bike commuting to take hold in Florida is that we have our optimum riding weather with reduced sunlight. The Northern Tier enjoys beautiful cycling weather and long hours of daylight at the same time. But just when the weather here becomes hospitable, the sun sets on our commutes. People who haven’t had months of beautiful weather to become comfortable with bike commuting, tend to give up at the thought of riding in the dark.

Riding in the dark is safe and fun. I sometimes find it more enjoyable than daylight riding. I also have found motorists to be more courteous and cautious at night than during the day.

Here are a few tips to see and be seen.

From the rear: you want to be seen and identified as a slow-moving vehicle.

• To be seen, a flashing red tail light and reflective piping on your cargo and/or body are effective. Make sure your tail light is mounted securely and aimed properly—you want the hottest part of the beam to be at motorist eye-level before they are on top of you.
• I also use a rear-facing, single-led, flashing red light on my helmet. The Planet Bike Spok light is perfect because it weighs nothing and is mounted easily with a velcro strap.
• To be identified as a bicyclist, reflectors on your pedals or reflective straps around your ankles is an instant announcement that you are on a bicycle (as opposed to a motorcycle or scooter) and the motorist will know to slow and change lanes early. If you have panniers, your feet won’t be visible. The flashing tail light sends this signal too. And retroreflective material on the panniers is a good clue.

From the front: you want to be seen by crossing and turning motorists, but you don’t necessarily want them to process you as a slow bicyclist (especially if you’re a fast bicyclist!). You also need to see the road, if you are riding in full darkness.

• To be seen, a bright LED headlight will get you noticed from the front. In twilight, blinking mode is effective. In full darkness, the light should not blink unless you have a supplemental steady light, because the blinking light makes it difficult for a crossing motorist to determine your speed and proximity.
• Be sure to aim your “be seen” light so its primary cone of light is at motorist eye-level. If your LED light is aimed at the ground, it may be very dim to a crossing motorist. You can also mount your “be seen” light on your helmet. This allows you to control the direction if the beam and point it right at motorists as they approach from a side-street. I use the white Spok light for this, because I don’t like a lot of weight on my helmet.
• Keeping in mind that 95% of crashes happen in front of you, skimping on a headlight is a bad idea. A common mistake made by faster cyclists is using a tiny, light-weight blinky in front to meet the requirement for a headlight. Then they fly down the road in low-light conditions (usually early morning on the way to a ride start) and get clobbered by a left-cross. If you’re in the habit of riding over 18mph, I recommend using a headlight that doesn’t send a “slow-moving bicycle” message to a crossing motorist… even if it weighs a couple grams more.
• To see, LED lights are not as effective. I’ve not found an LED that lit a dark road well enough for me to identify hazards at speed. I use a Night Rider HID. It lights up the road as well as a motorcycle headlight, and far enough ahead that I can’t out-drive its beam. Andrew has chosen a Dynamo system, read his posts about that.

Mount a generator or high-powered battery light low, so its beam pattern extends longest and reveals surface irregularities. Aim taillights and small battery headlights level. Test aim by rolling the bike toward and away from a wall. The center of the beam should stay at the same height.

—John Allen, Street Smarts

Now let’s have some fun

Glow in the dark clothing: Melton Corp. and Dashing Tweeds use retroreflective yarns interwoven into stylish clothing. It looks normal in daylight, but glows in reflective light at night.

Color it retro: Retroreflective and glow-in-the-dark spray paints are available from several manufacturers, you can use it on racks and baskets… and, I guess, you’re bike. 3M™ makes Scotchlite™ reflective tapes, films and fabrics which can be applied to your bike, accessories and clothing. Have some fun with it.

Pimp your ride:

Rock the Bike makes very cool colored ground effect lighting for bicycles. Their safety arguments may be slightly overblown (I don’t advocate taking risks with yellow lights, nomatter how well you are lit, there are way too many lead-foot light-jumpers out there). I’m sure the side-lighting increases visibility, but the cool factor is good enough for me.

