Where do you ride? (road, side of road etc.)

[NunyaBidness]

None of the roads in Memphis are designed for bikes, so when I ride I claim my lane. If the folks in the cars don't like it I suggest they ride the M.A.T.A. bus.
The drivers manual says that bicycle commuters should ride in the right hand lane, to the right hand side of that lane, yet far enough out to avoid road hazards and gutter trash. I ride where a cars passenger tires travel. If people start trying to pass me too close, I simply pull further out into the lane and claim MY lane. If I am directly in front of then, they can't help but see me. They should get out of my lane before trying to pass me anyway and state law says that they should give me three feet when passing.
This attitude I have comes from ~10 years of commuting by bike in this town. I've got over 50k miles on a bike, the majority of that without a motor, and I ride the way I do for MY safety.

 

[Simonator]

None of the roads in Memphis are designed for bikes, so when I ride I claim my lane. If the folks in the cars don't like it I suggest they ride the M.A.T.A. bus.
The drivers manual says that bicycle commuters should ride in the right hand lane, to the right hand side of that lane, yet far enough out to avoid road hazards and gutter trash. I ride where a cars passenger tires travel. If people start trying to pass me too close, I simply pull further out into the lane and claim MY lane. If I am directly in front of then, they can't help but see me. They should get out of my lane before trying to pass me anyway and state law says that they should give me three feet when passing.
This attitude I have comes from ~10 years of commuting by bike in this town. I've got over 50k miles on a bike, the majority of that without a motor, and I ride the way I do for MY safety.

That is EXACTLY how I ride on roads with no shoulders.

 

[RusticoRay]

I havent rode my bikes since being left no room to move away from stuff varies weeds growing over the white line grabbed my handle bars and put me in the hospital Sept 9 to Sept30. I still wont be able to ride till mid Dec. until the surgery to repair my collar bone Oct. 21 takes place. I was always riding as far to the right as possible to alow cars to go by me, that was and is a crucial mistake Im learning a hard lesson on this one. If I rode where cars right tires are the growth would not have come up on me and the car that I had a little coutesy for would of had to wait instead of taking off. Take control of your part of road and stay there best advice Ill take now. I dont think Ill be riding until the end of Winter but a nice Indian Summer afternoon who knows.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Good luck RusticoRay. That is a bummer.

The pedalers like to say "Claim the lane"

And they're right. A certain number of the cagers WILL squeeze you (us).
We MUST give ourselves that margin for error. They won't give it to us.

 

[Merlin]

I stick mostly to the bike paths and mostly to about 20K or so when I'm on them. Still running in my HT anyhow. The bike paths around here are pretty much unused, I very rarely meet anyone else riding anything, just occasionally a few walkers. The occasions I have to use the roads I'll speed up to match the traffic as much as possible. Therefore, I just don't don't go on roads with speed limits over 60K...

 

[DeusIgnis]

On the side of the road. As tight to the curb as i can get.

When i started riding my bike i did road for local suburban strees and footpath/bikepath for bigger roads. That was till i went into the side of a car coming out of a blind driveway... front forks bent backwards, front wheel destroyed....

From there on in it was road and only road.

Yet to be cleaned up, had a couple of close calls but just got to keep alert

O, and to ride to work i right on a road with 80kmh limit.... slightly terrifying the first time a 16 wheeler thunders past you, but you get used to it

 

[sparky]

I opt for bicycle lane, which there rarely is... so then I'd opt for a sidewalk, which there occasionally is... and then I'll stay a foot or two to the left of the white line.

I should really get a mirror, so I don't have to look behind myself so often.

 

[jmccrury]

Yes, I too am thinking about getting a rear view mirror. I think it would definitely help me ride safer.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

That's interesting; in all the threads where we discuss things that are all but mandatory, good lights, helmet, glasses, gloves, etc., I think this is the first time I've seen mirrors mentioned.

Yet mirrors would certainly fall into the "very highly recommended" category.

I've already got mine. A motorcycle mirror. I wouldn't ride without it. Those cagers need watching.

 

[sunsetboy]

I ride as a bicycle so I hug the side unless a bike lane is available. I sometimes get off the bike at busy intersections to cross the street during heavy traffic and walk my bike across the street. I want to live for my next ride and not get smeared all over the street doing something quite preventable.