WhiteGiant
Maximum Pace
- Nov 4, 2006
- 1,233
- 395
CITY RIDING vs COUNTRY ROADS!
I’ve thought long and hard about this one;
Which do prefer???
Do you want the uninterrupted (slow) flow of country roads? Or would you rather the everyday hustle & bustle of riding through the main streets of Tokyo, dodging buses, taxis, and everything else?
Each has its own good and bad points…
I will try to list a couple of the “pros” & “cons” of each, and then you can each make your own decisions about which one suits your own individual riding style.
Firstly, the main bad-point in regards to city riding is:
The TRAFFIC LIGHT!
I haven’t heard/seen a single nice word about them. We all hate them (especially when you’re in a hurry); they wear out your brake-pads, you lose your momentum, your average speed goes down, etc.
BUT, it is nice to have a rest once in a while!
Country roads, on the other hand, have very few traffic lights, and it’s easy to keep up a nice even pace for quite long stretches without having to stop. And this is great for when you’re touring, or have a long distance to cover in one day.
BUT, it also means you’re “alone” on the road for quite a lot of the time – which is sometimes discomforting.
Secondly, in the city, there’s the AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC!
“Cars” can just get in your way, sometimes! Buses, trucks, and (Thomas, I now share your sentiments in regards to Taxi-Drivers)…. The all-oppressive TAXI!!!
Just keep them away from me!
On the country road, you’re basically free from the worry of having so many vehicles around you, so you can simply concentrate on turning them gears over at your own pace, and just “get to where you’re going”!
However, I can’t be this objective for long…. You either, love the one, and hate the other, or vice-versa!
I realized in which camp I belong, after I came back from Kyushu.
I spent 8 days riding on (sometimes) terrible country roads, and although my actual riding speed was low (25-30km/h), at the end of the day, the meter would read, “av.spd. 24”-ish.
So I DID appreciate the lack of traffic signals along the way.
But after I came back to Tokyo, and I did my first commuting ride (of this year) through the traffic – weaving in and around all the obstacles along the way, with a riding speed of 32-40km/h between traffic lights, etc., I knew that the excitement and exhilaration of riding in traffic is something I really missed. And my average speed on the meter is usually up around the “26” mark.
With the wind vortexes that cars create when they go past, you can easily pick up an extra 4-10km/h on what would normally be your top speed – I know that riding along the river (flat, with no wind), I usually max out at about 32km/h over long distances; 36km/h for under 5km; and 40km/h for a 1km sprint. But in traffic, that goes way up!
Don’t dismiss the good ol’ traffic-light as a training opportunity – 0-32km/h in under 3 seconds!!! That’s cruising speed!
And once the wind vortexes from the cars kick in, that can go up again to 34, 35, 36km/h – I’ve sat behind trucks, and had to stop pedalling, then looked down to see 47km/h on the meter in some places. But the initial “jump” from the lights can be great “interval sprint training”. Jump on those pedals as hard and fast as you can, and try to match the car’s same acceleration (depending on how the traffic is flowing), and you can usually be riding side-by-side with the cars for quite a while. This will also help you make that next green-light!
One of the most useful skills you can develop for riding in traffic, is looking behind you without moving off your line.
Basically, lock both your elbows, AND your shoulders. Turn your head (to the right) so that your chin is resting in the crease between your shoulder muscles and your biceps. This may turn your bike a few degrees to the right, but not enough to worry about – much better than plowing (to the left) into the gutter – and if you can hold it for a whole 1 second, you will have a full view of all the cars coming from behind.
The second most useful skill, is taken straight from the “chess hand-book”;
Learn to look at least 5 moves (in this case, "cars") ahead! Look at every single indicator/blinker, every single set of hazard-lights that come on up ahead in front of you in the traffic.
As soon as you see them, it’s time to change lanes – do the “look behind” first – then move out into the traffic to avoid getting jammed into the kerb!
It’s common-sense, but you will be surprised by the amount of drivers who never notice that the car just in front of them is about to turn. Move out, and stomp on those pedals!
I've spoken to some other very accomplished riders who avoid traffic like the plague, but sometimes it's unavoidable, so you just have to ride with the "big metal boxes" as best you can!
Riding in/through traffic is an art-form, and is worthwhile learning. And it can be great fun!
I don’t know if this will really help anyone out there, but this is just what (I think) I’ve learnt from experience.