If subtlety ain’t your thing, try the Monkeylectric Monkey Light. Note: This won’t make you conspicuous on I-drive.

Some more info

Read Chapter 8 of John Allen’s Street Smarts – Riding in Rain and Darkness.

P.M. Summer has covered this topic today, too.

Tips for dealing with the rising and setting sun: The Blinding Sun

Some notes about the video:

• In the first 20 seconds we encounter diagonal RR tracks which require us to use most of the lane to cross safely (perpendicular). Our consistent, prominent lane position has encouraged the passing motorists to file into the left lane, giving us the ability to make this maneuver without having to negotiate a merge.
• We pass several cars approaching from side streets. We are in a prominent position, making us clearly visible to those drivers. There is a slight downhill grade on this stretch of road, a cyclist of average ability can easily achieve 20mph (we are soft-pedaling and probably going close to that speed). Crossing crash-risk increases with cyclist speed.
• There is standing water several feet from the curb in a few places. We don’t have to alter our lane position to avoid it.
• If there was a bike lane on this road, it would be several feet to the right of where we are riding. And motorists would most likely be less tolerant of our lane position. (No one honked at us.)
• From 1:10 to the end of the clip (2:31) only one car passes. We had the road to ourselves almost all the way to Princeton (I cut the video just before I rode up next to Brian to discuss where we should go next).

The City of Winter Park wants to stripe a bike lane on this road. Why? Because, it’s low-hanging fruit in the game of “let’s look like we’re accommodating cyclists while we brick all their preferred routes.” But that stripe and all its detriments will be there 24/7, while the road only has heavy traffic for a few hours a day M-F.

I understand cities wanting to be progressive. What I don’t get is cyclists who know better promoting things that don’t benefit cyclists in order to convince more people to ride.  A month ago, I read an article which extolled the virtues of bike commuting beautifully. It hit all the high points—fitness, money-savings, freedom, being connected to the community, feeling like a kid again—but the author fell into the trap to which so many of us are vulnerable: “How do I convince other people to ride, too?” Apparently, the virtues are not enough. He wrote:

The addition of bicycle lanes on the major arteries of town would be of great benefit to riders. Though it may not create more actual space, it will encourage drivers to be aware of a cyclist’s claim to their pavement.

The addition of extra space on a major artery can be of benefit — although, make no mistake, the primary benefit is to motorists. When that space already exists, as suggested above, adding a stripe is of exclusive benefit to motorists, while causing numerous problems for cyclists:

• It causes that area in which you were probably already riding to collect debris.
• It reduces your legitimacy to control your environment and encourage greater passing clearance when traffic is light.
• It discourages fast-moving cyclists from riding farther left, which they need to do for increased visibility and recognition by crossing and turning motorists.
• It causes motorists to pay LESS attention to you because you are out of the way, on the other side of a line, and not a factor for which they need to concern themselves. As a result, motorists are less likely to move over, so they pass you closer.
• Motorists are expecting you not to leave that area, so any time you have to make a lateral move, it must be done with more negotiation than if the stripe was not there.
• Motorists are more likely to pass you and then turn right across your path.
• They are more likely to not register you and turn left across your path (you are also more likely to be hidden from view by same-direction motorists who have just passed you).
• Motorists at side streets are also more likely to look past you, as their focus is on the primary traffic lane.
• It attracts the wrong-way riders who believe that line is giving them a safe haven.
• It lures novice riders into feeling safe when they have no idea how to position themselves safely at intersections. This is especially problematic in a commercial area like U.S. 17-92 North of Orange Ave.

A wide curb lane is ALREADY a bike facility. It accommodates cyclists of ALL speeds. You don’t need a painted line to legitimize your claim to pavement. The law does that. If you ride confidently and respectfully, you’ll be treated with respect by the majority of motorists.

