3 Tips For Touring Around A New City On A Bike

One of the best ways to see a city that you’re visiting is to hit the streets. While you can walk from block to block and take in the sights, you’ll get to your final destination a little faster and get more of a workout if you take a bike instead. But while there are plenty of perks to biking, there are also plenty of risks as well, like getting into a bicycle accident. So to help ensure that you’re able to get all around this new area safely, here are three tips for touring around a new city on a bike.

Learn The Laws

To keep yourself safe when biking around a crowded city, it’s important that you know the rules of the road and learn the laws for the area. Different countries and cities will have varying laws regarding biking, so make sure you do your research before you arrive. According to Thorin Klosowski, a contributor to LifeHacker.com, some of the most common laws that tend to vary in different areas are regarding helmets, riding on sidewalks, and passing on the left side of cars.

Double-Check The Quality Of Your Bike

Before you head onto the streets in your bike, it’s vital that you double-check that the bike you’re riding is going to be safe for you to ride. The last thing you want to have happen while you’re riding your bike, especially in a city that you’re unfamiliar with, is to run into technical difficulties in an area that you don’t know. So to keep this from happening to you, Ruben Castaneda, a contributor to U.S. News and World Report, recommends that you either check out your bike yourself or bring it to a bike shop for a once over. Focus on the areas like the chain, the brakes, and the tires. Additionally, try to bring any tools you’ll need to fix a flat tire on the off chance that you’ll have to deal with this while out on your ride.

Keep Your Hearing Clear

While out on your bike ride around a new city, it’s a good idea for you to keep your hearing clear and available for what’s going on around you. According to Oli Woodman and Colin Levitch, contributors to BikeRadar.com, this means ditching your headphones. Especially since you’ll be unfamiliar with the area you’ll be biking in, you’re going to want to stay as alert as possible so that you can react appropriately to anything that might come your way. Additionally, you’ll also get a more intimate understanding of this new city by taking in all the sights and sounds along your ride.

If you’re considering taking a bike ride around a city that you’re visiting, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do so safely.