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	<title>Optibike - The Ferrari of Electric Bikes</title>
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	<link>http://optibike.com</link>
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		<title>Oh, The Good Life, by Optibike Electric Bike Owner Keith Felch.</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/oh-the-good-life-by-optibike-electric-bike-owner-keith-felch?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=oh-the-good-life-by-optibike-electric-bike-owner-keith-felch</link>
		<comments>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/oh-the-good-life-by-optibike-electric-bike-owner-keith-felch#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog2.optibike.com/?p=272</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Early Monday morning I packed my trailer with my tenor and alto saxes, clarinet, flute, laptop, clothes, and bike tools...<br /><a class="more-link" href="http://optibike.com/uncategorized/oh-the-good-life-by-optibike-electric-bike-owner-keith-felch">Read More</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="MsoPlainText">Early Monday morning I packed my trailer with my tenor and alto saxes,</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">clarinet, flute, laptop, clothes, and bike tools and hit the road to my</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Huntington Beach studio. The clouds looked a bit threatening, but no</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">rain was forecast, so I hit it. It always amazes me how I can get on</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">that Opti pulling 90 pounds, and it takes off like a rocket.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">
<p class="MsoPlainText">About 5 minutes into to my ride, it comes thunderig down. 10 minutes</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">later, I get to the top of my big hill about 2 miles away, and I am</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">pretty drenched. Good thing I&#8217;ve got water resistant cases. Mud all over</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">my clarinet. I think to myself, &#8220;that&#8217;ll play some pretty nice Dixieland</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">when I pull it out!&#8221; I&#8217;m drenched, and exiting the storm clouds on my</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">way to Laguna Canyon. As I pick up speed on the other side, the rain</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">starts to really sting, and I can tell those clouds are pretty cold and</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">bothered that I bested them. They let out a thunderclap so loud that it</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">blew me right off my intended path. That was scary. I straigthened up</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">and rode right.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Laguna Canyon is a beautiful sight in the rain. It changes to a dark</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">green with tall gray grass. The oak trees look like something out of a</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">life insurance commercial, taking on this very three dimensional</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">character depicting longevity. The smell of wet soil becomes very</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">pronounced, something you just don&#8217;t get much of in Southern California.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">It was wonderful.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">The next day I was riding home, pulling my trailer. Gorgeous sunset,</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">warm and clear. The Opti is nothing short of amazing in Economy mode. It</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">will pull that trailer on the flat at about 20 mph without pedaling. To</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">this day, it never ceases to amaze me&#8211;I&#8217;m still looking for the giant,</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">hidden, magical motor. I throw it into fast mode and climb that massive</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">hill near the end of my ride in first gear with light pedaling. I&#8217;m</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">still thinking, &#8220;How does it do this&#8221;??!!<span> </span>Arrived home tired and</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">euphoric, and didn&#8217;t use a drop of gas.</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Sing it for me, Tony&#8230;.&#8221;Oh The Good Life, to be free and explore the</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">unknown&#8230;&#8221;</p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Keith</p>
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		<title>Long Term Lithium Battery Storage</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/long-term-lithium-battery-storage?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=long-term-lithium-battery-storage</link>
		<comments>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/long-term-lithium-battery-storage#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog2.optibike.com/?p=256</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[  Overview Ideal conditions for long term storage of Optibike Lithium Ion batteries are at steady temperatures in the range...<br /><a class="more-link" href="http://optibike.com/uncategorized/long-term-lithium-battery-storage">Read More</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="MsoTitle"> </p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"><span><strong>Overview</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"><span>Ideal conditions for long term storage of Optibike Lithium Ion batteries are at steady temperatures in the range of 32- 68F. </span></p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"><span><span> </span>Batteries should be stored at 50-60% capacity ( yellow solid to green blinking LED on Display)and not left at full charge for extended periods of time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoSubtitle" align="left"><span> <strong>Cold Temperature Ideal for Long Term Storage<span>                                           </span><span>  </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><strong><span></span></strong><span>Ideal conditions for long term storage of Optibike Lithium Ion batteries are at steady temperatures in the range of 32- 68F.<span>                                                                                         </span><span>            </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><span>Batteries can also be stored a temperatures down to 0F. </span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><strong><span>Avoid Storage at High Temperature<span>                               </span><span>                             </span><span>      </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><strong><span></span></strong><span>Elevated long term storage temperatures above 80F will reduce the cycle life of the battery. Lower temperatures are better for long term life of the battery. </span></p>
<p class="MsoSubtitle" align="left"><span><strong>Ideal Charge for Long Term Storage</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"><span>Batteries should be stored at 50-60% capacity ( yellow solid to green blinking LED on Display)and not left at full charge,, for extended periods of time. See Self Discharge Below.</span></p>
