Dust Off the Bikes after a Long Cold Winter

"There are only two seasons, winter and Bicycling."
mangled from a quote by Bill Veeck, (sorry Bill)


Spring is a great time to get everyone out of the house and back to the great outdoors. One of the best ways of enjoying the outdoors is to get back into bicycling. Sometimes, after a long, cold winter, those bikes need a little maintenance before they hit the road.

The simplest way of getting you bikes into shape is to load them into the car and take them down to your friendly, neighborhood bike shop and let them put the bikes into first class shape. Bike shops have the tools and expertise to check and fix problems that you might miss. On the other hand, you need to be able to trust your bike shop to make sure they don’t try to sell parts or labor you don’t need. If you aren’t familiar with bike shops in your area, ask around for a reliable shop with a good reputation.

The major areas you need to check for safe operation of a bike can be summed up in, “ABC Quick Check”. I’ve taught hundreds of kids, (and adults) this quick way to check over a bike and it also applies to getting it back into shape.

A is for air
Inflate tires to rated pressure as listed on the sidewall of the tire
Use a pressure gauge to insure proper pressure
Check for damage to tire tread and sidewall; replace if damaged

B is for brakes
Inspect pads for wear; replace is there is less than ¼" of pad left
Check pad adjustment; make sure they do not rub tire or dive into spokes
Check brake level travel; at least 1" between bar and lever when applied

C is for cranks, chain and cassette
Make sure that your crank bolts are tight; lube the threads only, nothing else
Check your chain for wear; 12 links should measure no more than 12 1/8 inches
If your chain skips on your cassette, you might need a new one or just an adjustment

Quick is for quick releases
Hubs need to be tight in the frame; your quick release should engage at 90°
Your hub quick release should point back to insure that nothing catches on it
Inspect brake quick releases to insure that they have been re-engaged

Check is for check it over
Take a quick ride to check if derailleurs and brakes are working properly
Inspect the bike for loose or broken parts; tighten, replace or fix them
Pay extra attention to your bike during the first few miles of the ride

Before you let your child out for their first ride, check their helmet. Make sure the helmet is in good shape, then check the fit. The new way to do this easily is to remember, “Eyes, Ears and Mouth”. The child should be able to see the front brim of the helmet when they look up, (Eyes). The two straps from the helmet should join just below the ears (Ears). When your child opens his or her mouth, the helmet should tighten on their head. Make sure they have a Medical Information Carrier System™ in their helmet so they can be identified in case of a medical emergency.

Before you unleash them, there is one more step, perhaps the most important. Take time to review the rules of the road with them. A good time to do this is when you’re driving in your car. Ask them, “If you were on your bike, what would you do in a specific situation?” You might be surprised at what they think the rules of the road are for bikes. Be sure to include any special rules you might have on how far they can ride, when they can ride and the rules on telling you where they are going. Run through a couple of emergency scenarios such as what they should do if they are approached by a stranger.

Of course, the best way to teach you children safe bicycling is to bicycle with them and lead by example.

Cyclists’ Responsibilities

Bicycling in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of carelessness, incapacity, or neglect.
Mangled from a quote by Anonymous on Aviation



It’s a great honor to be the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Officer for the State of Nevada. I love the job and try to fight hard for all of you, my fellow cyclists throughout the state. However, (this word generally denotes the author is going to get preachy) every once in a while you folks can be a pain in the rear, and I don’t mean the good kind you get after a long satisfying ride.

Right from the get-go, there are some folks that shouldn’t read this column. Those of you that see yourself as an oppressed minority and therefore entitled to do almost anything in traffic, stop reading right now. For those of you that believe, “It’s just a bike, traffic rules are for cars” move on. You folks that believe, since you are riding for exercise and therefore doing something good for yourself and the environment so the petty rules of traffic don’t apply, tune out. Or maybe you are the people that should be reading. For the rest of you (us), find one of the above, sit on him or her and read this to them.

We’re burying too many cyclists this year. Way too many. Thus far this year we’ve had six cyclist fatalities. Last year we had four. One is one too many. From a quick review of the crash reports, the crashes were overwhelmingly, the fault of the cyclists. They violated some pretty basic rules of traffic and, unfortunately, paid the ultimate price. If a random sampling of cyclist behavior that I’ve seen and other cyclist friends, such as your President, have reported to me is anything to go on, it’s getting worse. I just finished talking to Eric Glick, our State Bike/Ped Coordinator about this and he thinks so too.

Here’s a BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious) we all need to remember. “Cyclists fare best when they act like, and are treated as drivers of vehicles.” No joke. The fact that cyclists are about a thousand times more vulnerable than motor vehicles only adds to the reality of this quote.

When someone asks me what to do in a specific cycling situation, I always ask, “What would you do if you were driving?” Nine out of ten times or more, the person asking comes up with the right answer. It’s not a knowledge deficiency we’re dealing with here, it’s and attitude problem.

Obey traffic rules. Stop at Stop signs and red lights. Get into the proper lane before you make a turn or, if you can’t get over to make a left turn at an intersection, get off your bike and cross as a pedestrian. Ride on the right where we all look for you and where you are supposed to be by law.

We have a great set of bicycle laws here in Nevada. If you’re unfamiliar with them, I’ll be glad to send you a copy. We distribute about 10,000 a year to the public. The laws are there to keep you alive. They haven’t failed and aren’t the reason we’re loosing so many cyclists.

I read all the fatality reports on every cyclist and pedestrian killed in Nevada. I’ve got too much reading material this year, way too much. For every death there is usually a grieving family, a shocked and distraught motorist, a law enforcement officer that has to investigate the crash and medical personnel that respond to the scene and do their best to save the victims. These tragedies take a toll on everyone they touch. That toll is preventable. Don’t violate the law and don’t tolerate others that do. Report them to the police and demand that action be taken, it might just save that cyclists’ life down the road.

Remember, we don’t call them accidents, accidents just happen, crashes are always preventable.

(October 2002)