Clothing for Cycling When cycling, dress in clothing that is close-fitting. Loose pants can catch in your bike chain or wheel. Accomplished cyclists often opt for fitted stretch clothing to cut down on wind resistance. If you've got room in a backpack or saddlebag, you may want to bring a windbreaker along in case the temperatures are cool. Always wear close-toed shoes to prevent foot injuries. Never wear sandals or bicycle barefoot. If you're going to do a lot of cycling, you may want to look into some specialized cycling shoes. These are lightweight, low profile and made to fit into pedal cages or clip directly to specially made pedals.
Essential Take-Along Items Biking can take you a long way from home, so it's a good idea to carry along a few items to deal with minor emergencies. Following is a list of some recommended items that you may need when you're out on the road. These items should be available from your local bike shop, and a salesperson can advise you on the various options. - Water bottle or hydropack. It's important to stay hydrated while you ride, so bring along an ample amount of water.
- Snack food. High-energy snacks that won't spoil are a good idea.
- Multitool. These versatile tools include a variety of features attachments that may assist you with a roadside repair. Specialized bicycle multitools (figure A) are available at your bike shop and include spoke wrenches, chain tools and other attachments that facilitate most basic bike repairs.
- Bicycle pump. Bike-mounted pumps are lightweight and easy to use in the event you have a tire that is low or flat.
- Spare inner tube.
- Tire-patch kit.
- First-aid kit with tape, bandages and other basic first-aid items (figure B).
- Duct tape, the all-purpose fix-it accessory for temporary or makeshift repairs.
A Child's First Ride on a Two-Wheeler Once your child has mastered a training-wheel equipped child bike, it's time to remove the training wheels and make the big move to a two-wheeler. Don't force your child to make this step; wait until she is ready. One indicator that your child may be ready is general proficiency with balance. If a child can jump up and down on one leg and then switch to the other leg without falling, chances are good that riding a two-wheeler won't be a problem. The first ride without training wheels is a little tricky and nearly always requires a little advice and assistance from an adult. A common mistake that children make at the outset is turning the handlebars in the direction away from the fall, making the fall worse. Teach your child to turn slightly in the direction of the fall in order to regain balance and prevent the bike's falling over completely. Following are steps for helping your child get into motion on two wheels for the first time: - Adjust the bicycle seat as low as it will go (figure C).
- Have the child straddle the bike with both feet on the ground (figure D).
- The parent should then stand behind the bike and put one hand firmly on the front and one behind the seat.
- With the bike supported so it won't fall, alternate leaning the bike to the right and to the left while turning the handlebars at the same time.
- Once she has a good feel for this action, repeat the action with the child seated with her feet on the pedals. Lean the bike back and forth, and let the child turn the handlebars in the proper direction. Keep repeating the action until she feels comfortable.
- Now the fun part: Grab onto the handlebar and the back of the seat (figure E) and have the child start pedaling as you run alongside.
- After a little practice, remove your front hand and just hold onto the seat as the child rides. Once this is mastered, go ahead and remove your hand from the seat, making sure she knows to keep pedaling.
It may take a few trial runs, but once the child gets a feel for it riding quickly becomes a easy.
Basic Road Safety Once your young riders are old enough and experienced enough to ride in the street, it's essential that they be familiar with basic road-safety rules. Following are some basic safety rules to follow: - Young children should always get permission from their parents before riding in the street.
- When riding on the street, ride with the flow of traffic.
- Obey stop signs, traffic lights and other traffic signs just as cars do.
- When riding as a group, stay in a single-file line and leave a bike length between each rider.
- Pass other cyclists or pedestrians on the lefthand side, and give the spoken warning "On your left" as you approach them from behind.
- Limit bicycling to daylight hours, especially with children.
- Check your bike (figure F) before beginning a long ride: make sure that tires are inflated, the chain hasn't slipped, brakes and gears are operating properly, etc.
Bicycling Hand Signals Following are the common hand signals used by cyclists. These are particularly important when sharing the road with automobiles. - Stop is signaled by holding your left arm out with your forearm pointed toward the ground (figure G) .
