How to signal a right turn?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@hozn 113934 wrote:

My favorite thing about this FG thing is how gracefully function yields to form.

I’m not really judging, just chuckling. I’ve done far dumber things to “be cool”.

Actually, it was a functional decision…when I roll into work, I have to show the guard at the gate my badge. Guards are on the left hand side (driver side), so I need to present my badge with my left hand. I can usually roll through without stopping, but I do occasionally need to use my brake, so it has to be on the right so I can use it while holding up my badge. Also, I’m right handed, so I think it makes sense to pair my front brake (which also does most of the work in a two-brake setup) with my stronger, better reflex hand.

I’m also pretty sure there’s a fairly large contingent of geared riders who run right/front left/rear, as that’s a fairly common setup internationally. I think Will runs this setup.

[hozn]

@TwoWheelsDC 113941 wrote:

Actually, it was a functional decision…when I roll into work, I have to show the guard at the gate my badge. Guards are on the left hand side (driver side), so I need to present my badge with my left hand. I can usually roll through without stopping, but I do occasionally need to use my brake, so it has to be on the right so I can use it while holding up my badge. Also, I’m right handed, so I think it makes sense to pair my front brake (which also does most of the work in a two-brake setup) with my stronger, better reflex hand.

I’m also pretty sure there’s a fairly large contingent of geared riders who run right/front left/rear, as that’s a fairly common setup internationally. I think Will runs this setup.

Oh, my intention was to suggest that some people actually have brakes on both sides of the handlebars.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@mstone 113929 wrote:

Note that a car on your left not seeing you signal a right turn is less important than a car behind you or on your right not seeing you signal a right turn.

True, but I find myself in the latter situation much less often. But I alternate between the two signals depending on what I think is going to be most visible, with the right-hand point being what I’d prefer to use.

[dkel]

@hozn 113942 wrote:

Oh, my intention was to suggest that some people actually have brakes on both sides of the handlebars.

Some people can slow the bike with their legs, and don’t need brakes on both sides of the handlebars (or at all).

[hozn]

@dkel 113948 wrote:

Some people can slow the bike with their legs, and don’t need brakes on both sides of the handlebars (or at all).

But obviously that wasn’t the case here …

[dkel]

@hozn 113949 wrote:

But obviously that wasn’t the case here …

Heh. When I’m riding fixed I can stop the bike pretty well by resisting, but that brake is really important to have (for me, anyway). In turns, I’m usually going slowly enough to be able to control the speed while signaling with either hand, but in all cases controlling the bike trumps signaling. I’m fine with skipping the signal if it will ensure I keep the rubber side down.

[dasgeh]

@dkel 113948 wrote:

Some people can slow the bike with their legs, and don’t need brakes on both sides of the handlebars (or at all).

Both of my kids can, but they’ve destroyed some shoes over the years…

[jabberwocky]

@TwoWheelsDC 113941 wrote:

I’m also pretty sure there’s a fairly large contingent of geared riders who run right/front left/rear, as that’s a fairly common setup internationally. I think Will runs this setup.

I think thats how motorcycles are usually setup (front brake right), so people with a motorcycle background often prefer that.

[scoot]

I used to signal exclusively with the old-school left-arm upward method. One day, riding on Fort Belvoir, I encountered a police officer directing traffic at an intersection that was partially blocked by construction. I signaled my intended right turn to the officer who responded with a steady stop hand, in spite of the fact that my turn did not conflict with any of the traffic he was letting through. In no hurry, I decided to relax and wait it out rather than walk over to a sidewalk that bypassed the intersection entirely. For a good 30 seconds, I stood there with my left arm at a 90 degree angle pointing upward and he stood there with his left palm held out to me. Once he let everyone else through, he turned back to me signaling that I could go. When I turned right, I heard him yell out something like, “You should’ve told me you were going that way!”

So now I use the right-arm method the vast majority of the time.

[hozn]

@dkel 113950 wrote:

In turns, I’m usually going slowly enough to be able to control the speed while signaling with either hand, but in all cases controlling the bike trumps signaling. I’m fine with skipping the signal if it will ensure I keep the rubber side down.

Ok, ok, just as long as we all agree that style dictated a decision (removing the rear brake) which directly affects ability to control the bicycle — especially if one also wants to signal. I’m fine with this, just expect people to be honest that there’s not actually a functional reason why you couldn’t supplement your legs and brake with either hand on a FG.

Just like I can’t claim that riding an all-black road bike [esp. when it’s dark out] is smarter than riding a bike festooned with streamers and reflective stickers. Style is a powerful force in cycling. It’s probably good to be cognizant, and maybe a little critical, of that. I won’t belabor the point further

[dasgeh]

I do whatever is easiest/seems best in the situation. Often enough, that’s nothing because there’s no one around and I need to steady the bike. At Kidical Mass rides, I teach both, and most people do the right handed thing, unless they’re on the left of someone else, then they do nothing or the left handed thing.

