Any advice for a beginner commuter?

My first advice: ride in a straight line. Don't weave around in traffic. Cars and drivers hate that. And when I drive my car I hate it to. this means don't pop up on the sidewalk to zip around cars as well.

Take the lane when it is safe. And if you are making a left hand turn, then by all means go right to the front when safe and sit in the middle of the lane until you get through the turn.

There will always be mad drivers. You won't stop that but ride responsibly and you they will be few.

Lights, especially rear flashing lights are a must. Look into ones you can attach to your helmet. I like the fact that cars can see my head.

Make sure you obey all traffic laws just as if you were on a motorcycle or car:

• Stay in your lane
  
• Use hand-signals for turns
  
• Stop at all signals and stop signs
  
• Yield to traffic that has the right-of-way
  
• Etc...
  

Following traffic laws will make your actions more predictable and send the appropriate message to motorists.

Also - it is good to be a little paranoid. Obviously fear of traffic can inhibit your fun, but always keep an eye out. I make the assumption that all motorists are oblivious to the rules of the road and don't see me.

If you have the option to ride on a bike trail or bike-friendly route with a clearly marked lane, take it; even if you have to ride a little out of your way to get to it. Bike trails/lanes are expressways for people like us.

One thing I learned yesterday: If you're using clipless pedals, unclip both feet at a traffic signal because you never know when you'll have to make an evasive maneuver.

Hi Je.Deviens.Moi. I think I'm on a different continent, but perhaps my experience will still be useful. I've commuted in London, England for six years, and the centre of a large town or city is no place for the fainthearted. As you've figured, you need to be able to command the road when necessary, but you also need to be a considerate road user when you can be. Making the judgement as to which moment is which can be hard - and getting it wrong potentially puts you in jeopardy.

In your shoes, I think I'd look for a cycle training company that can help you build your confidence in a safer environment than a busy street. Then work your way up to the challenges that lie between you and your ultimate goal. Don't rush things - take your time and make sure you're comfortable with each challenge before taking on a new one.

In towns and cities, you need to be able to move at pace - both to get yourself out of trouble, and to keep the traffic behind you in a reasonable mood. If your bike is built for comfort rather than speed, think about changing it. That's not to say you need a road bike, but a lightish hybrid with a good gearing system is a good bet. Good luck.

I commute with a visibility vest - bright orange mesh with 4 inch reflective stripes. This signals to motorists that I am concerned about safety and wish to be seen as I move with traffic. As others have suggested, use hand signals, stay on the right as much as possible but take the lane when necessary for safety.

When I take the lane, I ride hard and fast in order so the cars behind me see me "making an effort" to accelerate and not slow them down. I tend pull to the right as soon as conditions permit.

Being comfortable in traffic comes with experience and confidence and you can only develop this by riding in traffic. If this scares you, consider mapping bike routes which have traffic calming design into the route. In my experience however, I find side streets with lots of intersections more dangerous than being visible on a main road.

All the above and don't ignore your gut feeling. If you think it's dangerous crossing the bridge then get off the bike and walk over. There's no shame in dismounting in dangerous areas. Ride confidently even if you don't feel it, nervous cyclists make drivers nervous. Most motorists are fair and decent people, if you get some idiot shouting at you just ignore them. Your confidence will increase with experience.

Good Luck

these are all very good tips, I started riding this summer so its only been a few months. I never fall or felt intimidated until I decided to upgrade my sneakers to cleapless.... no!!!
Yes, I do notice the difference and the advantage of riding attached to the pedals. I can even say that my climbing skill are 10x better than before but my falling skills are also 10x better -in addition- to freaking out when I see a red light or stop. Picture this scenario: uncliping my rt foot, uncliping lt and then clipping my right once the light turns green... the light is red again by the time Im ready ....lol
I think all these emotions are thanks to my shoes, because just the fact of thinking a stop sign is coming up I start to panic thinking that my shoes wont unclip.
What Im trying to do now, is to practice uncliping my rt but to leave my lt clipped so I can start w/ my lf. This should give an extra few seconds to prepare. So far, I been able to start w/ my lf but not as easy as my rt. Hopefully I will get better, I just don't want any more falls 8(

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by diromero [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

these are all very good tips, I started riding this summer so its only been a few months. I never fall or felt intimidated until I decided to upgrade my sneakers to cleapless.... no!!!
Yes, I do notice the difference and the advantage of riding attached to the pedals. I can even say that my climbing skill are 10x better than before but my falling skills are also 10x better -in addition- to freaking out when I see a red light or stop. Picture this scenario: uncliping my rt foot, uncliping lt and then clipping my right once the light turns green... the light is red again by the time Im ready ....lol
I think all these emotions are thanks to my shoes, because just the fact of thinking a stop sign is coming up I start to panic thinking that my shoes wont unclip.
What Im trying to do now, is to practice uncliping my rt but to leave my lt clipped so I can start w/ my lf. This should give an extra few seconds to prepare. So far, I been able to start w/ my lf but not as easy as my rt. Hopefully I will get better, I just don't want any more falls 8(

You have the right idea diromero. When I stop, I unclip my rt and leave my left foot clipped until I stop. If i think it'll be a long stop, I unclip both feet. I then half-clip my left (to where you can raise the left pedal halfway and get a good start, but you're not locked in). That way when I start, the pressure of me starting with my left foot will clip me in, and the right foot goes in next.
 
Anticipating a stop helps a ton also. Unclip one foot if you feel a stop coming soon; you can still pedal unclipped. Once you get used to it, you'll be fine. 🙂 GL!
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how do you "half clip" ? That sounds that it will really help me. Do you mean to uncliped my left and place it on top of the pedal without clipping until I get my rt one up?

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by diromero [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

how do you "half clip" ? That sounds that it will really help me. Do you mean to uncliped my left and place it on top of the pedal without clipping until I get my rt one up?

By half clip, I mean your left foot (or right, whichever you start with) is hooked into the pedal (so you can raise it half way up to get a good start). This way, if you lose your balance, you can easily put your left foot back on the ground and when you do push down your foot to start, it'll fully click in for you. Should make things a ton easier!

will def try! thanks for the advise [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/IMG]

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by diromero [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

will def try! thanks for the advise [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/IMG]

No problem! Happy riding 🙂