Cycling Skills Course

Roger Zoul said:

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

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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)

Quoted message said:

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"

Quoted message said:

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:
bikeleague.orgeducation.htmOpen ↗

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In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

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.

That's a good place to start. Beyond that, riding in accordance with traffic regulations, ensuring
you ride so drivers can tell what you are going to do, and ensuring that you have developed the
physical skills for handling a bike in emergencies should about cover it.

WRT physical skills, the most important one IMO is being able to brake HARD without pitching
yourself over the bars and without losing steering control. I'd recommend practicing hitting the
brakes (both front and back) hard in a parking lot or empty street or path, to ensure you can stop
quickly without skidding or doing an endo.

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In article said:

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

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Check out the courses offered by the League of American Bicyclists. Descriptions are at
bikeleague.orgcourses.htmOpen ↗ 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" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

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.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

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 bikeleague.orgeducation.htmOpen ↗

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.

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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.

Quoted message said:

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 bikexprt.comindex.htmOpen ↗ It's a good summary of the
essentials.

- Frank Krygowski

Roger Zoul said:

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?

Quoted message said:

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.

An experienced rider from our local club, gave a series of "clinics" this year. The clinics covered
road riding skills, MTB skills, and maintenance skills. The road skills clinic got into things like
braking, cornering, obstacle avoidance, and group riding. These were actual on-the-bike sessions.

You might want to look at John Allen's "Street Smarts" at:
bikexprt.comindex.htmOpen ↗

Art Harris

"Roger Zoul" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

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)

Quoted message said:

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"

Quoted message said:

by John Forester. Still, an actual course lead by an experienced cycler would be nice, too.

The state of Colorado publishes an excellent bicycling manual that is available for free in DMV
offices. Lots of good advice on how to ride in traffic and on bike paths and multi-use paths. Now if
only more people around here would read it...

I would guess that many (if not all) states publish such a manual, and the local DMV office would be
a good place to look for it.
--
mark

GaryG wrote:
:: "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:: "]news:[email hidden]...
::: 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:
:: bikeleague.orgeducation.htmOpen ↗
::

Wow....thanks for the link!

David Kerber wrote:
:: In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
::: 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.
::
:: That's a good place to start. Beyond that, riding in accordance with traffic regulations,
:: ensuring you ride so drivers can tell what you are going to do, and ensuring that you have
:: developed the physical skills for handling a bike in emergencies should about cover it.
::
:: WRT physical skills, the most important one IMO is being able to brake HARD without pitching
:: yourself over the bars and without losing steering control. I'd recommend practicing hitting the
:: brakes (both front and back) hard in a parking lot or empty street or path, to ensure you can
:: stop quickly without skidding or doing an endo.

Speaking of that....I've been thinking of having my breaks switched...putting the front on the right
and the back on the left....I'm right-handed and feel more confident using that hand to control the
front break. However, would this also affect the gear shifting? I have a standard road/touring bike
(Specialized Sequora Expert) with 3 chainring on the front and 9 positions on the rear. Shimano
105's (as I recall).

Quoted message said:

There's been some disagreement, naturally.

Frank is a master of understatement.

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_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------
__________306.350.357.38>>[email hidden]__________

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

David Kerber wrote:
:: In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
::: 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.
::
:: That's a good place to start. Beyond that, riding in accordance with traffic regulations,
:: ensuring you ride so drivers can tell what you are going to do, and ensuring that you have
:: developed the physical skills for handling a bike in emergencies should about cover it.
::
:: WRT physical skills, the most important one IMO is being able to brake HARD without pitching
:: yourself over the bars and without losing steering control. I'd recommend practicing hitting
:: the brakes (both front and back) hard in a parking lot or empty street or path, to ensure you
:: can stop quickly without skidding or doing an endo.

Speaking of that....I've been thinking of having my breaks switched...putting the front on the
right and the back on the left....I'm right-handed and feel more confident using that hand to
control the front break. However, would this also affect the gear shifting? I have a standard
road/touring bike (Specialized Sequora Expert) with 3 chainring on the front and 9 positions on
the rear. Shimano 105's (as I recall).

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.

--
Dave Kerber Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Speaking of that....I've been thinking of having my breaks switched...putting the front on the
right and the back on the left....I'm right-handed and feel more confident using that hand to
control the front break. However, would this also affect the gear shifting? I have a standard
road/touring bike (Specialized Sequora Expert) with 3 chainring on the front and 9 positions on
the rear. Shimano 105's (as I recall).

Check out sheldonbrown.com, I believe he has an article on this (he does this on all his bikes).
Lots of info for learning cyclists also.

Re: your first question, besides LAB, there are other "Effective Cycling" instructors around, I'm
not sure how to find them, check your local advocacy groups.

Do study the online manual Frank K listed, it's by our local (Boston) expert John Allen, and it
covers all the essentials for riding in traffic, which is *the* most essential knowledge.

David Kerber <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote:
: 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.

it really is that simple. just swap the brake cabling. the only downsides are that road brake
calipers and frame stops are designed with rear right cabling in mind.

the cabling from the right lever to the front brake will be at a steeper angle than left-front
because the cable stop on the brake will now be closer to the lever. same thing for the rear -- you
can no longer go around the head-tube so the angle here will be a little steeper as well.

oh, well. small price to pay.
--
david reuteler [email hidden]

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

David Kerber <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote:
: 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.

it really is that simple. just swap the brake cabling. the only downsides are that road brake
calipers and frame stops are designed with rear right cabling in mind.

the cabling from the right lever to the front brake will be at a steeper angle than left-front
because the cable stop on the brake will now be closer to the lever. same thing for the rear --
you can no longer go around the head-tube so the angle here will be a little steeper as well.

Thanks for the info!

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