Elephant in the Room

[Art Deco]

SNIP

Simply SLOW DOWN. It is real easy to get moving again on an e-bike.

SNIP....

Unless you know how to ride a bike, an e-bike is a bit like going from a hand saw to a power skill saw. You are going to get into a lot more situations, and a lot faster into them. What could go wrong? Best to your healing, OP.

Hope that helps.

This exactly.

 

[FlatSix911]

When you learn to fly a plane they teach you to know how far you can glide to land (No engine) and to ALWAYS have that in mind, so you know what you can reach to land (watch SULLY). Bike riding can be the same. Always know how and where you can bail out.

Places that most accidents occur and you should have a bail out plan:

1) Intersections
2) Merges: lanes and driveways and parking areas.
3) Any change of surface: manhole covers, wood plank, loose gravel, sand, moisture,
4) Changes in temperature: Creek beds, bridges because of frost or water stays there and slime builds, shade areas.
5) Cars passing: Either direction.
6) Mechanical failures.

Simply SLOW DOWN. It is real easy to get moving again on an e-bike.

IMO all new riders should get a set of cones and setup a slalom course on pavement, grass and gravel. Practice dismounting, stopping fast, going slow, going slow to a near stop and then moving again, changing surfaces (road to gravel). Put any loads on your bike and repeat. Once you can do this, you can bail out with confidence because you know how fast you can do it and how the bike will behave.

Today I rode my loop (15 miles), I know every bump and cold or dark place, I was passed by 5 cars total, for two of them, I slowed down and rode into a driveway or off the road into grass, while they passed in the other far lane. They appreciated it. In our area, it is custom to wave to all traffic, so I do that too. Also ride with a small front and rear light on.

Unless you know how to ride a bike, an e-bike is a bit like going from a hand saw to a power skill saw. You are going to get into a lot more situations, and a lot faster into them. "Skill" being the key point. What could go wrong? Best to your healing, OP.

Hope that helps.

Good advice... here is a video that puts some of these tips into practice.

 

[Taylor57]

Here's another tip. Don't drive beyond your driving ability. I grew up on bikes and then motocross bikes. It amazes me the guys who never rode motorcycles, that decide to buy motorcycles (and Im sure there is a correlation with Ebikes) and get the Harley or the fancy street bike and within a few months are in the hospital. Most people are not good bike riders and should keep their newly found ebike power in check until they learn how to control it. I watch it every day in our village as either the homeless bikers or tourists ride down the wrong side of the road, cut in front of you etc. It's almost amusing. I have never been so glad to have responsive brakes...

 

[Luto]

Good advice... here is a video that puts some of these tips into practice.

Great video, easy watch, nice vibe. At the risk of commenting too much I would say:
1) Every bike and tire combination will behave differently when you change directions quickly. It is sort of like a "snap" and acceleration that occurs. Try to experience this on your bike. This is one of the biggest evaluations in a test ride.
2) E-bikes might try to accelerate out of turns when you start to pedal again. This is a big deal for control.
3) Can you imagine how helpful this would be avoiding something in the road?

Cheers.

 

[Handlebars]

1) Every bike and tire combination will behave differently when you change directions quickly. It is sort of like a "snap" and acceleration that occurs. Try to experience this on your bike. This is one of the biggest evaluations in a test ride.
2) E-bikes might try to accelerate out of turns when you start to pedal again. This is a big deal for control.

Yes, practice in a parking lot before going on the road. For me, there were little surprises for the first week. If I wasn't paying attention with hands on or ready to hit brakes, I'd have had some trouble. For example, just a small movement of the crank in certain positions can send some bikes lurching forward. In turns, if the motor turns off the rider might lurch forward a bit.

 

[Taylor57]

No matter how good of a rider you are, there is always that random occurrence. It's what I try to instill in my kids. Thank goodness, they wear the helmets. I guess when you have a pal (good athlete) killed on a bicycle, you tend to have respect for going relatively slow on 2 wheels. I crashed so many times back in the day on dirt bikes, I remember the scrapes and bruises. The day I crash on my Ebike is the day either day I die or the day before I sell it!!

 

[Kayakguy]

When you learn to fly a plane they teach you to know how far you can glide to land (No engine) and to ALWAYS have that in mind, so you know what you can reach to land (watch SULLY). Bike riding can be the same. Always know how and where you can bail out.

Places that most accidents occur and you should have a bail out plan:

1) Intersections
2) Merges: lanes and driveways and parking areas.
3) Any change of surface: manhole covers, wood plank, loose gravel, sand, moisture,
4) Changes in temperature: Creek beds, bridges because of frost or water stays there and slime builds, shade areas.
5) Cars passing: Either direction.
6) Mechanical failures.

