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Does anyone know what percent of adults in the U.S. have basic bicycling skills? Is the percentage increasing, declining, or staying steady?
Is cycling a skill that must be learned as a child, or can it be mastered by an adult with no previous experience?
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I think I read somewhere that adult bicycling is increasing and that is why accident / death rates have gone up since the 70s. I don't know if it's know how many people ride.
In high school I taught a friend of mine to ride. He was 17 with no previous experience. Picked it right up.
By "basic bicycling skills" do you mean just being able to start, stop, turn and balance?
If so, I don't know what the numbers are, but I suspect they're pretty high and comparable to the percentages that "know how to swim".
I think I read somewhere that adult bicycling is increasing and that is why accident / death rates have gone up since the 70s.
I think that's because most people believe that there's not much to bike riding. They think knowing the basic skills, and remembering to "stay out of the way of cars", is about all one needs to know to ride safely and effectively on roads.
By "basic bicycling skills" do you mean just being able to start, stop, turn and balance?
Yes, that is what I intended to ask.
This seems like a good time to bring up something I've realized recently. You all know this, I'm sure, but I think this distinction is lost on most adults who don't bike, and on all too many who do. Most people would agree that "learning to drive a car" does not just mean learning the mechanics of steering, accelerating, and braking, but also learning the rules of the road and getting comfortable being in traffic. That's why we have Driver's Education. Yet, when it comes to bikes, most people don't think about the second part of that driver education process as being applicable. I'm sure this is because most people learned to bike as young children, when the mechanics of it were all they were capable of learning (initially), and most people never get the followup traffic training when it comes to bikes.
The result of not realizing that this second component of "bike education" is available or necessary, I think, is one of two prevailing attitudes about biking in traffic: Either it's too dangerous and is to be avoided, or on the other hand, I can start, stop, and steer - what's there to learn? Sure, most adult bicyclists have been through Driver Education with cars, but even then, do they think to apply that education to bikes? Many do not.
This seems like a good time to bring up something I've realized recently. You all know this, I'm sure, but I think this distinction is lost on most adults who don't bike, and on all too many who do. Most people would agree that "learning to drive a car" does not just mean learning the mechanics of steering, accelerating, and braking, but also learning the rules of the road and getting comfortable being in traffic. That's why we have Driver's Education. Yet, when it comes to bikes, most people don't think about the second part of that driver education process as being applicable. I'm sure this is because most people learned to bike as young children, when the mechanics of it were all they were capable of learning (initially), and most people never get the followup traffic training when it comes to bikes.
The result of not realizing that this second component of "bike education" is available or necessary, I think, is one of two prevailing attitudes about biking in traffic: Either it's too dangerous and is to be avoided, or on the other hand, I can start, stop, and steer - what's there to learn? Sure, most adult bicyclists have been through Driver Education with cars, but even then, do they think to apply that education to bikes? Many do not.
I give "most adults" a little more credit than that. A little. I think they think their knowledge of basic cycling skills, plus their knowledge of the rules of the road from driving cars, is all they have to know.
So, a better analogy is perhaps motorcycles. While basic motorcycling skills are more complex than bicycling, much of motorcycle training involves the unique aspects of operating a motorcycle in traffic. The analogous knowledge and skills unique to bicycling in traffic is what most adults are missing.
I would guess that most adults who cycle regularly do, in fact, have the skills required to ride a bike in traffic. The city I live in has a LOT of adult cyclists, and I almost never see one do something stupid in traffic. (It's the car drivers I worry about.)
I would guess that most adults who cycle regularly do, in fact, have the skills required to ride a bike in traffic. The city I live in has a LOT of adult cyclists, and I almost never see one do something stupid in traffic. (It's the car drivers I worry about.)
I suspect you and I differ considerably with respect to what are the "skills required to ride a bike in traffic", or what "something stupid in traffic" looks like.
For example, most people, including probably you, would probably say the Intel engineer who was killed last week in Beaverton (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=218502) was not doing anything stupid. If they saw other cyclists crossing that intersections doing the exact same thing, they would see nothing wrong or stupid about it. Would you?
