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Previous Issues > August 2006 > Come Out & Play > Bicycling
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 Come Out & Play
Bicycling
 If you've watched television or seen a newspaper in the past month, chances are you've seen something about the Tour de France. This is the world's greatest bicycle contest. Cycling is a fun sport, a great way to exercise, and a convenient mode of transportation.
According to a 2002 NHTSA survey, approximately 57 million people rode a bicycle at least once during the summer of 2002. Most people ride bikes for exercise and recreation, but some people use their bicycles for transportation and ride them to work. Riding a bike is fun, but it is also considered a vehicle, and you must follow traffic rules.
There are many different types of cycling. Whether you are interested in mountain biking, road riding, BMX, or touring, it is important to know the rules of the road and how to control your bike. Here are some important tips for young riders from the League of American Bicyclists:
Always wear your bicycle helmet and make sure that it fits. It should sit level on your head and be snug. It should not flop around.
Practice balancing in an open field or vacant parking lot. Practice riding in circles as well as in a straight line.
Practice starting and stopping. Remember that driveways, sidewalks, and crosswalks are danger zones. Look left, then right, then left again before crossing the road. It might be best to get off your bike and walk it across a busy intersection.
To get better at riding straight, use a painted line in a parking lot.
When riding on a road, it is important to scan for traffic in front and in back of you. It's also important to use hand signals for turning if you are riding in traffic.
Does your bike have gears? Do you know how to use them?
The left shifter controls the front derailleur and which chainring your chain is on. Bikes come with two or three chainrings; three is for mountain biking and touring. These are low, medium, and high range, or low and high for road bikes with two chainrings. The small ring is low gear for climbs, middle ring for flats, big ring for descents.
The right shifter controls the rear derailleur, which moves the bicycle chain from one cog to another. Two or three shifts down is equal to one shift down on the front derailleur. The smaller the cog on the cassette, the harder the gear is to push. Most bikes have 7, 8, or 9 cogs.
Ten Commandments of Bicycling
I. Wear a helmet for every ride and use lights at night.
II. Conduct an ABC Quick Check before every ride (Check the air in the tires, and do a quick check of your brake pads, chain, crank, and cassette).
III. Obey traffic laws: ride on the right, slowest traffic farthest to right.
IV. Ride predictably and be visible at all times.
V. At intersections, ride in the right-most lane that goes in your direction.
VI. Scan for traffic and signal lane changes and turns.
VII. Be prepared for mechanical emergencies with tools and know-how.
VIII. Control your bike by practicing bike handling skills.
IX. Drink before you are thirsty and eat before you are hungry.
X. Have fun!
Sources: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, www.bicyclinginfo.org; League of American Bicyclists, www.bikeleague.org; 2002 National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes and Behaviors, NHTSA.
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