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Out-Spokin’ Wheelmen look to educate bike riders
By Robert Connelly
POLAND
A local bicycle group has partnered with seven area bike shops to increase safety awareness for riders.
“Its kind of like everyone thinks they know everything” about bicycles. “They don’t,” Out-Spokin’ Wheelmen safety chairman Frank Krygowski said.
Krygowski approached Wheelmen president Ed Howley and the group’s board with the idea to create a two-page pamphlet with simple safety tips for bicycle riders. Howley said that was about a month ago, and last week the pamphlets started appearing in five area bicycle shops that are participating.
Those are Outdoor Recreational Equipment in Boardman, Austintown Glenwood Cycle in Austintown, Thumm’s in Warren, Frankford Bicycle in Girard, and Coopers Cycle and Fitness in Cortland.
The pamphlet comes with the purchase of a new bicycle and a free one-year membership in the Wheelmen.
Sixteen tips are inside the pamphlet and include, for example, using bike bags or backpacks, because things can get tangled in your spokes, and riding on the right side of the road.
The first tip in the handout and one Krygowski and Howley talked about is that bicycles are legally a vehicle and must obey all traffic laws, except for those only applicable to motor vehicles.
“They don’t know what side of the street to ride on ... they don’t know to stop at red lights, and technically that’s illegal because you should follow the traffic laws,” Howley said — adding that bicyclists should signal for turns as well.
The Out-Spokin’ Wheelmen Bike Club has about 300 members from across the area. Howley said they have a core of 50 members that go on scheduled group rides regularly and attend meetings. Howley said the club tries “to vary [their rides] in the different counties. We try to appeal to all ages and all riding ability levels.”
He said they ride in Mahoning, Columbiana, and Trumbull counties as well as in the New Castle area in Pennsylvania. Howley added that the club hosts dinners and picnics and hikes and cross-country skis in the winter.
The club meets at the Clear Channel Building on South Avenue in Boardman on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. It has a monthly ride schedule as well as more information about the group on its website, www.outspokinwheelmen.com.