Should cycle lessons for children be compulsory?

After the report from the APPCG (All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group) was released, the debate as to whether children should have compulsory cycling lessons has re-emerged. What do you think? Should children have compulsory cycling lessons?

It is being argued that cycling should have the same status on the National Curriculum as swimming and children should be having lessons from the age of 5 years old, as it is an essential life skill. Critics have attacked the recent proposal of  a change to PE lessons for children aged 5-14. This overhall has a focus on swimming, athletics, dance and team sports such as football, netball, rounders, basketball and hockey. There is no mention of cycling and this is thought to be a major oversight. ‘Bikeability’ is the National Standard for cycling training, but just half of children in the UK get access to it, through schools.

Should cycle lessons be compulsory?

Should cycle lessons be compulsory?

It is argued that by the time children are age 5, they should be capable of controlling a bike in off-road conditions and at age 14, pupils should have knowledge of riding on local roads, be able to communicate with other drivers and have a basic understanding of the Highway Code.

Learning to use a bike safely and on road conditions is a great skill for children to have, however the majority of UK roads don’t have the correct infrastructure to provide people with the ability to cycle safely, leaving children and parents put off by the possible dangers that come with cycling on the road.

National Bike to School week is just a few months away (June 10th -14th) and this could be many schools opportunity to trial out cycling lessons with their pupils. Find out more about Bike to School Week 2013.

One problem that schools have with cycling and pupils cycling to school is that few schools have ample bike storage for all students. If your school is in need of more bike storage, Asgard have a wide range of cycle racks available in a variety of sizes.

How to encourage your child to cycle to school

In 2011 it was found that only 1% of primary school children and 2% of High School children in the UK cycle to school. This is a poor figure especially as most children’s journeys to and from school, is relatively short. 1 in 3 children however would actually like to cycle to school, but are faced with opposition from parents and schools who are (quite rightly) concerned about the safety of cycling and stranger danger.

Although parents are right to be concerned about these issues, if children are properly informed and given the right bike safety training, cycling to school is a good activity for children to participate in.

Take to get your children cycling to school safely:

Encourage your child to cycle to school

Encourage your child to cycle to school

Find a safe route

One of the most important things is your child having a safe route to and from school. Try a few routes out together, to find the most suitable one. The national cycle network can help you find the nearest cycle lanes and traffic free areas.

Get the right bike

Make sure your child has the right sized bike, which is suitable for cycling on the road. As your child will be spending a lot of time on their bike, it is worth investing the time to get the right one for them.

Take bike training

Making sure your child is road ready is important. Make sure they take part in bikeability, the national cycle training, which will give your child the right training they need to be safe on the road.

Practise makes perfect

The more time your child spends on their bike, the better and more confident they will become. Take your child out on their bike as much as you can, to make sure you are confident in their cycling abilities.

Get some friends

Let them cycle with friends. Giving your child the chance to go out with a group of friends will give them to chance to build up cycling confidence. Also finding a buddy to cycle to and from school with is a great idea.

Involve the school

If more children are to cycle to school it is important for the school, pupils and parents to work together for a better cycling culture. Suggest that the school have an area for children to store their bikes. The more of this available, the more children can cycle to school and use the facilities provided.

Bike Shelters will encourage more children to cycle to school

Bike Shelters will encourage more children to cycle to school

Bike shelters can hold a large number of bikes and keep children’s bikes safe until the end of the day.

Take a look at a full range of school bike shelters from Asgard.

Santa and his Asgard shed

Where will you hide the Christmas presents? 

So, what do you say when your child asks “Is Father Christmas Real??” “Yes of course he is” you will reply to preserve your childs innocence.  But how can you preserve the myth when upstairs you have a wardrobe full of pressies just waiting to be found by a curious child?

Your shed is the answer!  You need a discreet, dry and secure place to store all those expensive gifts!  And what better than an Insurance approved, all metal shed???  A tough key locking shed, Built from tough galvanized (weather proof) steel with an insurance approved locking system, an integral metal base (to stop rising moisture) and hidden roof vents keeping condensation down, ensuring your childs gifts remain dry and safe.

Browse these secure garden sheds and find your ideal Santas grotto.

Bike Theft Advice From The Met Police Force

Giving a new bike to someone this Christmas?

 

The Colyers Safer Neighbourhoods policing team are holding a bike marking event to help safeguard what can often be an expensive gift.

