Originally Posted by scottbot84

Looking at the wide variety of bikes on my college campus, I see evidence of a lot of misinformation, or total lack of information, about how to properly ride and care for a bike. I'm sure this has been discussed in depth already. My Question is this- what are your "Rules of the Road" in regards to cycling, in other words if you had a child (or have one) or a friend just starting out, what bits of advice would you give to them to set them on the right path? Something that could fit on a poster , or that Charleton Heston couls carry in "The Ten Commandments".Here are a few of mine.

1. Sidewalks are for pedestrians and children. Under most, if not all circumstances, you should be on the street with all the other vehicles.

2. In most states you have most of the same rights and resposibilities on the road as every other vehicle, gas powered or otherwise.

3. Only Fred Flinstone stops with his feet. If you need to, you need to fix your brakes

4.Your chain is not a permanent part of your bicycle

5. You're riding a bike, not lifting weights. Pick a gear thats comfortable, not one thats hard.

6. Your bike should be like a good pair of jeans. It should fit comfortably and function well

That should be something to get you started. Let me know what you think. BTW I'm new to the forums,been reading a lot but this is my first post.