Month: September 2021

Trusty Bicycle

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Trusty Bicycle
As I peer outside my kitchen window
I see my trusty bicycle
The one as I used as a child
Its rust glistens in the summer sun’s
hot reflection

 

It has been on so many adventures
Down so many winding roads
Anticipating life’s next twist
and turn
its next curve ball
It has been through so much
its tires worn and gears quite squeaky
But through it all
My trusty bicycle never left my side
Traveling the roads only an adventurous
mind dare seek
Climbed the highest peaks
My trusty bicycle
My lifeline…

Night Time Bicycle Rider Safety: Drivers, Turn Off Those High Beams!

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During the summer months I like to take my bicycle out for a ride at night. While one reason may be exercise the other reason is less obvious unless you have been through a hot and sticky summer in the Mid-Atlantic. While the humidity may not drop significantly at night the temperatures are slightly cooler. One thing that worries me though is that if I ride out past a town's limits where there are no streetlights cars often react in exactly the wrong way.

Partly this is my fault. I am not doing one important thing I should be for safety and that is attaching a headlight to my bicycle, but however there are reflectors on the bike and if I tend not to wear dark colors while riding out after sunset. However, the reaction of cars is often surprises me.

The first mistake they often make when seeing me …

Best 5 Bicycle Safety Books for Preschoolers

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With the warmer weather fast approaching, there has never been a better time to teach your preschoolers about bicycle safety. I have found that one great way to do that is to incorporate books about the subject into your story times. If you do decide to go that route, here are a few worth considering:

“Franklin’s Bicycle Helmet”

Paulette Bourgeois’ book “Franklin’s Bicycle Helmet” is one that I would definitely recommend. Most preschoolers will recognize Franklin, which should help to retain their interest. Its storyline focuses on the importance of staying safe and wearing a helmet while bike riding. It also touches upon issues related to peer pressure. A valuable lesson plan that may be used with the book is available on the Capital Health website. I like the plan because it addresses how to properly wear a helmet and contains role playing exercises. You can also find a cute …

Davis, California, Bicycle Capital of the U.S.: Where Does Your Community Stand?

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Davis, California – the American city which fell in love with the bicycle | Cities | The GuardianAre you aware that May is National Bike Month? Bicycle enthusiasts all over the United States will be attending events throughout the month to celebrate this four-week holiday. From bike shops to bicyclist advocate groups to environmentally conscious organizations, groups with an intense interest in promoting the act of riding a bike will use this holiday designation as a prime motivation to meet other enthusiasts and to spread awareness about various benefits of the hobby to those who may otherwise never even consider them. It is an opportunity to honor and inspire those who already ride to become more involved and to encourage people who don’t ride a bike to understand why perhaps they should.

There are many groups in this country who spend the majority of their work’s focus on advocating for the regular use of bicycles as leisure tools and modes of transportation; many of them are using …

Next Bike Wants Your Next Bicycle Rental to Be with Them

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When German Baron Karl von Drais came up with the idea of, and then invented, his "hobby horse" in the early 19th Century, his aim was to help cut down starvation and death of horses caused by crop failure. So, he made a wooden-framed, gliding machine to "get around a little quicker." Great idea!

Drais promoted his invention, originally named the Laufmaschine, during his first ride from Mannheim on June 12, 1817, by covering 13 kilometers in less than an hour. The machine was used by pushing one's feet against the ground, then rolling both one's body as well as the device forward in an assimilation of gliding walk.

Initial manufacturing began in Germany as well as France. Then the Chinese took interest. Technological enhancements occurred after pedals were applied directly to the front wheel of the two-wheeled riding machine in 1865 which brought on the full introduction to …