Tips for cycling in Germany

[Pingu]

We're off to Franconia (NE Bavaria) next Friday for some cycling, beer & konditorei goodness

Does anyone have any tips/warnings/suggestions/experiences re cycling in Germany, especially wrt the law or culture on the road?

TIA 

[the cormorant]

On the whole Bayern is great for cycling!

Unlike here you must use a cycle path where one is provided.

In towns there are normally two, one on each side of the road, you should use the right hand one.

As you leave a town and enter the countryside you may find that the path you're on ends and you may have to cross the road to use a path on the left hand side instead.

You should obey all red lights 

Helmets aren't that common among casual cyclists, it tends to be roadies and kiddies who wear them.

Enjoy

[FatBloke]

Don't mention the war!!!   

[mattc]

I would recommend J.K. Jerome's book on the subject.


(Completely unhelpful, but very entertaining.)

[Tourist Tony]

There are cycle roadsigns, which are great when present, but...often either missing entirely, or for some strange reason the one you need is ripped off the pole, so you can see where it was. Sometimes the signs are set some distance back from the junction, and the only way to tell if you have gone the right way is to ride past the sign intended for people travelling in the opposite direction.
Surfaces vary a lot, from the incredibly smooth to deep, soft sand. Gordon has put up a picture of a typical German "double tyre track" concrete affair, but one of the most common is brick-sized blocks in a herring-bone pattern. Very often, these are heaved, or missing, and the ride becomes extremely rough. Most cycle routes are classed (sensibly) as part of the hughway, so that there are give way lines set back on side roads. Many times, as I approached a side road, a car pulled right across the lane would reverse back out of my way---quite incredible if you're a Brit!
The Cormorant is spot on with the swapping from side to side, and there are as a consequence many two-way lanes, complete with dotted centre line. There are also, unfortunately, a lot of shared-use paths.
Ferries in the Netherlands and Germany operate a logical system: if they take you across a natural water course, you pay, but if the obstacle has been created (canals) they are free.

[the cormorant]

TT's post has just reminded me of something else which is very important, that of when to give way.

When two or more roads meet you must give way to traffic coming from the right unless there is a sign telling you that you have right of way.

The sign looks like a yellow square with a white border both tilted 45 degrees (does that make it a diamond?). Confusingly this sign is sometimes placed after the junction to which it refers.

This I believe means that, in theory, when you are on a main road you should be prepared to give way to traffic emerging from side roads unless the sign is there to tell you otherwise. That said there is no way that a motorist can drive along and constantly keep an eye out for those signs.

It sounds complicated but it's not really, just be careful with cars emerging from your right.......

[Mike r]

I live in Germny, in Bremen. The bike paths are great, it is a lot more relaxing then battling with traffic. However, sometimes I am in a hurry and the bike path is either too rough or there are too many slow cyclists and I use the road. Drivers will give you space but almost every one will beep at you so it is quite stressful.
In the countryside they will usually be more forgiving if you are a 'sports cyclist' as opposed to a commuter. So if you are on a race bike you probably won't be beeped at, because often the bike paths are not really suitable for high speed and most drivers seem to understand why you are on the road.

The advice to watch traffic coming from the right is very good. Drivers in Bremen are usually very good to pull back from junctions if they are blocking you and in over a year living here I have only had two cars pull out in front of me dangerously.

Police are quick to point out if you are breaking any laws. You probably won't get a fine thought they do issue on the spot fines. Just play the ignorant foreigner card, don't speak English and they will let you off. 

Most regional trains have space for bikes, normally this is pretty straightforward though on one occasion the train was full and we couldn't get on. Though we only had to wait 15 minutes for the next train. There isn't a national bus service. Trains are great especially on weekends where you can get a weekend ticket for 35 euro (plus bike fair (maybe 5 euro) for up to 5 (or 7?) people to travel anywhere in germany on regional (slow) trains.

Oh yes, if you see a sign with a blue background and a white car, this means you cannot cycle there. most one way streets are 2-way for cyclists, there will be a sign with a picture of a bike and 'frei' (free) printed underneath.

[Jon P]

I didn't know it was mandatory to use cycle paths - when I cycle into Berlin Mitte to go drinking I always blast along the main roads, generally roadies will do the same as cycle paths aren't safe for all out speed.

[Gattopardo]

Don't mention the war!!!   

Well he only mentioned if once but I think he go away with it.


Avoid you started it type conversations.

[Ariadne]

I didn't know the bike paths were mandatory - we rode on the road a fair bit in Germany and people didn't seem to bother - they gave you loads of room.

Actually, someone did once shout out of a window, and one old man in a town grumped at us. But generally it was fine. Unlike Belgium, where you got constant tooting if you dared try riding on the road. And where the paths were generally shite.

But back to Germany! This might sound like I'm contradicting the above, but I'd advise trying to get hold of a book or map that shows all the bike paths - because they can often be really good and really useful, and the road maps obviously don't show them.

[Pingu]

Thanks all 

FB - you know where the naughty step is so you can show Lynx the way