I am a new Can Bike instructor!

[digger]

Last week a Can Bike National examiner from Toronto came to our province, Nova Scotia and trained 12 people as Can Bike instructors.

This is a first for Nova Scotia.

This program was supported by Nova Scotia Dept. of Health Promotion and Protection, Bicycle Nova Scotia and M.O.S.T (Moving on Sustainable Transportation).

The Canadian Cycling Association's (http://www.canadian-cycling.com/) CAN-BIKE program is a series of courses on all aspects of cycling safely and enjoyably on the road. The orientation is toward recreational and utilitarian use of the bicycle rather than toward competition. The program provides a nationally standardized set of courses that can be taught anywhere, any time - through any organization with an interest in education, safety or health.

My question is to anyone who has done a Can Bike (or similar LAB course) - did you find it helpful with your cycling? Why or why not? Anything that you think should be covered, dropped or covered in more detail?

For the Can Bike or LAB instructors, is this a popular program? Any tips on teaching a course?

Thanks!
Digger

[chephy]

Hey, digger. That was Peter Haidelmayer who taught the course in Nova Scotia, wasn't it? :) I am taking a CAN-BIKE instructor workshop with him right now, and he keeps telling us how polite and laid-back the people in Nova Scotia are, both on and off road. :) By the end of June I should be a full-fledged, albeit very inexperienced, CAN-BIKE instructor, yee-ha!

I am told that CAN-BIKE is a very popular program in Toronto. So many people are signing up for it, there is a shortage of instructors. However, I'm also told that most of those people are signing up for the lower-lever courses that just teach them how to balance the bike or the very basic idea of cycling in traffic (mostly in residential areas).

I had to take CAN-BIKE 2 before being able to enrol in the Instructor's Workshop. I'd say overall I didn't learn much at all because I've been reading lots of books and forums, and riding my bike a lot... However, most people in my group said they benefitted a lot from the program.

I also find that although the in-class presentation seems indeed to be standardized, the actual on-road cycling style may differ a lot from one instructor to another. My CAN-BIKE 2 instructor, for example, was a lot less assertive than Peter: most lanes he considered "regular-width" (and hence shareable with cars) Peter would consider narrow.

I also think it's a bit of a joke to teach the course on the weekends. Come on, the roads are empty on the weekends! So the people learn all these lane-taking and lane-changing techniques, and they are happy that everything is going so smoothly - and then they go out at 8:30 a.m. to ride to work and encounter a very different and more hostile environment...

[Da Tinker]

I also find that although the in-class presentation seems indeed to be standardized, the actual on-road cycling style may differ a lot from one instructor to another. My CAN-BIKE 2 instructor, for example, was a lot less assertive than Peter: most lanes he considered "regular-width" (and hence shareable with cars) Peter would consider narrow.

I also think it's a bit of a joke to teach the course on the weekends. Come on, the roads are empty on the weekends! So the people learn all these lane-taking and lane-changing techniques, and they are happy that everything is going so smoothly - and then they go out at 8:30 a.m. to ride to work and encounter a very different and more hostile environment...

Two very good points.

Different folks have different styles, often influenced by where they usually ride. I think the lane width judgement should also be influenced by passing speeds. On a road where car speeds are on the order of 30 mph, I will share a much narrower lane than I would where cars are going 60+ mph.

The weekend thing is almost unavoidable. When else do folks have the spare time? But in many areas, you should be able to find roads that are busy on weekends, such as near shopping malls and such. The route I use here starts out easy, but finishes up on one of the busiest roads in town. About the only time it doesn't have lots of traffic is on Sunday AM early.

Good thread start. As a LAB LCI, I am always looking for feedback and chances to improve.

[chephy]

Different folks have different styles, often influenced by where they usually ride. I think the lane width judgement should also be influenced by passing speeds. On a road where car speeds are on the order of 30 mph, I will share a much narrower lane than I would where cars are going 60+ mph. You see, here you go: it's all left up to individual instructor's judgement. I don't see this much variation in the behaviour of car driving instructors.

