Biking To Work? Don’t Forget Your Pool Noodle!

May is National Bike Month and I've definitely noticed more people in Charlotte pedaling to and from work.

While the city is making progress with adding designated bike lanes uptown, biking on most Charlotte streets can still be harrowing. That's why every urban cyclist should get a pool noodle. Allow me to explain.

The problems most cyclists face on the roads involve close calls with motor vehicles. Sometimes drivers misjudge the amount of space between their car and the bike. Other times, it's simply an issue of narrow streets. In any case, this can be solved with an easy, low-cost modification some cyclists use to create a safe buffer zone: Attaching a pool noodle to the back of the bike!

All you need are a rear-mounted bike rack, bungee cord or zip ties, and a pool noodle. Once the pool noodle is cut to a manageable length, simply attach it to the rack so that most of it extends to the left of your bike where motor vehicles pass. The pool noodle acts as a reminder for drivers to share the road.

The video below shows an even better way of attaching the pool noodle on your bicycle by using a short piece of PVC pipe as a stabilizer. No matter you do it, this pool noodle bike hack could make your commute a lot safer.