How to ride a bike slowly (and why you would want to)

This sounds stupid, I know, but one of the keys to happy urban cycling is learning how to slow down. Riding more slowly in a city is safer, calmer, more relaxing and is conducive to being in the moment and enjoying the surroundings.

So why is that hard? Because much of the bicycle industry is working against it.

In North America, the bicycle industry is still dominated by a mentality of athletics. There’s money to be made by selling bikes as a piece of sporting equipment, so that’s what draws the attention of the industry. Road bikes, mountain bikes, triathlon bikes, cyclocross bikes and even fat bikes are built to go fast. They are built for racing.

IMG_1558

The bikes of these professional racers are built for speed. Photo by Tom Babin.

That approach has led to some amazing technological breakthroughs that have benefited all cyclists, but you don’t need any of it to ride happily in a city. In fact, much of that tech impairs your ability to ride slowly and comfortably. Those feather-light, high-performance bikes feel like riding a thoroughbred — they hum beneath your fingers, pulling to go fast whether you want them to or not. It can be exhilarating if that’s your goal, but taking them through an urban setting is like using a racehorse for a children’s pony ride — superhuman restraint is required to keep them under control.



Part of the problem is body position. Bicycles with humans aboard don’t exactly create a shape that slips through the air, so much engineering brainpower has gone into designing bicycles that torque the rider’s position into one that’s more streamlined. The result is that many bikes force the rider to into a low, forward-leaning position. This works wonderfully if you are descending Mount Ventoux with 100 other pros chasing, but if all you are doing is heading to the liquor store for a six pack, this position can be uncomfortable, unforgiving and needlessly fast.

Urban cycling in Vancouver

Slow bikes position your body in a way that changes the riding experience. Photo by Tom Babin.

I’ve found that these factors influence your mentality on the bike. When you ride a bike built for speed, you naturally want to go fast. The ride becomes a race, against others or yourself. I’ve often caught myself on my commute home in self-congratulatory mode after climbing a hill faster than a fellow bike commuter who had no idea a race was underway.

Being fast isn’t inherently bad, but when the ride is a practical route for transportation the sacrifices for speed can be. The price of speed is collected in things like comfort, safety, robustness, frustration and something that might be described as pleasantness. 

Urban rides, with their many stops and proximity to other humans on foot, work better when the speed is reduced. These rides are most enjoyable when you can sit back, watch the surroundings, obey traffic signals and arrive at your destination faster than a car and without smelling like a workout room.

Yes, you can just reduce your pedalling cadence to go slower. But doing so on a fast bike is difficult. Eventually, you’ll find yourself pushing the speedometer up until you catch yourself breaking a sweat and patting yourself on the back for your time.

I’ve found the best way to slow down is to ride a slow bike. The frame of an urban cruiser will put you in a comfortable and slow upright position, and minimal gears will keep your speed below the limit. A basket or carrier will give you plenty of hauling space, with just enough risk of losing your load to keep your ride in check. All of these forces conspire to do one thing: Make your ride pleasant. You’ll notice your surroundings. You might catch sight of an acquaintance and have time to wave or stop for a chat. You’ll see your city in a new way. Yes, it will increase your transportation time, but I’m betting not as much as you think.

It’s a different way of riding a bike, and it has its own unique pleasures. But you might want to keep that racing bike on hand. You never know when a race might break out.

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Tom Babin is the author of Frostbike: The Joy, Pain and Numbness of Winter Cycling. 


Readers had some fantastic ideas for slowing down. Here are some of them:

https://twitter.com/erinlovesyoga/status/959067415672864768

https://twitter.com/CymaticYYC/status/959093756011077632

https://twitter.com/bikeasana/status/959097032622223360

https://twitter.com/FBorgal/status/959129734033666058

 

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8 Comments

  1. Mike Siewert

    When I read the title, my mind went straight to conquering snow and climbs, where being able to keep a slow moving bike on track and steady is a huge advantage.

  2. Brian

    I totally agree — but the problem is that in North America you frequently have no choice but to take the lane and keep up with the car traffic (or at least sort of keep up with the car traffic).

    I own several fully upright bikes, including a Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, but the one that gets the most use has flipped moustache bars at about the same height as the saddle, putting me in a more-upright-than-not-but-yet-still-able-to-crank-hard-if-I-have-to position, and a 5-speed IGH which gives me a gear range similar to a 1970s 10-speed. Fenders, fully-enclosing chainguard, Wald folding grocery baskets, generator hub lights, etc.

    I built my bike up myself, but I think something like the Novara Arkham would be a good choice for a lot of commuters who have to deal with the reality of North American cities.

  3. Daorcey Le Bray

    Riding slow on a cruiser was my breakthrough for cycling. I’d stopped biking for nearly two decades because I didn’t enjoy it as a sport, nor did I feel safe riding fast in traffic in the city. Now that I can safely ride slow to work, shop, or play (I’m looking at you, cycle tracks), I bike every day throughout the year.

  4. Hōkan

    I donno. I don’t race, but I do like to get where I’m going expeditiously and conveniently.

    When I ride to the liquor store, I might enjoy the ride, but my main aim is to get back home quickly so I can enjoy the beer.

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  6. Kenneth Finney

    How about trikes? I’m disabled to the extent I can’t walk far. A e- assist trike got me back out there. They need more width but can go dead slow or stopped in your easy chair. I don’t think you can carry more groceries. More dedicated paths and infrastructure (say Portland)

  7. ROBERT

    thank you ! a pleasing article . I have been beating myself up for years sprinting, racing my own endurance limits, and any cyclists I encountered along the way, FOR WHAT? only for many days of lost time for recovery from sore muscles and spills and wipe outs let alone road rash. we just recently turned into our 80s and are now relearning cycling for the first time, only SLOW . we do daily 20 miles slow now. guess what no injuries, arrive home relaxed, and ready to go the next day. in these cv19 days we consider it our biking meditation for our mindfulness it WORKS!

  8. Vlad

    When you live in a BIG city, 30-50 km (like Moscow, or St-Petersburg) in diameter, you have to ride fast if you want to be in your target point before night.

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