I went out on my ride with a measuring tape today. :D Measured lane widths during obvious lulls in traffic. It helped that my ride companion just happened to wear a vest similar to what construction workers wear - he did it purely for visibility, but I think it made people think we were actually legitimate municipal workers or something. :D

Anyway, I was surprised at some of the findings: some lanes sure appear wider/narrower than they really are, for some reason! I find the worst ones are the 12'-14' wide lanes - marginally wide enough to share with some vehicles under certain conditions... Ugh, I wish such lanes just didn't exist! :) They are often too narrow to share but appear wide enough to motorists who subsequently get pissed off at your claiming the lane.

The weekend thing is almost unavoidable. When else do folks have the spare time? Yeah, I understand this, of course. And in fact emptier roads sometimes prove more challenging than congested ones because cars tend to travel faster.

Our group of soon-to-be-instructors has actually agreed to have a group ride outside of scheduled class time. We'll try to do some challenging roads and discuss bits of our ride. I hope people we'll be able to meet on a weekday, perhaps after work. If we're lucky, we'll catch some rush hour. :D

[Da Tinker]

Roger that. Don't forget to try out a little night riding, too.

[digger]

Hey, digger. That was Peter Haidelmayer who taught the course in Nova Scotia, wasn't it? :)

Yup, Peter taught the course. Great guy!

I also find that although the in-class presentation seems indeed to be standardized, the actual on-road cycling style may differ a lot from one instructor to another. My CAN-BIKE 2 instructor, for example, was a lot less assertive than Peter: most lanes he considered "regular-width" (and hence shareable with cars) Peter would consider narrow.:)

Yes, I did find Peter VERY assertive. It was quite impressive, I do not have that much trust in my fellow humans. At one point, during our rides, a guy in a pick-up squeezed me over in a narrow lane coming up to a light. Pissed me off I tell you and I told Peter as much. In reflection on that incident, I SHOULD have been in the centre of the lane, to prevent him from squeezing me over, but I was not assertive enough to take the lane. I think I improved more by the end of the course, but it is something I have to work on. It's hard to change a bad habit when you've been doing it for awhile. Although I do not ride in urban environment very much now, I do find I am not riding proper on the rural highways, again I'm over too far.

I also think it's a bit of a joke to teach the course on the weekends. Come on, the roads are empty on the weekends! So the people learn all these lane-taking and lane-changing techniques, and they are happy that everything is going so smoothly - and then they go out at 8:30 a.m. to ride to work and encounter a very different and more hostile environment...

Good point. But our course was during the week, however, in a small town 1 hour north of Halifax (Truro). It did get fairly busy, Peter probably thought it was like a Sunday ride in Toronto:D Another thing that made it easier for us and not a real life situation, is that there were 9 of us on the road, so we where a pretty big bunch to try and squeeze over or pass, mainly we just controlled that section of road. I wonder how much differant it would be if it was just 1 to 3 people?

I'm a tad worried about taking people out on the road, trying to be assertive in traffic here in Halifax. It's something I need to work on and having people/students with me will make it a tad difficult. That's the reason why I told Peter I would be better off sticking with Can Bike 1 or below until I get some more teaching experience, THEN I'll tackle the Can Bike 2. I think if I am to do a Can Biek 2 now, I'd want to co-instruct with someone.

Digger

[chephy]

Yes, I did find Peter VERY assertive. It was quite impressive, I do not have that much trust in my fellow humans. At one point, during our rides, a guy in a pick-up squeezed me over in a narrow lane coming up to a light. Pissed me off I tell you and I told Peter as much. In reflection on that incident, I SHOULD have been in the centre of the lane, to prevent him from squeezing me over, but I was not assertive enough to take the lane. I think I improved more by the end of the course, but it is something I have to work on. It's hard to change a bad habit when you've been doing it for awhile. Here, here. Sometimes I start out in the centre of the lane and then realize I'm drifting to the right as if there was a magnet there or something. :D Sometimes I drift to the right when I hear a car approach, which is silly

Although I do not ride in urban environment very much now, I do find I am not riding proper on the rural highways, again I'm over too far. Actually, CAN-BIKE focusses on urban riding. The manual mentions rural roads only briefly and suggests that cyclists ride only 1/3 to 1/4 meter away from the edge of the pavement. I can't say I like this and won't agree with it outright - I think it requires more thought and discussion. But you can't get around the fact that the speed differential is much greater on country roads...