Whenever I see a cyclist crossing an intersection from a position near the side of the road, contrary to basic rules of destination positioning at intersections, especially when same-direction traffic is absent and oncoming traffic (that could be turning left in front of him), or other cross-traffic, is present or approaching, whether in a bike lane or not, I consider that to be doing "something stupid in traffic".
What do you consider to be the "skills required to ride a bike in traffic"?
I give "most adults" a little more credit than that. A little. I think they think their knowledge of basic cycling skills, plus their knowledge of the rules of the road from driving cars, is all they have to know.
So, a better analogy is perhaps motorcycles. While basic motorcycling skills are more complex than bicycling, much of motorcycle training involves the unique aspects of operating a motorcycle in traffic. The analogous knowledge and skills unique to bicycling in traffic is what most adults are missing.
Most folks think that because they can ride a bike and that they drive that this makes them an expert in riding in traffic. Their expert advice usually falls into two categories, riding in traffic is unsafe and that you should only ride on the sidewalk or as far right as possible. Even after folks find out I've been riding for 15 years they will still attempt to share this 'wisdom' with me. I don't think this is done out of malice, but genuine concern. I have a coworker who tells me every day to, "be careful." Though he's just as likely to have an auto accident as I am a cycling accident so I tell him to, "be careful too."
One of my oldest friends (now close to 40) has never been able to start without first being seated. Meaning he can't start pedaling and then get into the saddle, he has to find a precarious balance halfway sitting on the saddle, tippy toe touching the ground, and then start pedaling before he falls over. I hate to see him ride in traffic. One of the few people I think will always be safer on the sidewalk with the kids.
--A
i was helping a woman at the bike shop recently, she was a matronly german type, and had recently bought a new bike to commute on. she came in, and asked if anyone could help her learn how to get off the bike, because she had forgotten how to do so......it was pretty sad, but i think adults can FORGET how to ride - OR drive, for that matter. this seems much more common....
i was helping a woman at the bike shop recently, she was a matronly german type, and had recently bought a new bike to commute on. she came in, and asked if anyone could help her learn how to get off the bike, because she had forgotten how to do so......it was pretty sad, but i think adults can FORGET how to ride - OR drive, for that matter. this seems much more common....
I was off bike for 22 years, got back on, and had no trouble at all, other then the fact that hills seem steeper then they used to be.:D
One of my oldest friends (now close to 40) has never been able to start without first being seated. Meaning he can't start pedaling and then get into the saddle, he has to find a precarious balance halfway sitting on the saddle, tippy toe touching the ground, and then start pedaling before he falls over. I hate to see him ride in traffic. One of the few people I think will always be safer on the sidewalk with the kids.
--A
My mom has a similar problem. She pushes off, then fails to right the bike and has to either a) "catch" the bike with her other foot, or failing that, b) slamming her free foot onto the ground and starting over. Even with option (a), she veers to the left several feet before getting going. Get your friend to learn how to balance the bike with one foot on the pedal while traveling a straight line.
Kids learn easily and they are easily frustrated by any "hacks" made necessary by their lack of skill. Instead of being satisfied with the hack, they learn the skill. Adults are less willing to learn and are more satisfied with the less-than-ideal, as long as it sort of gets the job done. Adults need to be taught directly the mechanics of riding a bike by someone they trust, and they have to learn in increments using drills to highlight the skill instead of straight encouragement and guidance like a teacher can get away with when teaching kids.
For instance, it doesn't work to yell "keep the bike upright" to an adult because the rider doesn't know what "upright" feels like with, say, only one foot on the pedal, and isn't willing to take a fall to find out. Instead, you have them start up like they normally do and have them stand with one foot on the pedal after they get going. Or you have them start with a normal pushoff, like a skilled cyclist would, but forbid them from putting their free foot on the pedal immediately. Both of these drills teach a person how to keep a bike "upright" when starting.
While on this topic of teaching, does anyone have the lesson plan for the Road I and II course taught by the League of American Bicyclists? How about the "Effective Cycling" course taught by John Forester?
