Urban Cycling Basics Workshop

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Location:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr School, 102 Putnam Ave

Contact:
Jennifer Lawrence, jlawrence@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4671

Bicycle Workshop Schedule

The City of Cambridge is proud to offer bicycle education workshops throughout the year, free to those who work or live in Cambridge.  All classes are lecture-style workshops unless otherwise noted. To register for classes, please email jlawrence@cambridgema.gov or call 617/349-4671. See the bottom of this page for class descriptions. All classes are paid for by the City of Cambridge and every participant receives one free helmet each year.

Tuesday, April 4, 4:30 P. M. to 5:30 P. M.

  • Urban Cycling Basics
  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School, 102 Putnam Ave

Tuesday, April 4, 5:30 P. M. to 6:30 P. M.

  • Riding With Families
  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School, 102 Putnam Ave

Wednesday, April 26, 6:00 P. M. to 7:00 P. M.

  • Urban Cycling and Hubway Basics
  • City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway 
All RSVPs to Jennifer Lawrence, jlawrence@cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4671. 

Bike riders and buses at night along Massachusetts Avenue

Class Descriptions

Bicycle Maintenance Basics

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities,
universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • The anatomy of the bike
  • Removing wheels
  • Fixing flats
  • Chain Maintenance
  • Pre-Ride check
  • Seat height
  • Portable tool kit
  • Keeping your bike healthy with preventative bike maintenance

Beyond Maintenance Basics

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities, universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Basic repair tools
  • Thoroughly cleaning and lubricating your bike
  • Removing both wheels
  • Completely changing a flat tire
  • Pinpointing squeaks and rattles
  • Removing pedals
  • Adjusting front and rear brakes + derailleurs,
  • Dealing with a broken spoke

Winter Cycling Basics

This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Benefits of biking, including better personal health, saved money, environmental benefits, and others
  • Staying at a comfortable temperature no matter what the weather is like
  • Route planning
  • Locking
  • Multi-modal commuting
  • Staying dry and clean
  • Using safety equipment, including helmet, lights, and reflective gear
  • Rules of the Road and staying safe while biking

On-Bike Refresher Course

The Basics of Better Biking class is a four hour class designed for adults who want to get back into bicycling, improve cycling skills, learn to ride more effectively and safely in traffic, and/or participate in a large-scale benefit ride. This four-hour weekend session provides guided instruction with simple practice drills in a parking lot, easy-paced riding on local roadways for short distances, and group-discussion breaks along the way. Topics covered include bike and helmet fitting, starting and stopping your bike in traffic, shifting gears, scanning and yielding, choosing the correct lane position in the road, handling intersections, and more.

Some notes about the class:

  • A bicycle in good working order and a helmet are required.
  • Preregistration is required.
  • This class is intended for participants 18 and older, unless otherwise noted. To register, please contact Jennifer Lawrence, jlawrence@cambridgema.gov.

Riding with Families

  • Options for biking with children, such as front seats, rear seats, front cargo bikes, bike trailers
  • How is biking with kids different than biking solo?
  • How can I bike with my children when there are no routes with bike infrastructure?
  • How young is too young for children to be with parents while biking?
  • What does the law say for children?
  • How is buying bikes for children different from buying bikes for adults?
  • How do I appropriately fit a child to a bicycle?
  • How do I teach children the rules of the road?
  • What is the Safe Routes to School program? 

Rules of the Road

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities,
universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Bike safety statistics
  • Rules of the road
  • Bike-specific laws and legislation
  • Car-specific laws and legislation
  • General safety tips
  • Current legislative efforts
  • Motivation for obeying traffic laws

Hubway Bike Share

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities,
universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Features of the Hubway bike
  • How to dock
  • Route planning
  • Locating Hubway stations
  • Clothing
  • Proper helmet use
  • Rules of the road and safety tips

Urban Cycling Basics

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities,
universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Finding the right kind of bike
  • Route planning
  • Safety equipment, including lights and a helmet
  • Locking properly
  • Transporting small loads or children by bike
  • Multi-modal commuting
  • Rules of the road and safety tips.

For More Information

For more information about bicycle workshops or bicycle education in Cambridge, please contact Jennifer Lawrence, jlawrence@cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4671.