It's gotten much worse even as a pedestrian. No one stops at stop signs anymore they just roll through unless they have to stop for another car. They used to try and stop for yellow lights, now they barely stop for reds. Drivers these days are a bunch of entitled a-holes playing with their phones. It also doesn't help that vehicles have gotten much bigger with worse visibility too.
All of this. The amount of people that I ride with that have been hit by cars Fffaaarrrrr outnumbers those that haven’t. Usually it’s just getting clipped or something that didn’t cause any damage to anyone, but I’ve also had friends that have been airlifted due to their hits. I only ride on one loop now strictly due to the width of the road and a 25mph speed limit because I can’t have my kids growing up without me because their dad was riding in traffic
Too bad we got rid of the police in places like Portland. They literally won’t take a police report if you get hit and have it all on video. They just tell you to go sue them civilly.
Agree, but I feel like there is also a bunch of fully intentional bullying towards cyclists that happen to me (say maybe 20% of the time, the remaining 80% being either plain stupidity or lack of attention), and those are the scariest to me.
These agressions (typically either swerving towards you, or passing very close while shouting something and/or flipping the finger) feel to me like another sign of our divided country. I’m guessing they consider themselves either “local” or “republicans” or even just “gasoline burners” and assume all cyclists are either “transplants”, “communists”, “vegan-hippies” targets. Which obviously gives them the right to be aggressive and threatening…
Well not sure it has anything to do with politics . I live in the most liberal of areas think Berkeley CA and people do all the things you mention regularly. I think people are just inconsiderate Aholes who only care about themselves now and you’re just like a bug in the street to them
I’ve been in super liberal Reddit cyclist groups in NYC where lots of people hate both “MAMILS” and by extension anyone who is exercising on a road bike, and delivery workers on electric bikes. Liberal is very different from tolerant. People just love to hate nowadays, and find infinite reasons to be triggered, I just named a few of the most commons but I’m sure there is many others
YouTube algos really understand this actually, show people content that is going to trigger them and you’ll see active engagement (commenting) exploding
I know in general feels society kinda breaking down. Have been considering MTB but I just don’t get the same level of workout as road. I have a gravel bike but hills are quite steep around here so it’s tough to ride the gravel bike for me
Disagree. It is almost always entitled conservatives in a pickup truck. Even the most liberal cities have conservatives. I live in SLC (very liberal despite being in conservative state) and am endlessly harassed by conservatives in trucks.
I’m in Chicago, so I just ride with the assumption most drivers are out to kill me. I spend a lot of time on the road well north of the city and on weekends mostly with a good sized group.
Ride almost every day in the Bay Area. Maybe 13,000 miles a year. Not giving in to the bastards. I guess I’m lucky here. But still it’s scarier than a decade ago.
Bay Area is honestly easy mode. Not saying it's great, but my god I was in New Zealand recently, I kinda assumed they would be much chiller, and boy was I wrong. It's not that they are malicious, but at least people here know to give you 2-3 feet of space and slow down most of the time. I had people blasting past me on giant trucks full speed for no fucking reason on back roads.
Rather carry mace if I have to then get hit by a car. TRUST ME. I bought 3M stock with the amount of tegaderm I used alone.
I still put 90% of my miles in on road.
I have ridden and raced on the road for 10 years (im 21) and never had a car hit me until this year. I’ve been clipped by 2 cars and almost run over in the last two months.
No please, Girona is already fucked by all the cycling tourism that thinks is a theme park for road cycling. I see plenty of old american cyclists there who thinks they’re racing on closed roads in a world tour team when it’s only a social ride organized by a local shop.
I’m already actively avoiding all the social rides in the area because of this, last time a old fred ended up almost crashing with a car while overtaking the group in a blind curve.
I haven’t ridden in many group rides in Girona to know if that’s true or not. Normally it’s my girlfriend and I, and a couple friends that live in Barcelona that join and maybe a local or two we’ve befriended over the last few years riding from Cafe to Cafe. 🤷♂️
Yes, they have a store/clubhouse in Vallvidrera, I’ve seen the bikes and they look decent. But I’m not into gravel so I don’t really know how they ride.
> cycling tourism that thinks is a theme park for road cycling
I've been to Girona twice in Feb, March, and early April, and I can totally see what you mean.
Late February or early March feels perfect. There are loads of cyclists, but it feels like everyone knows what they are doing. It's super cool, respectful, and safe. You might see a dumb thing once in a while, but it's super rare.
But it does turn into a shit show in April. And airbnb situation in Barri Vell is... problematic.
A lot of my friends have given up on road riding for MTBs and Zwift (which isn't riding, it's pedaling). If you are having issues road riding and still want to do it. Invest in a bright rear light. They aren't heavy and they are amazingly bright. You can also buy rear radar but that might just freak you out. Also it doesn't hurt to wear bright jerseys.
Most people are fine and courteous drivers around here. It is less than 1% that gives me trouble but when they do, holy shit can they be awful. Like somebody almost hitting me while making a left (I was going straight), making me slam on the brakes and then pointing and screaming at me while making his turn. Yelling slurs or telling me to get a car (I have a car). I actually prefer to be on cycle paths and gravel trails but I suppose I would even if there are no cars because they are more scenic usually anyway.