Or do I have to pay to get the lesson plan even?
Why the hEll does LAB and Forester charge so much for these courses? Who will these courses reach if you have to pay $50+ to take a course? That's a lot of dough!
I'll explain why I asked the original question. The thought occurred to me that over the last 25 years or so, maybe only a small minority of young people ever learned to ride a bicycle.
If that's true, we will soon be living in a world where the majority has no knowledge whatever about some things we take for granted. Such as, how much room to allow when passing a bike in a car, the speed bikes go, the distance that can be covered in an hour, the reasons for wearing helmets and jerseys, why we don't like to be in the bike lane before we turn left, etc.
I think most children still learn to ride a bike but fewer of them are using their bikes for anything more than loops around the cul-de-sac. So they don't really learn to use a bike for transportation and thus their driving skills really don't have much to do with riding a bicycle in their minds.
As for people who have trouble with balancing/starting/stopping, they make these great crank-forward/flat-footed bikes now. More bike shops should carry those. I'm thinking of bikes like the Townie, but they also have some really good ones like the Rans Fusion or Zenetek.
One of my oldest friends (now close to 40) has never been able to start without first being seated. Meaning he can't start pedaling and then get into the saddle, he has to find a precarious balance halfway sitting on the saddle, tippy toe touching the ground, and then start pedaling before he falls over. I hate to see him ride in traffic. One of the few people I think will always be safer on the sidewalk with the kids.
Perhaps your friend is a good candidate for a Townie? I sometimes see people struggling so hard to just ride the bike, stay balanced, etc., that I wonder if having a different kind of bike would help them refocus their attention to traffic and the rules of the road.
I saw a movie on cycling in the Netherlands that talked about kids being taught in school from an early age (around 3-5) how to ride a bike and properly handle riding in traffic
which of course means that preschool kids there can ride a bike more competently than many adults here
Short legged people (e.g. me) have extra trouble mounting most bikes unless the seat is set way too low.
Townies are good for short legged people but (in my very humble opinion) it's a ponderous, heavy bike with twitchy steering. My avatar shows me on a Townie riding full speed at the photographer. The reason I keep my Townie is that it's compatible with racks and saddlebags, and it can carry unbelievable loads without complaining.
Another option for the short legged is a folding bike. The small wheels put your feet a few inches closer to the ground, so it's easier to mount and dismount.
Seats with simple spring suspensions are incompatible with heavy short legged people. The seat is too high as such a person is mounting it and too low after the person is on it.
i was bicycling on some errands today, motorpacing on a fast, narrow, four lane 35 mph arterial when traffic got stopped by a pedestrian triggered signal. it was a group of three, maybe 12 year old kids, (wearing helmets- seattle law) that then rode across the street in the ped crosswalk and on into a residential neighborhood.
i think the veloaccomodations seen around seattle encourage more kids to get out riding.
and at the same time I would IN NO WAY expect these group of middle school aged kids to be riding on Rainier Ave S in Seattle, motor pacing traffic, in preparation of making a left turn from the fast lane of a 35 mph arterial.
the more friendly a community is to bicyclists, the greater numbers of integrated velotransit lanes, MUPs, community greenbelts and parks that encourage bicycling for recreationally minded familes, and the like are what will get the youngen's out there riding. A vigorous transportation infrastructure that supports bicycling, and recreationally minded facilities that are bicycle friendly,
NOT the lack of the aforementioned. Those yougens may, hopefully, become bicycling adults....
I suspect you and I differ considerably with respect to what are the "skills required to ride a bike in traffic", or what "something stupid in traffic" looks like.
What do you consider to be the "skills required to ride a bike in traffic"?
We may in fact differ with respect to the skills you think are required to ride safely in traffic, but riding safely in traffic really doesn't take that much special skill. It's not rocket science, anyone can do it: Obey traffic laws. Position yourself so that others can see you. Be predictable. Signal your intentions. If you're turning left, get in the left turn lane. That sort of thing. Basically, pretend you're a tractor. Going around telling people that it's more complicated than it really is will just promote the delusion that bicycling is really dangerous, which isn't true and won't help anyone.
