<p>Anyone have any ideas if it is safe to ride a racing bike on city streets when abroad? Do internationals bike more than in the U.S.? Is it safe?</p>
<p>abroad is fairly vague. I think you’d need to be more specific of city or at least country.</p>
<p>The country he is going to is known for biking. However, he is going to a major city and I don’t know if biking in the city is o.k. Biking in the countryside is supposed to be excellent.
I am worried about riding a racing bike on city streets.</p>
<p>He will figure this out pretty quickly once he gets there and sees how many bikers there are in different parts of the city/country.</p>
<p>If your question really is “Should I pay to ship the bike?” I’d say that depends on just how much it would cost to get it there and back vs. what a decent used bike would cost over there. In which case, Google is probably your friend.</p>
<p>I am not worried about the shipping because he can bring the bike on the plane as a second piece of luggage. Just have to buy a hard case for it. The plane he is using allows bikes on the plane. I am worried about bike accidents. The area near the university is hilly and there is a lot of traffic in the city. He currently attends a U.S. university where nearly everyone has a bike. Am I worried for nothing?</p>
<p>Is the country known for good medical care? Will he wear a helmet? Is he an experienced rider?<br>
I’m thinking of China where so many people use bikes as city transportation. No helmets and not very good emergency services - I’d worry a bit…,</p>
<p>Medical care is superb. He wears a helmet and loves bike riding. My worry is bringing a “racing” bike vs. a regular bike and being so far away. I am confident my son will be careful but you never know how careful drivers are. I do not know if there are bike lanes like in the U.S.</p>
<p>My daughter rides a bike in the city she currently live in, Cambridge, MA. She is going to be living in Zurich, Switzerland this summer and in a town in France next year. She says she wants to buy a bike when she gets there as many ride bikes there and so I think she likely will do that. I am not any more worried about it, compared to her riding a bike in Cambridge. She’ll have to take her helmet and so on.</p>
<p>In terms of safety, do you think it makes any difference if the bike is a regular bike or a racing bike?</p>
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<p>I honestly can’t answer that. If he uses his racing bike in US cities, then I am not sure the difference if he were to use such a bike overseas. </p>
<p>I think one issue, however, is theft and having an excellent lock. Sounds like an expensive bike. He could get a cheaper bike to ride while abroad.</p>
<p>Since the OP is reluctant to even give us a hint as to what continent she’s talking about, I’ll throw out the few countries I’ve biked in “abroad”. </p>
<p>I’ve done a bike tour in France. From what was explained to us in France, and some other European countries, the bike/car laws are much different than in the US. In those countries driving is a privilege, not a right, and causing any harm to another person with your vehicle has much more serious consequences than it does here in the US. (Here, you hit a person with your car, claim you didn’t see them, and you don’t even get a ticket. There your license is pulled and you get to spend at least some time at the police department if not in jail.) There is a true meter rule, in that you cannot drive within a meter of a bike. They take it seriously. I was in Paris last September and saw many a commuter on a bike. Many cities, including Paris have a bike rental service that works like zip cars, you swipe your credit card, take the bike, and swipe it when you turn the bike in. </p>
<p>In Copenhagen, the other place I biked, I suspect it would be a pain to have a car, as bikes are allowed most places, cars, not so much. That said, racing around the city isn’t done, but there are places out side the city to let it all out and hammer. (I’m guessing he’s not in Copenhagen, as I didn’t see any hills.)</p>
<p>Note, when riding in Europe I always felt safe. Because of the room motorists give you, I suspect biking is safer there then here in the US. You seldom see people with helmets, and if you do, it’s a good bet they are Americans.</p>
<p>I’m guessing she is moving to Amsterdam because of your comment that it is well known for cycling? To be honest, Europe is generally more cycle-friendly than the US as far as I’ve seen (I’m from the UK)</p>
<p>^^^^ Yes, and most likely have bike lanes, unlike most of the USA! And real ones at that!</p>
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<p>No. </p>
<p>What continent will he be on? Almost all European cities are way better for cycling than the US. Way better. Central and South American cities are iffy. </p>
<p>In some cities (I’m thinking Amsterdam) bike theft is a national sport. If he is going to such a city, he might want to consider buying an inexpensive bike locally instead of risking his favorite bike.</p>
<p>I’m sure that biking in Europe is generally safer than in the U.S., but it’s important to know the rules of the road and normal behavior for both cars and cyclists in the country you are biking in. Also, safer doesn’t necessarily mean either perfectly safe, or that standard practices in other countries are inherently safer. See the linked article about the deaths of 3 cyclists in Germany.