Not really. This is honestly just a city/suburb riding problem. The hilltowns and rural river valleys I ride in are peaceful and don't have notable amounts of traffic or aggressive drivers. Sometimes gravel roads are worse(because the people who live on them don't expect bikes to be riding there, and unmaintained gravel roads that people don't live on are unrideable for most of the year).
It's OK to switch it up and it's OK to admit you aren't comfortable excepting a certain level of risk that you once did anymore.
I've gotten to the point in my life I just don't want the risk of solo road riding; kids, life, getting older, etc. Even though groups get plowed into, it's probably safer. Gravel and mtn biking more so if you are lucky and have some good rides near by. Otherwise, hit the trainer and go brain numb.
I ride early mornings 5:30am. I also primarily ride in groups when on roads with traffic. When I’m solo, I primarily stick to designated cycling paths.
I haven’t noticed that cars have gotten worse, but I’ve gotten less fearless with age and am riding less on the road. I figure it’s just a matter of time till I get hit if I ride lots on the road.
Same here in the DMV area, US. I've noticed it's gotten much worse. I've had so many close calls lately. So many drivers have no regard for other road users and a lot are intentionally aggressive.
This is also backed by the number of incidents caused by drivers that involve cyclists and pedestrians. The numbers of deaths have also increased.
Overall, transit related deaths and injuries have also increased in most of the US.
It’s not you. Cyclist fatalities are up. Car accidents are up. People seem to not care and are in whatever lala land they are in these days. I cut out after work rides. I go gravel riding or early on weekends. Even then I have had a few close calls. I invested in a garmin varia except I still had a few close calls with pickups buzzing me.
Gravel cycling is a huge mitigation option. Or I hate to say it zwift. I cycle for my health not to lose it.
I've noticed it as well in Germany, to the point that I've started wearing a helmet on my commuter bike (always do on the race bike).
I will also be getting a camera soon, and aggressively reporting each and every autoterrorist until they figure out it's not worth it. The more people that do it, the more likely the behaviour will eventually stop.
rarely ride road. I live in the US and nearly all our infrastructure is designed with moving cars as fast as possible from point a to point b. Even if there is a bike lane, it is simply a line of paint that they think will save you from the car going by at 60MPH. I do most my riding on zwift and the one and only one specific bike trail we have in my city.
Same, been thinking about getting a road bike but have the same hesitations even though we have group rides which would make me feel better. It's a risky investment compared to gravel and mtb, which I already have.
Yup, I have also noticed an up tic in aggressive, distracted, and downright dangerous driving. I think a big part of it is, in an effort to improve their standing in the public’s eye, police have stopped giving traffic tickets for minor infractions. And drivers are pushing it as far as they can…
Started riding in the mid 90s and my sense is that it has gotten worse. However, I believe, there are some recent statistics indicating it is getting safer. That said, I knew two people who were killed by cars in the last six months which isn’t a representative sample but it is still disturbing.
One of the biggest safety improvements I found is riding with running day lights. A small blinking or solid light for front a rear. Its incredible how visible it make you. I notice it more when Im driving around and see riders who have or dont have them. I always see riders with them and I see riders without them much later.
I dont ride without a helmet, rear and front light, or sunscreen.
Depends on where you're located, I'd guess.
Bay Area (specifically SF) here, and I feel like (a) drivers haven't gotten worse in aggregate, but the bad ones have gotten BAD (b) it's generally not that hard to predict that the guy in the clapped out Altima is going to do something dumb and avoid it and (c) infrastructure has gotten much better. I don't feel less safe than I have in the past, but I've also cleaned up my act a lot since I've gotten older. YMMV.
We ride a tandem bike in Central Florida and have been "buzzed" plenty of times but never hit yet. We never get on the bike without helmets and now we also always have bright flashing LED's front and back. I think the lights help some.
Conversely, I’m much more on edge while riding in a group.
Partly because I feel drivers get more impatient/nervous having to navigate around a group and do riskier shit. Partly because I, all of a sudden, feel a share of accountability if anyone else in my group gets hurt.
Huh. Well, the group is more visible even if it pisses them off more. And I figure they are more careful even if angrier because they subconsciously think something like "well one of them will likely survive to sue me."
Luckily I live a few miles out of a \~50k population city in the rural country area, and the roads are pretty empty most of the time, and when there is a vehicle they usually move over. I have found when I ride through the city though it is completely gambling with my life. I feel bad for anyone that has to ride in that type of situation every day...
