Cyclist Education

[Mark Blacknell]

Been thinking about cyclist education, lately, and some challenges in delivering it. It’s been observed that lots of us say we are in favor of it, but when it comes to actually taking a class, it turns out that we really meant that we were in favor of cyclist education *other* people. While that sounds like a phenomenon that extends beyond cycling, I wonder if there’s a way to better sell the benefits of it.

So – what could make *you* think that a class would be worth your time? Taken a class and been disappointed by it? Taken a class and been impressed by it? I’ve got my own answers to these questions, but I’d like to hear from others, first. I’m speaking of both classroom and street instruction, fwiw.

Topic

[Arlingtonrider]

What about a series of happy hours in different parts of the county as a countdown to Bike to Work Day? For example, one in Ballston 4 weeks ahead, one in Shirlington 3 weeks ahead, one in Rosslyn 2 weeks ahead and so on. There could be experienced cyclists, bike commuters and the local convoy leaders at each one to meet and welcome new and potential riders, answer questions, facilitate introductions and socializing, drink beer, hand out maps and maybe some FAQs or tips, talk about other upcoming fun rides (with educational components or challenges), etc. and drink beer.

[invisiblehand]

@chris_s 10092 wrote:

Confident City Cycling 2 covers panic braking as well as emergency turns and rock dodging. That class rocked my world. CCC1 is really, really basic – waste of my time unfortunately – but that’s mostly my fault for not reading the course description carefully.

In the old Road 1 and Road 2 courses, there was a section on it. But I’m talking about a real practicum where people show up and do test runs in a controlled environment, instructor tells you what to do to improve, and later everyone does several more test runs. I’d give everyone a week and test the following week then maybe try a wet coarse. (At least back when I was interested 20 years ago, there was driving courses like this.) FWIW, I hardly ever hear of someone practicing full-blown braking … giving the front brake as much as you can where the rear wheel almost lifts off the ground. A little bit of practice goes a long way into improving performance, IME.

[chris_s]

@invisiblehand 10166 wrote:

In the old Road 1 and Road 2 courses, there was a section on it. But I’m talking about a real practicum where people show up and do test runs in a controlled environment, instructor tells you what to do to improve, and later everyone does several more test runs. I’d give everyone a week and test the following week then maybe try a wet coarse. (At least back when I was interested 20 years ago, there was driving courses like this.) FWIW, I hardly ever hear of someone practicing full-blown braking … giving the front brake as much as you can where the rear wheel almost lifts off the ground. A little bit of practice goes a long way into improving performance, IME.

We did 90% of what you’re talking about in CCC2 – it was at the parking structure by Washington-Lee high school, they setup a course with tennis balls that’d been cut in half. You start braking here by these tennis balls, you should be stopped before getting to these other tennis balls. Try just your rear brake, now with just your front brake, now try both brakes, now try both brakes as hard as you can and throw all of your weight off the back of the saddle. Do it over and over again until you can stop really, really quickly.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I’ve taken the TS101 class (Traffic Skills). It included basic stuff on parts of a bike, safety, etc. There is a classroom (online) and hands-on part that includes safety drills, riding in traffic, etc. I highly recommend the class and I plan on taking the LCI (League Certified Instructor) class at some point.

The best way to get people to take the course is to make it easy and free; however, the class takes at least 8 hours of hands-on activity. The class is really, dollar for dollar, the biggest bang for your buck for your safety. No fancy helmet, day-glow outfit or $400 LED lights are going to make up for proper training when it comes to safety.

That being said, I rode behind a neighbor this week on my way to work. He took a shortcut through a row of parked cars, salmoned the wrong way on the road multiple times, was a gutter bunny, ran through lights, etc. These are choices that put you in danger and generally make cyclists look bad. The training tells you where you’re exposed to dangers, and it’s not always intuitive.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

@eminva Funny that the best informations about commuting bikes seem to be listening to your peers on places like this forum. I contribute to a blog called “Bikes for the Rest of Us” where we focus on choosing transportation bicycles. Bike shops are often no help, at least out here in the suburbs.

[eminva]

@FFX_Hinterlands 10213 wrote:

I’ve taken the TS101 class (Traffic Skills). It included basic stuff on parts of a bike, safety, etc. There is a classroom (online) and hands-on part that includes safety drills, riding in traffic, etc. I highly recommend the class and I plan on taking the LCI (League Certified Instructor) class at some point.

This sounds very interesting; who offers it and where/when?

Thanks.

Liz

[dasgeh]

I wonder if you could get interest by offering a course in/near large apartment buildings that are near CaBi stations, or in dense areas with CaBi stations. Sell it as an intro to making CaBi useful. Include a helmet in the price of the class.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

@eminva 10230 wrote:

This sounds very interesting; who offers it and where/when?

Thanks.

Liz

See more here: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/ The search interface is pretty bad, but the class info is there. You can also find the classes on the WABA website. http://www.waba.org/education/calendar.php

I found out about the classes from Bruce Wright, Chairman of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB). He’s also an League Certified Instructor.

[baiskeli]

@dasgeh 10235 wrote:

I wonder if you could get interest by offering a course in/near large apartment buildings that are near CaBi stations, or in dense areas with CaBi stations. Sell it as an intro to making CaBi useful. Include a helmet in the price of the class.

Good idea.

[Mark Blacknell]

The best place, in my experience, to find Traffic Skills 101 (or the component CCC) classes in the DC area are via the WABA site and http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/biking-in-arlington/bike-education/. You’ll note, at the Bike Arlington link, that Allen Muchnick offers TS101 classes through Arlington Adult Continuing Education. The LAB’s site

DC has a healthy number of LCIs, and I imagine we’ll get a few more added to that number next weekend. The real problem is getting enough people to commit to (and show up for) a given class. I don’t know if it’s marketing, scheduling, or content, but *many* of the available class slots go unfilled, even when free.

FWIW, LCIs aren’t bound by the TS101 curriculum. It’s just that it’s a very nicely packaged curriculum that addresses a very wide range of skill levels that results in a TS101 certificate. I’ve been thinking, lately, of trying to cut it down into something titled “Okay, I Think I Can Ride My Bike Safely In DC Traffic, But I Just Want To Double Check.”

What, title too long?

[Author]

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