Safety Starts Here, By Scott Bumpus

Safety Starts Here! By Scott Bumpus There is nothing more important than your child's safety and there are important steps you can take to make sure you and your kids are always safe on the bikes before even getting on the bike. Helmet Safety Check: 1. Check the condition of the helmet. Is you or your child's bicycle helmet over 3 years old? Are there cracks in the foam? Is it visibly dented or has it ever taken an impact? If you answered yes to any of those questions, the helmet should be replaced. 2. Check the fit of the helmet. The helmet should fit sort of like a baseball cap. The front should come down far enough to protect the forehead from an impact and not sit high on the head. If it sits high on the head it is probably a little small. Also, the most common problem I see with ill fitting or poorly adjusted helmets is when they are sitting way off the back of the child's head (and parents too), When this happens, the likelihood of the helmet protecting you or your child’s head from an impact are greatly reduced. The helmets that we put on your kids here, all have easily adjustable retention systems that ensure a proper fit and are available in multiple sizes to ensure the kids are as safe as possible. To fit the helmet properly, we recommend loosening both buckles under the ears and remove the strap from the chin buckle half way so it can move easily along the chinstrap for adjustment. The next step is to get those buckles right under the ears adjusted so the helmet sits properly on the head. Once you have it level you can tighten the buckles under the ears and then tightening the chin buckle but not too tight. If you do not feel confident setting up the helmets you can come down and we will check and adjust your helmet any time for free. Bicycle Safety Check: You can take a few simple steps to make sure that your child's bike, and yours, is working properly and safe to ride in just a few minutes. You do not have to be a mechanic to quickly check a few things. It is important to remember that while we have tons of fun on our bikes, they are not toys and they should be maintained properly so we get the most out of them and everyone is safe out there. 1: Check Your Tires. Are there any bare spots or threads showing on the tires? Do you see cracks all over the tires? Are the tires properly inflated? If there are bald spots and threads showing or the tires are all cracked, they should probably get new tires to prevent a blowout. If the tires are low, pump them up to the recommended pressure (stamped on the tire) using a bicycle pump with a pressure gauge. 2.Check The Wheels: If the wheels have quick release levers on them, make sure they are tight and properly installed. Quick release levers have the words Open and Closed stamped on them. When it reads "Open" the wheel can fall out. Look to see that you can read the word "closed" on the lever to make sure it is safe to ride. On the wheels, just grab the wheel and try to wiggle it back and forth, if the wheels are installed properly on the bike, but something still feels loose, you should bring it to the shop because something could be wrong with the wheels and we can quickly tell you if you bring it by. 3. Check The Brakes: Your child's safety depends a lot on how fast they can come to a stop. Pull on the brake levers. Are they easy to pull? Could your child pull it easily enough to stop in an instant? Do they pull smoothly, easily and evenly? (on bikes with 2 hand brakes). If not, you may need to lubricate the brake cables or replace the cable and the housing that they travel through. Also, look at the brake pads to make sure there is plenty of rubber left on them. If not, they should probably be replaced. If you pull the brake and the lever comes all the way to the bar, your pads or your cables need some attention. You can bring the bike by any time and we can tell you if it is safe or not. 4: Check The Chain and Gears; is the chain rusty? Is there a lot of grime and dirt in the gears? The bike depends on having a clean drivetrain to pedal easily and without resistance. A clean and properly lubricated drivetrain will ensure less wear and tear on the bike and a better pedaling experience. An improperly maintained drivetrain can lead to missed shifts and likelihood of chain derailment and possible crashes. Do NOT use WD-40 or anything like it on your chain. It is a solvent. We recommend a bicycle specific lubes that are available right at the shop where we can show you how to apply it properly so you get the most out of your bike. 5: Drive Carefully! Think about how distracted people are when trying to drive our cars, answer cell phones and everything else going on in the car. If you look down for just a second, you have the potential for colliding with a cyclist, including kids on bikes. We have very narrow streets with lots of turns and poor site lines. If we all give ourselves a little more time to get where we are going and drive through town a little slower, everyone's safety would improve exponentially. These are just a few of the things you can do to make sure you and your children have a safe and fun summer on the bike. Seaside Cycle has been servicing the community here for over 40 years and we feel like we are part of the community. We support the Manchester Bike Rodeo helping to keep the kids safe on the bikes, doing free clinics for the cub scouts about bike maintenance, and supporting bike to school week with bike donations to encourage kids to bike to school. If you would like us to present to your group send us an email. A lot of thought has gone into the bikes we carry as well. Trek Bicycles Corp. Owner John Burke, Specialized Bicycles Owner, Mike Sinyard, and Gary Fisher of Gary Fisher Bikes, are all huge advocates for biking and for children's health on a grand scale. They lobby congress for funding on behalf of cyclists, rails to trails programs, and Trips for Kids (a non profit program) there will be more info on the advocacy efforts on Seasidecycle.com soon. Even the companies we buy replacement parts from for your bikes are contributing to advocacy for all of us. Our community here is just part of a vibrant and incredible cycling community that is truly worldwide. Exclusively for EI readers: 25.00 $ off manufacturers advertised price on any bike on trekbikes.com or specialized.com. (Father’s Day Gift Idea!) 5 $ off any helmet for the kids. free safety check any time. Scott Bumpus and wife Debbie are the owners of Seaside Cycle, 23 Elm Street, Manchester. Seaside Cycle Inc. 23 Elm Street Manchester 978-526-1200 www.seasidecycle.com bumpus@seasidecycle.com