Rules For Road Bikes and Mountain Bikes

Whether you’re just starting to explore mountain trails on your bike or you are a novice road cyclist, everyone will have a much more enjoyable, and safer, time on the road when the correct rules are followed. As you can imagine, there are different rules for mountain and road biking. No matter where you go on your bike, when you get home you want an easy and efficient way to store your bike. If you’re tired of managing ceiling or wall racks, we’re right there with you. That’s why Tote'm designed an innovative vertical rack. Easy to take with you, easy to set up, and easy to use, the vertical rack combines a floor stand and bike rack and allows you to quickly hang up to six bikes after a long ride.

Road Bike Rules

• Signals: Before anyone gets on a bike and begins riding on a road, it’s crucial that they know their hand signals.
• Stop: Make a fist behind your back.
• Left Turn: Extend your left arm out to the left and point your fingers.
• Right Turn: Extend your right arm out to the right and point your fingers.
• Hazard: Depending on where the hazard is, such as a pothole or animal, extend your arm at a 45-degree angle on the same side and point your fingers.
• Gravel: The same motion as a road hazard, but open and wiggle your fingers to signal loose gravel.
• Behave Like a Vehicle: Always watch out for traffic lights, yield to pedestrians, and stay in the bike lane or as close to the edge of the road as possible. A common question for new cyclists is which side of the road do you ride on? Ride with traffic and use the rightmost lane in the direction you are going.
• Pass Correctly: Stay to the right so that faster cyclists are able to pass when necessary. If you are passing, pull behind the cyclist in front of you, say “on your left,” and wait for them to move right until there is enough room to pass.
• Be Visible: Wear brightly colored clothes so that other cyclists and drivers can see you.

Mountain Bike Rules

• Stay on the Trail: It’s important for your safety to stay on designated trails. It’s also illegal to ride on roads or trails that are not marked for mountain biking.
• Leave no Trace: never leave behind trash and avoid putting excessive wear and tear on the trail. A mountain bike on a muddy trail can have serious damage to the path.
• Control Your Bike: Get to know your bike’s shifters and gears so that you can control your bike on any trail. Keep your weight back when riding down hills, forward when climbing hills, and lower the seat when riding an especially bumpy trail. When there are other riders, who are potentially more experienced, don’t be afraid to get off and walk.

Wherever you like to take your bike the most, be sure to have the right equipment and plan ahead so that you can stay hydrated, know where you are going, and if possible, know how difficult the road will be.

If you love riding as much as we do, you’ll push yourself hard on the trail and want to come home and relax. To make that possible, shop for our vertical rack that lets you quickly and easily store your bikes. Instead of leaving your bike on the back or top of your car, with the vertical rack, store up to six bikes and at the same time, save space in your garage. Tote'm wanted to design an effective way of saving space and storing bikes, so we created the vertical rack just for that purpose. Learn more here and shop now.