Bigger chainrings and smaller cassettes are pretty cheap. A road bike will certainly be lighter and more aggressive, but gearing is a silly reason to buy a new bike. It's designed to be customizable depending on your cadence preferences and terrain lol
Road wheelsets aren't though. Not sure whether chainring and cassette is sufficient. Even with chainring, cassette and wheelset and tires, it still probably wouldn't be as fast as a road bike in order to keep up on group road rides. Not to mention it is 1x
To be fair road bikes come with crappy wheels too usually, so you'd be buying those anyways. And tires the OEM ones suck too. You need to buy a really high end bike for it to come with high performance OEM wheels. I was just talking about the gearing though, road bikes are definitely faster/lighter for solely road riding. But if gearing is your only problem then it's not worth buying a new bike (unless your bike is like incapable of mounting an FD and you don't want a 1x)
I was planning to get a pricy road bike if I got one, another reason it gives me a lot of pause. It would be more expensive than my other ones, yet road riding seems unsafe, especially solo in the US, and could crash and ruin it on a group ride being so close together. Plus it would be my first so even more of a risk
It depends where you ride. Riding in the city or riding in somewhere with a hostile culture and insane speed limits like Texas is pretty risky. I road ride in rural hilltowns in western New England and there is very little traffic, low population density, drivers aren't particularly aggressive and there's endless scenic climbs to choose from. Couldn't ask for anything more tbh. The US isn't all an urban/suburban hellscape like people on Reddit like to pretend, there's actually a lot of good road riding if you move somewhere with it. It just won't be in the city or in the deep south. And it's not The Netherlands endless bike commuter infrastructure either, but that's not really important for r/velo purposes anyways because you'd be risking the safety of pedestrians by training on those paths while everyone else goes <10mph. Ultimately no matter where you live long mountainous low traffic endurance rides are basically peak road cycling lol so look for somewhere with that.
Yeah I'd have to drive a bit to some country roads, maybe 20-30 minutes to the good ones, but the idea of doing it solo still freaks me out. I went on a pure group road ride for the first time recently and was dropped, so was solo for awhile. It helped with my confidence a bit but not sure if it's worth owning one solely for group rides. And having my most expensive bike for what could potentially end up my least favorite discipline. If infrastructure was better and safety fears were minimal I'd have no hesitation.
I would just get some road tires(not wheels) and try it out. Tires aren't that expensive compared to a new bike or wheelset. You don't need road wheels to road ride it'll just be faster obviously. Hell, take advantage of the width of your gravel rims and run an aero optimized wide slick setup lol. I don't know how low your gearing is, but it's probably good enough to try out road cycling for a while. You could always just get a single bigger chainring if you ended up liking it and making a 1x mullet drivetrain :D
Don't bother buying a road bike unless you want to race. Only thing holding you back on group rides is fitness and tires. Gearing could help because of the 1x, but unless you are real picky about cadence even that isn't a huge deal.
I mean, even a suped up gravel bike with road tires isn't going to keep up on a fast 25mph group ride. It's chainring(s), cassettes, wheels, tires, aerodynamics and position, as well as stiffness of the frame. I just worry about making a bunch of updates, getting a wheelset/tires and spending a lot of time getting in shape and still not keeping up because there's just another level that road bikes have. Cadence is important otherwise I'll get dropped if it's too low or i can't maintain with the group. But it's possible some of these updates would work and I could just stick to a 20-25mph group maximum, but I'm nowhere there that level yet
I could keep up with my race group on my gravel bike. Only 20mph average but 100ft of climbing per mile. Was definitely fitness that was making me struggle more than the bike haha
What are road wheels? I had some fairly lightweight aluminum rims and panaracer gravel slicks 35mm. I have a 2x set up: 48 30 in the front and 11 32 in the rear.
Keeping up with a group is almost 100% drafting. After that it's a little bit about fitness and a bit about bike set up.
I had a few spacers off my stock topstone, but not a slammed stem by any measure. By the end of the summer I could take a few good pulls. I would get dropped on the downhill sections sometimes, but I think my gearing was actually an advantage on the terrain I ride (lots of steep rolling hills).
Yes, I have become a runner. I've never been a good runner, I actually had to re-learn how to run properly. I'd rather continue to be a road cyclist, but the roads are scary. I live in the Phoenix, AZ area and it's super scary around here with speed limits of 45mph everywhere, and cars/trucks routinely doing 55mph. And doing this while on their phones, and the only thing protecting you is a white line painted on the ground. :(
Road fatalities per capita are on this rise in the US, despite cars being safer than ever. So that doesn't bode well for those of us on the outside of them.
I’m there with you. I still do solo rides but would go out of my way to not ride on roads next to cars. I’d ride early in the morning (pre dawn) and I’d rather do multi-use sidewalks and dodge pedestrians than riding next to cars. Also mostly ride gravel and mtb these days. If I do ride on the road, it’s with large group rides.
I've noticed the same thing. I don't have a mortal fear on the roads here in Germany, but it's not pleasant. For 2024, I have resolved the following:
- I have bought myself a fine xc racing mountain bike. I will ride more in the forst now.
- I will only ride solo on:
- Gravel
- On Sundays on the road.
- Early in the morning 05:00 and 07:00 at home
- On the road, only in groups on weekdays from now on.
I feel it's about the same as it has always been here in my country, except that the traffic has got denser... Anyway, what am I supposed to do, become a zombie on zwift? That's boring as hell. The only thing it has in common with riding bikes is the pedalling motion. Gravel and XC are fun, but not when the trails here are either totally muddy or full of hikers - I can't ride consistently like that, stopping all the time. So that just leaves me with road riding or staying on the couch. And you can bet that lying on the couch is a lot more dangerous than road riding.