<p class="MsoSubtitle" align="left"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><strong><span>Self Discharge<span>                                                                                            </span><span>                 </span><span> </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><strong><span><span> </span></span></strong><span>The Optibike battery will self discharge at a slow rate due to the electronics, so for Winter storage it can be charged and then left in the garage. It should be checked every month and recharged if the state of charge is below 35% (Yellow LED flashing). If the battery completely discharges, the LED will not turn on. The battery needs to be recharged at this point. The battery and LED will awaken when the charging starts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"><span><strong>Warm Bike Before Charging </strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoSubtitle" align="left"><span>If the bike is stored in temperatures at 35F or lower, the bike<span>  </span>must be warmed to room temperature prior to charging. Charging the battery at a temperature less than 32F will permanently damage the battery.</span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><strong><span>No Float Charge Required</span></strong><span><span>                                                                </span><span>                                                              </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left"><span>The charger will not float charge the battery. Float charging harms Lithium Ion batteries. Once the battery is charged, the charge will not start the charge again.<span>  </span>Re charge battery when it is down to Yellow LED flashing.<span>  </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoTitle" align="left"> </p>
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		<title>10 Ways not to get hit by a car</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/10-ways-not-to-get-hit-by-a-car?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=10-ways-not-to-get-hit-by-a-car</link>
		<comments>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/10-ways-not-to-get-hit-by-a-car#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog2.optibike.com/?p=199</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#60;!&#8211; /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:&#8221;"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:&#8221;Times New Roman&#8221;; mso-fareast-font-family:&#8221;Times New Roman&#8221;;} @page...<br /><a class="more-link" href="http://optibike.com/uncategorized/10-ways-not-to-get-hit-by-a-car">Read More</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser /> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]-->&lt;!&#8211;  /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal 	{mso-style-parent:&#8221;"; 	margin:0in; 	margin-bottom:.0001pt; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:12.0pt; 	font-family:&#8221;Times New Roman&#8221;; 	mso-fareast-font-family:&#8221;Times New Roman&#8221;;} @page Section1 	{size:8.5in 11.0in; 	margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; 	mso-header-margin:.5in; 	mso-footer-margin:.5in; 	mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 	{page:Section1;} &#8211;&gt;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #1:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Right Cross</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is the most common ways to get hit (or almost get hit). A car is pulling out of a side street, parking lot, or driveway on the right. Notice that there are actually two possible kinds of collisions here: Either you&#8217;re in front of the car and the car hits you, or the car pulls out in front of you and you slam into it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. Get a headlight. If you&#8217;re riding at night, you should absolutely use a front headlight. It&#8217;s required by law, anyway. Even for daytime riding, a bright white light that has a flashing mode can make you more visible to motorists who might otherwise Right Cross you. Look for the new LED headlights which last ten times as long on a set of batteries as old-style lights. And helmet- or head-mounted lights are the best, because then you can look directly at the driver to make sure they see your light.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2. Honk. Get a loud horn and use it whenever you see a car approaching (or waiting) ahead of you and to the right. If you don&#8217;t have a horn, then yell &#8220;Hey!&#8221; You may feel awkward honking or yelling, but it&#8217;s better to be embarrassed than to get hit. Incidentally, many countries require bells on bicycles, but the U.S. doesn&#8217;t.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3. Slow down. If you can&#8217;t make eye contact with the driver (especially at night), slow down so much that you&#8217;re able to completely stop if you have to. Sure, it&#8217;s inconvenient, but it beats getting hit. Doing this has saved my life on too many occasions to count.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4. Ride further left. Look at the two blue lines &#8220;A&#8221; and &#8220;B&#8221; in the picture. You&#8217;re probably used to riding in &#8220;A&#8221;, very close to the curb, because you&#8217;re worried about being hit from behind. But take a look at the car. When that driver is looking down the road for traffic, he&#8217;s not looking in the bike lane or the area closest to the curb; he&#8217;s looking in the MIDDLE of the lane, for other cars. The farther left you are (such as in &#8220;B&#8221;), the more likely the driver will see you. There&#8217;s an added bonus here: if the motorist doesn&#8217;t see you and starts pulling out, you may be able to go even FARTHER left, or may be able to speed up and get out of the way before impact, or roll onto their hood as they slam on their brakes. In short, it gives you some options. Because if you stay all the way to the right and they pull out, your only &#8220;option&#8221; may be to run right into the driver&#8217;s side door. Using this method has saved me on three occasions in which a motorist ran into me and I wasn&#8217;t hurt, and in which I definitely would have slammed into the driver&#8217;s side door had I not moved left.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of course, there&#8217;s a tradeoff. Riding to the far right makes you invisible to the motorists ahead of you at intersections, but riding to the left makes you more vulnerable to the cars behind you. Your actual lane position may vary depending on how wide the street is, how many cars there are, how fast and how close they pass you, and how far you are from the next intersection. On fast roadways with few cross streets, you&#8217;ll ride farther to the right, and on slow roads with many cross streets, you&#8217;ll ride farther left.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #2:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Door Prize</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A driver opens his door right in front of you. You run right into it if you can&#8217;t stop in time. If you&#8217;re lucky, the motorist will exit the car before you hit the door, so you&#8217;ll at least have the pleasure of smashing them too when you crash, and their soft flesh will cushion your impact. This kind of crash is more common than you might think, and in fact cyclists crashing into parked cars is the #1 kind of car-bike collision in Santa Barbara. (source)We&#8217;ve compiled a list of cyclists killed by running into open car doors.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ride to the left. Ride far enough to the left that you won&#8217;t run into any door that&#8217;s opened unexpectedly. You may be wary about riding so far into the lane that cars can&#8217;t pass you easily, but you&#8217;re more likely to get doored by a parked car if you ride too close to it than you are to get hit from behind by a car which can clearly see you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #3:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Crosswalk Slam</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You&#8217;re riding on the sidewalk and cross the street at a crosswalk, and a car makes a right turn, right into you. Cars aren&#8217;t expecting bikes in the crosswalk, so you have to be very careful to avoid this one. This collision is so common we&#8217;ve lost track of the number of people who&#8217;ve told us they were hit this way, such as Ray John Ray. One study showed that sidewalk-riding was twice as dangerous as road riding, and another study said it&#8217;s even more dangerous than that.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. Get a headlight. If you&#8217;re riding at night, you should absolutely use a front headlight. It&#8217;s required by law, anyway.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2. Slow down. Slow down enough that you&#8217;re able to completely stop if necessary.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3. Don&#8217;t ride on the sidewalk in the first place. Crossing between sidewalks can be a fairly dangerous maneuver. If you do it on the left-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed as per the diagram. If you do it on the right-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed by a car behind you that&#8217;s turning right. You also risk getting hit by cars pulling out of parking lots or driveways. These kinds of accidents are hard to avoid, which is a compelling reason to not ride on the sidewalk in the first place.