Big Foot's Bike Safety Theory and Practice Lesson

A gentleman from Bigfoot called J.S came to our school and taught a theory lesson on bike safety. The first thing we learned about was what you have to wear to keep yourself safe. We started from bottom upwards. First we looked at our feet, the best thing to wear on your feet is closed shoes, always remember to triple loop or double loop your laces, then tuck them in your shoes. Next we looked at what kind of clothing we should wear on our legs. J.S asked us “What would you wear when cycling?” “Shorts, nothing baggy, no skirts or nothing loose or tight.” we replied. Next we looked at our upper body, near our chest. The best thing to wear on your upper body is a bright coloured t-shirt, reflective gear so you can stand out to motorists. Slap bands are also good gear for safety we learnt.

Next we looked at the bike he brought in. The first thing on the bike we looked at were the brakes. The main thing about brakes is to make sure they work. To check them just push your bike a little forward then hit your right brake for the front wheel, if your back wheel flies up then your front wheel works. To check the back wheel brake, pull your bike back and hit your left brake, if your front wheel comes up then it works. We moved on to the wheels next. The main point about your wheels is the tread. Treads help with the grip on your wheel. If the tread on your wheels are smooth then it probably is good to get new wheels. There are two more points on your bike wheels that you should be aware of. Always check your spokes. If your spokes are wobbly then its best to take your bike to the bike shop to be repaired. The last point was the bolts. Always make sure the bolts on your bike are tight so your wheels don't fall off. Through the session we carried onto the quick release lever. We learnt that we should always make sure the quick release lever is on close not open. If it is on open then your wheel will rattle and fall off.

Finally we were up to our helmet. J.S showed us about how to fit our helmet and adjust it correctly. An important lesson we all learnt at the session is that the helmet is a very strong protector of your head. I personally think that too.

Later on we had a practical lesson on bike safety and rode our bikes safely using all the knowledge we gained at the theory lesson session. We are now more aware of how to bike safely.