Information AboutBicycling |
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Cycling is a means of Transport , a form of Recreation , and a Sport . The bicycle carries riders across land, through tunnels, over bridges, or, less frequently, over Ice ('' Icebiking ''). Cycling involves riding Bicycle s, Unicycle s, Tricycle s, Quadricycle s and other similar Human Powered Vehicle s (HPVs). INTRODUCTION As a sport, cycling is governed internationally by the Union Cycliste Internationale in Switzerland (for Upright Bicycle s) and by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (for other HPVs, or human-powered vehicles). Cycling for transport and touring is promoted on a European level by the European Cyclists' Federation , with associated members from the USA, Japan and elsewhere. Regular conferences on cycling for transport are held under the auspices of Velo City ; global conferences are coordinated by Velo Mondial {Link without Title} . Equipment See Also: bicycle featuring rear internal hub brake, chaincase and mudguards, kickstand for parking, permanently attached dynamo-powered lamps and upswept handlebars for a more natural grip position.]] World-wide, the vehicle most commonly used for transportation is a Utility Bicycle . These have frames with so-called relaxed geometry, placing the rider further behind the pedals and with a greater curve or angle in the front forks. These factors reduce shocks from the road and make the bicycle easier to steer at low speeds. The most popular types of bicycle in the western world, where cycling for recreation is more common, are Mountain Bike s and Road Bicycle s. The latter tend to have a more upright shape and a shorter wheelbase, which make the bike more mobile but harder to ride slowly. The design, coupled with low or dropped handlebars, requires the rider to bend forward more, which reduces air resistance as speeds increase. The price of a new bicycle in the USA can range from US$50 to more than US$23,000 depending on quality, type and weight (the most exotic road bicycles can weigh as little as 3.55kg (7.8lb) [http://www.light-bikes.com/bikegallery/BikeListing.asp?id=747 ). Being measured for a bike and taking it for a test ride are recommended before buying. The Drivetrain components of the bike should also be considered. A middle grade Dérailleur is sufficient for a beginner, although many utility bikes come equipped with Hub Gear s. If the rider plans a significant amount of hill climbing, a triple- Crank (three chainrings) front Gear System may be preferred. Otherwise, the relatively lighter and less expensive two chainrings may be better. Many road bikes include Clipless Pedal s to which special shoes attach via a Cleat , permitting the rider to pull on the pedals as well as push. Accessories for the bicycle and the cyclist include Lock s, mudguards ( UK )/fenders ( US ), luggage racks and pannier bags, Water Bottle s and Bottle Cage s. For basic maintenance and repairs, cyclists can choose to carry a Pump , a spare inner tube, a CO2 Cartridge , a puncture repair kit and Tyre Levers . Cycling can be more efficient and comfortable with special Shoe s, Gloves , and Shorts . Riding in wet weather can be more tolerable with waterproof clothes, such as cape, jacket, trousers and overshoes. Items legally required in some jurisdictions, or voluntarily adopted for safety reasons, include Bicycle Helmet s, generator or battery operated Lighting , and audible signaling devices such as a bell or horn. Extras include Studded Tires and a Bicycle Computer . Skills See Also: vehicular cycling Learning to ride efficiently and safely in traffic is important. In the United Kingdom , many primary school children take the Cycling Proficiency Test , to help them travel more safely. However, the Cycling Proficiency Test has now been superseded, for children, by 'Bikeability' and the National Standards for Cycle Training. In countries such as the Netherlands, where cycling is popular, cyclists sometimes ride in bike lanes at the side of or separate from, the main highway. Many primary schools participate in the national road test in which children individually complete a circuit on roads near the school while being observed by testers. TYPES OF CYCLING City See Also: utility cycling , Japan .]] Cyclists and motorists make different demands on road design which may lead to conflicts. Some jurisdictions give priority to motorised traffic, for example setting up one-way street systems, free-right turns, high capacity roundabouts, and Slip Roads . Others may apply Traffic Restraint measures to limit the impact of motorised transport. In the former cases, cycling has tended to decline while in the latter it has tended to be maintained. Occasionally, extreme measures against cycling may occur. In Shanghai , where bicycles were once the dominant Mode Of Transport , bicycle travel on a few city roads was banned temporarily in December 2003. In areas in which cycling is popular and encouraged, cycle-parking facilities using Bicycle Rack s, lockable mini-garages, and patrolled cycle parks are used to reduce theft. Local governments promote cycling by permitting the carriage of bicycles on public transport or by providing external attachment devices on public transport vehicles. Conversely, an absence of secure cycle-parking is a recurring complaint by cyclists from cities with low modal share of cycling. Extensive Bicycle Path systems may be found in some cities. Such dedicated paths often have to be shared with in-line skaters, scooters, skateboarders, and pedestrians. Segregating bicycle and automobile traffic in cities has met with mixed success, both in terms of safety and bicycle promotion. At some point the two streams of traffic inevitably intersect, often in a haphazard and congested fashion. Studies have demonstrated that, due to the high incidence of accidents at these sites, such segregated schemes can actually ''increase'' the number of car-bike collisions."Bicycling Life" In the Netherlands bicycle paths are widespread and are (in the cities) not allowed for scooters. Cyclists in the Netherlands are well protected as the law assumes the stronger participant (i.e. the car) guilty party in all accidents involving weaker traffic unless evidence of the opposite is provided. Furthermore, drivers know to expect bikes, which are plentiful and treat traffic rules more as guidelines. Due to these issues the number of car-bike collisions with serious consequences is not alarmingly high in the Netherlands Commercial The Postal Service s of many countries have long relied on bicycles. The British Royal Mail first started using bicycles in 1880; now bicycle delivery fleets include 37,000 in the UK , 25,700 in Germany , 10,500 in