Tips and suggestions on how to ride on road.

[king]

try watching instructional videos:

www.digave.com/videos/index.htm

welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games...

[kingtut]

Reading through all this - seems that a concerted information campaign is in order.

Perhaps a letter to MMDA Chmn BF and the local mayors to post "bicycle awareness" billboards
or ads in the papers so drivers are also aware of the "rights" of the riders. Not just drivers.

There seems to be a general rule to overtake you, as your speed seems to be "slow" - rather than allow you to ride as another driver with rights on the road.
We pay taxes too, di ba???

[jarod]

denise648 said:

whoopi said:

admit it, how many pedestrians turn around when you ring your bike bell?

I experienced that along santolan, when a passenger from a jeep was crossing, using my bell bike it seems that she doesn't hear anything, considering that my bell is a loud one and I am not that far not to hear my bell. Just a 45 degree turn of her head (just my estimate) to right just to see me aproaching, but she still walks as if there's no vehicle along her way. Also in welcome rotonda very few pedestrians will notice the ring of your bell.

are you guys talking of the old style mechanical "kring-kring" bell? I never thot that mtbikers use such

[astoderalf]

it is also nice to carry "NIGHT STICK" for self-defence. Last sunday, April 1. I went to quiapo to buy helmet. At around 7 pm, when i was at my way home. i was passing along FEU New Building, i saw a drunk man crossing at about 10 meters away from me, at that time i am the only one passing MORAYTA to espana. i thought he was just crossing, then without warning he throw me a punch and tries to grab my helmet. I quickly turn to left to avoid his punch, then grab my night stick to give him a swisss-swasss. he went back then runs across the street. he keep on making a finger sign on me. then i wait.... till he enters a dark street nearby FEU. I think he is going to call some reinforcement of ADIKS or tambays, i took my bike then rush to exit that MORAYTA ST., that was my first adrenalin experience..... for me, it's good to bring some gadgets for self-defence.

[nikkocholo]

Make a sexy whistle (weet weew) so the bystander and other people will look...you can also make ziiit zzziiit....
For cars and other vehicles just slow down for safety

[anahaw2000]

in my xperience the better way to recognize is by using hand signal. always use ur hand when ever u want to go to ur left or right, esciallly when u encounter large vehicles.

[glockbiker]

Ever encountered this?

You are barreling down the road at high speed when a pedestrian suddenly crosses the street. Turning his/her head to the left, he/she sees you and suddenly freezes in his/her tracks. You see that he/she is at a loss whether to continue crossing the street or going back to the gutter.

Anticipating that the pedestrian will do a "patintero" with you, what will you do you do if there is no time (or would be unsafe) for you to brake?

At the Honda riding school, we were taught that in such a situation, it would be safer to pass the person from his/her hind side. (Lumusot ka sa likod niya.). This assumes that the person is "naka-side view sa iyo".

The reason given was that it would be easier for a person to move forward than backward in such a situation.

I've tried this once in Antipolo and it saved my butt. Otherwise, me, my bike bike and the old woman who crossed the street would have ended up strewn all over the highway. Total yardsale!

[knobbyist]

glockbiker
thanks for that safety tip brad. i think its great that people who learn those things from riding schools share them here cause this scenario really do happen in real life riding. please keep them coming.

[tutubing kalye]

On blind spots/corners, always assume that someone (a kid/pedestrian, dogs, even vehicles) might suddenly dart across your path.

[tutubing kalye]

we can also look at Metro Manila roads as a "boulderful"and heavily- vegetated forest trail where:

--- we have to duck to avoid tree branches [those extended side mirrors of 6-wheelers and other delivery vehicles carrying pipes/bars/whatever]; or

---a rutful of single-track trails where body language spells the difference between choosing whether your body gets scratched by boulders, bushes, or you fall off the cliff ;D [getting pinned (almost) between vehicles/sidewalk curbs or vehicle/vehicle combo]

In situations where we get "nudged" to the gutter, trollying* skills can help a lot


^{*taking your right foot off the pedal and stroke your way along or out of the gutter}

[tutubing kalye]

on intersections, a non-aggressive eye contact with the driver (or on his tinted window ;D ) and a simple "ako muna" nod helps most of the time...

...as we pass, a lift of the forefinger or another nod to acknowledge the driver's favorable response...


^{... no need to use another finger if the the driver is an ***hole} ;D

[glockbiker]

Whenever you ride the rightmost lane (near the sidewalk) be alert for bystanders trying to flag down a ride.

If and when they do that, usually a bus, a jeepney or an FX will try to overtake you from the left, cut across your path and screech to a halt ahead of you to pick up the passengers. Very irritating!

[knobbyist]

glockbiker said:

Ever encountered this?

You are barreling down the road at high speed when a pedestrian suddenly crosses the street.

Sadly this exact scene happened near Paseo in Sta Rosa yesterday. A rider was riding the road to Paseo when an old woman and her grandchild suddenly crossed the street. The poor guy crashed trying to avoid them. He was rushed to the hospital shortly afterwards. I really hope he is okay by now.

[tutubing kalye]

On using U-turn slots: - (assuming you're right-side of-the-road rider)

--hand signal ur intention to transfer lane

--position yourself on the right-most side of those entering the slot (in between vehicles going straight and those "U-turning")

--maintain your position on the right of those "U-turning" vehicles... this way, you will be visible to both drivers coming from the U-turn slot and those from the main traffic

--again, hand signal ur intention* to drivers from main traffic to let you enter the main traffic and or transfer to the outer (right-most) lane.

_{*remain alert to traffic on your left to avoid colliding with other vehicles. slow-down usually occurs further up among other vehicles}

[jacklero]

if most hand signals fail (as most drivers here apparently learned to drive from playing NSFU or GTA) then you can always use the universally accepted/easily understood hand signal/gesture hehehehe

[asto]

watch out those shuttered glass (bubog) when you're riding, my tire got a half inch slit. when your passing through in an urban area, market, always check your tires before ride.

[omardlcruz]

other commuters are quite annoying though. once, my friends and i were biking in a small pack (there were 4 of us), when a bike commuter suddenly cut through our ranks at high speed! we were so annoyed that two of us tried to catch up with him! hehe..he was scared to hell that he also increased his speed! maybe he thought that we would beat him up or something..he kept looking behind him until we finally overtook him! it was so funny that he got scared so much,because we were just teenagers with mountain bikes when he himself looked like 40++years old!!haha...

[asto]

Don't talk to strangers!

When they ask you about "HOW MUCH YOUR BIKE WORTH, brad?, coz' you don't know what gonna happen next.

RIDE SAFE!, RIDE SMART!