BIke Safety Fun in Room 3

Bike Safety - Bigfoot Adventures Session

August 14, 2018, Room 3

Wow - what a lot of very useful information to help us be safe on the road! Thank you Johnny and Jake!

Sensible clothing for biking

• Hiviz (high visibility) or bright clothing so that you can be seen
• Carrying a backpack - use a hiviz backpack cover
• Helmet
• Well-fitted closed-in shoes - make sure your laces are tied and secured by tucking into your shoes
• Baggy pants - tuck into your socks (skinny jeans can chaff)
• ‘Spring roll’ your jacket around your waist if you get too hot
• Shorts are ideal or a skirt

Bike Safety Check

Good check every month or two

Check the wheel lever is secure

Daily check before you ride every time

1. Brake checks: two working brakes
1. Push the bike forwards and apply front brake to check
2. Push the bike backwards and apply the back brake to check
2. Properly inflated tyres -
1. flat hand press on the tyre - if it goes down, you need to pump it up
2. Squeeze - if they are soft, you need to pump it up
3. Check that your wheel is attached securely
1. check the quick release lever (open on one side and closed on the other)
2. secure in line with the frame and the fork. If the wheel wobbles, it is too loose.

A quick check before you ride - every time.

Red reflectors on the back of your bike

Legal requirements: to ride a bike on New Zealand roads

• Reflectors - red rear reflectors (rear chain stay or on the back of the seat)
• Nighttime riding - lights instead of reflectors; back light red); front light whiteTyre - flashing makes them more visible
• Brakes - must have two working brakes to ride on the NZ roads (front - right and back - left) (ride with two fingers on the brake so that you have a fast reaction to braking)

Gears

Two different shifts

1. One for the front cogs (Left-hand shifter - not used as often - middle one just right)
2. One for the back cogs (1-7 cogs); (Right-hand shifter - use them all the time 5

E.g. 1-1 very steep hill

Golden road - you must be pedalling when you change gears - the chain moves when you are pedalling. You can break the bike if you change gears without pedalling.

One click at a time (one gear at a time)

Pedal ready position

• Left foot on the ground and right foot in the air
• Opposite side of the chain
• Footpath side
• Off the road and the road is visible

Mounting the Bike

• Hands on the handles - on the brakes
• Tip the bike towards you and step over the bike
• RIght foot up high (you will be pushing off with your right foot)

Helmets

It is a legal requirement to wear a helmet when riding your bike on a New Zealand road

Head injuries can be permanent - we must protect our brain

Scooter helmets or other helmets should not be worn when riding a bike - wear a helmet that is specially designed for biking

Labels inside the helmet will tell you if it is a bike is a helmet - it lets you know what your helmet is made off.

Do not drop them on the floor or ground - that is the way MOST helmets are broken

The plastic coating is designed for sliding along the ground if we come off our bike

The styrofoam inner should be intact - no cracks (put pressure on the interior of the helmet with your hands to check for cracks - if you see any cracks, you should buy a new one)

Cut the straps and throw it away - don’t be tempted to use a broken helmet

Checking to see if they fit well:

When we ride our bikes, it is very important to wear a helmet that fits correctly.

• Two fingers above our eyebrow - this is where our helmet should be positioned
• Y on the side of the ear - looping underneath the ears
• Tightened under your chin - lean forward to make sure your helmet is not ‘floppy’