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And another reason not to ride on the sidewalk is that you&#8217;re threatening to pedestrians. Your bike is as threatening to a pedestrian as a car is threatening to you. Finally, riding on the sidewalk is illegal in some places. (In Austin, those places are the Drag, and downtown on 6th St. and on Congress). If you do plan on riding on sidewalks, do it slowly and EXTRA carefully, ESPECIALLY when crossing the street between two sidewalks.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #4:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Wrong-Way Wreck</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You&#8217;re riding the wrong way (against traffic, on the left-hand side of the street). A car makes a right turn from a side street, driveway, or parking lot, right into you. They didn&#8217;t see you because they were looking for traffic only on their left, not on their right. They had no reason to expect that someone would be coming at them from the wrong direction.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Even worse, you could be hit by a car on the same road coming at you from straight ahead of you. They had less time to see you and take evasive action because they&#8217;re approaching you faster than normal (because you&#8217;re going towards them rather than away from them). And if they hit you, it&#8217;s going to be much more forceful impact, for the same reason. (Both your and their velocities are combined.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Don&#8217;t ride against traffic. Ride with traffic, in the same direction.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Riding against traffic may seem like a good idea because you can see the cars that are passing you, but it&#8217;s not. Here&#8217;s why:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cars which pull out of driveways, parking lots, and cross streets (ahead of you and to the left), which are making a right onto your street, aren&#8217;t expecting traffic to be coming at them from the wrong way. They won&#8217;t see you, and they&#8217;ll plow right into you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How the heck are you going to make a right turn?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cars will approach you at a much higher relative speed. If you&#8217;re going 15mph, then a car passing you from behind doing 35 approaches you at a speed of only 20 (35-15). But if you&#8217;re on the wrong side of the road, then the car approaches you at 50 (35+15), which is more than twice as fast! Since they&#8217;re approaching you faster, both you and the driver have lots less time to react. And if a collision does occur, it&#8217;s going to be ten times worse.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Riding the wrong way is illegal and you can get ticketed for it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One study showed that riding the wrong way was three times as dangerous as riding the right way, and for kids, the risk is seven times greater. (source)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nearly one-fourth of crashes involve cyclists riding the wrong way. (source) Some readers have challenged this, saying if 25% of crashes are from going the wrong way, then riding the right way is more dangerous because it accounts for 75% of crashes. That thinking is wrong. First off, only 8% of cyclists ride the wrong way, yet nearly 25% of them get hit &#8212; meaning wrong-way cyclists really are three times more likely to get hit than those who ride the proper way. Second, the problem with wrong-way biking is that it promotes crashes, while right-way biking does not. For example, cyclists running stop signs or red lights is 17% of their crashes. (source) But do we therefore conclude that not running signals causes 83% of crashes?! (Hint: No.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #5:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Red Light of Death</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You stop to the right of a car that&#8217;s already waiting at a red light or stop sign. They can&#8217;t see you. When the light turns green, you move forward, and then they turn right, right into you. Even small cars can do you in this way, but this scenario is especially dangerous when it&#8217;s a bus or a semi that you&#8217;re stopping next to. An Austin cyclist was killed in 1994 when he stopped to the right of a semi, and then it turned right. He was crushed under its wheels.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Don&#8217;t stop in the blind spot. Simply stop BEHIND a car, instead of to the right of it, as per the diagram below. This makes you very visible to traffic on all sides. It&#8217;s impossible for the car behind you to avoid seeing you when you&#8217;re right in front of it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another option is to stop at either point A in the diagram above (where the first driver can see you), or at point B, behind the first car so it can&#8217;t turn into you, and far enough ahead of the second car so that the second driver can see you clearly. It does no good to avoid stopping to the right of the first car if you&#8217;re going to make the mistake of stopping to the right of the second car. EITHER car can do you in.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you chose spot A, then ride quickly to cross the street as soon as the light turns green. Don&#8217;t look at the motorist to see if they want to go ahead and turn. If you&#8217;re in spot A and they want to turn, then you&#8217;re in their way. Why did you take spot A if you weren&#8217;t eager to cross the street when you could? When the light turns green, just go, and go quickly. (But make sure cars aren&#8217;t running the red light on the cross street, of course.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you chose spot B, then when the light turns green, DON&#8217;T pass the car in front of you &#8212; stay behind it, because it might turn right at any second. If it doesn&#8217;t make a right turn right away, it may turn right into a driveway or parking lot unexpectedly at any point. Don&#8217;t count on drivers to signal! They don&#8217;t. Assume that a car can turn right at any time. (NEVER pass a car on the right!) But try to stay ahead of the car behind you until you&#8217;re through the intersection, because otherwise they might try to cut you off as they turn right.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While we&#8217;re not advocating running red lights, notice it is in fact safer to run the red light if there&#8217;s no cross traffic, than it is to wait legally at the red light directly to the right of a car, only to have it make a right turn right into you when the light turns green. The moral here is not that you should break the law, but that you can easily get hurt even if you follow the law.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">By the way, be very careful when passing stopped cars on the right as you approach a red light. You run the risk of getting doored by a passenger exiting the car on the right side, or hit by a car that unexpectedly decides to pull into a parking space on the right side of the street.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #6:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Right Hook</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A car passes you and then tries to make a right turn directly in front of you, or right into you. They think you&#8217;re not going very fast just because you&#8217;re on a bicycle, so it never occurs to them that they can&#8217;t pass you in time. Even if you have to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting them, they often won&#8217;t feel they&#8217;ve done anything wrong. This kind of collision is very hard to avoid because you typically don&#8217;t see it until the last second, and because there&#8217;s nowhere for you to go when it happens.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. Don&#8217;t ride on the sidewalk. When you come off the sidewalk to cross the street you&#8217;re invisible to motorists. You&#8217;re just begging to be hit if you do this. Keith Vick was killed this way in Austin, TX in Dec. 2002.