It's Bike Safety Week and it's naturally a good time to take a few minutes to step back to think about some things that will help you stay safe on your bike. Yawn, you've heard this before. No, these might actually be new to you. Please read on.
At the Studio, you'll find a flyer on our community table created by the Bicycle Advisory Committee of Lexington. It describes the various markings on the road for cyclists and cars so everyone is where they should be. Follow the rules when driving a car and a bike, it helps ensure everyone has a pleasant trip.
Are you aware that if you're riding at night you must have a white headlight, red taillight as well as pedal or ankle reflectors? Also, motorists are required to slow down when passing bicyclists and pedestrians. Spend time reading through the flyer with your family.
We enjoy all of the bike traffic that we get at the Studio. Do be sure that when you come and go to not ride on the sidewalks, try to keep them clear of bicycles for pedestrians to pass and if you want to cross the street, walk your bike and use the crosswalk. It's just at the end of the driveway (very near to our front door) and cars are expected to stop for any pedestrians there. Naturally, it's never safe to assume a car will stop so still watch for cars.
It's vitally important for everyone to wear a helmet. 
Law states that cyclists 16 years old and younger wear an approved helmet. Law or not, we know too many people who have said that their lives were saved because they were wearing a helmet.
No matter what kind of bike that you ride, it's very important to have it checked for safety. We have a safety inspection included with our tune-ups. Are the brake cables fraying? Do you have dry rot on your tire? These are just some of the things to look for and are really important to catch early. When a bike tire blows out, especially if it's the front tire, the cyclist will likely lose control of the bike.
Something that may make sense but isn't good to do is constantly tighten the bolts on your bike. Each bolt should be tightened down to its tension requirement and left that way. It's good to periodically see if bolts 
have loosened, but continually tightening them ends up stretching them, eventually causing failure and possibly a bad accident.
Wear sunglasses or some sort of eye protection. If you're cruising along and something flies in your eye, it'll be impossible to see for a moment and that could be the difference between seeing a pothole or not.
We have hundreds of small tips to help you have the best experience on a bike possible, never hesitate to ask us anything about bikes or riding (or coffee!). We'll be offering flat-tire changing clinics this spring and summer, let us know if you're interested in receiving notification when they're added to our calendar.