HEALTHY FAMILY
The Basics of Bike Safety
Brush up on these bicycling essentials for kids
BY ALEX KRUTCHIK
W armer temperatures and sunny
skies encourage many families
to take to the streets and side-
walks to ride their bikes. Biking through the
neighborhood is one of the simplest ways to
entertain oneself and stay in shape.

But biking can also bring about a few risks,
especially for first-time riders. According to
the National Safety Council Injury Facts,
individuals 19 years and younger are most at
risk of suffering a cycling injury. In its most
recent report in 2019, 112,900 individuals
younger than age 19 were injured while rid-
ing a bike.

Jessi West, executive director at Neigh-
borhood Bike Works in Philadelphia, says
that wearing a helmet comes first when get-
ting ready to go on a ride.

“We always tell our kids that it is vitally
important for them to protect their brains,”
West says. “And that is why we wear helmets.

We are often biking with kids on hard sur-
faces that can cause injuries that can affect
them for the rest of their lives.”
26 Washington FAMILY MAY 2022
An instructor with a group of children works with youth at a Pedalheads’ camp.

coordination aspect of it is less challenging,
West says that this type of bike acts as “a
stepping stone” for kids. She adds that this
approach could work better than learning
with training wheels.

“It teaches them a balance that learn-
ing to ride with training wheels actually
doesn’t,” West says. “The training wheels
help do the balance for you, whereas a bal-
anced bike teaches them to balance with
their bodies.”
Parents can also incorporate games and
challenges into their children’s riding les-
sons, Chan says. Moms and dads can draw a
chalk line on the ground that goes in differ-
ent directions for children or have them ride
toward a fixed point, such as a lightpost.

“Just keep it not too serious or too out-
comes driven,” Chan says. “Parents should
encourage and help them along as they’re
developing these first skills.”
What’s the best age to teach kids to
ride bikes?
Chan says that while every child is different,
Pedalheads starts teaching kids as young as
2 years old. Besides balancing, Chan says
that the big skill that children learn at first is
the pedaling motion.

Although children may learn balance
and pedaling, Chan calls attention to a
few benchmarks to look for when deciding
whether kids are ready to ride near roads.

“If they are riding on the road, it would be
good to have skills like being able to ride close
to the curb without bumping it, being able
to follow or be followed by a parent behind
them without swaying back and forth, know-
ing their hand signals and knowing the signs
that are on the road,” Chan says.

Most states, including Maryland and Vir-
ginia, require cars to give at least 3 feet of
space when sharing the road.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PEDALHEADS
What are some best practices
for bicycling?
Mike Chan, marketing manager with Pedal-
heads in Washington, says that keeping
things fun and upbeat is one of the keys
when teaching a young biker.

One tip he offers is to let the biker’s feet
touch the ground, rather than pedaling
as normal.

“If you feel that heel and the base are
touching the ground, that’s actually what you
want,” Chan says. “A lot of times, feet can be
a little bit too high when sitting on the bike,
as bikes can be a little bit too big. It makes it
more challenging for children to learn when
they’re first learning how to ride.”
West says that many parents find that
using a balanced bike first will help their
kids. A balanced bike is essentially a child-
sized bike without pedals, a design which
forces the rider to push with the feet. This
design allows kids to establish the bal-
ance that’s essential for biking. Because the



HEALTHY FAMILY
NEIGHBORHOOD BIKE WORKS
While some more experienced cyclists
enjoy the challenge of biking in the rain,
snow or other elements, West recommends
children avoid slippery conditions alto-
gether, especially when the rain first begins.

West says this period is the most dangerous
time because that’s when the oil or the gaso-
line left on the road mixes with the rain and
causes the road to become more slippery.

Follow the ABCs of bike safety
When this situation happens, she recom-
mends sticking to the side of the road where
less gasoline or oil is present.

Once children are finally ready to go on a
ride, West says they should go through the
“ABC bike safety check.” The ABC acronym
stands for air, breaks and chain.

“Before you go out bike riding, you should
check to make sure that you have enough air
in your tires, check your brakes to make sure
that they’re functioning and take a look at
your chain and make sure that it’s cleaned
and lubricated,” West says. “You should also
rotate your wheels a few times to make sure
Young riders take to their bikes with Neighborhood Bike Works.

that the chain is working properly.” T
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