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2. Ride to the left. Taking up the whole lane makes it harder for drivers to pass you to cut you off or turn into you. Don&#8217;t feel bad about taking the lane: if motorists didn&#8217;t threaten your life by turning in front of or into you or passing you too closely, then you wouldn&#8217;t have to. If the lane you&#8217;re in isn&#8217;t wide enough for cars to pass you safely, then you should be taking the whole lane anyway. Lane position is discussed in more detail below.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3. Glance in your mirror before approaching an intersection. (If you don&#8217;t have a handlebar or helmet mirror, get one now.) Be sure to look in your mirror well before you get to the intersection. When you&#8217;re actually going through an intersection, you&#8217;ll need to be paying very close attention to what&#8217;s in front of you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #7:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Right Hook, Pt. 2</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You&#8217;re passing a slow-moving car (or even another bike) on the right, when it unexpectedly makes a right turn right into you, trying to get to a parking lot,driveway or side street.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. Don&#8217;t pass on the right. This collision is very easy to avoid. Just don&#8217;t pass any vehicle on the right. If a car ahead of you is going only 10 mph, then you slow down, too, behind it. It will eventually start moving faster. If it doesn&#8217;t, pass on the left when it&#8217;s safe to do so.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When passing cyclists on the left, announce &#8220;on your left&#8221; before you start passing, so they don&#8217;t suddenly move left into you. (Of course, they&#8217;re much less likely to suddenly move left without looking, where they could be hit by traffic, then to suddenly move right, into a destination.) If they&#8217;re riding too far to the left for you to pass safely on the left, then announce &#8220;on your right&#8221; before passing on the right.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If several cars are stopped at a light, then you can try passing on the right cautiously. Remember that someone can fling open the passenger door unexpectedly as they exit the car. Also remember that if you pass on the right and traffic starts moving again unexpectedly, you may suffer #3, the Red Light of Death.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Note that when you&#8217;re tailing a slow-moving vehicle, ride behind it, not in its blind spot immediately to the right of it. Even if you&#8217;re not passing a car on the right, you could still run into it if it turns right while you&#8217;re right next to it. Give yourself enough room to brake if it turns.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2. Look behind you before turning right. Here&#8217;s your opportunity to avoid hitting cyclists who violate tip #1 above and try to pass you on the right. Look behind you before making a right-hand turn to make sure a bike isn&#8217;t trying to pass you. (Also remember that they could be coming up from behind you on the sidewalk while you&#8217;re on the street.) Even if it&#8217;s the other cyclist&#8217;s fault for trying to pass you on the right when you make a right turn and have them slam into you, it won&#8217;t hurt any less when they hit you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #8:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Left Cross</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A car coming towards you makes a left turn right in front of you, or right into you. This is similar to #1, above. Austin cyclists hit this way include Dr. Lee Chilton, John Howell (former president of the Austin Cycling Association), and Janne Osborne.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. Don&#8217;t ride on the sidewalk. When you come off the sidewalk to cross the street, you&#8217;re invisible to turning motorists.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2. Get a headlight. If you&#8217;re riding at night, you should absolutely use a front headlight. It&#8217;s required by law in most countries, anyway.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3. Wear something bright, even during the day. It may seem silly, but bikes are small and easy to see through even during the day. Yellow or orange reflective vests really make a big difference. Reflective leg bands are also easy and inexpensive.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4. Don&#8217;t pass on the right. Don&#8217;t overtake slow-moving vehicles on the right. Doing so makes you invisible to left-turning motorists at intersections. Passing on the right means that the vehicle you&#8217;re passing could also make a right turn right into you, too.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">5. Slow down. If you can&#8217;t make eye contact with the driver (especially at night), slow down so much that you&#8217;re able to completely stop if you have to. Sure, it&#8217;s inconvenient, but it beats getting hit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #9:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Rear End</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You innocently move a little to the left to go around a parked car or some other obstruction in the road, and you get nailed by a car coming up from behind.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. Never, ever move left without looking behind you first. Some motorists like to pass cyclists within mere inches, so moving even a tiny bit to the left unexpectedly could put you in the path of a car. Practice holding a straight line while looking over your shoulder until you can do it perfectly. Most new cyclists tend to move left when they look behind them, which of course can be disastrous.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2. Don&#8217;t swerve in and out of the parking lane if it contains any parked cars. You might be tempted to ride in the parking lane where there are no parked cars, dipping back into the traffic lane when you encounter a parked car. This puts you at risk for getting nailed from behind. Instead, ride a steady, straight line in the traffic lane.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3. Use a mirror. If you don&#8217;t have one, go to a bike shop and get one now. There are models that fit on your handlebars, helmet, or glasses, as you prefer. You should always physically look back over your shoulder before moving left, but having a mirror still helps you monitor traffic without constantly having to look behind you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Collision Type #10:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Rear End, Pt. 2</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A car runs into you from behind. This is what many cyclists fear the most, but it&#8217;s actually not very common, comprising only 3.8% of collisions. (source) However, it&#8217;s one of the hardest collisions to avoid, since you&#8217;re not usually looking behind you. The risk is likely greater at night, and in rides outside the city where traffic is faster and lighting is worse. The three cyclists killed when hit from behind in Austin in 96-97 were all riding at night, and at least two of them didn&#8217;t have lights on their bikes. (source) The best way to avoid getting Rear-Ended is to ride on very wide roads or in bike lanes, or on roads where the traffic moves slowly, and to use lights when biking at night.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How to avoid this collision:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1. Get a rear light. If you&#8217;re riding at night, you absolutely should use a flashing red rear light. Bruce Mackey (formerly of Florida, now head of bike safety in Nevada) says that 60% of bike collisions in Florida are caused by cyclists riding at night without lights. In 1999, 39% of deaths on bicycles nationwide occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight. [USA Today, 10-22-01, attributed to the Insurance Institute for highway safety]</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bike shops have red rear blinkies for $15 or less. These kind of lights typically take two AA batteries, which last for months (something like 200 hours). I can&#8217;t stress this item enough: If you ride at night, get a rear light!