Another thing that made it easier for us and not a real life situation, is that there were 9 of us on the road, so we where a pretty big bunch to try and squeeze over or pass, mainly we just controlled that section of road. I wonder how much differant it would be if it was just 1 to 3 people? Yes, that's definitely a good point. There is power in numbers.

[digger]

Actually, CAN-BIKE focusses on urban riding. The manual mentions rural roads only briefly and suggests that cyclists ride only 1/3 to 1/4 meter away from the edge of the pavement. I can't say I like this and won't agree with it outright - I think it requires more thought and discussion. But you can't get around the fact that the speed differential is much greater on country roads...
.

True, Can Bike does focus mainly on urban riding, I guess because there is so much more interaction with traffic and possibility of an incident - intersections, parked cars, pedestrians, etc. So what is your view on rural riding regarding distance off the curb? Peter stated 9 to 12 inches or about 1/4 meter, like you said. It seems reasonable to me.

I described to Peter about how I would ride centre lane on rural roads, then when I either hear or see a car (in my rearview) behind me I would move right (about 1/4 meter from the curb) and as the car approached I would give a head turn to indicate that I know they are there. My theory was that the driver would see me in the middle of the road, then see me move over, then see a head turn, which I thought would give him the confidence that I know what I am doing (I think) and that I know he/she is there.

Peter said that I would be putting myself in danger from approaching traffic if someone was trying to pass. Plus what if I did not hear or see a car approach from behind on a windy road?

True, he has a point. The roads I ride on are fairly light traffic and some are windy (twisty?):p . I guess that my statement was an oversimplification of how I actually ride. I do not do this ALL the time. On blind hills, I move right and on blind curves I stick right. But then there is the problem of the uneven pavement along the side of the road, which is another reason I stick in the centre.

I'm not too sure that what I am doing is wrong, and again, I am trying to break the habit. :o

Since I spend much of my time riding rural, I'd like to add more rural riding aspects to a course, but I have to stick with standardized course content.

But what else about rural riding can you say, other than.....stick right?

Digger

[LittleBigMan]

Neat, Digger! Go for it, dude.

:)

[RonH]

Last week a Can Bike National examiner from Toronto came to our province, Nova Scotia and trained 12 people as Can Bike instructors.
Kudos to you and the other 11 instructors. :beer:

My question is to anyone who has done a Can Bike (or similar LAB course) - did you find it helpful with your cycling? Why or why not? Anything that you think should be covered, dropped or covered in more detail?
For the Can Bike or LAB instructors, is this a popular program? Any tips on teaching a course?
I've been an LCI since May 2003. Don't know about the Can Bike program but the LAB website has lots of information about the classes. http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/courses.php

We (http://www.atlantabike.org) have expanded the program and offer periodic training updates at our office for our instructors.

The way I teach the classes is to assume that the group is composed of new cyclists and go slow. Lots of interaction with the students to keep things lively. Show and tell is always good.
For the road riding part of the class I do two or three loops of a predetermined route. I provide maps even thought the route is less than 3 miles. I let the students take turns leading the group during the 2nd and 3rd loop. We stop periodically to discuss intersection or traffic situations and make suggestions or recommendations about best ways to handle any problems.

Send me an email (atlantabikeclass@mindspring.com) or a PM if you'd like more info on our program.

[chephy]

Since I spend much of my time riding rural, I'd like to add more rural riding aspects to a course, but I have to stick with standardized course content. Well, it was mentioned to us that we can make time for extra bits of info when we're teaching a course.

I agree, more rural riding info could be helpful. Maybe you could start a thread on A&S about this, to garner suggestions.

[N_C]

This sounds like the courses the LAB teaches. I am supposed to be taking one the last weekend of September this year. At least the last I heard that is when it will be in my area. It will be the Road One course 1st, then I can go on to become a League Cycling Instructor.