- Left turn is signaled by holding your left arm and hand extended straight out.
- Right turn is signaled by holding your left arm out with your forearm pointed straight up.
Safety Alert: Don't become careless just because you're riding in your own neighborhood. Most cycling accidents involving children happen near home.
Picking a Bike Trail - A lot of families say the best trails are the ones that actually go somewhere, like to your favorite park or to the movies.
- Another idea is just to find a beautiful place to ride and enjoy the view from your bike. Parents, don't hurry; take your time. Let your kids set the pace.
- You may know of some perfect bike paths near you, but if you don't, start by calling your local department of transportation. Sometimes your city's department of tourism or chamber of commerce can help as well.
- Try the Rails to Trails Conservancy, an organization that turns abandoned railways into paths. (See the link under Resources, below.)
- Visit your local bike or recreational shop for trail books and advice from the staff.
- Do some research on the Internet. The U. S. Forest service is a great source for mountain bike trails. For a list of national forests in your area, check out www.fs.fed.us. (See the link under Resources, below.)
RESOURCES :
BIKE Magazine
Web site: www.bikemag.com
Bicycling magazine
Web site: www.bicyclingmagazine.com
Mountain Bike magazine
www.mountainbike.com
Bell bike helmets
Bell Bicycle Helments
are available from Bell Sports
1924 County Rd., 3000 North
Rantoul, IL 61866-9512
Web site:
www.bellbikehelmets.com
or
www.bellsports.com
Trek bicycles and bike equipment
Trek Bicycle Corp.
801 W. Madison St.
Waterloo, WI 53594
Toll-free: 800-369-8735
Web site: www.trekbikes.com
CamelBak sports-hydration system
CamelBak
"Hydrate or die."
CamelBak Products, Inc.
1310 Redwood Way
Ste. 200
Petaluma, CA 94954
Toll-free: 800-767-8725
Phone: 707-792-9700
Fax: 707-665-9231
E-mail: webmaster@camelbak.com
Web site: www.camelbak.com
Rhode Gear cycling mirrors
Rhode Gear cycling mirrors
are available from Rhode Gear
Route 136 East
Rantoul, IL 61866
Toll-free: 800-456-2355
Phone: 217-893-9300
Fax: 217-893-9054
Web site: www.rhodegear.com
International Bicycle Fund
The International Bicycle Fund is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization, promoting sustainable transport and international understanding. Major areas of activity are non-motorized urban planning, economic development, bike safety education, responsible travel and cycle tourism, and cross-cultural, educational programs.
Web site: www.ibike.org
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI)
Web site: www.bhsi.org
Topeak Alien bicycle multitool
Topeak Alien bike tools
are available from
Todson Inc.
8 Spring Brook Road
Foxborough, MA 02035
Toll-free: 800-213-4561
E-mail: shop@Todson.com
Web site: www.topeak.com
National Park Service Web-site
The Web site for the U.S. National Park Service is a great place to begin researching hiking and camping locations near to where you live or where you may be vacationing.
Web site: www.nps.gov
Wheat Ridge Cyclery
Web site: www.ridewrc.com
Rails to Trails Conservancy
Rails to Trails Conservancy is an organization dedicated to converting abandoned railroads into usable, environmentally beneficial trails that are ideal for many uses such as bicycling, walking, in-line skating, cross-country skiing, plus equestrian and wheelchair use. Rail-trails are multi-purpose public paths created from former railroad corridors. Flat or following a gentle grade, they traverse urban, suburban and rural America. Rail-trails are extremely popular as recreation and transportation corridors. Since the 1960s, almost 11,000 miles of rail-trails have been created across the country. Rail-trails also serve as wildlife conservation corridors, linking isolated parks and creating greenways through developed areas, and as a means of preserving historic landmarks. They often stimulate local economies by increasing tourism and promoting local business.
National headquarters:
1100 Seventeenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-331-9696
Toll-free: 800-888-7747
Web site: www.railtrails.org
-or-
www.traillink.com
U.S. Forest Service Web-site
Web site: www.fs.fed.us
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