Things I consider stupid include: riding on the sidewalk, failing to obey traffic laws, riding against traffic, not using lights at night, being so far to the right that motorists can't see you, behaving belligerently towards motorists simply because they're driving cars, riding when you've had too much to drink, wearing spandex while riding a hybrid.
(I don't know the details about the man who was killed in Beaverton, so I can't respond to that one.)
Things I consider stupid include: riding on the sidewalk, failing to obey traffic laws, riding against traffic, not using lights at night, being so far to the right that motorists can't see you, behaving belligerently towards motorists simply because they're driving cars, riding when you've had too much to drink, wearing spandex while riding a hybrid.
You forget bunnyhopping curbs, hooking concrete gaps, riding up vertical walls, skiffing a ride on a car, and general mayhem. I'm guilty of all the above (but then again, these are advanced bike skills).:D
I don't behave belligerently toward motorists simply for driving. They have to curse and swerve first. Then it's war.:beer:
Short legged people (e.g. me) have extra trouble mounting most bikes unless the seat is set way too low.
Townies are good for short legged people but (in my very humble opinion) it's a ponderous, heavy bike with twitchy steering...
Another option for the short legged is a folding bike.
Another option for those who do not wish to deal with a top tube, used elsewhere around the world, and apparantly forgotten about in North America, is the women's frame bike. My observation in Germany and the Netherlands was that a very large percentage, if not majority of cyclists chose this frame style. It especially appeared to be the choice of older men.
wearing spandex while riding a hybrid.
:beer: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
I have a coworker who tells me every day to, "be careful." Though he's just as likely to have an auto accident as I am a cycling accident so I tell him to, "be careful too."
Me too! Except he's my manager. :rolleyes:
:beer: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
Wearing spandex with anything.
I think most children still learn to ride a bike but fewer of them are using their bikes for anything more than loops around the cul-de-sac. So they don't really learn to use a bike for transportation and thus their driving skills really don't have much to do with riding a bicycle in their minds.
When I learned to ride as a child, my motivation was transportation -- to be able to go some place faster and with less effort than walking and without being dependant on my parents to drive me there. Absent that motivation today, I'm wondering whether a smaller percentage of childeren with non-cycling parents learn to ride a bike at all. A skateboard or scooter is less intimidating and just as good for loops on a cul-de-sac.
Paul
When I learned to ride as a child, my motivation was transportation
That's a great insight, and why I rode a bike as a kid. When I got a bit older, I rode all over town on my skateboard.
Another option for those who do not wish to deal with a top tube, used elsewhere around the world, and apparantly forgotten about in North America, is the women's frame bike. My observation in Germany and the Netherlands was that a very large percentage, if not majority of cyclists chose this frame style. It especially appeared to be the choice of older men.
Actually, I think they got everything reversed long ago when they defined mens and womens frame styles. It would have made a lot more sense to drop the top tube on mens bikes for protection of the delicate parts, know what I mean?
We may in fact differ with respect to the skills you think are required to ride safely in traffic, but riding safely in traffic really doesn't take that much special skill. It's not rocket science, anyone can do it: Obey traffic laws. Position yourself so that others can see you. Be predictable. Signal your intentions. If you're turning left, get in the left turn lane. That sort of thing. Basically, pretend you're a tractor. Going around telling people that it's more complicated than it really is will just promote the delusion that bicycling is really dangerous, which isn't true and won't help anyone.
Things I consider stupid include: riding on the sidewalk, failing to obey traffic laws, riding against traffic, not using lights at night, being so far to the right that motorists can't see you, behaving belligerently towards motorists simply because they're driving cars, riding when you've had too much to drink, wearing spandex while riding a hybrid.
(I don't know the details about the man who was killed in Beaverton, so I can't respond to that one.)
We're not quite as far off as I initially surmised, but a few key ones that I see all the time and you missed (perhaps you just forgot), are:
Riding in the door zone.