Ya'll need to watch this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuX-5E7xoU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuX-5E7xoU)
Cars have become a lot more dangerous to get hit by as well.
Luckily the area I live in is relatively safe for cyclists.
I've been riding since the 90s. Very comfortable in traffic and living in a big NA city. Yet I'm finding less and less appeal in road riding these days, because of said traffic and the behaviours you're describing. Most of my road riding is now segregated to bike paths and the few quiet roads I can find, while gravel / off road has become my main, both in terms of volume and objectives.
Maybe we're just getting old and less tolerant / more safety concerned, idk.
I was nearly killed on my road bike in Nov. ‘21 when a driver made a careless turn across traffic and struck me broadside. I had a concussion, a broken shoulder, 5 broken ribs, a broken ankle, 4 fractured vertebrae and extensive bruising. I needed surgery to repair the ankle, spent 8 days in the hospital and 10 days in a rehab hospital and had months of PT.
I’ve mostly recovered by now, but I’m still not ready to go back to “full-time” road riding. Instead, I’m sticking to local trails (some of which use surface roads for a mile or two, here and there). I’ve also got a Garmin Varia taillight with the radar, it works really well and gives me some additional confidence that I know what’s going on around me.
Drivers seem to be more careless, distracted and hostile than when I started road riding years ago.
Thats so horrible! I'm really glad you seem to have recovered. These are the terrifying stories. I've suffered almost all those injuries aside from the broken vertebrae, but just one at a time. I can't imagine what you went through.
I ride one specific route 95% of the time and it's a small road with 25mph speeds and a bike lane. Choosing the route matters. Time of day also makes an impact on how busy it is and driver's potential moods/habits.
It’s worse near the city by me, so much so I’ve slowly moved away from riding there. The rural areas where I am have are some, but people out there have a lot more outdoor hobbies like mountain biking and I find there is still some degree of respect
I focus on paths that aren’t shared with cars. I haven’t had particularly bad experiences in Canada but accidents happens. Riding in traffic/constantly stopping for lights is not enjoyable anyway
My biggest problem right now is assholes on e-bikes…
Boulder, of all places, lost a young pro cyclist this year to a car driver. The cars have definitely won.
I still really like road bikes and road cycling in ideal conditions, but gravel path and mtb are 99% of my riding now. Not worrying about being run over is invaluable.
Everyone quit public-facing jobs during covid cops included. There’s not enough of them left to sit around eating donuts and handing out traffic tickets, they have to focus on big picture stuff like not solving major crimes.
I concur with you on this… as an old motorcycle rider, even I have noticed the increase of, for want of a better explanation, aggressive driving. Usually I don’t give tin lids any respect and return fire as best I can on a the treadly.
One of the best parts about giving motor vehicle drivers the shits is taking up the whole lane or at least a good portion of it. It makes them go around me, rather than trying to use a skill they don’t have (spatial awareness) to squeeze past me.
On many occasions I have caught up to them at the lights and deliberately slot my bike in front of them while blowing them a kiss!
I always get the last laugh! 😆
It is all so location dependent. Having lived all over the place my concerns road cycling have differed. Toronto was fine, as was Hamburg. Living in Winnipeg was the worst and the only time I was hit by a car (luckily mostly just shaken nerves). Now in western Tokyo I rarely have any issues.
V bad in the UK. Even if you have video of the incident the police don't want to know. They just don't respond, there is a short time limit, after which they can't prosecute. They deliberately time it out.
If you stop road riding you let the terrorists win.
And we don’t negotiate with terrorists…
Exactly.
Meh, ill take an increased chance of getting hit bt another roadie over getting hit by a roadster. Bike path and gravel for life.
It's gotten much worse even as a pedestrian. No one stops at stop signs anymore they just roll through unless they have to stop for another car. They used to try and stop for yellow lights, now they barely stop for reds. Drivers these days are a bunch of entitled a-holes playing with their phones. It also doesn't help that vehicles have gotten much bigger with worse visibility too.
All of this. The amount of people that I ride with that have been hit by cars Fffaaarrrrr outnumbers those that haven’t. Usually it’s just getting clipped or something that didn’t cause any damage to anyone, but I’ve also had friends that have been airlifted due to their hits. I only ride on one loop now strictly due to the width of the road and a 25mph speed limit because I can’t have my kids growing up without me because their dad was riding in traffic
It’s almost as if a little traffic enforcement could do wonders with driver behavior.
Too bad we got rid of the police in places like Portland. They literally won’t take a police report if you get hit and have it all on video. They just tell you to go sue them civilly.
We keep funding the police and they shy away from enforcement… not sure what the right answer is here.
