Good ol’ Matt and I have completed Biketober: Week 1 with 5 commutes between home and work since last Wednesday. The weather has been very good, if a little chilly up until today when it rained on the way home. Also, according to Matt’s own statistics, it’s getting easier every day (on a cardio-pulmonarial level).

It’s been a pretty busy week in the cycling world with as much bad news as good. Meanwhile, the ride has provided me some time to gel my thoughts on cycling safety. More after the jump…

We’ll get the bad right out front – Jen Futrell was struck and killed by a van zipping around a TARC bus on Bardstown Road last Tuesday, September 30th. A ghost bike has been installed at the scene – and you read all you could want to know here: http://shoot-the-messenger.net/jen/. Two days later, a UofL student was struck on Broadway but was luckily not injured seriously. Biketober was certainly not off to a good start.

A Note About Helmets
Ms. Futrell wasn’t wearing a helmet – obviously we’ll never know if it would have saved her life, but it certainly wouldn’t have done any harm. Point being: wear a damned helmet. The only time I don’t wear one is when I’m tooling around my secluded neighborhood which has extremely little traffic. Anywhere else I’m wearing one.

Further Notes on Safe Riding
Here are the things that I concentrate on when I ride:

• Visibility
• Awareness
• Communication

You’ve got to own the space in which you ride, or it will own you. Driving is mostly a visual experience and the best way to own your space is be in the mix and be bright. I remain visible with lights, like the Planet Bike Superflash I purchased from the Mountain Bike Depot which has proven it’s reputation as “the best taillight on the planet” in the few days I’ve had it. I also have a totally hackish headlight – a Harbor Freight LED flashlight wrapped in rubber bands and held on with more rubber bands. $8 and you never know when you are going to need a rubber band… or a flashlight.

I also ride in the right 1/3 of the rightmost lane – usually in the right-hand wheel track. Hugging the shoulder or the curb doesn’t give you a safe place to go and encourages drivers to squeeze past you in the lane. Give yourself the room you are allowed on the right and “own the lane”.

When I’m riding my bike, I am constantly hyper-aware of everything going on around me – at least 5x moreso than when I’m in my car. And most of the awareness is me gauging one thing: Are the drivers aware of ME? That one little thing is so critical – you must never assume that a car is paying attention to you until you see them actually looking at you. I will lock eyes with a driver who is either going to cross or turn into my lane – I’m sure it’s a little odd for the driver, but that’s the only way I know what a driver is going to do.

Matt and I both ride with those goofy little rear-view mirrors that hang off your glasses. They are great for quickly checking who is coming up behind you. It’s easier and more importantly quicker than looking behind you, so you can get back to looking where you are going.

Lastly in the “communication” front – I always signal where I’m going to other vehicles. Even if I’m going straight through an intersection, I point straight ahead. The less confusion the better – I have no desire to do a headstand on anyone’s car hood because they were turning left and I was going straight. Changing lanes is always a bit risky on the bike. I normally plan my lane changes way in advance and then try to time them when the traffic is light, and while signaling I take up my ENTIRE lane so no one can sneak around me or think I’m just waving my left arm in the air. Finally, in the advocacy department – I always make sure to wave to people who give us the go-ahead at a stop sign or who pay enough attention to their surroundings to still realize we are behind them after they pass us. A little smile or a wave or an audible “thanks” breaks the ice between cyclist and “inconvenienced” driver.

Biketober Route Report
Most of the traffic on our largely suburban commute has been pretty easy to get along with. Taylorsville Road and Plantside Drive are both two-lane roads with a turn lane in the center, so people have plenty of space to avoid us. Most drivers do, but in the minority are those who yell, honk, pass too close or speed up to get around us at a stop light. Luckily I can count those folks on one hand in the first week of Biketober.

The passing too close thing is really rather frightening on a bike – and I gather that (having been a driver for a while m’self) you don’t really recognize the sound and fury and overall imposing figure of an approaching automobile doing 45 MPH while you are safely in your car. You definitely do when that car is passing you on your bike doing 15 MPH.

Biketober News Roundup
Congress Passes Bicycle Commuter Act – $20/mo tax credit per commuter per business to offset stuff like racks and lockers.
Louisville Police Chief stars in Bike Safety Spots – The ‘Ville Voice has been covering the recent bike news pretty well and turned me on to the city’s bike spot.

Biking in the Rain
Dang that was kinda fun today! It was raining pretty steadily today when we left for home. I haven’t done much riding in the rain (save for the epic 2008 Muncie Triathlon) and I’ve got to tell you it’s great. Yes, it was a little chilly, yes I was a little soggy – but hey, when was they last time you were in the rain and you didn’t care?

Meanwhile, I think I need to come up with a cheap fender solution – and I’m likely to copy something like what I’ve seen over at Kent’s Bike Blog – coroplast and zip ties!

One last note: singlespeed
I ride a bike that has only one gear. It’s a converted 1987? LeMans Centurion road bike that had some seriously bumpy wheels on it. I swapped them out for an inexpensive wheelset and Nashbar’s Singlespeed conversion kit and a new chain. After a little tinkering around with the right gear ratio for this moderately hilly city in which we live, I landed on a 42/16. It’s just tough enough up the hills but fast enough I can keep up in traffic. It’s simple yet challenging and it will make me a better rider. Also, it’s just sharp lookin’!