Comments Mark Wilson has made

safety

Cute video Umbra, but wearing a helmet and "staying in the bike lane" are two of the least effective pieces of advice you could have used for bicycling safety.

There is an entire network of certified cycling instructors new riders can find at www.bikeleague.org  (I'm one of those guys.)

Besides having a bike that fits and is mechanically sound, the most important things cyclists need to know and do are:

1. ALWAYS go with the flow; never facing traffic
   
2. obey the basic rules of the road; stop at stop signs and red lights
   
3. don't hug the edge -- this invites motorists to squeeze by when there isn't sufficient width and limits your ability to avoid other common motorist mistakes; you may be better off "taking the lane" in many circumstances
   
4. drive your bicycle just like a vehicle, because it IS a vehicle; for example:
   
5. make left turns from the left turn lane, NOT the bike lane
   
6. stay out of the "door zone;" sometimes bike lanes actually encourage cyclists to ride where they can get smacked by opening car doors; that would be very bad