Basic Bike Safety

Bicycle safety is a very important consideration when riding. People ride bikes for many reasons including recreation and relaxation, commuting, for exercise, muscle toning, weight loss, charity bike-a-thons, wine tours, bicycle races and many more!

Riding a bike can be such a rewarding experience, but proper bicycle safety is vital. I want to discuss all aspects of bicycle safety, as well as how it applies to different aspects of your bicycle riding.

A person who wears a protective helmet to guard their head knows how important it is when you are riding a bike. It is easy to injure your head or brain if you are involved in a bicycle accident, fall off of your bike, or lose your balance while riding. By wearing a protective helmet, you are taking steps in the right direction to guard your head and brain from possible injury due to accident, and helping to minimise any injury that should occur. Some examples of when a protective helmet is absolutely necessary include when a child rides a bike, when an inexperienced cyclist rides a bike, bike-a-thons, bike races and mountain biking. In fact, any time you are on a bike should see you wearing a helmet.

Knowing you are protected can boost your confidence level, and make your bike riding experience more enjoyable.

In addition to wearing a protective helmet, there are instances when you may also want to wear protective pads when riding a bicycle. For example, when a child is first learning to ride a bike, they will often take spills. In order to prevent knee and elbow abrasions, there are knee and elbow pads available to wear while learning. Also, gloves play an important part in injury prevention, as the hands are the first things to hit the road when you go down. Gloves can also have padding in the palm, thus reducing pressure on your hands and allowing you to ride longer without getting sore. This protective gear plays a very important role in bicycle safety;  its not just for beginners, but for everyone who rides.

During bike races it can be important to not only wear a protective helmet, but to also wear protective padding available for adult cyclists. Very often during bike races, cyclists will be involved in accidents and sustain injury. By wearing protective elbow and knee pads, the rider is decreasing his or her chance of serious injury when this happens.

No matter what reason you are drawn to get on a bike, knowing proper bicycle safety can help prevent serious injury. Accidents can happen at any time, and wearing the proper safety gear can help protect you. Any time a person rides a bicycle should lead them to consider wearing all of the proper protective and safety gear. In addition to this, they should also perform basic bicycle maintenance and keep their bicycle adjusted correctly. An online bicycle repair course is a great way to get instruction on this.