Each year around 20,000 bikes are stolen across London and although the number of bikes stolen in Bexley is relatively low new bikes at this time of the year are a likely target.

Many of the bikes recovered by police are unmarked, cannot be returned to the owners and have to be disposed of. Property marking a bike and registering it makes sense and aids police in returning it if recovered after being stolen.

If you are giving someone a new bike for Christmas make a point of joining the Colyers Safer Neighbourhoods team on Wednesday 28th December between 12 noon and 4 pm at Pier Road, Erith (outside the Safer Neighbourhoods police base).

If you are unable to attend please register any bike with the Metropolitan Police preferred database Bikeregister (for information please use the link).

bike storage for 4 bikes from Asagrd

Taken from 
http://content.met.police.uk/Home

For help and advice on all aspects of bike security visit www.asgardsss.co.uk

Is your bike rusting in the shed?

More than half of all bike owners are guilty of not cycling frequently – Defy the statisticians and get back in the saddle today.

Do you regularly ride your bike?

Do you regularly ride your bike?

Another week, another depressing survey. Do you ever have that sinking guilty feeling about an expensive impulse buy slowly rusting in the garden shed? Well it turns out that you are not alone, as the latest poll of the UK’s cycling habits shows.

According to EDF Energy, which conducted the poll for its Team Green Britain Bike Week more than half of bike owners are guilty of not cycling frequently.

Of the 2,000 people interrogated by ICM earlier this month, 55% own a bike, but of them, 58% regularly leave their bikes unused for over a fortnight at a time. The statistics also show that while 25% of men use their bike to travel to work, only 10% of women commute this way.

Our survey says otherwise. Only a fortnight ago we reported that Britain sees bikes, rather than a mode of transport, “either a toy for children or a vehicle fit only for the poor and/or strange”. That’s according to the interim report from Understanding Walking and Cycling study, a report by Dave Horton of Lancaster University.

This new set of stats further verifies that claim. Despite roads feeling busier with cyclists, hire schemes promoting the commuter benefits, and there generally being a buzz around bikes, it’s still not the norm. Of course it will always be a specialist interest sport for speed freaks or vintage enthusiasts, but can cycling ever go mainstream?

To those with a thick layer of dust gathering on their conscience, there is something about abandoning a possession that if it goes on too long, you increasingly know that you will never use said item again. So even if it is just a quick trot around the block, or you actually go on that ride that you have always be meaning to, getting out there can change your routine in a second. It’s nearly always better than you anticipate, and the benefits are immeasurable: exploring, exercising, racing, travelling. All in all cycling can be a life-affirming thing.

It should be noted that EDF is using these convenient results to entice former, potential and avid cyclists to attend “go green” events, enlisting local Dr Bikes to get into shape any of the aforementioned abandoned two-wheeled steeds.

So defy the statisticians and get back in the saddle today. Or else give it away on Freecycle – there is almost certainly someone out there who would like your bike.

(Article Source: The Guardian Newspaper )

Worried about your bike rusting? 

If you are guilty of not riding your bicycle as often as you should, you shouldn’t have to worry about your bike rusting or being damaged when not in use.  By storing it in a suitable storage unit, such as the Twin Bike Locker from Asgard, you don’t need to worry about storing your bicycle over a long period of time.

The Twin Bike Locker

The Twin Bike Locker is an all-metal secure way of storing your bicycle, accessories and spares safely all year round.

See more information on the Twin Bike Locker on the Asgard website here.

How secure is the Addition Cycle Storage Unit from Asgard?!

One of the questions we constantly get from cynical cyclists is just how secure is the Addition Bike Shed?!

Many cyclists have usually seen or had a traditional bike shed in the past and how flimsy and vulnerable it is from a break-in or theft and want to know how a Asgard metal bike shed is any different.

Is my bike safe?

Frequently Asked Question – Is my bike safe in as Asgard bike shed?

The answer is very simple – the Asgard Bike Sheds are designed and manufactured in a completely different way to a Wooden Bike Shed.
The obvious main reason for this is due to the fact that traditional wooden shed is made of pieces of wood, compared to the Asgard units which are made from galvanised stainless steel metal panels which are then coated with a hardwearing polyester powder coat paint. This makes all of the Asgard Sheds not only weatherproof but tough and durable.

Still not convinced?

 To answer the question, we have put together a video demonstrating the locking mechanism of the Asgard Addition Bike Shed - one of the popular bike storage units.
Click on the link below to watch the Addition Bike Storage shed video.
For more information about the Addition Bike Shed, call Asgard directly on 08456 580 730 or browse through the Bike/Cycle Storage section on the Asgard website.