[Bikeways</a> cause string of fatal bike accidents in Germany | VeloNation Cycling News and Reference](<a href=“http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/2508/Bikeways-cause-string-of-fatal-bike-accidents-in-Germany.aspx]Bikeways”>Bikeways cause string of fatal bike accidents in Germany)</p>
<p>Biking is not particularly common in Zurich for everyday transportation–lots of hills, and public transportation is very good. In some cases, walking would be faster than biking because you can take stairs that cut directly between the roads that switch back and forth on hillsides. Recreational biking can be fun in Switzerland–there are certain train stations where you can rent a bike, spend the day riding mostly downhill, leave the bike at the station where you end up, and then take the train the rest of the way home. You can also take your own bike on the trains.</p>
<p>Since you say it’s famous for biking and has superb medical care I’d guess a place in Europe:</p>
<p>And here is my advice on personal experience and on friends for almost any city on the entire continent: Leave your race-bike at home and buy a crappy one when you arrive. Seriously, race bikes will do you no good on the cobble-stones and are far too expensive to just have them standing around.
For biking infrastructure: You can bike almost any EU city with ease and it’s really safe (wear a helmet), the further you go to the north (i’m thinking amsterdam, copenhagen) the better the bike lanes. The further you come to the south the worse the inner-city traffic (so bikes are faster mid-town). A bike is always the cheapest solution considering fuel-prices and if it rains you can just take them on the metro. </p>
<p>But please dont take your expensive bike into the city unless you really want to have it stolen.</p>
<p>motherbear, thanks. My D has been to Zurich before and in fact, I was there one day also with her on a visit last year. She hasn’t lived in Zurich before, but has been all over Switzerland in the past. She knows how great the public transportation is and there is a stop right by the apartment where she’ll be living. I still think she wants to have a bike. Just as public transportation and walking were very good in Cambridge, MA where she lives now, she enjoyed having a bike as another option. Also, she will be living 9 months in a town in France, where she has lived before and knows that well and thinks she’d like to also have a bike there and can take it on the train when she moves from Zurich to France. She’ll buy it over there. Not taking one from home. Will have enough stuff as it is to take. Will come home once in Dec. and take back all her ski equipment too! :D</p>
<p>In Basel, there is a large underground parking garage near the train station just for bicycles. We would often see grownups bicycling to work or the grocery store, even women wearing skirts. I rode my bicycle to the grocery store once, but didn’t do so more often only because it was a little difficult to get all the groceries home in one backpack. My language teacher said her bicycle had been stolen once, but she later saw it elsewhere and just took it back.</p>
<p>I can’t speak for any continent other than Europe, but I can speak most directly to France. Having navigated the streets of Paris last September on a bike, the bike paths are GREAT! Bike riders in Paris share the road with the buses. They have a separate lane that is separated from lanes of motor vehicle traffic. The lanes exist all over Paris. In fact, they followed the lead in Lyon a few years before and now have bike stations (where you very cheaply rent bikes) all over the city. In fact, if you’re signed up (very easy to do), you can use the bike free of charge for about an hour. Plus, you drop the bike off anywhere there’s a station. The bikes are in really good working order, and are used by everyone. Here’s a link from the Washington Post a few years back about the plan before it went into effect:</p>
<p>[Paris</a> Embraces Plan to Become City of Bikes - washingtonpost.com](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301753.html]Paris”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301753.html)</p>
<p>Here’s some more information:
[Velib</a>’ - Paris’ new bike transit system](<a href=“http://uk.franceguide.com/press-corner/our-services/press-releases/Velib-Paris-new-bike-transit-system.html?NodeID=1038&EditoID=88863]Velib”>http://uk.franceguide.com/press-corner/our-services/press-releases/Velib-Paris-new-bike-transit-system.html?NodeID=1038&EditoID=88863)</p>
<p>And more comments from the NY Times:
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/world/europe/13paris.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/world/europe/13paris.html</a></p>
<p>You DO have to have the right credit card with a micro-chip in it – I think Amex may be one of the few that have it.</p>
<p>Bottom line, very easy and safe in Paris.</p>
<p>Northern European countries like Holland, Denmark, Norway & Sweden, are bike countries. That’s how people get to work and school, and to and from tram and train stations.</p>