League Cycling Instructors Jim Tasse (Bicycle Coalition of Maine's Education Director), Erik West (GO MAINE's Bicycle Commuter Education Program Director) and John Brooking (Bike Commuting Meetup Lead Organizer) will lead this two-evening free course, Bicycling Basics, designed for adults who would like to get more into bicycling but are unsure of themselves on the bike and in traffic. Each evening of this two-day course, May 11-12, will begin at 5 PM, start with an hour or so of classroom discussion, followed by an hour or so of on-bike training.

Day 1 classroom discussion will provide basic terminology, bike fitting, the "ABC Quick" bike safety check, helmet use, and dressing for riding. After that, it's off to the parking lot to cover basic riding skills like effective starting and stopping, shifting, riding in a straight line, the shoulder check, and signaling.

Day 2 classroom discussion begins with maintenance issues like identifying problems with brakes, quick releases, and bearings, and basic preventative maintenance. We will then switch to the basics of safe street riding, with a review of the rules of the road, lane positioning for cyclists, negotiating intersections, and what to know about bike lanes. On the bikes, we will demonstrate some emergency maneuvers such as the quick stop (without going over the handlebars!), instant turn, and rock dodge, and finish up with a short street ride in which to practice the rules of the road.

Much of the safety content we will be presenting may also be found in John S. Allen's booklet "Bicycling Street Smarts", available online here. Another practical guide is "How to Not Get Hit by Cars".

Participants will benefit most from the course if they attend both nights, with their bicycle. However, if you can't make both nights, please feel free to attend the one you can. Helmets are required.

Guests are encouraged! If you would like to attend but are not a member of this Meetup, you may RSVP by emailing John.