One really important thing (IMO) that no one has touched on yet is your attitude. I find that if I don't take offense to the cagers' maneuvers, I don't get upset. Just take it in stride that they will not see you, but don't let it piss you off. If you can rise above it commuting will be a lot less stressful. I guess the same thing goes for driving to work or even writing on this forum!
Its kinda hard not to get pissed when someone almost kills you...duh. And its not so much as I get pissed, just really scared and upset.Originally Posted by jbnwc
I heard a story about a guy who was riding in I-25 in Denver... He was in stop and go traffic and got boxed in on 3 sides and I believe his right side was a barrier. A cement truck was in front of him. Without any warning, the cement truck came to a complete stop. The poor guy had no where to go except right into the cement truck. He broke his hand and rumor has it, the fender from the cement truck cut through his leg to the bone, ripping his quad down to his knee.
Moral of the story: try to leave your self an escape route. Rush hour trafffic in Denver is brutal... God speed.
Good point.
Bob <------ Asshole Nazi devil moderator out to get each and every one of you
- 2002 Yamaha R1 (92K+ miles... bought new) ---------------------------------------->
- 2015 Yamaha Bolt C-Spec (Cafe Racer)
- 2004 Yamaha R6 (racebike)
- 2006 Yamaha R1 (racebike)R.I.P. 502 ~ Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it isn't the end.
A couple of more thoughts I had during this morning's commute:
I don't do this (not saying you should or shouldn't... it does have it's merits, such as a quick getaway from somebody who doesn't realize they're supposed to stop), I know it may not be the smartest, but I'm wary of the fact, usually keep an eye on my mirrors, and only relax once a car is stopped behind me.
- Ride with your high-beams on during the day!!!
- Assume that people merging from an on-ramp will be coming straight over to the far left lane. Be pleasantly surprised when they don't.
- The same is true if you're not on a highway and somebody turns off a side street to go the same direction as you.
- If you're in the right lane and somebody is waiting to turns off a side street, don't assume that they're going to wait for you to pass... be prepared to slow down or change lanes to accomdate them, then honk at them and give them the "you're #1" salute.
- On 3-lane roads/highways, be wary of people jumping from one outside lane to another (from slow lane to fast lane, or vice-versa).
Definitely! I've told people "I never ride beside a cage (which risks putting me in their blind spot)... I'm either behind them, or passing them". As you start to pass them, take a quick look at the driver... sometimes you'll see their hand reaching for the signal, or they're doing a quick shoulder check before changing lanes (and don't expect that they'll see you). It's difficult to do this when the car has tinted front windows tho.
Not sure how far over you're meaning. I'm usually where one of the car tires would be, and leave enough room in front of me that I can maneuver around if I need to. When I'm in stop-and-go traffic, I'm usually right near the edge of the lane, so I can jump into the other lane if it's going faster (I hate sitting in traffic anyway, but when you have a 50 mile commute, every little bit helps).
This is all good stuff and thank you everyone for posting on this. I am actually going to start commuting next week from Thornton to Englewood, so definitely some great pointers...keep em coming...hopefully I make it through next week!
Uno mas.
I commute from Fort Fun to Del Camino (Longmont exit) on I-25, 32 miles each way, most days that the weather is decent. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see one of the most important, IMO, safety tips mentioned. Leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front - a 2 second gap preferably. I admit I don't always maintain this much, but 1 second (which still looks like a lot) is my minimum safe following distance. When traffic gets heavy and people are tailgating, I move over to the right and open up a large gap in front of me. I find people don't tailgate me when I do this. I think it's because even though I am keeping up with traffic, riding in the right lane with a big gap in front of me gives the perception that I am going slow, and nobody wants to be behind a slow vehicle. I bide my time there until the left lane clears up then use it to pass and make up time when I can do so safely. Even in Denver, this works. I have no fear of riding any of the interstates in and around Denver because I can create my own little zone of sanity.
As for tires? I just got a set of Pirelli Diablo Stradas this year and I am very pleased with them. That is their high-mileage sport-touring tire.
I have ridden in pouring rain on twisty mountain roads and on C470 without fear and in the dry they have proven to be great canyon carvers, at least for my modest abilities.
Ciao
Forgot to mention, I also have a brake light flasher kit (goes on for 3 seconds, then flashes 3 times fast, then starts over). Hopefully that's eye-catching enought.I don't do this...
- 2002 Yamaha R1 (92K+ miles... bought new) ---------------------------------------->
- 2015 Yamaha Bolt C-Spec (Cafe Racer)
- 2004 Yamaha R6 (racebike)
- 2006 Yamaha R1 (racebike)R.I.P. 502 ~ Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it isn't the end.
All very sound advise in the above.
I try and filter about 5 miles per hour or so quicker
than the surrounding flow of traffic.
People tend to see me better than just
being static.
Peace Bash
* Bash, Bashasaurus, Ms Bash, his neighbors or friends are not responsible for any incidents, accidents, or accusations, that might result from you being squidish, squid like, squirting ink, or waving your non-covered tentacles about in a squidy fashion. Nor is he or his associates responsible for any citations as a result of you hanging with SoCo. Any attempt to coerce, blame, question, or pin your loser-riffic behavior on any of us, or those who are considered us for the night, as well as people we like, to include Salma Hayek and Nicky Hayden, among others, will result in a profanity stricken series of post that mock and taunt you incessantly, as well as many of us adding such insults to our signature lines. Avoid taking SoCo before bedtime. Do not use if you experience faintness, dizziness, inverness, difficulty urinating or blotchy skin. If I steal a line, quote, avatar or image from a post you make on the internet, you're not getting credit.*
I was rear ended (in my car) on i25 yesterday. I was stationary, behind a big truck in the second lane. One car swerved up the inside to avoid me, and the next one didn't see me until it was too late and barrelled right into the back of me, pushing my car under the truck. If I'd been on the bike, I would have been history for sure. You don't want an escape route... you need one!
Funny. I was rear ended in Denver on Saturday on my way out from Performance. Luckily I was in my F250. Guy hit my hitch ball which prevented him from hitting my bumper. No damage to me but I was not on the bike.
Guy had a ragged out pickup with a load of trash in the back. Said he had clutch problems....
Moral of story: Yes you are never safe. If you cant see a big ass white F250 crew cab in the light of day in stop and go traffic....well you get the point.
Be safe, head on a swivel.
John
most of my miles on my bike so far have been commuting from lakewood to littleton 13 miles one way using Wads, Hampden & Federal. I havent had any major problems yet, Just giving myself plenty of space and always keeping my eyes wide open for any possible dangers.
Giving space, keeping space, paying constant attention to what's going on around you, tapping your brake lever multiple times before you stop (getting the light to flash) to ensure the cager behind you knows you're slowing down, and also considering where in the lane you ride (most of the time I tend to hug the center line or the side where I know traffic might be merging from.) Since you ride the same route everyday, you should have a pretty good idea as to what the traffic patterns and behavior are on those streets at that time of day.
Chris
There's nothing that will ever replace the warm feeling of a perfectly blipped 6th-to-4th downshift, that drops right lane traffic like 1st first semester chem-lab.
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