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Riding safely in traffic
Traffic can be unpredictable, but most close calls follow the same few patterns. Ride where drivers expect to see you, keep your eyes up the road and give yourself room to react. A little planning before you leave home makes every ride calmer.
This is not about riding scared. It is about riding smart, so you get home the same way you left.
ACCESSORIES
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Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey
Original price was: R7,180.00.R6,280.00Current price is: R6,280.00.
Ride about a metre out from parked cars, not hugging the kerb. This gives you room to swerve if a door opens and makes you easier to see in a driver's mirror. At junctions, take the lane rather than squeezing down the inside of trucks or buses, where you disappear from view.
Front and rear lights earn their keep long before the sun goes down. Switch them on in overcast weather, under trees or in busy traffic, not just at night. A bright jacket or reflective strip on your bag adds another layer that costs you nothing in comfort.
Lights And Reflectors - Shop Our Range
Signal early and clearly, and try to catch the driver's eye before you pull out or change lanes. A nod or a raised hand goes a long way at a four way stop. Never assume a driver has seen you, even when you are sure they have.
Hand Signals - Watch The Video
Most crashes happen at junctions, not on open road. Slow down as you approach, scan left and right, and watch for cars pulling out of driveways or turning without indicating. Give yourself an exit route in case someone does not stop in time.
Reading Junctions - More Tips
Riding with friends is safer, but only if you keep it tidy. Ride single file through traffic, call out hazards like potholes or opening doors, and never try to hold a conversation two abreast on a busy road. Let faster traffic pass when it is safe to.
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LIGHTING
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Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey
Original price was: R7,180.00.R6,280.00Current price is: R6,280.00.
Wet roads need more stopping distance and gentler braking, especially on painted lines and manhole covers. Drop your tyre pressure slightly for extra grip, slow down before corners rather than during them, and expect drivers to see you later than usual in the rain.
Own Your Lane
Riding too close to the edge invites drivers to squeeze past where there is no room. Moving further into the lane, especially before a narrow point or a parked car, forces traffic to properly cross into the other lane to overtake. It feels bold at first, but it is one of the simplest ways to win the space you need.
Check Behind
A glance over your shoulder before you turn or change position tells you what is coming and warns the driver behind that you are about to move. Practise looking back without drifting off your line, in a quiet car park if you need to. It becomes second nature after a few tries, and it is one habit worth building properly.
Watch For Doors
A car door swinging open with no warning is one of the most common causes of falls in town. Treat every parked car as if someone is about to step out or open a door into your path, and leave enough space to react. Rather lose a few seconds than risk going over the bars.
Ride Predictably
Sudden swerves and last minute lane changes catch drivers off guard. Hold a steady line, signal before you move and avoid weaving between parked cars and traffic. Predictable riding earns you more respect on the road than fast riding ever will, and it keeps everyone around you calmer too.
Dusk is the trickiest time to be seen, worse than full dark in some ways. Turn your lights on before you think you need them, choose a jacket with reflective patches over the knees and shoulders, where movement catches a driver's eye, and slow down on unfamiliar roads once the light starts to fade.
FURNITURE
-13%
Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey
Original price was: R7,180.00.R6,280.00Current price is: R6,280.00.Brake with both levers together, front slightly harder than rear, and do it in a straight line before a corner rather than through it. Grabbing a handful of front brake on a wet or gravelly bend is how most low speed falls happen. Practise emergency stops somewhere quiet so your hands know what to do.
Roundabouts confuse even experienced riders. Hold your line, signal your exit early and make eye contact with drivers waiting to pull in. Where there is no cycle lane around the roundabout, take the lane fully rather than hugging the kerb, since that is exactly where a car turning left will cut across you.
A painted cycle lane is not a shield. Cars still turn across them, park in them and pull out of driveways without checking. Ride a cycle lane with the same awareness you would use on open road, and be ready to move into traffic if the lane disappears or is blocked.
Most drivers are not trying to hurt you, they simply have not seen you. Assume every driver at a junction is checking a phone or distracted, and ride accordingly. Slow down through gaps in traffic, cover your brakes near side roads and never rely on an indicator to tell you what they will do.
Riding with children needs a different plan. Keep them on the inside, away from traffic, and ride behind rather than in front so you can see what is happening to them. Choose quieter routes even if they take longer, and walk the bikes across busy junctions rather than riding through together.
Keep your bike in good order if you want traffic to behave around you too. Working lights, clean reflectors and brakes that bite immediately all change how confidently you can hold your position on the road. A bike that hesitates to stop forces you into hesitant decisions, and drivers misjudge those riders.