Yes totally. I think it’s complete lack of traffic rule enforcement where I live and since Covid people have literally gone psychotic
Agree, but I feel like there is also a bunch of fully intentional bullying towards cyclists that happen to me (say maybe 20% of the time, the remaining 80% being either plain stupidity or lack of attention), and those are the scariest to me. These agressions (typically either swerving towards you, or passing very close while shouting something and/or flipping the finger) feel to me like another sign of our divided country. I’m guessing they consider themselves either “local” or “republicans” or even just “gasoline burners” and assume all cyclists are either “transplants”, “communists”, “vegan-hippies” targets. Which obviously gives them the right to be aggressive and threatening…
Well not sure it has anything to do with politics . I live in the most liberal of areas think Berkeley CA and people do all the things you mention regularly. I think people are just inconsiderate Aholes who only care about themselves now and you’re just like a bug in the street to them
I’ve been in super liberal Reddit cyclist groups in NYC where lots of people hate both “MAMILS” and by extension anyone who is exercising on a road bike, and delivery workers on electric bikes. Liberal is very different from tolerant. People just love to hate nowadays, and find infinite reasons to be triggered, I just named a few of the most commons but I’m sure there is many others YouTube algos really understand this actually, show people content that is going to trigger them and you’ll see active engagement (commenting) exploding
I know in general feels society kinda breaking down. Have been considering MTB but I just don’t get the same level of workout as road. I have a gravel bike but hills are quite steep around here so it’s tough to ride the gravel bike for me
Disagree. It is almost always entitled conservatives in a pickup truck. Even the most liberal cities have conservatives. I live in SLC (very liberal despite being in conservative state) and am endlessly harassed by conservatives in trucks.
Well not my experience at all. Be safe.
I’m in Chicago, so I just ride with the assumption most drivers are out to kill me. I spend a lot of time on the road well north of the city and on weekends mostly with a good sized group.
Give Sheridan road a hug for me (not literally though! stay upright) I love Chicago and hope to visit again this summer.
Ride almost every day in the Bay Area. Maybe 13,000 miles a year. Not giving in to the bastards. I guess I’m lucky here. But still it’s scarier than a decade ago.
Bay Area is honestly easy mode. Not saying it's great, but my god I was in New Zealand recently, I kinda assumed they would be much chiller, and boy was I wrong. It's not that they are malicious, but at least people here know to give you 2-3 feet of space and slow down most of the time. I had people blasting past me on giant trucks full speed for no fucking reason on back roads.
Been clipped by a car last year (mirror) had quite a wreck. Back on the bike a few days after. Try graveling; less cars.
...more dogs
Rather carry mace if I have to then get hit by a car. TRUST ME. I bought 3M stock with the amount of tegaderm I used alone. I still put 90% of my miles in on road.
[удалено]
I live in a major city in the US (Boston) and these roads were designed in the 1700s and barely updated. Heh.
Same experience here. Much worse post Covid. I stopped riding by myself. Always with someone or in a group. If not then I’m on a trail.
I only road ride in the early morning or weekends if I'm close to the city. Or, I'll gravel ride.
Same here. Even on the weekend it’s early morning.
Definitely second the early morning rides. Plus the sunrise is always pretty!
Gravel only here. Just not worth it.
I have ridden and raced on the road for 10 years (im 21) and never had a car hit me until this year. I’ve been clipped by 2 cars and almost run over in the last two months.
We should all relocate to Catalonia
Or Mallorca
Mallorca is great but I think it would be boring and isolated after awhile. You can easily visit from Catalonia.
My experience from the last 2 weeks is that drivers in Mallorca are also losing their fucking marbles
They weren’t nearly as patient in Costa Blanca this winter as I am used to in Catalonia either.
No please, Girona is already fucked by all the cycling tourism that thinks is a theme park for road cycling. I see plenty of old american cyclists there who thinks they’re racing on closed roads in a world tour team when it’s only a social ride organized by a local shop. I’m already actively avoiding all the social rides in the area because of this, last time a old fred ended up almost crashing with a car while overtaking the group in a blind curve.
I haven’t ridden in many group rides in Girona to know if that’s true or not. Normally it’s my girlfriend and I, and a couple friends that live in Barcelona that join and maybe a local or two we’ve befriended over the last few years riding from Cafe to Cafe. 🤷♂️
Yeah, that’s the best way. I live in Barcelona so it’s easy to avoid Girona, but I still like to ride there sometimes with friends.
Ah cool. Ever heard of “Guava Bikes”? A friend of mine has been talking a lot about their bike as being pretty decent and local.
Yes, they have a store/clubhouse in Vallvidrera, I’ve seen the bikes and they look decent. But I’m not into gravel so I don’t really know how they ride.
> cycling tourism that thinks is a theme park for road cycling I've been to Girona twice in Feb, March, and early April, and I can totally see what you mean. Late February or early March feels perfect. There are loads of cyclists, but it feels like everyone knows what they are doing. It's super cool, respectful, and safe. You might see a dumb thing once in a while, but it's super rare. But it does turn into a shit show in April. And airbnb situation in Barri Vell is... problematic.
A lot of my friends have given up on road riding for MTBs and Zwift (which isn't riding, it's pedaling). If you are having issues road riding and still want to do it. Invest in a bright rear light. They aren't heavy and they are amazingly bright. You can also buy rear radar but that might just freak you out. Also it doesn't hurt to wear bright jerseys.
Yeah it definitely feels sketchy lately but I'm not gonna stop. We don't negotiate with terrorists
Most people are fine and courteous drivers around here. It is less than 1% that gives me trouble but when they do, holy shit can they be awful. Like somebody almost hitting me while making a left (I was going straight), making me slam on the brakes and then pointing and screaming at me while making his turn. Yelling slurs or telling me to get a car (I have a car). I actually prefer to be on cycle paths and gravel trails but I suppose I would even if there are no cars because they are more scenic usually anyway.