Simply SLOW DOWN. It is real easy to get moving again on an e-bike.

IMO all new riders should get a set of cones and setup a slalom course on pavement, grass and gravel. Practice dismounting, stopping fast, going slow, going slow to a near stop and then moving again, changing surfaces (road to gravel). Put any loads on your bike and repeat. Once you can do this, you can bail out with confidence because you know how fast you can do it and how the bike will behave.

Today I rode my loop (15 miles), I know every bump and cold or dark place, I was passed by 5 cars total, for two of them, I slowed down and rode into a driveway or off the road into grass, while they passed in the other far lane. They appreciated it. In our area, it is custom to wave to all traffic, so I do that too. Also ride with a small front and rear light on.

Unless you know how to ride a bike, an e-bike is a bit like going from a hand saw to a power skill saw. You are going to get into a lot more situations, and a lot faster into them. "Skill" being the key point. What could go wrong? Best to your healing, OP.

Hope that helps.

Something you learn in the basic motorcycling course is to look where you want to go, which I think is very applicable to ebikes (and analog bikes as well). If you fix your gaze on the curb, tree, or hedge you want to miss, there's a good chance you'll run into it. I don't remember learning to do that as a kid on my first bike, but somehow all of us gutter snipes manage to make it through our youthful follies. Probably crashed a lot, and barely noticed. I remember riding down a fairly steep, loose gravel road with a girl riding side saddle on the top tube, and crashing, very predictably. I don't think either of us were hurt, but it gouged up the chrome on my handle bars pretty badly.

Looking through the turn means not just shifting your eyes, but moving your whole head

 

[FlatSix911]

Something you learn in the basic motorcycling course is to look where you want to go, which I think is very applicable to ebikes (and analog bikes as well). If you fix your gaze on the curb, tree, or hedge you want to miss, there's a good chance you'll run into it. I don't remember learning to do that as a kid on my first bike, but somehow all of us gutter snipes manage to make it through our youthful follies. Probably crashed a lot, and barely noticed. I remember riding down a fairly steep, loose gravel road with a girl riding side saddle on the top tube, and crashing, very predictably. I don't think either of us were hurt, but it gouged up the chrome on my handle bars pretty badly.

Looking through the turn means not just shifting your eyes, but moving your whole head

Excellent advice!

 

[indianajo]

Had a car passing me today on the left while I was in a marked bike lane, turn right. I don't think her front door had even cleared me. Got turned & stopped, wasted energy shouting at her. Woman in her 30's. They are out to kill us. I'm not invisible, I wear a yellow-green ANSI 2 safety vest and a helmet with yellow lettering.

 

[Handlebars]

Had a car passing me today on the left while I was in a marked bike lane, turn right. I don't think her front door had even cleared me. Got turned & stopped, wasted energy shouting at her. Woman in her 30's. They are out to kill us. I'm not invisible, I wear a yellow-green ANSI 2 safety vest and a helmet with yellow lettering.

Bike lanes here are what I call "murder lanes".

In many places, cars and trucks parking spaces are located between the traffic lanes and bike lanes, so if trucks are parked there, the driver cannot possibly even see the bike lane, and they almost always turn without a thought.

Vehicle passengers get out of the car without thinking about the bike lane.

Friday/Saturday night drinkers don't look for bikes as they leave the bars and you have no room to swerve.

Many short white poles have been planted in lines as visible barriers in some places, but they get mowed down and lie across the bike path for days or even months, who knows.

The closest I've come to being hit in the bike lane was by a BIKE zooming straight across with a large truck blocking the view. Neither of us could see the other before being on the path to collision, but at least I was ready for a vehicle or person to appear suddenly there.

And about the restaurant patios with the huge umbrellas that have points that usually hang a little bit into the bike lane at about face level...

The kicker is that it's illegal to ride an ebike wherever there is a "constructed" bike lane, not just a paint-marked bike lane. And the bike lane switches between the two types.

And where the bike lanes end it's dangerous to suddenly occupy the road again.

 

[Browneye]

Look whereyou want to go, look through your turn, and ride like you are INVISIBLE.
Basic motorcycle survival cred.
I mostly wore dark colors and preferred a black helmet - had many of them. Survived over 100K miles of road and untold miles of trails. I did finally have to give it all up for old-age survival, which brought me here today.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Something you learn in the basic motorcycling course is to look where you want to go, which I think is very applicable to ebikes (and analog bikes as well). If you fix your gaze on the curb, tree, or hedge you want to miss, there's a good chance you'll run into it. I don't remember learning to do that as a kid on my first bike, but somehow all of us gutter snipes manage to make it through our youthful follies. Probably crashed a lot, and barely noticed. I remember riding down a fairly steep, loose gravel road with a girl riding side saddle on the top tube, and crashing, very predictably. I don't think either of us were hurt, but it gouged up the chrome on my handle bars pretty badly.

