Welcome. We're your premier source for fun places to explore by bicycle or on foot. Offering guides, maps and articles on road and trail riding for the novice to seasoned cyclist - helping you find your #NextBikeAdventure
Happy Sunday, this week’s bike pic features an enthusiastic cyclist enjoying a tasty treat at her favorite rest stop. Enjoy!
So, get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking destinations. And now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.
Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic
Now rolling through our 19th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, we aim to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places you can ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.
Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Please Include a brief caption for the image, who shot it, and where. Photo(s) sent to us should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.
As we continue encouraging more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure. Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile-friendly, as we enter our 14th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.
Bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.
Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!
Don’t let poor weather conditions stop you from biking. Cycling is one of the healthiest forms of exercise, and when appropriately planned, it can be a great activity year-round! With spring around the corner, here are some tips for staying safe. Especially when Mother Nature throws a wrench in your plans on that next bike adventure.
Inclement weather and the rain
Lighten up
Stay visible by using both headlights and taillight and wearing clothes motorists can see.
Visibility is the key, along with staying dry. It is harder for motorists and pedestrians to see you when it’s raining out. You can wear a reflective and fluorescent vest to stand out and attach reflectors to both your bicycle and helmet (which you should always wear!). Flashing lights on the front of your bike and your saddle are also very eye-catching in the rain.
Driving your bike on brick, metal, or wood surfaces becomes very slippery when wet. Try to avoid traveling over these surfaces when raining. If you must ride on these smooth exteriors, do so without turning your handlebars to prevent skidding and slow down.
Dress for the temperature
In inclement weather, when cycling, wear a light wicking layer under your rain gear and have a dry layer tucked away if you become wet.
It is tempting to bundle up with multiple layers when you’re cycling in the rain with the hopes of preventing the water from soaking through your clothing to you. Unfortunately, what will probably happen, all your layers will become wet from sweat, and you’ll be stuck wearing multiple layers of wet clothing. When it’s raining out, dress according to the temperature outside, not the volume of rain. If you don’t have any waterproof clothing, a very thin poncho or large trash bag with holes for arms and head to slip through can do wonders.
Inclement weather and the snow
Bikes with low tire pressure offer more stability on slippery roads. Adding studs to the tires of the bike adds more control.
Slow down—it’ll take twice as long to stop in the snow than in clear conditions. When approaching stop signs or intersections, give yourself plenty of room to prevent and avoid skidding.
Use fenders—when you put fenders on your bicycle, you not only stop snow from splashing all over yourself and your bike but also keep your cycling neighbors day. A win-win!
Use an old mountain bike—fat tire bicycles are great, especially when it snows or is icy. If you have an old mountain bike gathering dust in your garage, it’s often an excellent and cost-effective way to get outside when you don’t want to use your regular bike. You can also buy winter bike tires with studs if you’re so inclined.
Wet weather and the heat
In hot weather, stay hydrated by taking a few sips of water every couple of miles.
Get acclimated, mainly if you are used to going 15-mile, and the temperature suddenly jumps up into the 90s. Add higher humidity to the equation, and it’s not safe to expect to take the same route in the same timeframe. It can take weeks to get used to cycling at high temperatures, so try taking it easy for a while to get used to the heat.
Stay hydrated—a 150-pound cyclist will need to drink at least one 16-ounce bottle of water per hour. Plus a glass of water about 45 minutes before leaving. If you’re heavier or riding a challenging route, you could need up to four bottles per hour.
Stay loose—you’ll want to wear loose clothing and keep you cool when you’re sweating. Avoid dark colors, but more importantly, avoid something heavy and form-fitting.
This article was created by Personal Injury Help (www.personalinjury-law.com), an organization dedicated to providing the public with information about personal injury and safety information. Nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice, and it is intended for informational use only. Review your local cycling ordinances to ensure you ride safely and legally!
With summer officially here in the next couple days, I hope you have plans to ride with family and friends. As you get your bike ready, before heading out on a group ride it is a good idea to brush up on your local traffic laws. Bicycles are given the same rights and requirements as cars in most municipalities. This becomes even more important as you ride in a group. So drive your bike as if it is a car. Be cognizant of stopping at all traffic lights, stop signs, and crosswalks. Ride with the flow of traffic in a manner that is as safe and predictable as possible.
What to expect on your group ride – Know the rules!