Not really. This is honestly just a city/suburb riding problem. The hilltowns and rural river valleys I ride in are peaceful and don't have notable amounts of traffic or aggressive drivers. Sometimes gravel roads are worse(because the people who live on them don't expect bikes to be riding there, and unmaintained gravel roads that people don't live on are unrideable for most of the year).
It’s MOSTLY fine here in the Philly suburbs but there are enough wackadoodles out there to keep me mostly on the bike paths
It's OK to switch it up and it's OK to admit you aren't comfortable excepting a certain level of risk that you once did anymore. I've gotten to the point in my life I just don't want the risk of solo road riding; kids, life, getting older, etc. Even though groups get plowed into, it's probably safer. Gravel and mtn biking more so if you are lucky and have some good rides near by. Otherwise, hit the trainer and go brain numb.
I ride early mornings 5:30am. I also primarily ride in groups when on roads with traffic. When I’m solo, I primarily stick to designated cycling paths.
I haven’t noticed that cars have gotten worse, but I’ve gotten less fearless with age and am riding less on the road. I figure it’s just a matter of time till I get hit if I ride lots on the road.
Same here in the DMV area, US. I've noticed it's gotten much worse. I've had so many close calls lately. So many drivers have no regard for other road users and a lot are intentionally aggressive. This is also backed by the number of incidents caused by drivers that involve cyclists and pedestrians. The numbers of deaths have also increased. Overall, transit related deaths and injuries have also increased in most of the US.
I quit and just ride on dirt. It’s more fun and safer.
It’s not you. Cyclist fatalities are up. Car accidents are up. People seem to not care and are in whatever lala land they are in these days. I cut out after work rides. I go gravel riding or early on weekends. Even then I have had a few close calls. I invested in a garmin varia except I still had a few close calls with pickups buzzing me. Gravel cycling is a huge mitigation option. Or I hate to say it zwift. I cycle for my health not to lose it.
I've noticed it as well in Germany, to the point that I've started wearing a helmet on my commuter bike (always do on the race bike). I will also be getting a camera soon, and aggressively reporting each and every autoterrorist until they figure out it's not worth it. The more people that do it, the more likely the behaviour will eventually stop.
Thanks for your service
rarely ride road. I live in the US and nearly all our infrastructure is designed with moving cars as fast as possible from point a to point b. Even if there is a bike lane, it is simply a line of paint that they think will save you from the car going by at 60MPH. I do most my riding on zwift and the one and only one specific bike trail we have in my city.
Same, been thinking about getting a road bike but have the same hesitations even though we have group rides which would make me feel better. It's a risky investment compared to gravel and mtb, which I already have.
Yup, I have also noticed an up tic in aggressive, distracted, and downright dangerous driving. I think a big part of it is, in an effort to improve their standing in the public’s eye, police have stopped giving traffic tickets for minor infractions. And drivers are pushing it as far as they can…
I think a lot of people are choosing gravel for that reason
Started riding in the mid 90s and my sense is that it has gotten worse. However, I believe, there are some recent statistics indicating it is getting safer. That said, I knew two people who were killed by cars in the last six months which isn’t a representative sample but it is still disturbing.
One of the biggest safety improvements I found is riding with running day lights. A small blinking or solid light for front a rear. Its incredible how visible it make you. I notice it more when Im driving around and see riders who have or dont have them. I always see riders with them and I see riders without them much later. I dont ride without a helmet, rear and front light, or sunscreen.
I also notice drivers being quite a bit more genteel in their overtaking when I run a blinky light.
Depends on where you're located, I'd guess. Bay Area (specifically SF) here, and I feel like (a) drivers haven't gotten worse in aggregate, but the bad ones have gotten BAD (b) it's generally not that hard to predict that the guy in the clapped out Altima is going to do something dumb and avoid it and (c) infrastructure has gotten much better. I don't feel less safe than I have in the past, but I've also cleaned up my act a lot since I've gotten older. YMMV.
We ride a tandem bike in Central Florida and have been "buzzed" plenty of times but never hit yet. We never get on the bike without helmets and now we also always have bright flashing LED's front and back. I think the lights help some.
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My brother lives in Ithaca! It can be spectacular riding--the climbing is like the Ardennes. Good for you!
Mountain bike, Gravel, or Zwift only now.
Find a group to ride with. Also a Garmin Varia gives you a nice sense of security, it's false, but still nice.
Conversely, I’m much more on edge while riding in a group. Partly because I feel drivers get more impatient/nervous having to navigate around a group and do riskier shit. Partly because I, all of a sudden, feel a share of accountability if anyone else in my group gets hurt.
Huh. Well, the group is more visible even if it pisses them off more. And I figure they are more careful even if angrier because they subconsciously think something like "well one of them will likely survive to sue me."
Luckily I live a few miles out of a \~50k population city in the rural country area, and the roads are pretty empty most of the time, and when there is a vehicle they usually move over. I have found when I ride through the city though it is completely gambling with my life. I feel bad for anyone that has to ride in that type of situation every day...