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2. Wear a reflective vest or a safety triangle. High quality reflective gear makes you a lot more visible even in the day time, not just at night. I had a friend ride away from me while wearing one during the day, and when she was about a quarter mile away, I couldn&#8217;t see her or her bike at all, but the vest was clearly visible. At night the difference is even greater. Bike shops have vests and triangles for $10 to $15. Also, when you hear a motorist approaching, straightening up into a vertical position will make your reflective gear more noticeable.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3. Choose wide streets. Ride on streets whose outside lane is so wide that it can easily fit a car and a bike side by side. That way a car may zoom by you and avoid hitting you, even if they didn&#8217;t see you!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4. Choose slow streets. The slower a car is going, the more time the driver has to see you. I navigate the city by going through neighborhoods. Learn how to do this.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">5. Use back streets on weekends. The risk of riding on Friday or Saturday night is much greater than riding on other nights because all the drunks are out driving around. If you do ride on a weekend night, make sure to take neighborhood streets rather than arterials.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">6. Get a mirror. Get a mirror and use it. If it looks like a car doesn&#8217;t see you, hop off your bike and onto the sidewalk. Mirrors cost $5-15. Trust me, once you&#8217;ve ridden a mirror for a while, you&#8217;ll wonder how you got along without it. My paranoia went down 80% after I got a mirror. If you&#8217;re not convinced, after you&#8217;ve used your mirror for a month, take it off your bike and ride around and notice how you keep glancing down to where your mirror was, and notice how unsafe you feel without it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">7. Don&#8217;t hug the curb. This is counter-intuitive, but give yourself a little space between yourself and the curb. That gives you some room to move into in case you see a large vehicle in your mirror approaching without moving over far enough to avoid you. Also, when you hug the curb tightly you&#8217;re more likely to suffer a right cross from motorists who can&#8217;t see you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
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		<title>5 ways not to get hit by a car while riding your electric bike</title>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog2.optibike.com/?p=198</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Collision Type #1:  The Right Cross This is the most common ways to get hit (or almost get hit). A...<br /><a class="more-link" href="http://optibike.com/uncategorized/5-ways-not-to-get-hit-by-a-car-while-riding-your-electric-bike">Read More</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Collision Type #1:  The Right Cross<br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><strong>This is the most common ways to get hit (or almost get hit).</strong> </span><a href="http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/TaleOfThree.htm" target="_blank"></a><span style="color: #003300;"><strong>A car is pulling out of a side street, parking lot, or driveway on the right.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong>Notice that there are actually two possible kinds of collisions here: Either you&#8217;re in front of the car and the car hits you, or the car pulls out in front of you and you slam into it.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000; font-size: xx-small;">How to avoid this collision:</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>1. Get a headlight.</strong></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If you&#8217;re riding at night, you should absolutely use a front headlight. It&#8217;s required by law, anyway. Even for daytime riding, a bright white light that has a flashing mode can make you more visible to motorists who might otherwise Right Cross you. Look for the new LED headlights which last ten times as long on a set of batteries as old-style lights. And helmet- or head-mounted lights are the best, because then you can look directly at the driver to make<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>sure</em>they see your light.</p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>2. Honk.</strong></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Get a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>loud horn<span style="color: #000000;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>use it</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>whenever you see a car approaching (or waiting) ahead of you and to the right. If you don&#8217;t have a horn, then yell &#8220;Hey!&#8221; You may feel awkward honking or yelling, but it&#8217;s better to be embarrassed than to get hit. Incidentally, many countries require bells on bicycles, but the U.S. doesn&#8217;t.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>3. Slow down.</strong></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If you can&#8217;t make eye contact with the driver (especially at night), slow down so much that you&#8217;re able to completely stop if you have to. Sure, it&#8217;s inconvenient, but it beats getting hit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Doing this has saved my life on too many occasions to count.</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>4. Ride further left.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></span><span style="color: #000000;">Look at the two blue lines &#8220;A&#8221; and &#8220;B&#8221; in the picture. You&#8217;re probably used to riding in &#8220;A&#8221;, very close to the curb, because you&#8217;re worried about being hit from behind. But take a look at the car. When that driver is looking down the road for traffic, he&#8217;s not looking in the bike lane or the area closest to the curb; he&#8217;s looking in the MIDDLE of the lane, for other cars. The farther left you are (such as in &#8220;B&#8221;), the more likely the driver will see you. There&#8217;s an added bonus here: if the motorist doesn&#8217;t see you and starts pulling out, you may be able to go even FARTHER left, or may be able to speed up and get out of the way before impact, or roll onto their hood as they slam on their brakes. In short, it gives you some options. Because if you stay all the way to the right and they pull out, your only &#8220;option&#8221; may be to run right into the driver&#8217;s side door.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Using this method has saved me on three occasions in which a motorist ran into me and I wasn&#8217;t hurt, and in which I definitely would have slammed into the driver&#8217;s side door had I not moved left.</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Of course, there&#8217;s a tradeoff. Riding to the far right makes you invisible to the motorists ahead of you at intersections, but riding to the left makes you more vulnerable to the cars behind you. Your actual lane position may vary depending on how wide the street is, how many cars there are, how fast and how close they pass you, and how far you are from the next intersection. On fast roadways with few cross streets, you&#8217;ll ride farther to the right, and on slow roads with many cross streets, you&#8217;ll ride farther left.</span></p>
<p><a name="doored"></a></p>
<table class="number" style="border-top: 1px solid #4682b4; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; line-height: 40px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="160">Collision Type #2:</td>
<td class="description">
<h1 style="margin: 5px;">The Right Cross</h1>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="color: #0000cc; font-size: small;"><strong><img src="images-collisions/door-prize.gif" alt="" width="122" height="172" align="left" /></strong></span><span style="color: #003300;"><strong>A driver opens his door right in front of you. You run right into it if you can&#8217;t stop in time.</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If you&#8217;re lucky, the motorist will exit the car before you hit the door, so you&#8217;ll at least have the pleasure of smashing them too when you crash, and their soft flesh will cushion your impact. This kind of crash is more common than you might think, and in fact cyclists crashing into parked cars is the #1 kind of car-bike collision in Santa Barbara.</span><span style="color: #003300;">(</span><a href="http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/TaleOfThree.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #003300;">source</span></a><span style="color: #003300;">)</span><span style="color: #003300;">We&#8217;ve compiled a list of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="doorprize.html">cyclists killed by running into open car doors</a><span style="color: #003300;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000; font-size: xx-small;">How to avoid this collision:</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>Ride to the left.</strong></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Ride far enough to the left that you won&#8217;t run into any door that&#8217;s opened unexpectedly. You may be wary about riding so far into the lane that cars can&#8217;t pass you easily, but you&#8217;re more likely to get doored by a parked car if you ride too close to it than you are to get hit from behind by a car which can clearly see you.</p>