There are some places where the stripe can offer psychological comfort without as many operational detriments to the cyclist. Where there is less urban density and few cross streets, the crash risk decreases. But typically, traffic speeds are higher and there are more large vehicles, so the conversion of an existing wide lane would be inadequate. Wide curb lanes are ~14 ft. A standard bike lane requires several feet more.

Most cyclists don’t want to be concerned with these details, but it’s important for all of us to understand these things. We must be careful what we ask for in a culture that prefers us out of the way and is inclined toward giving us miminum-to-inferior “accommodations.”

Promoting cycling should not be done at the expense of an environment which supports the best practices of safe and effective cycling. It should not be done at the expense of the cyclists who have taken the time to learn the best practices of safe and effective cycling. It should certainly never be done with an illusion which could lead the cyclists who have not yet learned the best practices of safe and effectve cycling into danger.

Like this: Cyclist, 22, Dies After Being Hit by Truck Near Dupont Circle

How many vehicles do you see on this road?

As the equinox approaches and daylight closes down on our commutes, I’ve been contemplating a post about the hazards of the rising and setting sun. Tonight I stopped on my way home to take a photo. I kid you not, I had no idea there was a cyclist coming when I took this photo! I didn’t see him because the setting sun was blinding. It wasn’t until after I took the photo and he was in the intersection that I saw him. Had I been in a car (or on my bike) turning left at that intersection, I would likely have violated his right-of-way and might have hit him.

I don’t like harping on the hazards of cycling because, frankly, there are not many hazards which can’t be avoided with a few simple skills. Cycling is very safe when we follow the rules and best-practices. Understanding the dangers and where they come from is the key to staying crash-free. The rising and setting sun creates a visibility a hazard we need to understand.

Sun in my eyes

Few situations frighten me on the road. I’m not fearful of being on the road in the rain. I actually enjoy riding in the dark. But a low sun on the horizon has always made me a little nervous—especially when it was in front of me. I know that if I can’t see, the motorists behind me are having the same difficulty. That state of alarm causes me to have a little more awareness of what’s going on behind me, and I’ll usually try to avoid riding into the sun on roads with faster traffic. It’s a valid concern, because cyclists do occasionally get hit from behind by blinded motorists.

Sun at my back

For a long time, I never had a second thought about having the sun at my back. The world in front of me was crystal clear. It wasn’t until one morning when I was riding west and wanting to make a left turn. There was a line of slow-moving traffic in the oncoming lane but they kept drifting through the intersection and wouldn’t let me turn. I was stopped and standing next to the centerline, signaling. Then one motorist, who had just driven through the intersection, looked at me through his open window and said “Oh! I’m sorry!” The sun was blinding them and completely obscuring my small presence even though I was only a few feet away.

Here is a photo of the same cyclist from above riding away from me.

When you look at this image, can you see how easy it is to be complacent about your visibility? Remember, 95% of crashes happen in front of you—crossing and turning conflicts. If crossing and turning motorists are blinded by the sun, you are at risk of not being seen. If your shadow is long in front of you, this is likely the case!

So what can you do?

Here’s what I do:

• I turn on my NightRider HID headlight and my flashing tail light in the late afternoon. (My NightRider doesn’t flash, but flash mode is useful in this situation. Low-power LEDs are not as effective at cutting through glare, so having a bright light is a good idea.)
• I ride a little slower toward intersections and I am prepared for an emergency maneuver.
• By default, I ride farther out in the lane than the guy in the photo, it makes me more visible (look at that first photo again—the illuminated reflection from the tire tracks) and gives me more options (for instance, if someone turns left in front of me, I can swerve left and pass behind the vehicle… I’ve had to do this).
• I try to avoid riding into blinding sun. Sometimes it’s only a matter of a 10-15 minutes to wait out the sunset. Also, if you have a particular problem area on your route, see if you can find alternate roads to avoid it — riding north/south a little longer before turning east in the morning, or choosing a road with features that block the low sun.

EDITED 9/21 to add some great comments from Mighk.

(I’m interested in how others deal with the sun on the horizon… so please tell us or share your experiences in the comments section.)