Biking as a Hobby: Top Tips for Safe and Fun Rides
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By PAGE Editor
Biking is a brilliant way to blow away the cobwebs, get out into nature, and get away from all the ills of the world that have a tendency to pile up on your shoulders. In most cases, you can throw on your safety gear, plan a route into the wilderness, and set off to locations unknown, and in most cases, be back in time for tea!
However, to head out without any forethought or planning can be a recipe for disaster, and as you can usually see from RTA reports involving bikes, outcomes aren’t excellent for those who have thrown caution to the wind. In this post, we will take a look at how you can ensure that any ride you want to take will remain on the fun side of things and avoid most of the usual issues that can plague biking, in particular when out on the open road.
Invest In High-Quality Safety Equipment If You Want To Remain In The Land Of The Living And Able-Bodied
This first heading might seem a tad over the top, but when an accident occurs on a motorcycle, the outcomes are usually less than favorable and even worse if you haven’t used the proper safety gear or opted for inferior brands that skimp on quality. According to Malloy Law legal expertise providers, riders have a larger propensity to gain life-altering injuries when involved in an accident, making it all the more vital to invest in the very things designed to keep you alive and out of the wheelchair.
For most people, this will include a helmet, as you might imagine, a pair of decent gloves (that include a skid patch on the heel), and a set of boots that are designed for the type of riding you prefer (dirt bike boots will differ from road boots, making your choice even more critical). However, if you really want to go the extra mile, and you ought to if you value your skin, then purchasing a dedicated set of rip-resistant trousers with included pads will help you weather the worst of a crash when things go south. Trust us; road rash might sound like a funny ailment, but when your adrenaline runs out, and you start feeling the pain of your raw skin that has been ripped to shreds, you will wish that you had invested in biking pants.
Always Check Your Bike Before Heading Out
You should always give your bike a once over before beheading out, as this can mean the difference between coming home and eating a delicious meal with your family or having to pay through the nose for a recovery truck to bring your non-starting bike to the garage for additional costly repairs. The good thing is that you only really need to run through a few basic checks to ensure a smooth ride, including checking (but not limited to):
Battery
Fluids (oil, coolant, brake fluid, etc)
Lights
Brakes
Tire tread
Brake cables
Ignition
You can usually find a decent checklist for your model online. Print it out and run through it every time you take the bike out for a more extended trip.
Bring A Repair Kit And A Few Vital Spare Parts
There Is nothing worse than heading deep into the wilderness, replete with zero phone connectivity, only to get a flat tire or worse. Aside from really ruining your day, it can be dangerous depending on where you have broken down. Therefore, it’s wise to pack a well-kitted repair kit that you can use to get yourself back in the saddle and on your way again. However, it’s no use simply having the kit; you need to be able to use what’s inside and, at the very minimum, know how to change an inner tube (if your model uses them) by yourself. You don’t need to go overboard, but the idea is to at least get you back to civilization, where you can take it to a mechanic who can carry out more extensive repairs.
Check Weather Conditions Before Riding
This tip isn’t limited to simply helping you to know whether you might need a raincoat or not, but instead primarily aimed at ensuring you don’t head out when inclement weather is approaching. Not only will bad weather make the trip insufferable, but it will also be extremely and unnecessarily dangerous.
Don’t Let Your Inner Child Take Over From You
As anyone who has ever ridden a bike regularly will tell you, it’s exceptionally easy to allow your inner child to take over, especially when faced with long, winding roads or incredible terrain. However, doing so can only lead to a loss of control if you’re unlucky, and when you’re reaching high speeds, this loss of command can be catastrophic. Instead, you’d do better in allowing your frontal cortex to perform most of your actions, which should result in a more controlled and ultimately far safer ride.
Taking a few precautions before setting out on a road trip on your bike can go a long way in keeping you safe and stopping you from destroying your body and bike. While those mentioned in this post are only the tip of the iceberg, they are arguably some of the most important.
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