Looking through the turn means not just shifting your eyes, but moving your whole head

Slow speed maneuvering class at MotoMark1 in NC. Excellent training, and absolutely applicable to bicycle riding, as you said.

 

[Art Deco]

Slow speed maneuvering class at MotoMark1 in NC. Excellent training, and absolutely applicable to bicycle riding, as you said.

Absolutely applicable indeed. There's a thread somewhere about a motorcycle training class that's using ebikes to train new motorcycle riders. I'd rather drop a 50 lb. Ebike than a 400 lb. Motorcycle while learning...

 

[Browneye]

We are going to be doing the slomo workout with the wife. She's just not confident turning, doesn't understand weighting to get the bike to go where you want it.
We started down a path in AZ, she didn't make the turn, stuffed the front tire into a bush, and went over the bars, landed on her face. Yep, face plant. I felt awful, she cried.
Shes fine, but gee, I should know better.

 

[RandallS]

I often tide off-road alone, and am always looking for a simple SOS solution. I am pretty sold on Specialized's ANGI technology, but that doesn't mean I've stopped looking.

Saw this while drinking my morning coffee:

The SOS Band

The World's First Chargeless GPS Alert Wearable that can be used almost anywhere! | Check out 'The SOS Band' on Indiegogo.

www.indiegogo.com

Currently, i just use my Samsung watch's SOS feature (clarification, have setup and tested but never used ) , but would like a secondary method and since theres not been any significant Black Friday deals on helmets where I live, I'll likely wait until spring and see if anything new comes out.

If anyone has ideas or experience with alternatives, i would welcome hearing about them.

Still vertical and trying to stay that way...

 

[Luto]

ride like you are INVISIBLE.

This is such good advice. This is how I ride. Always assume they do not see you. Even when they acknowledge you, be careful because they are doing something other drivers do not expect.

Also, I know this sounds extreme, but I often look for physical barriers to hide behind. Trees, fire hydrants, poles, large rocks, ditches. As they say, there are traffics laws and physical laws. I always use the physical laws. How many times do you read about someone hitting the accelerator instead of the brake?

Between assuming "invisible" and a "bail out plan", you got the basics to prevent others from causing you and your SO grief. Add in your self inflicted error avoidance, and you should be pretty safe.

 

[Dallant]

My question would be how did you test it to ensure it works in an off-road emergency? I use my Apple Watch and the one time I crashed on my bike was the one time it did not ask me if I’d fallen.

 

[Art Deco]

My question would be how did you test it to ensure it works in an off-road emergency? I use my Apple Watch and the one time I crashed on my bike was the one time it did not ask me if I’d fallen.

That's called a critical need detector. Computers always fail when the detector senses that you Really Need It Now.

 

[indianajo]

ride like you are INVISIBLE.

I'm sorry, I'm not stopping everytime I pass a road or driveway on the right that somebody might turn into. I already average 8 mph, I'd never get anywhere if I stopped at every driveway when a car was passing me. I assume drivers have eyes, and with my bright colors, they seriously wish me dead to ride over me. Even if they are color blind. Age 70 this body is past its freshness date already. Getting splatted by a car is better than cancer.
I think I'm being careful by paying for a cellphone that can ride in my pocket and actually have a signal out near my destination. Verison costs $22 a month more than tracphone that dropped signal at the last town. Now they have devices that call for help if you fall over? I'd rather have a phone that called for help if my heart didn't beat for 40 seconds. My friend Bob could still be alive if they had one of those. My heart has been missing beats in winter for 8 years. Bob's heart got him in the 2nd month of missing beats.

 

[Dallant]

I'm sorry, I'm not stopping everytime I pass a road or driveway on the right that somebody might turn into. I already average 8 mph, I'd never get anywhere if I stopped at every driveway when a car was passing me. I assume drivers have eyes, and with my bright colors, they seriously wish me dead to ride over me. Even if they are color blind. Age 70 this body is past its freshness date already. Getting splatted by a car is better than cancer.
I think I'm being careful by paying for a cellphone that can ride in my pocket and actually have a signal out near my destination. Verison costs $22 a month more than tracphone that dropped signal at the last town. Now they have devices that call for help if you fall over? I'd rather have a phone that called for help if my heart didn't beat for 40 seconds. My friend Bob could still be alive if they had one of those. My heart has been missing beats in winter for 8 years. Bob's heart got him in the 2nd month of missing beats.

Here’s one from 2 years ago.

New Heart Watch Detects Cardiac Arrest, Alerts EMS

www.emsworld.com