The Return of the Well Cultured Anonymous/Riding a Bike

If you live in town and you can't drive or afford a car, you should invest in a bike. It is a bit annoying to keep up, but you will save a lot of time in transportation. If done properly, it can give you a superhero's legs, and you can even work out your arms, so if you don't want to keep your lazy nerd habits, you should definitely ride a bike.

While the following sections are "tips" they are very strongly recommended and may be required by law where you are.

TIP #1: Wear a Helmet
Wear a helmet whenever you ride your bike, even if you're just going down the street, even if it's in broad daylight along a quiet road. Make sure the helmet isn't too tight or too loose (you don't want it to move around instead of just sitting on the top of your head). It goes without saying that you should buckle your helmet. At first you might need someone to help you buckle it, but with practice you'll be able to feel the buckles meeting. Just remember that it's harder to control whether or not your bicycle will crash than whether or not you're wearing a helmet when that happens.

TIP #2: Have Lights
You shouldn't ride at night unless you have to. If you're riding at or after dark, have lights, both front and back. These lights should be bright enough for you to be both see and be seen. If you shine your light on a road sign and it reflects, it's probably bright enough to be seen.

TIP #3: Follow Road Signs and Signals
This goes double if you're riding in low visibility. This goes triple if you're riding at night. Signs that prohibit bicycles, for example from freeways, are nearly always there for your own safety. Additionally, you should learn the hand signals for indicating turns in your country, and use them whenever other traffic might pass through the route of your turn. If turning during the day, it's good to make eye contact with drivers. It is important to note that you can't expect or rely on cars to always follow the rules; better to get home in one piece than take a stand for what may be your rights on paper.

TIP #4: Stay In Your Lane
You cannot win over a car. There's a time and place for defying established rules; riding your bike on urban roads is not it. If there's a marked bike lane, ride in it unless physically impossible (blocked by a parked car, flooded, etc.) If there's no usable bike lane, ride as far away from the middle of the road as physically possible (right if your country drives on the right, left if your country drives on the left). If that isn't safe, ride on the sidewalk but remember pedestrians have priority on all sidewalks and crosswalks.

TIP #5: Pay Attention
When you ride your bike you should pay undivided attention to your surroundings. This means no earphones or headphones, no cellphone usage, no taking calls. Since you probably don't have a rear view mirror, remember to look back frequently when you are riding (and there's nothing in front), and at every intersection. If you are called, pick up only after you're in a position where you won't be in the way of or block any cars or pedestrians (such as on the sidewalk with your bike parallel to the road).

TIP #6: Secure Your Bicycle
Whenever you can't keep an eye on your bike or be with it, you should lock your bike. The lock should embrace at least two, and preferably all three, of one of the two triangles outlined in red in the accompanying diagram, one of the wheels, and a stationary bike rack (any sturdy object the lock can go around is good. Check signs on or near the object).

Please note that if your lock covers only two of those things you're vulnerable to:
 * Your bike being taken off the locked wheel and stolen (if you didn't lock the frame)
 * The unlocked wheel(s) being stolen (if you didn't lock the wheel)
 * The bike being carried away and stolen (if you didn't lock the bike to a stationary object).