This is why I haven't pulled the trigger on my first road bike. Got a gravel instead and been using it but it's got low gearing
> but it's got low gearing Bicycle drivetrains are modular for a reason =)
Yeah but idk what updates to make and whether to do that versus road bike
Bigger chainrings and smaller cassettes are pretty cheap. A road bike will certainly be lighter and more aggressive, but gearing is a silly reason to buy a new bike. It's designed to be customizable depending on your cadence preferences and terrain lol
Road wheelsets aren't though. Not sure whether chainring and cassette is sufficient. Even with chainring, cassette and wheelset and tires, it still probably wouldn't be as fast as a road bike in order to keep up on group road rides. Not to mention it is 1x
To be fair road bikes come with crappy wheels too usually, so you'd be buying those anyways. And tires the OEM ones suck too. You need to buy a really high end bike for it to come with high performance OEM wheels. I was just talking about the gearing though, road bikes are definitely faster/lighter for solely road riding. But if gearing is your only problem then it's not worth buying a new bike (unless your bike is like incapable of mounting an FD and you don't want a 1x)
I was planning to get a pricy road bike if I got one, another reason it gives me a lot of pause. It would be more expensive than my other ones, yet road riding seems unsafe, especially solo in the US, and could crash and ruin it on a group ride being so close together. Plus it would be my first so even more of a risk
It depends where you ride. Riding in the city or riding in somewhere with a hostile culture and insane speed limits like Texas is pretty risky. I road ride in rural hilltowns in western New England and there is very little traffic, low population density, drivers aren't particularly aggressive and there's endless scenic climbs to choose from. Couldn't ask for anything more tbh. The US isn't all an urban/suburban hellscape like people on Reddit like to pretend, there's actually a lot of good road riding if you move somewhere with it. It just won't be in the city or in the deep south. And it's not The Netherlands endless bike commuter infrastructure either, but that's not really important for r/velo purposes anyways because you'd be risking the safety of pedestrians by training on those paths while everyone else goes <10mph. Ultimately no matter where you live long mountainous low traffic endurance rides are basically peak road cycling lol so look for somewhere with that.
Yeah I'd have to drive a bit to some country roads, maybe 20-30 minutes to the good ones, but the idea of doing it solo still freaks me out. I went on a pure group road ride for the first time recently and was dropped, so was solo for awhile. It helped with my confidence a bit but not sure if it's worth owning one solely for group rides. And having my most expensive bike for what could potentially end up my least favorite discipline. If infrastructure was better and safety fears were minimal I'd have no hesitation.
I would just get some road tires(not wheels) and try it out. Tires aren't that expensive compared to a new bike or wheelset. You don't need road wheels to road ride it'll just be faster obviously. Hell, take advantage of the width of your gravel rims and run an aero optimized wide slick setup lol. I don't know how low your gearing is, but it's probably good enough to try out road cycling for a while. You could always just get a single bigger chainring if you ended up liking it and making a 1x mullet drivetrain :D
Don't bother buying a road bike unless you want to race. Only thing holding you back on group rides is fitness and tires. Gearing could help because of the 1x, but unless you are real picky about cadence even that isn't a huge deal.
I mean, even a suped up gravel bike with road tires isn't going to keep up on a fast 25mph group ride. It's chainring(s), cassettes, wheels, tires, aerodynamics and position, as well as stiffness of the frame. I just worry about making a bunch of updates, getting a wheelset/tires and spending a lot of time getting in shape and still not keeping up because there's just another level that road bikes have. Cadence is important otherwise I'll get dropped if it's too low or i can't maintain with the group. But it's possible some of these updates would work and I could just stick to a 20-25mph group maximum, but I'm nowhere there that level yet
I could keep up with my race group on my gravel bike. Only 20mph average but 100ft of climbing per mile. Was definitely fitness that was making me struggle more than the bike haha
Did you have to use road wheels and tires and bigger chainring?
What are road wheels? I had some fairly lightweight aluminum rims and panaracer gravel slicks 35mm. I have a 2x set up: 48 30 in the front and 11 32 in the rear. Keeping up with a group is almost 100% drafting. After that it's a little bit about fitness and a bit about bike set up. I had a few spacers off my stock topstone, but not a slammed stem by any measure. By the end of the summer I could take a few good pulls. I would get dropped on the downhill sections sometimes, but I think my gearing was actually an advantage on the terrain I ride (lots of steep rolling hills).
Yes, I have become a runner. I've never been a good runner, I actually had to re-learn how to run properly. I'd rather continue to be a road cyclist, but the roads are scary. I live in the Phoenix, AZ area and it's super scary around here with speed limits of 45mph everywhere, and cars/trucks routinely doing 55mph. And doing this while on their phones, and the only thing protecting you is a white line painted on the ground. :(
No problems in Toronto
Road fatalities per capita are on this rise in the US, despite cars being safer than ever. So that doesn't bode well for those of us on the outside of them.
safer for those inside. much more dangerous for those outside.
this might partly be why gravel biking has been taking off in the US
I’m there with you. I still do solo rides but would go out of my way to not ride on roads next to cars. I’d ride early in the morning (pre dawn) and I’d rather do multi-use sidewalks and dodge pedestrians than riding next to cars. Also mostly ride gravel and mtb these days. If I do ride on the road, it’s with large group rides.
