National Bike To Work Day: 7 Tips (PHOTOS)

You might have excuses for not riding your bike to work--and if you do, Bicycling magazine has answers for all of them. Today is National Bike To Work Day. To celebrate, here are some great tips to help you make the leap to healthy, low-carbon commuting.

1 of 7

Traffic Scares Me

1 of 8

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

Two simple principles greatly improve your safety: ride predictably and ride visibly. How? On wide roads, ride just to the right of the traffic lane; on narrow roads, stay just inside the traffic lane so vehicles must partly cross the middle line to pass. (This removes the temptation to try to squeeze by you.) For turns, work your way into the proper lane 150 feet early; if you can't get there 40 to 50 feet before the turn, go straight and double back. And stay at least a foot away from curbs--passing autos push debris to the curb, creating a littered path. Related: How to avoid bike-car collisions Traffic safety tips

Animals That Survived Tornadoes

Joplin, Missouri Tornado Anniversary

May 2013 Central U.S. Tornadoes (GRAPHIC IMAGES)

Moore Oklahoma Tornado Victims

How To Drink More Water

Moore Oklahoma Tornado Victims

Two simple principles greatly improve your safety: ride predictably and ride visibly. How? On wide roads, ride just to the right of the traffic lane; on narrow roads, stay just inside the traffic lane so vehicles must partly cross the middle line to pass. (This removes the temptation to try to squeeze by you.) For turns, work your way into the proper lane 150 feet early; if you can't get there 40 to 50 feet before the turn, go straight and double back. And stay at least a foot away from curbs--passing autos push debris to the curb, creating a littered path.

Related:
How to avoid bike-car collisions
Traffic safety tips

comments(169)

Total comments: 169 | Post a Comment

1 of 8

Rate This Slide

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Worst Best

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 5 Tips To Start Biking

loading...

Top 5 Tips To Start Biking

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[medcare651]

02:33 PM on 06/05/2010

Great!. Love the bicycle thing. At 58 I just bought a Trek electric assist bike. I'm looking forward to the whole experience. The idea that I can keep that much gas from being used is wonderful.

My next project is to eliminate as much plastic as possible. There are 6000 products made with petroleum.

It would help to highlight the most important things we could avoid.

Go for it everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

It's up to us.

[gaspillage]

06:34 PM on 06/08/2010

Congratulations!

I don't know where you live but in Louisville, one must be very careful. We have very few designated bike lanes. Therefore the right lane is occupied by both driver and biker.

This is a terrible combination with little regard sometimes shown by both parties.

Please be safe. There have been too many fatalities in our neighborhood.

[mamacat]

05:50 AM on 05/24/2010

I thought it would be a great idea to take the bike to the store and the bank. I got new tires, and put a basket on it, and then discovered that my arthritis won't let me ride a bike anymore.
Getting old is inconvenient at times, but the alternative is worse.

[medcare651]

02:39 PM on 06/05/2010

do the electric assist

[AtheistUS]

02:05 AM on 05/24/2010

Unfortunately, most of our roads are not suitable for bikes, and our drivers are not used to bikes.

[bikezilla]

08:22 PM on 05/23/2010

Regarding sweating & odor --
Wear light breatheable clothing. The best fabric in my opinion is wool. Yes, merino wool is very breatheable and cool, and does not pick up odor, even with repeated use! Smartwool is one very good brand. I keep a suit and a couple of shirts and ties at work. I only have to carry underwear & socks with me.
Danger -- Yes biking is dangerous, but I've been commuting for 15 years in traffic. You always need to be anticipating what every car will do and don't wear earphones. You need every sense to stay alive.

[graffitijoe]

08:08 PM on 05/23/2010

I considered taking my bike to work, but it barely fits in my SUV unless I loosen the handlbars, so I just left it in the garage. I put my radio on the bike seat while I'm working on my vehicles in the garage - it's very useful.

[medcare651]

02:39 PM on 06/05/2010

have a hitch put on it and get a bike rack

[research]

09:53 PM on 05/21/2010

you are right about everything but traffic.

