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Biking During Social Distancing - Resources and Tips

by Samuel Wayne in Legacy Articles

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With the unique situation our world is in right now, there are a lot of questions surrounding biking and what is acceptable or available during this time of social distancing. Springtime is usually the time of year that bike enthusiasts take their gear out of hibernation and hit the roads, trails, and greenways, but where can we go, and what are best practices? For those who are just taking up biking as a new activity, what are the rules? What safety precautions should we take?

There are many resources available to help answer all your questions, and we compiled a short list below to give you answers and get you back out on the road or trail safely!

 

DURING COVID-19

PeopleForBikes is an organization that works to make bicycling better, to make it easier to access, and to ensure safer places to ride. Part of this mission includes providing information for cyclists during the pandemic on what the rules are in each state regarding outdoor recreation and essential businesses. They have created an interactive map which allows you to click on your state to see what guidance or restrictions are in place and what that means for biking. You can find the map on this page of their site: State Actions During COVID-19

Note: The requirements of each state are changing frequently, and PeopleForBikes is updating their information as quickly as possible. They also provide links to each state’s coronavirus page, so you can double check that day’s information. Also note, some regional and local governments may have stricter policies. It is always best to check your local city or county sites, as well.

 

READY TO RIDE?

Now that you have found out when you can ride, where can you go? Many cities have closed some roads to vehicles to allow for walking and biking on these neighborhood streets during the sheltering in place period. If you are looking for more of a mountain adventure or just a larger paved trail, you can find a very comprehensive list of trails by state at TrailLink. Scroll down this page to find the link to your state, where you will find descriptions of each trail and reviews. Also available is a map where you can click to see which trails are nearest to you or you can browse by city. 

Note: Some of these trails are in national parks, which may not be open to the public during COVID-19. The National Park Service has provided a state-by-state listing of their parks here, and most parks are linked with any closings or alerts listed. For local trails and roads, please visit your city or county website to see what is available for public use.

 

FOR NEW BICYCLISTS

Riding a bike is a great way to get exercise and fresh air during a time when your options are limited. Plus, you may just find your new passion! Make sure to get off on the right foot (or should I say, pedal) by learning the rules and safety measures you should follow when riding. 

If you plan to ride on paved surfaces, Road Bike Rider has a great beginner’s guide to Road Bike Riding that can help with everything from bike and gear selection to maintenance basics. If you are thinking off-road trails are more your speed, it’s great to know what trails are good for new riders and the different rules that apply. As mentioned before, TrailLink has a great list of paved and unpaved trails, but you can also visit The International Mountain Bicycling Association to find mountain trails by difficulty level (under Rides) and Rules of the Trail. The US Forest Service also gives great general rules for riding in forests or heavily wooded areas.

Bicycling Magazine is also a great resource for beginner tips on everything biking.

 

OUR HOPE

We are all looking forward to being able to ride freely in our favorite areas with friends who share our passion for biking and we hope that day will come soon. Until then, ride safe and stay healthy.

 

StoreYourBoard provides racks and accessories for bikes to keep your equipment safely stored and ready to ride when you are.

 

