Looking Back

Before you do any sharp direction changes you should always look back. You cant go by ear because some cars these days make almost no noise, especially when you factor in the background city noise and wind (if your going fast enough). Also you wont hear if there's a cyclist behind you as well. So anytime you change directions...its just a good habit to learn to look back BEFORE you do so, not at the same time your doing so.

Anytime you look back make sure the path in front of you is clear and that you can ride in a straight line without having to change directions or speed. Make sure there are no possible doors or cars changing lanes or pulling out. Because while your looking back even for just half a second an obstacle can appear in your way and surprise. Never look back if the path in front of your might be taken over by a pedestrian or car.

The short look back is used to see whats in your immediate surroundings, I make these very frequently just to always refresh my escape options for anything happening. These are really quick looks that are pretty much used to reaffirm your position.

The loog look back is when your going to make large direction changes in heavy traffic...you got to make sure you the space in front of you clear for longer distances because our going to turn your head more and for a longer amount of time. There are times when I would like to get out of a bad traffic situation but I don't because I dont have the space in front of me clear enough to turn back and see whats going on. In that case just slow the bike down. I traffic whenever things get too sketchy the best answer is to just slow down and stop and wait for the situation to change...I know I say momentum is king but sometimes its not worth it to just barrel through a really bad spot and risk getting pinched.

You can either look back just by turning your head at least as possible needed in order to get a good look. This works out if your torso position is more upright when riding flat bars . Or, if your torso is lower to the ground due to riding a road bike you can look down and to the side to the view between your arms and your torso. I like to do my quick looks this way.

Make sure you know how to look back while maintaining course. You dont want to be the asshole who starts riding to the side while looking back and rear ends a car. Just go to a parking lot and practice looking back while learning to maintain course. Yes it will require a bit of flexibility of neck muscles and balance but once you learn it you'll be a lot more flexible in traffic. Little by little youll learn to get the most info about your sorroundings while turning your head at least and as quick as possible.