Hungary and 7000 in Sweden . The London Ambulance Service has recently introduced bicycling paramedics, who can often get to the scene of an incident in Central London more quickly than a motorised ambulance. for sale. Karnataka , India ]] Late in the 20th century, urban Police Bicycle s became more common, as the mobility of car-borne officers was increasingly limited by traffic congestion and Pedestrianisation . Bicycles enjoy substantial use as general delivery vehicles in many countries. In the UK and North America, generations of teenagers have got their first jobs delivering newspapers by bicycle. London has many delivery companies that use bicycles with trailers. Most cities in the West, and many outside it, support a sizeable and visible industry of Cycle Couriers who deliver documents and small packages. In India , many of Mumbai 's Dabbawala s use bicycles to deliver hot lunches to the city’s workers. In Bogotá , Colombia the city’s largest bakery recently replaced most of its delivery trucks with bicycles. Even the car industry uses bicycles. At the huge Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen , Germany workers use bicycles, colour-coded by department, to move around the factory. Recreational See Also: bicycle touring Bicycles are used for recreation at all ages. Bicycle Touring , also known as cyclotourism, involves touring and exploration or sightseeing by bicycle for leisure. A Brevet or randonnée is an organized long-distance ride. One popular Dutch pleasure is the enjoyment of relaxed cycling in the Countryside of the Netherlands . The land is very flat and full of public Bicycle Trails where cyclists aren't bothered by Cars and other traffic, which makes it ideal for cycling Recreation . Many Dutch People subscribe every Year to an event called '' Fietsvierdaagse '' — four days of organised cycling through the local environment. Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), which began in 1891, is the oldest bicycling event still run on a regular basis on the open road, covers over 1200 km and imposes a 90-hour time limit. Similar if smaller institutions exist in many countries. Organized rides Many cycling clubs hold organized rides in which bicyclists of all levels participate. The typical organized ride starts with a large group of riders, called the mass, bunch or even Peloton . This will thin out over the course of the ride. Many riders choose to ride together in groups of the same skill level to take advantage of Drafting . Most organized rides, for example Cyclosportive s, Challenge Rides or Reliability Trial s, include registration requirements and will provide information either through the mail or online concerning start times and other requirements. Rides usually consist of 25, 50 and 100 mile routes, each with a certain number of rest stops that usually include refreshments, first aid and maintenance tools. Mountain Mountain Biking grew in the late 20th century, including recreation and racing. Racing See Also: bicycle racing Shortly after the introduction of bicycles, competitions developed independently in many parts of the world. Early races involving Boneshaker style bicycles were predictably fraught with injuries. Large races became popular during the 1890s "Golden Age of Cycling", with events across Europe, and in the U.S. and Japan as well. At one point, almost every major city in the US had a Velodrome or two for Track Racing events. However since the middle of the 20th Century cycling has become a minority sport in the US whilst in Continental Europe it continues to be a major sport, particularly in France, Belgium and Italy. The most famous of all bicycle races is the Tour De France . This began in 1903, and continues to capture the attention of the sporting world. In 1899, Mile-a-Minute Murphy became the first man to ride a bicycle a mile in under a minute. As the bicycle evolved its various forms, different racing formats developed. Road races may involve both team and individual competition, and are contested in various ways. They range from the one-day road race, Criterium , and time trial to multi-stage events like the Tour de France and its sister events which make up cycling's Grand Tours . Recumbent Bicycle s were banned from bike races in 1934 after Marcel Berthet set a new Hour Record in his ''Velodyne streamliner'' (49.992 km on 18 November 1933 ). Track Bicycle s are used for Track Racing in Velodrome s , while Cyclo-cross races are held on rugged outdoor terrain. In the past decade, Mountain Bike Racing has also reached international popularity and is even an Olympic sport. Professional racing organizations place limitations on the bicycles that can be used in the races that they sanction. For example, the Union Cycliste Internationale , the governing body of international cycle sport (which sanctions races such as the Tour De France ), decided in the late 1990s to create additional rules which prohibit racing bicycles weighing less than 6.8 kilograms (14.96 pounds). The UCI rules also effectively ban some Bicycle Frame innovations (such as the Recumbent Bicycle ) by requiring a double triangle structure.1 War See Also: bicycle infantry The bicycle is not suited for combat, but it has been used as a method of Reconnaissance as well as transporting soldiers and supplies to combat zones. In this it has taken over many of the function of Horses In Warfare . Bicycles were used in the Second Boer War , where both sides used them for scouting. In World War I , France and Germany used bicycles to move troops. In its 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed some 50,000 bicycle troops, and similar forces were instrumental in Japan's march through Malaysia in World War II . Germany used bicycles again in World War II, while the British employed airborne "Cycle-commandos" with folding bikes. In the , Iraq in January 2005. The last country known to maintain a regiment of bicycle troops was Switzerland , who disbanded their final unit in 2003. ACTIVISM Two broad themes run in bicycle activism: one more overtly political with roots in the Environmental Movement ; the other drawing on the traditions of the established bicycle lobby. Such groups promote the bicycle as an alternative mode of transport and emphasize the potential for energy and resource conservation and health benefits gained from cycling versus automobile use. Activists in both camps also argue for improved local and inter-city rail services and other methods of mass transportation, and also for greater provision for cycle carriage on such services. Many cities also have Community Bicycle Program s that promote cycling, especially as a means of inner-city transport. |
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