5 MORE Things You Need to Know Before Cycling in France

Flashing bike lights are a menace. Good on the French police if riders get a fine.

You don't need to talk to your audience like they are 5 years old.

The blue circle being mandatory is making sense. It's the same as all other blue-round roadsigns. They ALWAYS tell you that something is mandatory, whereas a square one is ALWAYS a recommandation. So this cannot come as a surprise.

Earphones/headphones should become banned for all traffic participants, e.g. also car and motorcycle drivers. It is dangerous and irresponsible not properly hearing what's going on around you in traffic. Same applies for loud music in cars from speakers.

Just hope the water doesn't come from a well in the graveyard…🤨

'Mandatory isn't law but legislators enforce it through punative measures, typical terrorists really and that's all countries governments!
France has gotten worse than the UK regards cycling, even the Dutch/netherlands is pretty shit in places. I started cycling in France in 1990, the last time was 2017, from friends visits since, it's just gotten worse not better regards how the responsibility for people on cycles has jumped significantly and reduced for motorists!
Forcing people to use cycle lanes being one example, I hate the sodding things, they increase chances of being struck where they cross a 'motor' road, we know this for a fact and the Netherlands suffers huige numbers of deaths at this juncture, between 74-90+ deaths annually when people are killed crossing from segregated infra across a motor road.
And between 254-315 deaths annually the last few years in netherlands and is factually worse since the 1970s with much fewer people riding bikes, overall the %of deaths is now the highest in people riding bikes compared to all other road users, something the cycling community do not want to acknowledge even though it is true!
This is why I won't use them and will stay on the road, I don't give a shit about supposed inconvenience to motorists when my safety is the priority, and the 'get cyclists out the way' thinking by putting in cycle lanes instead of correcting deadly driving is never an equitable or even reasonable exchange when it's very clear to me as someone that has studied the fuck out of these things for more than two decades (and 35+ years doing Health and Safety as my profession) that it's more deadly than simply riding on the highway.
Oh and that's before we even get to the dumb helmet wearing 'laws' for kids under 12 wearing of hi-vis (both act to bring about worse outcomes and shift responsibilities).
Priority to the right in |france is again stupid thinking that flies contrary to the cede priority to the left for rbts, changing lanes on dual carrigeways/Auto route etc. I think that's a left over from when the French drove on the left until the 1930s

Any randonneur will tell you only steady (non-flashing) rear lights meet the standards of the FFCT (French cyclotouring federation). Randonneurs here in the US have followed this rule for years in order to participate in events here.

The one about flashing rear lights is also valid in Germany.
By the way: it is easier for the human eye to estimate the speed and the distance to/of a steady light than to/of a flashing light.
What you are allowed to have, though, is a second rear light or auxiliar rear light, e.g. on you back or on your rucksack and that is allowed to flash because it is technically not considered a rear light as it is not mounted on your bicycle.
Even though you may see some road cyclists using flashing front lights in Germany, they are also not allowed and no second light is allowed, either.
Also the hint about graveyards can be applied to Germany unless in colder times of the year when water is shut off due to danger of freezing.
I realized this weekend in Alsace that most fountains etc. have been turned off because of water shortage, so cannot even cool your skin down this way.
Riding in rural France on weekends can be a real pain with regards to food and drink supplies because there are basically ONLY automated fuel stations left without a shop. So if you pass by any kind of supply source, USE IT! Chances are high there won't be another.

We have the same here in Spain 200 euro fine for wearing ear buds

Thanks for the tips !

I'm often in the Dreiländereck" around Basel (France, Germany, Switzerland), so keeping legal can be tricky ..

The Germans don't like flashing rear lights either – but is it legal to have a solid red and flashing red rear light at the same time – in either/both France and Germany. ?

I'd love the link to your pdf guide, too. Thanks, Gil

As a Dane and in an area with much bike use, a flashing light is more attention-giving, and though originally illegal, it is now Legal from a common sense!

It's important to always wear a helmet … it helps to hide your bone-conduction headphones! I know these are forbidden, but I use them to hear google directions and/or podcasts, and they don't impact my ability to hear the traffic noises or other important sounds. If I want to listen to music, I attach a blue-tooth speaker. It seems that this is still a legal method for listening to audio. It also alerts pedestrians walking on the bike paths (happens a lot at the beach) to beware.

Thanks for the information. 👍