eubi

I council Scouts on Bicycling Merit Badge. Most of them only ride their bikes to school, if they ride at all.

One of the requirements is that they have to keep a log of all the rides they go on. They ride on 2 10's, 2 15's, 2 25's, and a 50. Here is part of the log that I got from a relatively unathletic 11 year old after the last 50 miler. I have his permission to print it here:

It's a great feeling now that I have earned the Bike Merit Badge. I completed the requirements, I rode and rode. In the beginning, I admit, I was not too excited about the idea. After my first ride on my Mongoose bike I knew this was not going to be easy. I used my dad's bike with gears after that and, yeah, which really changed things and made the ride a bit smoother not really easier.

This experience has helped me grow in more than one way. I realize that I can do a lot more than I give myself credit. I have become a bit independant from my parents and completing this ride without them by my side. They were behind me supporting me the entire time, encouraging me and making sure I had my helmet, water and snacks. I learned that it is not a good idea to have a double cheeseburger and fries and a shake when we stopped to eat. A cheeseburger and water would do just fine. I learned the hard way.

Thank you, Mr. Eubi, for the opportunity to learn and push myself to prove to myself that I could really do it. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.

We are starting up a new Bicycling Merit Badge class next weekend. Now let's see if he wants to ride some more!

skiahh

Interesting. Just looked up the requirements for this one. They emphasize ALL legal requirements; how many of us remove all the reflectors? And if you've done that, how do you explain it to the Scout?

Also, it's too bad they haven't updated the merit badge to include mtb or added another to cover it.

Siu Blue Wind

Good for him, Eubi. Seems to me like the kid grew up a little bit. I bet this is something that he will always keep within him.

eubi

Simple: My bicycle is 100% legal.

We go over the hardware requirements as they apply to bicycles when I do tech inspection before the first ride.

But your point is well taken, Skiahh...I did not specifically check for side reflectors at the last tech inspection, and I will do this tonight. Thanks! I'll add it to my tech inspection checklist. I was more concerned that the brakes worked, and making sure all the screws and nuts were tight!

As for mountain biking, you are correct, there is no specific Merit Badge. Any mileage ridden off-road counts toward the mileage required for the merit badge, or any of a number of other cycling awards.

There is a specific training course for mountain biking, available to Venture-aged Scouts (14 and over).

But while we're on the topic, what additional requirements would you add to the Bicycling Merit Badge for a mountain biking Merit Badge?

Dr.Deltron

1) How to do a power-slide instead of a skid.
2) How to ride a wheelie
3) How to do a stoppie
4) How to bunny-hop
5) How to take a jump
6) How to climb a steep hill
7) How to ride off small cliffs

Just attended my first ever Scout meeting yesterday. Court of Honor ceremony actually.
My 13 yr old got 6 new Merit Badges. None for cycling ...yet.
The Troop has several cyclists and some rode a 20 miler to get to the ceremony.
So I asked around and not only did they NOT know any of the above listed skills, they hadn't even heard of the first 3!
So ol' Dr. D is going to change all THAT now! Thanks for posting eubi, I may have to confer with you about being a Cycling Merit Badge sponsor/counselor.

Da Tinker

[QUOTE=skiahh;5150367]Interesting. Just looked up the requirements for this one. They emphasize ALL legal requirements; how many of us remove all the reflectors? QUOTE]

Hang on there. The reflectors mounted on new bikes are not a legal requirement. They are mandated by the US CPSC, since they have mandated that bikes are toys, not vehicles, and under their domain.

Personally, I believe the silly little white reflector on the front of a bike is perhaps the most dangerous bit of 'safety' equipment on the road. Unenlightened riders think they are safe since they have that white reflector.

The cycling merit badge program is a good one. I've taken part in it from both sides now. One gentleman in my LAB LCI class runs the program for the region council.

eubi

Congratulations to your son for a 6 MB COH! Keep that up and he'll be Eagle in no time.

Your list is good, but I would take issue with items 2 and 3. I'm not sure why riding a wheelie would be useful. Educate me. As I think about it, a stoppie would be useful to reduce the panic reflex if one starts to go endo.

If you want to be a MB counselor, great! It's free. Just use an adult signup form and mark your position code as "MB Counselor". You will have to write a short sentence or two explaining why you have more than a passing knowledge of the MB material. You will have to take Merit Badge Counselor training, which is about a hour long and is given at the monthly Round Table meeting (a meeting for the Scouters). At least this is how it works in my Council and District.

I notice you are a skater too. There is a skating MB. I am a counselor for skating MB too, but I sk8 inlines!

As long as your son is in the troop, I would encourage you to sign up as an Assistant Scoutmaster or Committe Member! In my troop, the adults usually have more fun that the Scouts! We feel badly about this, but we get over it quickly.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. I've been in Scouts a loooong time!

chephy

+1. My teaching bicycle (used for CAN-BIKE cycling courses) is 100% legal. It even has reflective tape on forks and seat stays - an idiotic Ontario requirement that nobody ever enforces or, I suspect, even knows about.

Dr.Deltron

Thanks for the congrats! I did sign up for a committe position. This will be one good way to be more involved in my oldests life! (he lives with his Mom)


It's all about how well you can control your bike. Control & balance.
Useful in the uneven and varied terrain of mountain bikes.

