What You Need to Know about Cycling on the Road #cp

Many people would love to start cycling as a lifestyle, but they make up many reasons why not to do it. They feel it is not safe for whatever reason, either because of theft, bad roads, bad drivers, or many other things. The truth is, every year, it gets easier and easier, and there are many factors within your control to make things safer and easier.

Get the appropriate bike for your roads

Check out Cycle Solutions for road bikes for men women or children, depending on the individual case. Do you live in a rural area with many roads that are not paved? What types of weather may you wind up riding in? What condition are the roads in? All of these things have a bearing on what kind of cycle and tyres you should get.

Know your local laws

Many times, even in jurisdictions where cycling is not very common, you are still allowed to take a whole lane on the street, for example. At the very least, cars legally are supposed to give you at least 2 metres leeway when passing you on the road.

Research your city's bike paths

This is another area where you may be surprised. Often cities build lots of underused and under-advertised bike paths. The onus is on you to research bike paths and lanes and take advantage of them. It is often to your benefit as a cyclist to take a safer and less stressful route, even if it increases your travel time slightly.

I have taken to the road a lot in recent months and i have found a handful of paths and roads i feel safe on and that provides me with the space and challenge i feel i need for my level of ability.  I use Strava a free tracking app to monitor my progess.

Network with other cyclists

The easiest way to do this is to use the internet as leverage. Just about everywhere in the world by now has some local forum for cyclists out there. They are generally not hard to find. Jump in, make new friends and network. You will find that acting in solidarity will go a long way to resolving local issues and making the overall cycling experience better.

Research your parking options

This is where your mileage will vary considerably from city to city and even from building to building. The good news is, once again, time is on your side, with more and more options opening up for cyclists to park safely almost every day. Most commercial parking areas now accept bicycles, and in many cases, local governments have free or cheap bike parking near major transport terminals.

Safety on the Road!

You need to learn how to ride safely on the road, one important part of this is learning your hand signals and use them. In most of the world, this is the law for cyclists, and regardless, it saves lives!

Often, the negative side of cycling winds up being completely within the cyclist's control. Often it has to do with things that are the cyclist's responsibility and civic duty. Being conscientious and putting in one's due diligence are key to cycling being positive for someone in the long term. Cyclists who put in the effort wind up loving cycling even more!