How to commute faster - top speed cycling tips

  • Posted by andi
  • January 9, 2008

Speedy CyclingSome quick tips to get you city cyclists to your destination more quickly…

  • If safe to do so then get off your bike and walk across the traffic light - your not breaking any laws right?
  • When stuck in traffic don’t just sit there - with a few manoeuvres you can be at the front of that traffic jam
  • Anticipate the traffic - know when to speed up and when to slow down and see where there are potential spots to change lanes if one lane is moving faster etc
  • Keep your bike in good condition - A good bike with pumped up tires etc will ride more easily
  • Find a faster route to your destination - there is always a quicker way, don’t just stick to the same old route you have always used. Investigate new routes and find ones with less traffic lights
  • Switch to a lower gear when you know you are coming to a stop, it will be easier to accelerate once that light turns green

Remember to always ride safely and wear a helmet! Do you know any more good tips?

Image source: Jkonig Flickr stream

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January 9th, 2008
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Mathew
Posted on:
January 12, 2008 at 11:18 am

Keep your thumbs on the top of your handlebars.
This helps to keep your elbows in, making you more aerodynamic.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Mathew
Posted on:
January 12, 2008 at 11:50 am

A few more:

1) Learn the light sequences and look ahead. In that way you can time the lights rather than jump them.

2) Use routes with bus lanes. Remember these are open to other traffic after 7 P.M. so get out of the office on time.

3) Wear lots of hi-viz clothing - without it you might as well forget the helmet.

4) Don’t get caught behind busses or traffic turning left on you. The way to do this is to travel at traffic speed and claim some road space - no riding in the gutter.

5) Every second counts. Keep moving, pausing rather than stopping at the lights. Pausing is where you do a track stand, stopping is putting a foot on the ground.

6) Get good brakes and keep your rims clean. Roundabouts have to be approached at speed - but in the wet you may need to stop at the last moment and this is not possible with bad brakes.

7) Use gears and don’t go for the ’single speed cool’ unless you want to be left behind at the lights.

8) Punctures can be a frequent problem. Carry stick on patches, spare tube and a pump. Pick glass out of your tyres at least once a week.

9) Don’t get angry with the traffic - the people stuck in tin boxes are morons that don’t give a toss about climate, pollution, the end of oil or getting places quickly. They are to the human race what the dodo is to the pigeon - flightless, fat and soon to be extinct. If their actions frustrate you, internalise that energy and convert it to useful adrenalin, getting you there in less time.

10) Get a bell. Jaywalkers do move out of the way of a bicycle bell, you can also ring it when passing a bus, so passengers crossing the road in front of the bus hear you too.

11) With all other road users it is nice to give the occassional thumbs up. If someone doesn’t flatten you (after trying well), give them a thumbs up, not the single finger.

12) When a car in your lane stops to let another car out of a sidestreet, they have not thought of you and you are not obligated to stop for them. This ploy disrupts the karma games car-drivers play. Also, don’t be afraid of riding very close to cars nosing out of sidestreets - ‘they never move’.