<p><a name="crosswalk"></a></p>
<table class="number" style="border-top: 1px solid #4682b4; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; line-height: 40px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="160">Collision Type #3:</td>
<td class="description">
<h1 style="margin: 5px;">The Crosswalk Slam</h1>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="color: #0000cc; font-size: small;"><strong><img src="images-collisions/crosswalk-slam.gif" alt="" width="184" height="203" align="left" /></strong></span><span style="color: #003300;"><strong>You&#8217;re riding on the sidewalk and cross the street at a crosswalk, and a car makes a right turn, right into you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong>Cars aren&#8217;t expecting bikes in the crosswalk, so you have to be<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>very</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>careful to avoid this one. This collision is so common we&#8217;ve lost track of the number of people who&#8217;ve told us they were hit this way, such as<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a onclick="window.open('pop9.html','Collision','width=400,height=200'); return false" href="#">Ray John Ray</a><span style="color: #003300;">.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/riskfactors.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #003300;">One study</span></a><span style="color: #003300;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>showed that sidewalk-riding was<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>twice as dangerous</em>as road riding, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/Moritz2.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #003300;">another study</span></a><span style="color: #003300;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>said it&#8217;s even more dangerous than that.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000; font-size: xx-small;">How to avoid this collision:</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>1. Get a headlight.</strong></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If you&#8217;re riding at night, you should absolutely use a front headlight. It&#8217;s required by<a href="http://bicycleaustin.info/laws-tx-bike.html">law</a>, anyway.</p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>2. Slow down.</strong></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Slow down enough that you&#8217;re able to completely stop if necessary.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>3. Don&#8217;t ride on the sidewalk in the first place.</strong></span><span style="color: #000000;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Crossing between sidewalks can be a fairly dangerous maneuver. If you do it on the left-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed as per the diagram. If you do it on the right-hand side of the street, you risk getting slammed by a car behind you that&#8217;s turning right. You also risk getting hit by cars pulling out of parking lots or driveways. These kinds of accidents are hard to avoid, which is a compelling reason to not ride on the sidewalk in the first place.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">And another reason not to ride on the sidewalk is that you&#8217;re threatening to pedestrians. Your bike is as threatening to a pedestrian as a car is threatening to you. Finally, riding on the sidewalk is illegal in some places. (In Austin, those places are the Drag, and downtown on 6th St. and on Congress). If you do plan on riding on sidewalks, do it slowly and EXTRA carefully, ESPECIALLY when crossing the street between two sidewalks.</span></p>
<table class="number" style="border-top: 1px solid #4682b4; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; line-height: 40px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="160">Collision Type #4:</td>
<td class="description">
<h1 style="margin: 5px;">The Wrong-Way Wreck</h1>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><img src="images-collisions/wrong-way-wallop.gif" alt="" width="173" height="172" align="left" /><span style="color: #003300;"><strong>You&#8217;re riding the wrong way (against traffic, on the left-hand side of the street). A car makes a right turn from a side street, driveway, or parking lot, right into you. They didn&#8217;t see you because they were looking for traffic only on their left, not on their right. They had no reason to expect that someone would be coming at them from the wrong direction.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #003300;">Even worse, you could be hit by a car on the same road coming at you from straight ahead of you. They had less time to see you and take evasive action because they&#8217;re approaching you faster than normal (because you&#8217;re going towards them rather than away from them). And if they hit you, it&#8217;s going to be much more forceful impact, for the same reason. (Both your and their velocities are combined.)</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000; font-size: xx-small;">How to avoid this collision:</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>Don&#8217;t ride against traffic.</strong></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Ride<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>with</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>traffic, in the same direction.</p>
<p>Riding against traffic may seem like a good idea because you can see the cars that are passing you, but it&#8217;s not. Here&#8217;s why:</p>
<ol>
<li>Cars which pull out of driveways, parking lots, and cross streets (ahead of you and to the left), which are making a right onto your street, aren&#8217;t expecting traffic to be coming at them from the wrong way. They won&#8217;t see you, and they&#8217;ll plow right into you.</li>
<li>How the heck are you going to make a right turn?</li>
<li>Cars will approach you at a much higher relative speed. If you&#8217;re going 15mph, then a car passing you from behind doing 35 approaches you at a speed of only<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>20</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(35-15). But if you&#8217;re on the wrong side of the road, then the car approaches you at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>50</strong>(35+15), which is<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>more than twice as fast</em>! Since they&#8217;re approaching you faster, both you and the driver have lots less time to react. And if a collision does occur, it&#8217;s going to be ten times worse.</li>
<li>Riding the wrong way is illegal and you can get ticketed for it.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>One study showed that riding the wrong way was<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>three times as dangerous</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>as riding the right way,</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and for kids, the risk is<em>seven times greater.</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span>(</span><a href="http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/riskfactors.htm" target="_blank"><span>source</span></a><span>)</span></p>