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Because of the different roof racks, each will be attached differently, but it’s important that no matter what rack you have, you take care in installing it properly. For rack pads, velcro them on your roof rack bars tightly. For straps, clamp them down tightly and check them for any worn or weak spots. For more specialty paddleboard racks, follow the instructions and make sure they fit properly with your car. After you’ve installed the rack, do a quick post-inspection so you really know that everything is snug and secure. You don’t want to lose a paddleboard because you were in a rush and forgot to attach a part of your rack. For cars with roof rack bars, the standard setup is roof rack pads that fasten to your bars and act as a cushion between the bars and your paddleboard, and a strap system to secure your paddleboard to the rack pads. The pads fit around the roof rack bars and secure typically with velcro. Secure the two pads, one on the front rack bar and one on the back rack bar, and make sure that they’re straight, so when you set your paddleboard on them, it won’t be rubbing up against the roof rack bars at all. For cars without roof rack bars, the focus while using the one piece rack system is on securing it to your car. Set the pads out in the general area on your roof where they need to end up, One towards the front, and one towards the back. Straps will be protruding on each side of the pads. Run the straps underneath your car’s roof so that they meet in the middle, than clamp the front 2 straps together and the back 2 straps together. You’re free to clamp the straps as tightly as possibly because they secure against your metal car (different when strapping down your paddleboard). Double check that your paddleboard is resting fully on the pads and is straight (parallel with your car). If you have a small car, there are other things to consider. Paddleboards come in different sizes, but they’re all pretty big, and if you have a small car, the straps on your roof rack setup may not be wide enough apart to adequately secure your paddleboard. For example, if you’re trying to strap a rack to a car without roof rack bars, it secures underneath the roof via the inside of the car. Generally, the front strap runs through the open space created by the front door and the back strap runs through the open space created by the back door. If you have a coupe, you only have a front door. So both your front and back straps will have to be secured via that space. The distance then between your front and back roof rack pads and straps will not be that great. If you strap in your paddleboard the straps may only be 3 or so feet apart. On a 12 foot paddleboard, that leaves almost 5 feet in the front and back of the board without any support. A potential solution is to take a page from the transport of other large equipment, like canoes and kayaks, and to get additional tie downs straps that secure the front and back of the paddleboard to the bumper and trunk of your car. The point is, it is tough to transport big paddleboards on small cars without roof rack bars. Keep this in mind when planning your next SUP adventure. Paddleboards on Your Roof – Upside Down and Backward Here’s how to load your paddleboard onto the roof of your car: Bottom of the paddleboard up: Logistically, if your fins are in, the rack will only work with the paddleboard fins facing up in the air, or else your fins would hit your car’s roof. Also, you prefer not to expose your wax or board pad to the sun, so top side faces down. And generally strapping the board upside down is better for travel, based on any concave of the paddleboard. Fins in the front: It may sound like a Jimmy Buffett song, but as mentioned, in a worst-case scenario, fins act as a last line of defense against your paddleboard wiggling free and flying off your car. If your boards start to slide backward, the fins catch on the straps and restrict how far backward the boards slide. Also, it’s more likely the tail of your paddleboard is thicker and flatter, so it has more strength and better shape to cut through the air as you’re cruising down the road. Securing Your Paddleboard to Your Roof Rack Once you’ve loaded up your paddleboard, it’s time to strap it down. For cars with roof rack bars, it’s all about feeding the straps around the bars and your paddleboard in the right direction for maximum security. You’ll have two straps, one in front and one in back. Start with the clamp end of the first strap on the outside of the board, underneath the roof rack bar. Run the strap across the top width of the paddleboard to the other side of the board, underneath the rack bar, and back along the width of the board. There it will meet the clamp end, and you will tighten appropriately. Tie off the excess strap and give your paddleboard and the straps a couple of pulls to make sure nothing is loose. For cars without roof rack bars, securing the roof rack straps is a bit more straight forward. The front straps and back straps each extend from both sides of the car. Pull them up from each side over your paddleboard and secure the plain end through the clamp and tighten. Repeat for both front and back straps, once again giving the straps a couple of pulls to double check. Don’t overtighten your straps. Avoid damaging your paddleboard by wrenching your roof rack straps too tightly around it. Different paddleboards are made of different materials, but you can crack fiberglass or other board materials if you pull your straps too tight. Find that just right tightness for your paddleboard. Mind your straps. Take the extra couple of seconds and make sure your straps are straight and not twisted around your board for maximum contact and hold. Then tie off the ends of the straps, as nothing good can come from them flapping in the breeze. Stacking Multiple Paddleboards When you’re heading out with a couple of your friends and need to stack multiple paddleboards on the roof of your car, one on top of the other, a few more issues come into play. Biggest paddleboard on the bottom. The biggest paddleboard goes at the bottom of the stack of SUPs because it provides the best foundation/ stability. Watch the spacing of fins and tails. Make sure there’s some space between the tails of the paddleboards and the fins facing up from the boards below them. If you stack your SUPs too closely together, with some wiggle or if you hit a bump, the tail of one paddleboard could be cut by the fins from the paddleboard below it. 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