Bike Education Archives • Bike SLO County

Bike-Build-A-Thon

08/22/2017/in Bike Education, Events /by coalition2001

We’re excited to announce the upcoming Bike-Build-A-Thon on Wednesday August 23rd at Foothill Cyclery in SLO. Wondering what a Bike-Build-A-Thon is? Read on!

What’s the Bike-Build-A-Thon?

During the Bike-Build-A-Thon bicycle mechanics from Foothill Cyclery and Bike SLO County’s Bike Kitchen will assemble 30 kids’ bikes that will be Bike SLO County’s Fleet of Bikes to teach elementary school kids all over SLO County how to ride safe and smart. At 2 PM there will be remarks from representatives of Bike SLO County, Trek & Foothill Cyclery followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony to “christen” the new fleet.

Why have a fleet of bikes?

Bike SLO County is working with SLO Regional Rideshare’s Safe Routes to School program to provide inclusive classroom and on-bike safety and skills education to elementary school children throughout SLO County over a three-year pilot program. In our experience there are children who can’t afford bikes and therefore can’t participate in on-bike education opportunities. The bike fleet allows every child the chance to experience the joys of riding at an early age.

Where do the bikes come from?

To fill the need for a fleet of bicycles, Bike SLO County reached out to Trek Bicycle and local Trek dealer Foothill Cyclery, who agreed to help make the bike fleet a reality by providing 30 kids’ bikes at a steep discount. To raise the balance of the cost, Bike SLO County started a GoFundMe campaign on August 15th to cover the remainder of the cost of the bike fleet and has already raised $1,055 of their $4,650 goal. People wishing to contribute can learn more at https://www.gofundme.com/SLO-County-Bike-Fleet

What: Bike-Build-A-Thon

Where: Foothill Cyclery: 767 Foothill Blvd B, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

When: Wednesday August 23, 2017. Noon-2 Pm with ribbon-cutting ceremony shortly after 2 PM

Questions? steve@bikeslocounty.org

SLO Bike Rodeo

09/10/2015/in Bike Education, Events /by coalition2001

Back in the Saddle: SLO BIKE RODEO

The City of San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Department once again will partner with the SLO Police Department to host their annual Bike Rodeo. The Bike Rodeo promotes the joy of riding with an emphasis on safety education.

Children from age 4-14 are instructed in bike safety techniques before taking a ride through our “Safety Town” learning and practice course. Bike tune-ups are also conducted by local bike shop mechanics and helmets are checked for proper fit.

Join the Bike Safety Parade around Hawthorne School during the event, allowing participants to put their safety skills into action. End the day with a BMX stunt show and prize giveaway. Goody bags and lunch are provided to each participant.

Please remember that each child will need a bicycle, helmet and a signed Permission Slip (available at the Bike Rodeo) signed by guardian or parent.

Ready to Bike Atascadero?

04/01/2015/in Bike Education /by coalition2001

Do you want to ride your bicycle more in Atascadero? With your kids to the park? For a quick trip to the store? To a coffee shop with friends? You may want to, but does riding your bike in traffic make you nervous?

Road Skills 101: Bike Atascadero is the course for you! This free class is for adults of all levels who want to improve their bike skills and learn how to ride safely and confidently with traffic. Workshops are taught by Atascadero-local certified instructors and include both in-classroom and on-the-road portions.

This class meets on Saturday, April 11th from 8 am – Noon at K-Man Cycle And Run, located at 9530 El Camino Real, Atascadero, 93422.

Want to attend? Space is limited so please sign up here: https://slobikelane.wufoo.com/forms/road-skills-101-bike-atascadero/

Women’s Road Skills Class

03/24/2015/in Bike Education /by coalition2001

Women’s Road Skills – For Women – Taught by Women

Sometimes women face different obstacles when choosing to ride a bicycle for fun or transportation – this workshop seeks to remove these barriers and help you feel confident on our roadways.

We’ll provide an introduction to the basic rules of the road, laws that apply to bicycles, techniques to increase predictability and visibility, common misconceptions about bicycle riding and a review of local intersections and how to approach them. We’ll practice bicycle handling skills, then go on the road to ride, with an emphasis on predictability and visibility with all road users. Afterwards we’ll stop for a post-ride review and to listen to your reflections.

This class, originally scheduled for March 2015, has been postponed until May 16th. Due to the low response rate we’ve decided to wait until Bike Month and offer it then. Stay tuned for more info!