<p>Nearly one-fourth of crashes involve cyclists riding the wrong way.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span>(</span><a href="http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/riskfactors.htm" target="_blank"><span>source</span></a><span>)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Some readers have challenged this, saying if 25% of crashes are from going the wrong way, then riding the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>right way</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is more dangerous because it accounts for 75% of crashes. That thinking is wrong. First off, only 8% of cyclists ride the wrong way, yet nearly 25% of them get hit &#8212; meaning wrong-way cyclists really are three times more likely to get hit than those who ride the proper way. Second, the problem with wrong-way biking is that it<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>promotes</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>crashes, while right-way biking does not. For example, cyclists running stop signs or red lights is 17% of their crashes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span>(</span><a href="http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/TaleOfThree.htm" target="_blank"><span>source</span></a><span>)</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But do we therefore conclude that<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>not</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>running signals causes 83% of crashes?! (Hint: No.)</p>
<p><a name="redlight"></a></p>
<table class="number" style="border-top: 1px solid #4682b4; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; line-height: 40px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="160">Collision Type #5:</td>
<td class="description">
<h1 style="margin: 5px;">Red Light of Death</h1>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="color: #0000cc; font-size: small;"><strong><img src="images-collisions/red-light.gif" alt="" width="227" height="216" align="left" /></strong></span><span style="color: #003300;"><strong>You stop to the right of a car that&#8217;s already waiting at a red light or stop sign. They can&#8217;t see you. When the light turns green, you move forward, and then they turn right, right into you.</strong><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Even small cars can do you in this way, but this scenario is especially dangerous when it&#8217;s a bus or a semi that you&#8217;re stopping next to. An Austin cyclist was killed in 1994 when he stopped to the right of a semi, and then it turned right. He was crushed under its wheels.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000; font-size: xx-small;">How to avoid this collision:</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #660099;"><strong>Don&#8217;t stop in the blind spot.</strong></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Simply stop BEHIND a car, instead of to the right of it, as per the diagram below. This makes you very visible to traffic on all sides. It&#8217;s impossible for the car behind you to avoid seeing you when you&#8217;re right in front of it.</p>
<p><img src="images-collisions/red-light-take-lane.gif" alt="" width="220" height="213" align="right" />Another option is to stop at either point A in the diagram above (where the first driver can see you), or at point B, behind the first car so it can&#8217;t turn into you, and far enough ahead of the second car so that the second driver can see you clearly. It does no good to avoid stopping to the right of the first car if you&#8217;re going to make the mistake of stopping to the right of the second car. EITHER car can do you in.</p>
<p>If you chose spot A, then ride quickly to cross the street as soon as the light turns green. Don&#8217;t look at the motorist to see if they want to go ahead and turn. If you&#8217;re in spot A and they want to turn, then<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>you&#8217;re in their way.</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Why did you take spot A if you weren&#8217;t eager to cross the street when you could? When the light turns green, just go, and go quickly. (But make sure cars aren&#8217;t running the red light on the cross street, of course.)</p>
<p>If you chose spot B, then when the light turns green, DON&#8217;T pass the car in front of you &#8212; stay behind it, because it might turn right at any second. If it doesn&#8217;t make a right turn right away, it may turn right into a driveway or parking lot unexpectedly at any point.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Don&#8217;t count on drivers to signal!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em>They don&#8217;t. Assume that a car can turn right at any time. (NEVER pass a car on the right!) But try to stay ahead of the car behind you until you&#8217;re through the intersection, because otherwise they might try to cut you off as they turn right.</p>
<p>While we&#8217;re not advocating running red lights, notice it is in fact safer to run the red light if there&#8217;s no cross traffic, than it is to wait legally at the red light directly to the right of a car, only to have it make a right turn right into you when the light turns green. The moral here is not that you should break the law, but that you can easily get hurt even if you follow the law.</p>
<p>By the way,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>be very careful when passing stopped cars on the right</em><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>as you approach a red light. You run the risk of getting doored by a passenger exiting the car on the right side, or hit by a car that unexpectedly decides to pull into a parking space on the right side of the street.</p>
<p></span></p>
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		<title>Ask Optibike: &#8220;I can buy an e-bike for $2000, is the Optibike the increase in price?&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/ask-optibike-i-can-buy-an-e-bike-for-2000-is-the-optibike-the-increase-in-price?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ask-optibike-i-can-buy-an-e-bike-for-2000-is-the-optibike-the-increase-in-price</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog2.optibike.com/?p=197</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Great question, that we get all the time. There are a few different points here that should be addressed.  First,...<br /><a class="more-link" href="http://optibike.com/uncategorized/ask-optibike-i-can-buy-an-e-bike-for-2000-is-the-optibike-the-increase-in-price">Read More</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Great question, that we get all the time.</p>
<p>There are a few different points here that should be addressed.  First, for many people, a $2000 e-bike will do just fine.  These people want to get from point A to B and do not care about the quality of the experience.  A heavy bike, with poor hill climbing power, awkward weight distribution and Yugo styl</p>
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		<title>23ct Gold Plated $13,995 Optibike OB1 electric bike hits the streets</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/23ct-gold-plated-13995-optibike-ob1-electric-bike-hits-the-streets?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=23ct-gold-plated-13995-optibike-ob1-electric-bike-hits-the-streets</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fitness]]></category>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><!--[endif]-->Boulder, CO, May 29, 2009; The American made Optibike OB1 electric bike hits the streets today, with only 24 available in 2009.<span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“We have customers all over the world who pre-ordered and will be taking delivery starting next week. So far, 2 of 24 have been delivered.<span> </span>One went to a Swiss buyer, and one to NFL Superstar DeMarcus Ware.<span> </span>The rest of the customers in wait are an equally impressive bunch.” says Craig Weakley, Marketing Director.<span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A handful of 2009 OB1’s are still available.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Optibike OB1 is equipped with the absolute best cycling components: Carbon fiber handlebars, Patented PDA interface with GPS, oversized Avid Code hydraulic brakes, and front and rear Fox suspension all rolling on the brand new Crank Brothers Iodine wheels.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Outfitted the largest, and lightest battery offered in an electric bike with a nearly 1 hour ride time at full speed or 2.25 hours in “eco” mode, the Optibike OB1 sets the bar high for electric bikes.<span> </span>The comparatively low power Eco mode on the OB1 has a higher output than most imported electric bikes have at full power.<span> </span>Top speed is 34+ mph.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Each OB1 features a fully custom paint job by the world-renowned custom motorcycle painters at Gunslinger Custom Paint.