I’ve trained my kids to do the hand signals from the box / bike seats. They do the right hand thing for right.

@scoot 113964 wrote:

I used to signal exclusively with the old-school left-arm upward method. One day, riding on Fort Belvoir, I encountered a police officer directing traffic at an intersection that was partially blocked by construction. I signaled my intended right turn to the officer who responded with a steady stop hand, in spite of the fact that my turn did not conflict with any of the traffic he was letting through. In no hurry, I decided to relax and wait it out rather than walk over to a sidewalk that bypassed the intersection entirely. For a good 30 seconds, I stood there with my left arm at a 90 degree angle pointing upward and he stood there with his left palm held out to me. Once he let everyone else through, he turned back to me signaling that I could go. When I turned right, I heard him yell out something like, “You should’ve told me you were going that way!”

So now I use the right-arm method the vast majority of the time.

I usually just ask nicely, something like “do you mind if I just turn right? Thanks!”

[scoot]

I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity as to whether the guy might eventually realize what the signal means. But yes, you could do that too!

[dkel]

@hozn 113965 wrote:

Ok, ok, just as long as we all agree that style dictated a decision (removing the rear brake) which directly affects ability to control the bicycle — especially if one also wants to signal. I’m fine with this, just expect people to be honest that there’s not actually a functional reason why you couldn’t supplement your legs and brake with either hand on a FG.

Just like I can’t claim that riding an all-black road bike [esp. when it’s dark out] is smarter than riding a bike festooned with streamers and reflective stickers. Style is a powerful force in cycling. It’s probably good to be cognizant, and maybe a little critical, of that. I won’t belabor the point further

Not mounting a rear brake is not solely a style decision, though: it’s redundant to have a brake there when one can control the back wheel with the pedals. (Admittedly, it also seems cool not to have a rear brake. ) But if supplementing braking were a great thing to do, there would be no “functional reason” not to run front and rear hand-operated brakes and a coaster brake on a SS bike, yet no one does that, because it would seem silly, and the occasions for needing the extra brake are rare at best (unless you’re GB, who hot-dogs around no-hands style all the time ).

As an aside (i.e. rant, i.e. feel free to skip this paragraph): I often get comments from people that indicate that they think riding FG at all is a style choice. My sister insists that I must ride FG because it’s “macho” (seriously, though: one look at me and you’re not going to read macho! :p ). I often hear from people that it would be the same difference to ride SS, which I think totally misses the point of FG. It’s much, much more than having one gearing. I find it exhilarating to be connected to the FG drive train! I also care way more about that than I do about the style of the bike (which is probably why my idea of swapping in a fixed wheel on my geared bike seemed so odd to people!) All the aesthetic choices of riding FG are nice, but deep down, I just want to ride, and fixed is fun!

Anyway…@hozn, I agree we make silly choices based on style all the time (just look at The Rules!), but not having a rear brake on a FG doesn’t seem style-driven to me, nor a detriment to controlling the bike. Different strokes, I guess.

[jabberwocky]

95% of your braking ability comes from your front wheel anyway, the redundant brake on the back wheel of a fixie seems pretty pointless. The only reason I’d bother with a rear brake on a fixie is if its a flip flop that I sometimes run as a singlespeed.

Now you crazy mofos with no front brake I shake my head at.

[hozn]

@dkel 113975 wrote:

Anyway…@hozn, I agree we make silly choices based on style all the time (just look at The Rules!), but not having a rear brake on a FG doesn’t seem style-driven to me, nor a detriment to controlling the bike. Different strokes, I guess.

@jabberwocky 113976 wrote:

95% of your braking ability comes from your front wheel anyway, the redundant brake on the back wheel of a fixie seems pretty pointless. The only reason I’d bother with a rear brake on a fixie is if its a flip flop that I sometimes run as a singlespeed.

Well, my reaction was really just based on TwoWheel’s comment that he needed to signal with a specific hand because he needed to use the brake [and had removed the other one]. I agree that if the rear brake is not necessary to stop the bike in any reasonable circumstance then there’s no reason for it to be there.

Of course, I agree that the stopping power from the front is the one that matters too, so I think that I too would prioritize keeping my front-brake hand on the bars if I expected to need to stop quickly. Having discs on the rear helps, but it’s certainly not substitute when rapid deceleration is required.

To the larger point of FG and style, I’m sorry you feel targeted or have been the victim of reverse discrimination. I say reverse discrimination, because I suspect a lot of the reaction is due to the propagation of the silly notiion that riding a FG, like driving a manual transmission car or shaving with soap and straight-edge razor, is somehow “elite”. And when people start waxing on about the zen of being in tune with the bicycle, I think even cyclists start to feel like they’re watching an R-rated love scene with their parents. But riding FG is different; I get that. I’m sure it’s a great way to ride a bicycle differently. I’m sure I’ll try it out someday. After learning to ride a unicycle — that’s next on my list.

Anyway, it’s Friday!

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