Staying active and exploring the world around you are two huge benefits of biking. It’s good for your body and your mental health. However, biking can be dangerous if you’re not careful. That’s why making safety a priority is extremely important. Whether you're commuting to work, going for a leisurely ride or hitting the trails, having the right safety equipment is essential to keeping you protected and minimizing your risk of injury.
From helmets to lights to GPS tracking, there are a variety of safety items available that can help you stay visible and prevent accidents. In this post, we’ll talk about a few safety items that you might want to add to your bike.
Handlebar grips may seem like a minor detail when it comes to bike safety, but they play a critical role in providing riders with a comfortable, secure grip while cycling. Grips help to absorb shock and vibrations from the road, which reduces strain on your wrists and hands and prevents numbness and fatigue. They also provide traction, helping to keep your hands in place and prevent slipping, especially in wet or sweaty conditions.
Furthermore, handlebar grips can help to improve bike control and maneuverability, enabling riders to steer their bikes more effectively and make quick adjustments on the fly. Overall, choosing the right handlebar grips for your bike can make a significant difference in your riding experience, allowing you to stay comfortable, safe and in control while you cycle.
Another important reason why handlebar grips are essential for bike safety is that they can help to prevent accidents and injuries. When riders have a firm and comfortable grip on the handlebars, they are better able to maintain control of their bikes, even in challenging terrains or unexpected situations.
The grips can also help to reduce the impact of falls or collisions, absorbing shock and protecting the hands and wrists from injury. Moreover, handlebar grips that are designed with reflective or high-visibility materials can improve rider visibility, making it easier for other cyclists, motorists and pedestrians to see and avoid them.
By investing in high-quality handlebar grips for your bike, like the handlebar grips from Lizard Skins, you can enhance your safety on the road, reduce your risk of accidents and enjoy a more comfortable and fun cycling experience.
Biking at night or in low-light conditions can be hazardous, especially if your bike is not properly equipped with lights and reflectors. Lights and reflectors are essential safety features that make you visible to other road users, alerting them to your presence and helping to prevent accidents.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 70% of fatal bike accidents occur in low-light or dark conditions.
Lights are particularly important for biking at night or in low-light conditions. They help you see where you're going, but more importantly, they make you visible to other road users. Front lights illuminate the road ahead of you, while rear lights alert drivers and other cyclists behind you to your presence. It's important to choose lights that are bright enough to be seen from a distance, especially on busy roads. Look for lights that have a minimum brightness of 200 lumens and a flashing mode, which can be more effective at catching drivers' attention.
Reflectors are also important for bike safety, particularly on bikes that are ridden on public roads. Reflectors bounce back light from other sources, such as car headlights, making you visible to drivers even when they're not shining their headlights directly at you.
Most bikes come with reflectors on the front, back and sides of the bike, but it's important to ensure that they're clean and properly aligned. Reflective clothing and accessories, such as ankle bands, can also help to increase your visibility on the road.
If you ride any kind of bike, one thing you definitely need is a helmet. Consumerreports.org says, “More visits to hospital emergency departments for traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) involve bicycling than any other sport or recreational event, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” So, this is a huge must. You’ll want to consider the following things while looking for a helmet:
When mountain biking, you might want to consider more padding than you would wear if you’re road biking. Knee and elbow pads are important, and you might also want to get gloves. With mountain biking, it’s not if you’ll fall, but when you’ll fall. So, being prepared can save your life or at least help shield you from serious injury.
If you want to take safety a step further, you might want to consider putting a GPS tracker on your bike. You should put this in a subtle place on your bike so no one else can easily see it. Having a tracker will come in really handy if someone were to steal your bike. It could also save your life in some situations.
If, for example, you get hurt while mountain biking, you may not have the ability to communicate your specific location on a remote trail. If you need urgent help, this can quickly become an emergency situation. Putting a GPS device on your bike, and giving access to someone you trust who doesn’t bike with you, can be very helpful.
There are many different options when it comes to GPS tracking. Some of the most popular include Apple Air Tags as well as Tiles. However, you might find that you need something with different specifications or you prefer a tracker that’s a different shape and size.
One thing to keep in mind as you shop for a tracking device is if there are apps available to track on your trusted person’s phone. Air Tags, for example, work with Apple devices, but they can only be tracked by one device at a time. So, if you wanted to give tracking capabilities to multiple people, a different solution would be better.