#2, a wheelie. The precursor to a bunny hop when standing. Useful for going up or over obstacles.
Think trials riding.
Not the Hans Rey extreme trials, but I feel that you should be able to safely ride off of a picnic table with out damage to you, others or the bike.
(I once passed another rider at a MTN bike race when he stopped to climb down a small drop-off.
I just launched right off it and kept going!)
It's also a show-offy trick that requires precise fine motor skills to maintain. Riding a wheelie as opposed to "pulling" a wheelie, which is a short, unbalanced act. Once you can "ride" a wheelie, the next step is one handed. Like skating, requires keen balance & good control.

#3, the stoppie. Again, control & balance. If you come upon a steep, loose descent, using the rear brake is going to just be a long, fast skid! You have to lean back and use the FRONT brake to maintain a safe speed. And if your front wheel were to find a rut or hole, an endo is almost inevitable. But not guaranteed if you are good at stoppies and front brake control.

'Course I learned all that before suspension on bicycles was anything more than a 60lb Kawasaki bike!
So for me, suspension has taken away some of the finesse needed when off-roading on a rigid mtn bikes.

eubi

OK, after I thought about it, that's the conclusion I came to as to what you meant by "wheelie". You are absolutely correct. A short wheelie, followed by a bunny hop is great for getting over logs, steps, and curbs..I do it all the time...even on my folder.

Reminds me of a triathlon I competed in once. We were all riding road bikes. The last quarter mile was on the drive into a college parking lot. Speed bumps every 50 feet. While all the other competitors lined up to slowly snake past the speed bumps through the gutter, I simply bunny-hopped all the speed bumps to pass about 20 cyclists. Came in third

thumpism 

While digging in the garage for parts for my Marin drop bar conversion I found a box with my old Boy Scout stuff in it, including my merit badge sash. Ancient history; this is from about 55 years ago. Look at that stitching. I never got the Sewing merit badge but I eventually got good enough to repair sewups.

burnthesheep

FWIW they now sell reflective tape in any color you want. You could put black on your wheels, you could put white on a frame, etc....... So, you'd never even really notice if you chose wisely.

IMHO, the side reflectors is fine since it's a "rule"........but I'm a huge advocate for running a good rear blinker in daylight and perhaps a front white blinker on slow/low blink. And obviously at night.

If somebody is looking at you dead on from the side, it's already too late for a side-street pull out or any situation a side reflector would help. They should have seen you before you got there. Seeing you dead on is worthless since the width of headlights is only about 10 to 15 feet left to right at that distance. Meaning, they won't see your reflectors until you're about to get nailed.

themp

That is a really cool story and thanks for being a part of scouting. I have been involved with scouts all my life and next year will be a big transition for scouts as the LDS church leaves and the girls start to become more active in their troops. Because of the LDS leaving, my council has decided to charge $228 dollars a year per scout. I hope scouting can survive all this, but with folks like you it helps a lot.

lostronin

That’s a great story. That scout should get an additional cycling merit badge featuring a double cheeseburger, fries and a shake. It’s all I can do to consume a full water bottle.

Jon T

I too, got the cycling merit badge about 50 years ago.
Jon

katsup

This thread got me curious so I dug up my sash from the 90's and apparently I never earned the cycling merit badge. I probably thought it was too hard back then since I had a department store bike. Times have changed.

bpcyclist

Loved this. Put a smile on my face, which is unfortunately almost impossible to do.

Milton Keynes

[QUOTE=Da Tinker;5153810]I think it depends on the state. In my state, it's a legal requirement to have a red reflector on the rear if you're riding at night. And no bicycle pedals can be sold without having yellow reflectors on them, though there's no requirement to actually ride with reflectors on your pedals. There are no requirements for wheel reflectors or rear lights at all, but just a white light on the front. I think it'd be smart to require a red taillight since being seen from the rear at night is very important, and having a light will increase the range of you being seen than relying on reflectors alone. At any rate it would be smart to emphasize this aspect of personal safety in a Boy Scout program: Taillights may not be required by law, but are a very, very good idea when riding at night.

Quote:

Personally, I believe the silly little white reflector on the front of a bike is perhaps the most dangerous bit of 'safety' equipment on the road. Unenlightened riders think they are safe since they have that white reflector.

I agree totally and think the white front reflector is the most worthless bicycle accessory ever. If you're riding at night, you need a headlight not only to see where you're going and to see possible hazards in the road in front of you, but also to be seen by other traffic and to comply with the law. I can see how it'd give non-savvy riders a false sense of security.

Milton Keynes

Probably an idiotic requirement, but I have put reflective tape on my forks and seat stays just as an added visibility measure. I figured since I do a lot of riding in the dark it can't hurt.

Milton Keynes

That's why I bought a set of wheel lights. They get noticed, and before you pull out into the street.

Lemond1985

Plastidip has glow in the dark colors now.

FiftySix

Old thread for sure, but it does remind me of some bicycling in Boy Scouts with my brother.

Thanks to Boy Scouts, my dad bought me a department store 10 speed (Huffy Santa Fe). He wouldn't have done it at all if is wasn't for Scouts and my short lived bicycle paper route. Should I have bought it myself? Shoot I can't remember if I paid him back or not as I was probably 13 or 14.

Milton Keynes

Neat, but how long does it glow and how long do you have to charge it up?

Milton Keynes

Doh! I didn't realize I was responding to posts from 12 years ago.

burnthesheep

Or we could all ride around with the giant lit-up Zwift "thumbs up" symbols like in the game.