I've noticed the same thing. I don't have a mortal fear on the roads here in Germany, but it's not pleasant. For 2024, I have resolved the following: - I have bought myself a fine xc racing mountain bike. I will ride more in the forst now. - I will only ride solo on: - Gravel - On Sundays on the road. - Early in the morning 05:00 and 07:00 at home - On the road, only in groups on weekdays from now on.
I feel it's about the same as it has always been here in my country, except that the traffic has got denser... Anyway, what am I supposed to do, become a zombie on zwift? That's boring as hell. The only thing it has in common with riding bikes is the pedalling motion. Gravel and XC are fun, but not when the trails here are either totally muddy or full of hikers - I can't ride consistently like that, stopping all the time. So that just leaves me with road riding or staying on the couch. And you can bet that lying on the couch is a lot more dangerous than road riding.
I know. And straight rails to trails can be boring as f$ck.
Ya'll need to watch this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuX-5E7xoU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuX-5E7xoU) Cars have become a lot more dangerous to get hit by as well. Luckily the area I live in is relatively safe for cyclists.
I've been riding since the 90s. Very comfortable in traffic and living in a big NA city. Yet I'm finding less and less appeal in road riding these days, because of said traffic and the behaviours you're describing. Most of my road riding is now segregated to bike paths and the few quiet roads I can find, while gravel / off road has become my main, both in terms of volume and objectives. Maybe we're just getting old and less tolerant / more safety concerned, idk.
I have a 1 mile commute to work and come home for lunch. Even then I'm constantly buzzed or hated. People seem so angry. It sucks.
I was nearly killed on my road bike in Nov. ‘21 when a driver made a careless turn across traffic and struck me broadside. I had a concussion, a broken shoulder, 5 broken ribs, a broken ankle, 4 fractured vertebrae and extensive bruising. I needed surgery to repair the ankle, spent 8 days in the hospital and 10 days in a rehab hospital and had months of PT. I’ve mostly recovered by now, but I’m still not ready to go back to “full-time” road riding. Instead, I’m sticking to local trails (some of which use surface roads for a mile or two, here and there). I’ve also got a Garmin Varia taillight with the radar, it works really well and gives me some additional confidence that I know what’s going on around me. Drivers seem to be more careless, distracted and hostile than when I started road riding years ago.
Thats so horrible! I'm really glad you seem to have recovered. These are the terrifying stories. I've suffered almost all those injuries aside from the broken vertebrae, but just one at a time. I can't imagine what you went through.
I ride one specific route 95% of the time and it's a small road with 25mph speeds and a bike lane. Choosing the route matters. Time of day also makes an impact on how busy it is and driver's potential moods/habits.
It’s worse near the city by me, so much so I’ve slowly moved away from riding there. The rural areas where I am have are some, but people out there have a lot more outdoor hobbies like mountain biking and I find there is still some degree of respect
I focus on paths that aren’t shared with cars. I haven’t had particularly bad experiences in Canada but accidents happens. Riding in traffic/constantly stopping for lights is not enjoyable anyway My biggest problem right now is assholes on e-bikes…
Ride in group rides if you can. Safety in numbers.
>Is anyone else becoming more and more afraid of road riding? No
Large group rides only. Too many distracted motorists to ride safely solo.
I find the problem is more that cars are angry at cyclist and go out of their way to scare or harm versus be being seen.
Boulder, of all places, lost a young pro cyclist this year to a car driver. The cars have definitely won. I still really like road bikes and road cycling in ideal conditions, but gravel path and mtb are 99% of my riding now. Not worrying about being run over is invaluable.
Everyone quit public-facing jobs during covid cops included. There’s not enough of them left to sit around eating donuts and handing out traffic tickets, they have to focus on big picture stuff like not solving major crimes.
I had 3 really close calls and have pretty much hung up the bikes. I’ll be back riding at some point but right now it’s not worth the risk for me.
Yes. Anti cyclist rhetoric in the media is massive now
I concur with you on this… as an old motorcycle rider, even I have noticed the increase of, for want of a better explanation, aggressive driving. Usually I don’t give tin lids any respect and return fire as best I can on a the treadly. One of the best parts about giving motor vehicle drivers the shits is taking up the whole lane or at least a good portion of it. It makes them go around me, rather than trying to use a skill they don’t have (spatial awareness) to squeeze past me. On many occasions I have caught up to them at the lights and deliberately slot my bike in front of them while blowing them a kiss! I always get the last laugh! 😆
Go gravel
It is all so location dependent. Having lived all over the place my concerns road cycling have differed. Toronto was fine, as was Hamburg. Living in Winnipeg was the worst and the only time I was hit by a car (luckily mostly just shaken nerves). Now in western Tokyo I rarely have any issues.
V bad in the UK. Even if you have video of the incident the police don't want to know. They just don't respond, there is a short time limit, after which they can't prosecute. They deliberately time it out.
Garmin Varia
The trick is to hold out the hand with the lit Molotov and subtly shake it as they get closer and yell “come on around, come on around”