Ein verkehrssicheres Fahrrad

A road-legal bicycle

27 Aufgaben
RadfahrenVerkehrssicherheitNeu in Deutschland

Was die StVZO von einem Fahrrad verlangt, bevor es auf die Straße darf: zwei voneinander unabhängige Bremsen, eine helltönende Klingel, vorne weißer Scheinwerfer und weißer Rückstrahler, hinten rotes Rücklicht und roter Rückstrahler, gelbe Pedalrückstrahler und Rückstrahler in den Rädern. Dazu die Zwei-Minuten-Kontrolle vor der Fahrt (Luft, Bremsen, Kette, Licht) — die Regel ist Gesetz, die Kontrolle ist Gewohnheit, und die Gewohnheit rettet.

Ein Fahrrad ist in Deutschland ein Fahrzeug, und das Gesetz sagt, was ein Fahrzeug haben muss, bevor es auf die Straße darf. Die Liste ist kurz, und es lohnt sich, das geliehene Rad daran zu prüfen — an geliehenen Rädern fehlt fast immer eines davon.

  • Zwei Bremsen, die unabhängig voneinander wirken — eine für vorne, eine für hinten.
  • Eine Klingel. Helltönend. Keine Hupe, keine Pfeife und kein „ich rufe schon".
  • Vorne: weißer Scheinwerfer und weißer Rückstrahler.
  • Hinten: rotes Rücklicht und roter Rückstrahler.
  • Gelbe Rückstrahler an den Pedalen, nach vorn und nach hinten.
  • Rückstrahler in den Rädern — je zwei gelbe Speichenrückstrahler pro Rad oder reflektierende Streifen an Reifen oder Felgen.

Das Licht darf mit Batterie oder Akku laufen; ein Dynamo ist nicht mehr nötig. Es muss an sein bei Dämmerung, bei Dunkelheit und immer, wenn die Sicht schlecht ist — Nebel, starker Regen, ein Tunnel. Ein ausgeschaltetes Rücklicht ist kein Rücklicht.

Zwei Dinge, die viele auf dieser Liste vermuten und die nicht darauf stehen. Ein Helm ist in Deutschland nicht vorgeschrieben, weder für Erwachsene noch für Kinder — und er ist trotzdem das Billigste, was gegen eine Kopfverletzung hilft, also trag einen. Und eine Versicherung ist fürs Fahrrad nicht Pflicht; wer eine private Haftpflichtversicherung hat, ist damit meist auch auf dem Rad abgedeckt.

Vor der Fahrt zwei Minuten: Luft (auf den Reifen drücken; gibt er stark nach, aufpumpen), Bremsen (ein Stück vorrollen und beide ziehen — das Rad muss stehen), Kette (die Pedale drehen; sie soll ohne Springen laufen), Licht (beide einschalten und hinsehen). Luft, Bremsen, Kette — drei, die man sich leicht merkt, und das Licht ist das vierte, das im Sommer vergessen wird und im November zählt.

Leicht
Wahr / Falsch #1 10s ▶ Testen

You may be fined in Germany for riding a bicycle without a helmet.

✓ Falsch
There is no helmet law here, for adults or children. It is still the cheapest protection you can buy against the one injury that changes a life, so wear one anyway.
Wahr / Falsch #2 12s ▶ Testen

A loud air horn on the handlebar satisfies the bell requirement.

✓ Falsch
The law asks for a bell with a bright, clear tone. A horn is not a bell, and on a shared path it startles people rather than warning them.
Wahr / Falsch #3 10s ▶ Testen

A bicycle with one strong brake is road-legal in Germany.

✓ Falsch
The law asks for two brakes that work independently of each other, so one can fail without leaving you with none.
Multiple Choice #4 10s ▶ Testen

Which pair of lights is right for a bicycle?

  • ● White in front, red behind
  • ○ Red in front, white behind
  • ○ Yellow in front, red behind
White looks ahead, red is seen from behind — the same as on a car. Yellow is for the reflectors on the pedals and wheels.
Multiple Choice #5 10s ▶ Testen

Which colour are the reflectors on a bicycle's pedals?

  • ● Yellow
  • ○ Red
  • ○ White
Yellow on the pedals and in the wheels; red is the rear reflector, white the front one.
Multiple Choice #6 10s ▶ Testen

In the quick A-B-C check before a ride, what does the A stand for?

  • ● Air in the tyres
  • ○ Arm signals
  • ○ Adjusting the saddle
Air, brakes, chain — press each tyre, pull each brake, look at the chain. Two minutes before every ride.
Wahr / Falsch #7 10s ▶ Testen

In thick fog at midday you may ride without lights, because it is daytime.

✓ Falsch
Lights go on at dusk, in the dark and in poor visibility — fog, heavy rain and tunnels count, whatever the clock says.
Wahr / Falsch #8 10s ▶ Testen

A bicycle ridden at night has to have a dynamo.

✓ Falsch
The dynamo requirement went in 2017. Battery lights are allowed, as long as both are fitted, switched on and charged.
Mittel
Karteikarte #1 12s ▶ Testen

How many brakes must a road-legal bicycle have in Germany?