<span> </span>The paint scheme includes a 23ct gold foil inlay with individually unique pin striping.<span> </span>Customers have an option of 4 color schemes: red, blue, green or silver.<span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The OB1 is the signature model of award winning electric bike designer and former champion motocross racer Jim Turner.<span> </span>One of Mr. Turners 2008 Optibike OB1’s is currently on exhibit in the California Academy of Sciences touted as “The Future of Transportation.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Optibike designs and manufactures electric bicycles in Boulder, Colorado USA from exclusively American made custom parts and has been doing so since 1997.<span> </span>Optibike offers electric bikes specifically designed to meet the needs of the American market that include a Commuter Series, Pro Series, and Women Specific electric bikes in addition to the Limited Edition Optibike OB1.<span> </span>For more information visit <a href="http://www.optibike.com/">www.optibike.com</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Contact:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Craig Weakley</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Marketing Director</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Optibike LLC</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Craig at Optibike dot com</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Office: 303.443.0932 x201</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.optibike.com/">www.optibike.com</a></p>
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		<title>Ask Optibike! Why don&#8217;t you make a 1000 watt electric bike?</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/ask-optibike-why-dont-you-make-a-1000-watt-electric-bike?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ask-optibike-why-dont-you-make-a-1000-watt-electric-bike</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog2.optibike.com/?p=144</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is a great question that we have gotten more than once: Answer: Building an electric bike that is Optibike...<br /><a class="more-link" href="http://optibike.com/uncategorized/ask-optibike-why-dont-you-make-a-1000-watt-electric-bike">Read More</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is a great question that we have gotten more than once:</p>
<p>Answer: Building an electric bike that is Optibike quality requires the WHOLE bike to meet the standards of performance that Optibikes do.  For example, if you put a V8 engine in a gocart with a 1 gallon gas tank with substandard brakes- it would be fast, and you would be able to say &#8221; I have a V8&#8243; but the overall performance would be limited- you would not be able to go very far, and you would not be able to stop well, among other things.  I digress.</p>
<p>Great design is about balance.  At Optibike, we tried a 1000 watt motor, and we determined that in order to achieve the balance of long range, light weight, perfect handling, and long battery life- we would need to incorporate a much bigger battery than the 20ah battery we currently use.  This means a frame redesign and adjusting the center of gravity of the bike so it will remain balanced- this gives you good handling.</p>
<p>A 1000 watt motor with a 9 or 10ah battery means you are beating the battery to death.  literally.  That battery will have serious lifespan issues after only 50 cycles.  For example, an Optibike USV has a 500w motor and a 13ah NiMH battery.  If a customer wants to upgrade to the 700w motor in a USV, a battery upgrade to a 20ah Lithium Battery is mandatory.  This is not because we want to charge more- it is because if you try to consistently pull 700w out of a 13 ah battery, the life of the battery is significantly shorter than if you pull out 500w max.  If we wanted to sell high volume, substandard bikes so we could sell you replacement batteries later- we would sell you a 700 or 850w motor with the NiMh and make a killing selling you replacement batteries.  Optibike did not offer a 800 or 850w motor until we had a battery that could handle the current draw of these motors.  With a battery that is designed properly- the warranty is long, ours is 3 years/30,000 miles.  How long is the &#8220;other&#8221; electric bikes warranty?  Exactly.</p>
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		<title>Ask Optibike! How does the Optibike compare to the E+ Elite electric bike?</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/ask-optibike-how-does-the-optibike-compare-to-the-e-elite-electric-bike?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ask-optibike-how-does-the-optibike-compare-to-the-e-elite-electric-bike</link>
		<comments>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/ask-optibike-how-does-the-optibike-compare-to-the-e-elite-electric-bike#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog2.optibike.com/?p=143</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have gotten this question a few times, most recently from Dave M.: The E+ Elite leaves off  way before...<br /><a class="more-link" href="http://optibike.com/uncategorized/ask-optibike-how-does-the-optibike-compare-to-the-e-elite-electric-bike">Read More</a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have gotten this question a few times, most recently from Dave M.:</p>
<p>The E+ Elite leaves off  way before the  Optibike USV begins in terms of quality of components and performance.  Sure, the 1000 watt motor makes the E+ sound attractive- but what they dont tell you is that with a 10ah NiMh battery you only get that power for a few miles at best- the rest of the time you are puttering along with a bike that weights 15lbs more than even the Optibike USV.</p>
<p>The Optibike USV offers 30% more battery capacity (13ah) and the battery will last much longer because we are not beating it to death by trying to run a 1000w motor with such a small battery.  At Optibike, we realize that we could sell more bikes if we offered a 1000 watt motor with our existing battery- but we like to see our bikes last, and a quality bike</p>
<p>As far as components go- the Optibike USV has dual suspension from FOX that combined retails for over $700 while the E+ Elite is outfitted with a $200 Rockshox fork.</p>
<p>Dual disk brakes, standard equipment on the USV, while you are subjected to rim brakes on the Elite.</p>
<p>Yes, E+ Started using the same seat we did in 2007.  Out of hundreds of seats available, they are playing follow the leader- its cool- we upgraded all of our seats to the the WTB Power V, and they are still using last years equipment.</p>
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		<title>Optibike Ambassador John Sagebiel helps pass E-bike law in Nevada.</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/optibike-ambassador-john-sagebiel-helps-pass-e-bike-law-in-nevada?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=optibike-ambassador-john-sagebiel-helps-pass-e-bike-law-in-nevada</link>
		<comments>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/optibike-ambassador-john-sagebiel-helps-pass-e-bike-law-in-nevada#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
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		<title>Optibike electric bike owner pictures</title>
		<link>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/optibike-electric-bike-owner-pictures?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=optibike-electric-bike-owner-pictures</link>
		<comments>http://optibike.com/uncategorized/optibike-electric-bike-owner-pictures#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:33:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>opti</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Optibike News]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[best electric bike]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog2.optibike.com/?p=129</guid>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_130" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-130" title="2009-spring-grn-fest-optibike-008" src="http://blog2.optibike.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/2009-spring-grn-fest-optibike-008-225x300.jpg" alt="Optibike USV owner Hope Connors Brown " width="225" height="300" /><br />
<p class="wp-caption-text">Optibike USV owner Hope Connors Brown </p></div>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a rel="attachment wp-att-131" href="http://blog2.optibike.com/?attachment_id=131"><br />
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