Approaching a simple intersection (no dedicated right turn lane) on the right side of the road (perhaps in a bike lane), not monitoring to the rear (to check for a right hook), and not adjusting left (after the look back verifies it's clear to do so) to make yourself more visible and predictable to cross traffic as you approach and cross the intersection.
Failing to look back for traffic crossing one's path before crossing an "offramp"/split type of intersection.
Pretend you're a tractor? How about acting like a driver of a tractor?
Actually, I think they got everything reversed long ago when they defined mens and womens frame styles. It would have made a lot more sense to drop the top tube on mens bikes for protection of the delicate parts, know what I mean?
I believe its all about wearing a skirt and cycling. And easy on, easy off maneuvers especially for people who may not be as spry and nimble perfect specimens. Its about offering a product for people besides the über cyclist profile catered to by the bicycling marketeers and LBS owners.
Note: I doubt if women would like bashing into a top tube either.
The traditional frame design allows for frame stiffness that is not possible without a top tube, or at least a sloping top tube.
If you're going to be puttering around to destinations within a couple of miles, on flat terrain, it doesn't matter much. But if you're looking for good acceleration response, doing long miles, and/or a lot of climbing, it starts to matter.
The traditional frame design allows for frame stiffness that is not possible without a top tube, or at least a sloping top tube.
If you're going to be puttering around to destinations within a couple of miles, on flat terrain, it doesn't matter much. But if you're looking for good acceleration response, doing long miles, and/or a lot of climbing, it starts to matter.
If properly engineered, there is no difference in stiffness. To maintain the desired stiffness, all they have to do is make it a few ounces heavier. During the summer, I use my bike to drop my daughter off at day camp on the way to work. That's a 14 mile round trip, up some steep hills, towing a 20 pound Trail-A-Bike with a 50 pound kid. There is no noticable lack of frame stiffness, as compared to either my road bike or my hybrid. If we assume that the drop frame adds a half pound to the weight that is trivial, since I am hauling a 70 pound payload.
Paul
After spending some time with Google, I still haven't been able to find what I was looking for.
That being the case, I'll just state my guess, which is that something like 60 percent of U.S. adults cannot confidently get on a bicycle, ride it a short distance, make simple turns, and stop.
If that's anywhere near the truth, bicycle advocacy is in deep, deep trouble.
The traditional frame design allows for frame stiffness that is not possible without a top tube, or at least a sloping top tube.
If properly engineered, there is no difference in stiffness. To maintain the desired stiffness, all they have to do is make it a few ounces heavier. During the summer, I use my bike to drop my daughter off at day camp on the way to work. That's a 14 mile round trip, up some steep hills, towing a 20 pound Trail-A-Bike with a 50 pound kid. There is no noticable lack of frame stiffness, as compared to either my road bike or my hybrid. If we assume that the drop frame adds a half pound to the weight that is trivial, since I am hauling a 70 pound payload.
Paul
Some road frames (http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/productdisplay2_v2.cfm?PRRFNBR=39396&CGRFNBR=277&CRPCGNBR=277&CI=1,223,277&TextMode=0) are about 2 lbs these days. Adding 8 ounces is 25%!
But, fair enough. Allow me to rephrase.
The traditional frame design allows for frame stiffness that is not possible without a top (straight or sloping) tube, or a compromise in weight.
The traditional frame design allows for frame stiffness that is not possible without a top tube, or at least a sloping top tube.
If you're going to be puttering around to destinations within a couple of miles, on flat terrain, it doesn't matter much. But if you're looking for good acceleration response, doing long miles, and/or a lot of climbing, it starts to matter.
Perhaps that alleged extra stiffness means something to long distance cyclists and/or self proclaimed Real Serious Road Chyclists. But it doesn't mean poo to anyone else, especially those who are not cycling snobs craving to be like Lance and don't sneer at the thought of puttering around.
Some road frames (http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/productdisplay2_v2.cfm?PRRFNBR=39396&CGRFNBR=277&CRPCGNBR=277&CI=1,223,277&TextMode=0) are about 2 lbs these days. Adding 8 ounces is 25%!