✓ Antwort: two, working independently
One front, one rear, each able to stop the bike on its own.
Karteikarte #2 12s ▶ Testen

What colour is the light at the front of a bicycle?

✓ Antwort: white
White at the front, red at the back — the same convention as every vehicle.
Karteikarte #3 12s ▶ Testen

What colour is the light at the back of a bicycle?

✓ Antwort: red
Red rear light plus a red reflector; a light alone is not enough.
Karteikarte #4 12s ▶ Testen

What colour are the reflectors on the pedals?

✓ Antwort: yellow
Yellow, facing forward and backward. Moving up and down as you pedal, they are the most recognisable thing about a cyclist at night.
Karteikarte #5 18s ▶ Testen

When must the lights be switched on?

✓ Antwort: at dusk, in the dark, and in poor visibility
Fog, heavy rain and tunnels count as poor visibility, whatever the time of day.
Karteikarte #6 15s ▶ Testen

What are the three things in the quick check before you ride?

✓ Antwort: air, brakes, chain
And the fourth that people forget in summer and need in November: the lights.
Karteikarte #7 12s ▶ Testen

What does the German word "Klingel" mean?

✓ Antwort: bell
You will see it on every shop shelf labelled Fahrradklingel.
Karteikarte #8 18s ▶ Testen

What does the German word "verkehrssicher" mean, said of a bicycle?

✓ Antwort: road-legal and safe to ride
Literally "traffic-safe". A bike shop asked to make a bike verkehrssicher will work through exactly the list above.
Karteikarte #9 12s ▶ Testen

What does the law require on the handlebar so that people can hear you coming?

✓ Antwort: a bell
A bell with a clear sound — a horn or a whistle does not count.
Karteikarte #10 15s ▶ Testen

Your lights must be on in the dark, in poor visibility, and from … ?

✓ Antwort: dusk
Not from the moment it is fully dark — from dusk.
Karteikarte #11 15s ▶ Testen

Instead of a dynamo, a bicycle's lights may also run on … ?

✓ Antwort: batteries
Allowed since 2017; clip-on lights count, if they are on and charged.
Schwer
Multiple Choice #1 12s ▶ Testen

The bike you have been lent has a working back brake and a front brake lever that does nothing. What do you do?

  • ● Have the front brake fixed before riding it on the road
  • ○ Ride it; one brake that works is enough for the city
  • ○ Ride it, but only on cycle paths
Two brakes that work independently are a legal requirement, and the front one does most of the stopping. A bike with one brake is not road-legal and stops far too slowly in the wet.
Multiple Choice #2 12s ▶ Testen

Your bike has lights, reflectors and two good brakes, but no bell. What is missing for it to be road-legal?

  • ● The bell
  • ○ Nothing; a bell is optional equipment
  • ○ A mirror
A clear-sounding bell is on the legal list. It is cheap, it takes two minutes to fit, and shouting does not count.
Multiple Choice #3 12s ▶ Testen

It is five in the afternoon in November and getting dark. Your bike has lights but you have not switched them on. What do you do?

  • ● Switch both lights on before you set off
  • ○ Ride on; street lighting is enough in a city
  • ○ Switch only the rear light on, because being seen is what matters
Lights must be on at dusk, in darkness and in poor visibility — and the front light is not only so you can see, it is how oncoming traffic finds you.
Multiple Choice #4 14s ▶ Testen

You are checking a second-hand bike. It has a headlamp, a rear light, and nothing on the pedals or in the wheels. What is missing?

  • ● The yellow reflectors on the pedals and in the wheels
  • ○ A second rear light
  • ○ A speedometer
Reflectors are the half of the lighting rules that works when your batteries are flat: yellow ones on the pedals front and back, and two per wheel — or reflective strips on tyres or rims.
Multiple Choice #5 12s ▶ Testen

You press the tyre before setting off and it gives way easily under your thumb. What do you do?

  • ● Pump it up before you ride
  • ○ Ride anyway; the tyre will be fine for a short trip
  • ○ Let the rest of the air out so the tyre runs flat and slow
That is the A of the check. A soft tyre makes the steering vague, the braking worse, and a puncture much more likely at every kerb.
Multiple Choice #6 12s ▶ Testen

The bike has no dynamo, only clip-on battery lights front and back. What do you do?

  • ● Use them; battery lights have been allowed since 2017
  • ○ Have a dynamo fitted before riding at night
  • ○ Use them only on cycle paths
The dynamo requirement is gone. What still matters is that both lights are actually fitted, actually on, and have charge in them.
Karteikarte #7 25s ▶ Testen

Name the six things the law requires on a bicycle.

✓ Antwort: two brakes, bell, front light and reflector, rear light and reflector, pedal reflectors, wheel reflectors
A synthesis card. Each item also has its own card, so a half-remembered list here is a signal to go back to the single ones.
Multiple Choice #8 14s ▶ Testen

It is dark. On the cycle path ahead you see a small white light. What does it tell you?

  • ● A bicycle is coming towards you
  • ○ A bicycle is riding away from you, ahead of you
  • ○ A parked bicycle with its reflector
White lights face forwards. A white light you can see is pointing at you, so its rider is coming your way; a bicycle riding away shows you red.