THE BASICS
WARNING:
The area in which you ride may require specific safety devices. It
is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the laws of the place you ride
and complies with all applicable laws, including adequately equipping yourself
and your bike as the law requires. Observe all local bicycle laws and
regulations. Observe regulations about bicycle lighting, licensing of bicycles,
riding on sidewalks, laws regulating bike path and trail use, helmet laws, child
carrier laws, special bicycle traffic laws. Again, it's your responsibility to know
and obey the laws.
Always wear a cycling helmet that meets the latest certification standards and
is appropriate for the riding you do. Always follow the helmet manufacturer's
instructions for fit, use, and care of your helmet. Most serious bicycle injuries
involve head injuries which might have been avoided if the rider had worn an
appropriate helmet.
12
WARNING:
Failure to wear a helmet when riding may result in severe injury or
death.
Always do the Mechanical Safety Check before you get on a bike.
Be thoroughly familiar with the controls of your bicycle.
Be careful to keep body parts and other objects away from the sharp teeth of
chain-rings, the moving chain, the turning pedals and cranks, and the spinning
wheels of your bicycle.
Always wear shoes that will stay on your feet and will grip the pedals. Make
sure that shoelaces cannot get into moving parts and never ride barefoot.
Bright, visible clothing that is not so loose can be tangled in the bicycle or
snagged by objects at the side of the road or trail. Protective
eye-wear
protects
against airborne dirt, dust, and bugs - tinted when the sun is bright, evident
Don't jump with your bike. Jumping a bike, particularly a BMX or mountain bike,
can be fun; but it can put huge and unpredictable stress on the bicycle and its
components. Riders who insist on jumping their bikes risk severe damage to their
bicycles as well as to themselves. Read and understand the guidelines before
you attempt to jump, do stunt riding, or race with your bike.