E-Bike Retrofit Workshop

10/07/2014/in Bike Education /by coalition2001

We’re happy to announce that Doug Snyder of California E-Bike will guest host our first ever E-Bike Retrofit Workshop, at The Bike Kitchen in SLO on Wednesday October 29th from 5:30 – 9:00 PM. Doug will be installing a Bafang 750w crank-drive power assist motor, controller and battery on the bicycle we use to haul the Bicycle Coalition’s 400-pound bike valet set-up. This will make moving the Valet bike racks and the rest of the Valet equipment around SLO a lot easier!

According to Doug, “Bosch and Shimano now make crank-drive e-bike motors but Bafang has the advantage of being a retrofit. Crank-drives are a big improvement over hub drives as they integrate the bike’s transmission into the drive train.”

This workshop will cost $5.00 and is open to the first 15 people who sign up. We’ll open the Bike Kitchen at 5:30 PM for complimentary pizza and soft drinks, then begin the demo which runs from 6 PM – 9 PM.

Sign up right here or by going to: https://bit.ly/sloebikeworkshop

3 Feet for Safety Law goes live!

09/17/2014/in Advocacy, Bike Education, Events, Safety /by coalition2001

On September 16th The San Luis Obispo Bicycle Coalition held an event to inform the press and general public about California’s new bicycle-passing law, “Three Feet for Safety”. The law states that motorists must maintain a distance of at least three feet when passing a bicyclist.

California joins 24 other states with similar laws. According to Dan Rivoire, Executive Director of The SLO County Bicycle Coalition, “Bicyclists have a legal right to be on the road in California, even on streets that don’t have bike lanes. More and more people of all ages are discovering that bicycles are an easy, healthy, economical and fun way to get around, especially for short trips. Bike riders are vulnerable when motorists pass too closely. This new law is a reminder that sometimes motorists will need to slow down and wait to pass a bicyclist until it is safe to do so.”

Helping Rivoire spread the word were members of the San Luis Obispo Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. After officers discussed the law with local media, a SLOPD patrol car demonstrated the correct distance to give to bikes by driving past Vanessa Amerson, the Bicycle Coalition’s Interim Education Director, as she rode her bike down Pacific Street in front of Bicycle Coalition headquarters in San Luis Obispo.

Some things to remember:

To help estimate what three feet is, motorists can think of how much room they give when parking in order to fully open their door without hitting another parked car or a wall.
The law applies on all roads: those with bike lanes as well as those with no bike lane.

If you would like more information or have questions about the new law, please contact the Bicycle Coalition at 805-547-2055.

April Bike Ed Workshops

04/07/2014/in Bike Education /by coalition2001

Whether you’re new to bicycles or just haven’t ridden in a while, our public workshops are a great way to get comfortable on a bicycle and will help you ride more in the future.

Our workshops teach smart and safe riding skills to people of all ages and are 100% FREE!

Our In Classroom Workshops teach bicycle laws, debunk common myths and give you the tools you need to feel safe on your bicycle. Once you’ve attended an In Classroom Workshop, follow it up with a Saturday On The Road Workshop to practice your newly learned skills during a group ride.

April Bike Ed Workshops:

Monday April 21, 6 pm – 8 pm Bike Ed Workshop (In Classroom)
Saturday April 26, 9 am – 11 am Bike Ed Workshop: On The Road

Added bonus: All Workshop participants receive a free bicycle bell!

(NOTE: You must take the IN CLASSROOM workshop before taking one of our ON THE ROAD workshops. A bicycle and helmet are required to participate in ON THE ROAD workshops.)

Sign up for a workshop today!

Sharpen Your Bike Smarts This March!

03/03/2014/in Bike Education, Events /by coalition2001

If your New Year’s resolution is to ride your bike more, we have just the thing for you – our free Bike Ed Workshops! Our March workshops are the perfect time for you to learn the sharpen your bike smarts and rock the road on your bike.

Monday March 10, 2014
Monday March 17, 2014 (Women’s Only)

We are experts at getting you comfortable on a bike, and want to help you ride more in the future. We teach laws, debunk common myths, and give you the smarts you need to feel confident on the road. Did we mention the workshops are free?!

New in 2014 – receive a bell for joining us!

Sign up now on our Bike Education page.

Classroom workshops are held every 3rd Monday from 6:00 – 8:00 in our downtown SLO headquarters. On the Road workshops are held that same Saturday and require attendance of an In Classroom workshop to participate.