Avoid Riding at Night. It is far more dangerous to ride at night than during the day because you are harder for others to see. If you have to ride at night, wear something that makes you more easily seen by others.
People having any knee or hand injury should avoid cycling. Individuals suffering from asthma and knee problems, or pain should not cycle. When an individual exercises, they breathe in more air, the heart rate is high which might increase the potential triggers for asthma response.
Rules of the Road for Bike Riding
Stop at all stop signs and obey traffic lights just as cars do. Yield to pedestrians, stop at red lights, and be especially careful at intersections. Always ride in the same direction as cars do. Never ride against traffic.
Never ride your bicycle after drinking alcohol – riding after drinking alcohol increases your chances of an accident by 20 times. Distracted biking, caused by texting or talking on your cell phone while cycling is also a very bad idea. Finally, your hearing is extremely important while cycling, particularly in traffic.
Common causes of cycling-related injuries include incorrect riding postures and demanding too much of your body. Only seven per cent of cycling injuries involve collisions with other vehicles – you are much more likely to hurt yourself by falling off your bike or hitting a stationary object.
Headaches. A weakened immune system. Higher propensity to injury. A drop in cycling performance.
Wear equipment to protect you and make you more visible to others, like a bike helmet, bright clothing (during the day), reflective gear, and a white front light and red rear light and reflectors on your bike (at night, or when visibility is poor).
Don't wear dark clothing. Attach a front lamp to your bike or helmet which is visible from 300 feet. Install red rear reflectors visible from at least 500 feet. Install white or yellow pedal reflectors visible from 200 feet.
You should wear in the correct size and securely fastened: a cycle helmet which conforms to current regulations. appropriate clothes for cycling - avoid clothes that may get tangled in the chain, or in a wheel or may obscure your lights.
Following the rules of the road is always important to help reduce the chances of an accident. As a bicyclist, following the rules means riding on the right side of the road and with the flow of traffic whenever possible. Remember the easy tip: When on public streets, the right side is the right side.
Summary. Senior bike riding is perfectly safe and has many health benefits. It will help you lose weight, stay strong, avoid chronic illness, stay mentally alert and live longer.
Despite these benefits, cycling commonly leads to injury, with up to 85% of all recreational cyclists citing an overuse injury. Given unbalanced pressure distribution when on the bike, the neck, hands, wrists, lower back, knees, and perineum are the regions most frequently affected by cycling.
Cycling is a fantastic activity, especially if you have arthritis, particularly knee osteoarthritis, as it places very little stress on your joints. It can be done outdoors, at a gym or at home.
Wear a Helmet
However, research shows that wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of a serious injury by 70 percent. Head injuries are the leading cause of fatal bike accidents. Unfortunately, 97 percent of victims do not wear helmets. Simply wearing a helmet can prevent many unintentional bike deaths.
Punctures, chain breakage, spoke gap, loose steering, out-of-sync sprockets, worn brakes, broken derailleur cable, battered hubs, among others are all common issues you can have on your bicycle.
Around 3 hours of cycling per week
Cycling is most often a mixed-intensity activity so we can estimate something like 2-4 hours of cycling per week to hit the recommendations from WHO. This should be enough to enjoy the basic cardiovascular and metabolic benefits that aerobic exercise offers.
Keeping active has been shown to increase life expectancy, strengthen your body, decrease the risk of depression and provide other benefits. Cycling is a great way to keep moving and is often more fun than other activities. So if you can ride for two-hours, go for it.
One of the most common injuries suffered by cyclists is a head injury, which can be anything from a cut on the cheek to traumatic brain injury. Wearing a helmet may reduce the risk for head injury by 85 percent.