Any other handy-hints/advice/opinions are most welcome!
Rubber down! T
I’ve thought long and hard about this one;
Which do prefer???
Do you want the uninterrupted (slow) flow of country roads? Or would you rather the everyday hustle & bustle of riding through the main streets of Tokyo, dodging buses, taxis, and everything else?
Each has its own good and bad points…
I will try to list a couple of the “pros” & “cons” of each, and then you can each make your own decisions about which one suits your own individual riding style.
Firstly, the main bad-point in regards to city riding is:
The TRAFFIC LIGHT!
I haven’t heard/seen a single nice word about them. We all hate them (especially when you’re in a hurry); they wear out your brake-pads, you lose your momentum, your average speed goes down, etc.
BUT, it is nice to have a rest once in a while!
Country roads, on the other hand, have very few traffic lights, and it’s easy to keep up a nice even pace for quite long stretches without having to stop. And this is great for when you’re touring, or have a long distance to cover in one day.
BUT, it also means you’re “alone” on the road for quite a lot of the time – which is sometimes discomforting.
Secondly, in the city, there’s the AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC!
“Cars” can just get in your way, sometimes! Buses, trucks, and (Thomas, I now share your sentiments in regards to Taxi-Drivers)…. The all-oppressive TAXI!!!
Just keep them away from me!
On the country road, you’re basically free from the worry of having so many vehicles around you, so you can simply concentrate on turning them gears over at your own pace, and just “get to where you’re going”!
However, I can’t be this objective for long…. You either, love the one, and hate the other, or vice-versa!
I realized in which camp I belong, after I came back from Kyushu.
I spent 8 days riding on (sometimes) terrible country roads, and although my actual riding speed was low (25-30km/h), at the end of the day, the meter would read, “av.spd. 24”-ish.
So I DID appreciate the lack of traffic signals along the way.
But after I came back to Tokyo, and I did my first commuting ride (of this year) through the traffic – weaving in and around all the obstacles along the way, with a riding speed of 32-40km/h between traffic lights, etc., I knew that the excitement and exhilaration of riding in traffic is something I really missed. And my average speed on the meter is usually up around the “26” mark.
With the wind vortexes that cars create when they go past, you can easily pick up an extra 4-10km/h on what would normally be your top speed – I know that riding along the river (flat, with no wind), I usually max out at about 32km/h over long distances; 36km/h for under 5km; and 40km/h for a 1km sprint. But in traffic, that goes way up!
Don’t dismiss the good ol’ traffic-light as a training opportunity – 0-32km/h in under 3 seconds!!! That’s cruising speed!
And once the wind vortexes from the cars kick in, that can go up again to 34, 35, 36km/h – I’ve sat behind trucks, and had to stop pedalling, then looked down to see 47km/h on the meter in some places. But the initial “jump” from the lights can be great “interval sprint training”. Jump on those pedals as hard and fast as you can, and try to match the car’s same acceleration (depending on how the traffic is flowing), and you can usually be riding side-by-side with the cars for quite a while. This will also help you make that next green-light!
One of the most useful skills you can develop for riding in traffic, is looking behind you without moving off your line.
Basically, lock both your elbows, AND your shoulders. Turn your head (to the right) so that your chin is resting in the crease between your shoulder muscles and your biceps. This may turn your bike a few degrees to the right, but not enough to worry about – much better than plowing (to the left) into the gutter – and if you can hold it for a whole 1 second, you will have a full view of all the cars coming from behind.
The second most useful skill, is taken straight from the “chess hand-book”;
Learn to look at least 5 moves (in this case, "cars") ahead! Look at every single indicator/blinker, every single set of hazard-lights that come on up ahead in front of you in the traffic.
As soon as you see them, it’s time to change lanes – do the “look behind” first – then move out into the traffic to avoid getting jammed into the kerb!
It’s common-sense, but you will be surprised by the amount of drivers who never notice that the car just in front of them is about to turn. Move out, and stomp on those pedals!
I've spoken to some other very accomplished riders who avoid traffic like the plague, but sometimes it's unavoidable, so you just have to ride with the "big metal boxes" as best you can!
Riding in/through traffic is an art-form, and is worthwhile learning. And it can be great fun!
I don’t know if this will really help anyone out there, but this is just what (I think) I’ve learnt from experience.
Any other handy-hints/advice/opinions are most welcome!
Rubber down! T
