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Cycling Skills Course
After reading some of the posts in thread entitled 'Cycling is dangerous'
I'm left wondering if there is any place one can go (i.e., a newbie cycler) to take a basic course in bicycling skills? As a related question, what kinds of skills should be stressed in such a course and what would be the proper duration of such a course? Should participates be required to demonstrate some kind of bicycling proficiency? Would such a cource have any impact of safety for those who enjoy riding pedaling bikes? For lack of a better option, I've been reading the book "Effective Cycling" by John Forester. Still, an actual course lead by an experienced cycler would be nice, too. |
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Cycling Skills Course
Roger Zoul wrote: After reading some of the posts in thread entitled 'Cycling is dangerous' I'm left wondering if there is any place one can go (i.e., a newbie cycler) to take a basic course in bicycling skills? For lack of a better option, I've been reading the book "Effective Cycling" by John Forester. Still, an actual course lead by an experienced cycler would be nice, too. I agree. I think availability is entirely contingent on where you are. Here in France, you're automatically past recovery if you haven't been cycling since childhood and there is no way to learn basic skills except by getting on with it on your own. It is a very conventional society which fails to accomodate any "untypical" case. In marked contrast, when I was in Cambridge, UK this past summer, it was possible to have hour-long private cycling lessons with expert cyclists, specifying areas that you wished to explore in depth. I was so thrilled to discover this service that I have been thinking of returning to Cambridge for a week just to have a solid course of cycling lessons. EFR |
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Cycling Skills Course
"Roger Zoul" wrote in message
... After reading some of the posts in thread entitled 'Cycling is dangerous' I'm left wondering if there is any place one can go (i.e., a newbie cycler) to take a basic course in bicycling skills? As a related question, what kinds of skills should be stressed in such a course and what would be the proper duration of such a course? Should participates be required to demonstrate some kind of bicycling proficiency? Would such a cource have any impact of safety for those who enjoy riding pedaling bikes? For lack of a better option, I've been reading the book "Effective Cycling" by John Forester. Still, an actual course lead by an experienced cycler would be nice, too. The League of American Bicyclists offers courses through their BikeEd program. More info at: http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/education.htm -- ~_-* ....G/ \G http://www.CycliStats.com CycliStats - Software for Cyclists |
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Cycling Skills Course
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Cycling Skills Course
GaryG wrote:
:: "Roger Zoul" wrote in message :: ... ::: After reading some of the posts in thread entitled 'Cycling is ::: dangerous' I'm left wondering if there is any place one can go ::: (i.e., a newbie cycler) to take a basic course in bicycling skills? ::: As a related question, what kinds of skills should be stressed in ::: such a course and what would be the proper duration of such a ::: course? Should participates be required to demonstrate some kind ::: of bicycling proficiency? Would such a cource have any impact of ::: safety for those who enjoy riding pedaling bikes? ::: ::: For lack of a better option, I've been reading the book "Effective ::: Cycling" by John Forester. Still, an actual course lead by an ::: experienced cycler would be nice, too. ::: :: :: The League of American Bicyclists offers courses through their BikeEd :: program. More info at: :: http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/education.htm :: Wow....thanks for the link! |
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Cycling Skills Course
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Cycling Skills Course
In article ,
David Kerber writes: I thought someone with some experience might have answered here by now. I don't know for sure, but it might work best if you just swapped the brake cables from one shifter to the other, leaving the shifter cables untouched. You should probably ask in rec.bicycles.tech to be sure you get a qualified answer before actually trying it, though. I'm left-handed, so I like the front on the left anyway. I think it would be nice to be able to hand signal and operate the front brake at the same time. cheers, Tom -- -- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
#9
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Cycling Skills Course
Check out the courses offered by the League of American Bicyclists.
Descriptions are at http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/courses.htm I took the Road 1 course here in Austin last winter and learned a lot of useful information, although I'm definitely not a newbie. I highly recommended it. "Roger Zoul" wrote in message ... After reading some of the posts in thread entitled 'Cycling is dangerous' I'm left wondering if there is any place one can go (i.e., a newbie cycler) to take a basic course in bicycling skills? As a related question, what kinds of skills should be stressed in such a course and what would be the proper duration of such a course? Should participates be required to demonstrate some kind of bicycling proficiency? Would such a cource have any impact of safety for those who enjoy riding pedaling bikes? For lack of a better option, I've been reading the book "Effective Cycling" by John Forester. Still, an actual course lead by an experienced cycler would be nice, too. |
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Cycling Skills Course
"Roger Zoul" wrote in message ...
After reading some of the posts in thread entitled 'Cycling is dangerous' I'm left wondering if there is any place one can go (i.e., a newbie cycler) to take a basic course in bicycling skills? There are courses offered through the League of American Bicyclists, taught by certified instructors. See http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/education.htm The best bet would be to contact the instructor nearest you and see when he's got a course scheduled. My impression is that few of the offerings end up posted on the web - but I could be wrong. As a related question, what kinds of skills should be stressed in such a course and what would be the proper duration of such a course? There has been _much_ discussion of these questions among those who are involved in the program (including John Forester, who started the program). There's been some disagreement, naturally. Some (e.g. Forester) prefer longer courses that attempt to give more than just basic skills. Others point out that short courses are much more popular, and perhaps give an adequate introduction. The Road 1 course gives info on types of bikes, fitting a bike, some fundamental mechanics (changing tires, adjusting brakes & shifters, safety check of bike mechanicals), emergency maneuvers (quick turns, quick stops, rock dodges), road surface (and other hazards), and most importantly, how to ride properly on real roads with real traffic. There are other topics, but that's the main stuff. Should participates be required to demonstrate some kind of bicycling proficiency? The courses involve class lecture, parking lot drills (quick stop, for example) and road time, riding in traffic. There is a written final exam and a final road test. Would such a cource have any impact of safety for those who enjoy riding pedaling bikes? I believe it would. As in all things related to bicycling, data is sparse. But if a cyclist took the course, he'd have heard about, and practiced, proper cycling techniques. He'd see how well they work. He'd probably be less likely to make the bonehead mistakes that cause a significant portion of bike crashes. For lack of a better option, I've been reading the book "Effective Cycling" by John Forester. Still, an actual course lead by an experienced cycler would be nice, too. Forester is, in many ways, a tough read - but he covers things it's hard to learn elsewhere. You may want to read http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm It's a good summary of the essentials. - Frank Krygowski |
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