Group rides are typically categorized by speed and distance. If you are joining a ride, investigate the route and ensure that the group will be riding at a speed you can manage. In the case where you are organizing a group ride with friends, it is helpful to share the route and expected speed with all riders beforehand. Additionally, many rides are categorized as “No-Drop” rides. A “No-Drop” ride is one where everyone rides together for the duration of the ride. If a ride is not categorized as “No-Drop” the group is under no expectation to wait for riders who cannot keep up.
As a side note for people putting together their own rides with friends. Try to find riders who are all about the same level of fitness and have similar interests. Similar interests help foster great conversation and similar fitness maintains the group connection.
It’s not a race
The best part of a group ride is the shared experience of rolling through the countryside together. Whereas there are some group rides designed to see who is king of the mountain. But most are designed to use the strengths of a group to add to safety and efficiency. Trying to go at full speed and drop all those around you will only do damage to a great group ride and friendships.
Hold your line
In a group ride, you are responsible for the safety of yourself and those around you. Those around you are also responsible for your safety. Consider the group before You make decisions or change direction. While riding solo, you naturally carve through the apex of a turn to maximize speed and maintain momentum. In a group, you cannot cut the corner like this. You need to offer as much space as the rider to the right or left of you needs to complete the turn.
Ride close
Ride to the right. Two by two.
This is probably the most important tip for riding in a group. Ride two by two, side by side as close to the other riders as you and they feel comfortable with. By riding in this formation, you can be more efficient while still allowing traffic to move seamlessly around you.
Give warning
Unless you are first in line, you can’t see what obstacles may be coming down the road. As the rider up front, it is your responsibility to let the riders behind you know if the group encounters grates, potholes, other riders, pedestrians or automobiles. Usually, a simple hand signal will work, a quick wave of the hand lets riders behind you know what’s happening. As a rider who is following, it is requisite of you to signal to riders behind you the signals you see ahead. You can call out the obstacle but in many cases, the riders behind you may not hear your voice.
Ride confidently and safely
As you ride with a group more and more, natural confidence and comfort will develop. Stay alert, as you become more comfortable in the group it’s possible to lose focus on yourself and those around you. Always remember to pay attention and follow the tips above – drive your bike just like your car.
Here is a course that will help you feel more comfortable and confident riding your bike. Cycling Savvy is returning to the Twin Cities area again this summer with a three-part bicycle safety class. By enrolling in this class you will feel secure going anywhere on your bike safely and confidently.
Bike with Hokan and John Hardy doing a “chalk talk.” Sign up for Cycling Savvy to learn more.
Course structure and content for a safe bike ride
While Cycling Savvy inevitably teaches some of the same essential traffic cycling principles and skills as other cycling courses, it is an entirely new curriculum. From the ground up, it is built upon an understanding of the needs of adult learners. The course addresses the challenges of today’s changing behavior that is strongly rooted in our traffic culture. Much of the content in the Cycling Savvy curriculum is completely original. Traditional content is framed and delivered in unique ways to maximize the learning process. It is a modular course, consisting of three, 3-hour classes, with seasoned certified instructors to help you along the way.
Class I (Train Your Bike!)
This three-hour session is conducted in a parking lot. It consists of a set of progressive drills designed to increase students’ control and comfort handling their bikes in various situations and includes:
Class II (The Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling)
Through guided discussion with video and animation, this three-hour session will familiarizes students with bicycle-specific laws, traffic dynamics and problem-solving strategies. Students discover that bicycle drivers are equal road users, with the right and ability to control their space.
Options for Class II are: Saturday, June 9th; Saturday, July 21st, or Saturday, September 22. Class hours are from 9 a.m. to Noon. Location for this class will be at 110 Union Street S.E., room 107 Minneapolis, MN 55455
Class III (Tour of Minneapolis*) (3.5 hours):
This session is an experiential tour of Minneapolis roads. This 3.5 hour final course includes some of the most intimidating road features (intersections, interchanges, merges, etc.) a cyclist might find in his/her travels. The students travel as a group, stopping to survey and discuss each exercise location. After observing the feature, discussing the traffic dynamics and the best strategy for safe and easy passage, the students ride through individually and regroup at a nearby location.
Please note, the Tour of Minneapolis session* above is only available for those who take the full course. The first two sessions may be taken á la carte, in any order.
Options for Class III are: Saturday, June 9th; Saturday July 21 or Saturday September 22. Class hours are from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Location for this final class will also be at 110 Union Street S.E., room 107 Minneapolis, MN 55455.
For more information on driving your bike like you do with a car see Cycle Savvy.org
