First published December 15, 2020
Back when I was in the bike shop, there was always a steady stream of people gingerly carrying mangled bikes in for repair—or for last rites before I sent their bikes off to the great bike shop in the sky—as the result of the owner unsuccessfully wrestling with a car. None of us likes the idea of head-butting bonnets or eating gravel, but it’s a risk we all take each time we get out onto the road. Naturally, you ask, “how can I avoid such woe?”
Let me start by saying if your time’s up, your time is up. Disclaimer aside, let’s move on to the topic at hand, namely saving your life. As each year progresses, the steady stream of crash victims develops into a river and then, more often than not, a torrent. When you see enough water pass you by, you look upstream to discover its source. And so it is with crashed bikes and the causes of those crashes. There are several common issues, which cause the vast majority of crashes. First, there are rider traits:
- No lights or dark clothing or both. It’s dark or approaching that way, and surprise, surprise, it shocks people when a car driver doesn’t see them and ploughs straight into them.
- Dangerous riding along pavements and ploughing into the side of a car pulling out of a driveway or other exit. Of course, we’ve all seen cyclists cutting junctions, jumping lights, and various other insane activities you wouldn’t consider in a car.
- Timid riding, sucking the kerb and not taking the line of traffic at lights, junctions and roundabouts
- Tyres connecting with slippery road hazards: road markings and ironwork (manhole covers, gullies, and cattle grids).
- Winter conditions: ice, snow, and wet roads. Patches of ice remain in low-lying areas and on bridges for a long time after other sections of road clear. If the previous night has been close to freezing, be very wary of the roads.
And then there’s the bike... oh yes, then there’s the bike. Ninety percent, at least, of the bikes that make it through to workshops as crash victims weren’t fit to be on the road in the first place. I suspect that had most of these bikes been in a roadworthy condition, the rider would still be out there enjoying the freedom of their bike. Here, although not exhaustive, is a collection of some of the most common defects:
- Knackered tyres and, in almost all cases, painfully low tyre pressures.
- Either defective or missing brakes (over half of crash victims).
- Loose headsets - the rider cannot steer and control their bike properly.
So, how do you avoid clashing your bike with a car? Although not exhaustive, the following will reduce the chances of you meeting your maker:
- If there’s any doubt about lighting conditions, or any chance you might get caught out, lights are essential and so too is clothing with some form of high viz. Next time you’re driving at night, just look at how the cyclist in high-viz pings out of the darkness.
- Ride to the rules of the road and ride defensively.
- Think about weather and road conditions before you head out on your ride.
- Before every ride, check tyres and brakes and keep your bike serviced
Here endeth my little rant, yet it’s all to keep you, my dear reader, alive and well.
Happy winter riding!