But, fair enough. Allow me to rephrase.
The traditional frame design allows for frame stiffness that is not possible without a top (straight or sloping) tube, or a compromise in weight.
BFD!
MIXTE!!!!
a real mixte is STOUT.
I believe its all about wearing a skirt and cycling. And easy on, easy off maneuvers especially for people who may not be as spry and nimble perfect specimens. Its about offering a product for people besides the über cyclist profile catered to by the bicycling marketeers and LBS owners.
Note: I doubt if women would like bashing into a top tube either.
The skirt thing is definitely a factor for me. I will ride my bike to meetings outside my office, either bike alone or in conjunction with public transit, and it's nice to be able to wear skirts and dresses easily. I can't prove or explain it, but I'm beginning to suspect that wearing skirts and dresses sometimes simmers down the kind of road rage that would otherwise be directed at me for just being there and on a bike.
I also like the step-through in my stop-and-go traffic commute. I haven't had one since I was 12, and I don't think I'd go back to a top tube on an urban commuter. For me, not having to mind the top tube allows me to pay closer attention to traffic and what I'm doing in it. I have already had cause to be grateful for being able to get off easily in an emergency.
It is true that women don't like bashing into a top tube any more than men do. In fact, I've heard of women needing extensive corrective surgery after a bashing accident. :eek:
MIXTE!!!!
a real mixte is STOUT.
There are some really nice ones set up as commuters here in Portland. My coworker and I are keeping our eyes out for a used one for her. The ones that have the rear brakes set up in that space that only mixtes have are especially appealing.
From an article in 'The Capitol Times' 2005:
But perhaps the most disturbing trend in the bicycle industry is the falling sales of kids bikes, including BMX, freestyle and 24-inch wheel bikes. Those bikes have gone from 24 percent of sales in 2003 to 18.8 percent last year.
With less kids riding bikes, those who do give it a try later in life, will not have the skills that we developed when we were five or six years old.
MIXTE!!!!
a real mixte is STOUT.
Mixte bikes are also an excellent practical design but alas not The Racer's Edge or The Trendy Boy's Fave. How many have you seen offered lately by North American bicycle distributers, marketeers, or sales outlets?
i can only think of two, and they are definetly NOT mainstream....the Koga-Miyata has a couple of TRUE MIXTE framesets built into bikes, AND the fellas at a couple of custom shops make a nice mixte with the triple tubes setup.... forgetting the makers.....
yeah. i agree, I-L-T-B, the trend in american bike products is NOT practicality, functionality, or general bike use by average folks just interested in moving around by bike.....
Joe Breeze, hes' got a little sumptin sumptin going on with the Breezer bikes, and the fellas at Electra, too.
mainstream, passing muster from the 'racer's edge' wannabees, hardly. popular with the average folks that buy bikes at the bike shop i work at, yes. i see many happy customers roll out with a Breezer or an Electra....... we pimp a LOT of baskets.....
interesting bike stats - in the 1970's bike boom, adult '10 speed' drop bar bikes were eclipsed by the Schwinn Stingray and kids bikes so that by 1979, kids bikes made up over 70 percent of bikes sold in the USA, if i read Brian Burdos' book "The Dancing Chain- the development of the derailuer bicycle" correctly...... and now, it looks like bicycling for kids has been largely shelved by the parents of america, if those disturbing stats about kids bikes are accurate...
back in the 70s it seems like the parents bike boom was transferred to the kids, and today, road rage and driving fast cars on overtaxed, congested streets is passed down like it were birthright.....
my wife's bike is a japanese-made 3-speed mixte I found at a thrift store. she likes it.
Returning to the original topic, I was thinking on our ride in today that one positive development is the Trail-A-Bike. It allows children, even those who are not yet able to stay upright on a bike by themselves, to be exposed to traffic riding, stoplights, stopsigns, lane positioning, and defensive driving in general. Someone in front of us ran a red light, and I took the opportunity of explaining that that was the reason why we always scan for traffic at intersections, even when we have right of way.
Paul
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