If you ride with cars, will greatly increase your risk of death.

Don't do it.

[ilovecandy]

09:12 PM on 05/21/2010

I can't, seriously my school is 63 miles away. I hitch a ride with my mom, (who drives a vanpool), in the morning to the bus stop. I bus to the bart, and take the bart to the City, then from the bart stop I take the school bus to the school. In all that takes over 2 hours. Biking isn't optional. But I try to do my part anyways.

[rikster]

08:53 PM on 05/21/2010

heres a great tip..obey traffic rules...!

[lonewolfgoingaooo]

07:02 PM on 05/21/2010

I celebrated by taking the long way to and from work in my gasoline powered Turbo engine car. Ah it was amazing!!!!!

[pointy]

10:39 AM on 05/22/2010

Sounds great! I've been collecting rubber tires and old transformers and burning them in my backyard. The kids love it!

[Hobbsofmi]

02:14 PM on 05/21/2010

Hummmm....what happen to weather? Rain? Snow? Bueller? Bueller?

[skyslimit]

03:26 PM on 05/21/2010

That's why I have a car too.. back up plan!

[LefttoBeaver]

02:09 PM on 05/21/2010

#8--Wear a helmet, strapless. Your grey matter on the sidewalk w/ seriously cut into your hotness quotient.

[TParrish]

01:55 PM on 05/21/2010

Go to the website for your state's department of transportation, and see if they have a state-specific version of a bicycle rider's manual. For instance, here is Pennsylvania's:
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/Bureaus/pdBikePed.nsf/infoAcknowledgements?OpenForm

If your state does not have one, go here and read Street Smarts:
http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm

Always ride with a helmet. I can tell you first hand that it is a good idea.
Get and use a helmet-mounted rear-view mirror. Look for the brand Third Eye. Mounting on the helmet is best because one can turn one's head to get a better view. (Mounting on the handle bars necessitates turning the handlebars to look around behind you)

Wear high visibility clothing.
http://www.hivissupply.com/store/index.cfm

[santiago sherwood]

03:34 PM on 05/21/2010

I would like to make a painful proposal, Remove on street parking in Urban areas and put up ballards to separate the bikes from the Cars using the once open paking spaces, then deregulate parking garages so the prices would soar. step 3 block off every other street so it was a dead end.

Step for give a proportional tax credit for people reducing the distance they commute.

With all that we will be able to tell big oil to F%^ off and mean it.

[JoeHurley]

01:38 PM on 05/21/2010

For God's sake, do not ride a bicycle around with your child strapped into a seat or trailer. You will eventually have an accident. You will eventually be hit or brushed by a motor vehicle. Don't be stupid.

(I was a bike messenger in NYC for 9 years)

[pointy]

12:42 AM on 05/22/2010

Most people who ride with kids don't ride like couriers, i.e. fast and reckless.

[JoeHurley]

08:33 PM on 05/26/2010

I only mention that I was a bike messenger to show that I had many years of experience on a bike. You can take my advise or leave it. As far as NYC traffic is concerned, it's just safer to be riding faster than traffic when you can. Most people who get hit by a car are going slower than traffic... they wind up getting hit from behind and never see it coming.

But don't listen to me, go ahead and strap your kid to the back of your bike and hope for the best.

[pd33bkagn]

01:35 PM on 05/21/2010

They forgot the #1 tip for bicycling to work. Before you start, increase you life insurance to $800K.

[lonewolfgoingaooo]

03:10 PM on 05/21/2010

LOL

[Patrick Jones]

01:20 PM on 05/21/2010

So how come nobody is wearing helmets in car ads? Helmets do reduce the incidence of injury in automobile collisions. Why are they not required? Actually, why do advertisements encourage a car culture that eschews helmet wearing? Is it not sexy? Do car companies fear that a (correct) perception of the danger of driving will reduce automobile use?

[lonewolfgoingaooo]

03:11 PM on 05/21/2010

Its called an air bag.