Storing your bike in limited space

 

Love cycling? Hate leaving your bike outside for thieves? Having somewhere safe to secure a bike can be tricky, especially if you are limited on space. We have all seen the recent articles in the news, on the rise of bike theft all over the country. It’s not safe to leave your bike out in plain sight, you’re just asking someone to steel it.

No room for a shed or a garage? Asgard has a storage solution for all proud bike owners, with limited space, that need somewhere secure to store their bikes. The twin bike locker is a metal storage unit,  a space saving bike locker that can hold up to 2 bikes. It’s perfect for small areas. If you only have a side passage, this locker will fit comfortably.

space saving bike storage

Specifically designed for these small areas, the Asgard twin bike locker can fit comfortably down the side of a house or flat. Unlike some of the other bike storage that is available, this unit is accessed from the end, so offers easy manoeuvring of the bike in and out of the unit. Don’t let the size of this unit fool you, it is just as tough and robust as the other Asgard products.

The twin bike locker has some key features which add to its strength and security:

Galvanised steel

This metal storage unit is made from thick galvanised steel which means it is weatherproof and wont rust. This is as with all Asgard products. At 99kg you know this unit is strong!

3 point locking system

The 3 point locking system is a tough mechanism that will secure your bike from theft. The lock is pick resistant. The locking system doesn’t use any padlocks, the unit is accessed by handle and key. Plus the handle surround is reinforced, adding to the security of the pushbike storage. This system makes it difficult for anyone to break in, as they don’t simply have to cut through a padlock.

Can be secured to the ground

The twin bike locker is unique in that it can be bolted to a concrete base, which adds to the security on the unit. Thieves will be unable to move the locker from its place. So any hope of taking the unit is dashed and attempting to open it later is dashed.

2 bike locker

 

If you are looking for something discreet, this could be the pushbike storage unit for you. The unit is available in 3 colours: Ivory, brown and dark green. For more information and product details visit Asgard.

Asgard Bike Shed Competition Winner

Congratulations to Dr K who has won the Asgard customer feedback prize.  Dr K has won one of our Asgard bike chain monster locks - for the ultimate in bike lock security.  If you want a chance of winning one of our exclusive Asgard prizes, email us Asgard comments and pictures of your Asgard product. at http://www.asgardsss.co.uk

 

tough hardwearing sheds from asgard secure steel storage

 

 

“I have had my Asgard bike guard now for 2 months. I feel it is well built and sturdy. The door was faulty on initial delivery but your company came back and replaced it. The second chap who came was excellent and fixed the problem with the unit lining up and in addition screwed it to my concrete base. I trust the unit with 4 of my most precious bikes so I feel it is of value. I only wish I had bought it before I was broken into! I have even considered buying another unit to go in my garden. The brown colour is unobtrusive and fits in well to my garden. I have attached a photo for you”.

Beat bike theft with Asgard Secure Steel Storage Bike Sheds Here.

The Asgard Double Ended Bike Locker

Great news! Asgard have now just sold the 100th Double Ended Bike Locker- after only 2 months on the market. So a big thank you to all the Asgard customers for their interest. Hot on the heels is the Asgard vertical bike locker, with 80 sold this month.

bike locker double ended

The Asgard Bike Locker – The double version.

Vertical-Bike-Storage-from asgard

See more of Asgards bike storage here.

Asgard Bike Storage Customer Review

“I  have been very impressed with my Asgard Bike Storage Unit. It was easy to order and it was delivered to my house before the stated delivery time (by at least a week!) which was good. When it came to the assembly it needed 2 people but this was no surprise as we knew this from the website when we ordered. The assembly was very easy with good instructions. I was very impressed with the standard of manufacture as every hole for every screw lined up perfectly! Not once did we have to put a screw in slightly squint to make it match the corresponding hole. It has since kept our 2 adult bikes, 2 kids bikes, 2 scooters and a pressure washer secure and dry even in the recent awful weather. Using it is very quick, easy and convenient”.

Bike Security From Asagrd

“It wasn’t cheap but I think it is well worth the money and I have recommended to several of my friends and got quite a lot of interest when I proudly posted a picture of it on Facebook!

I have attached a picture of it completed and in place.

I hope you find this feedback helpful and feel free to use it on your website (let me know if you are so I can have a look!)

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from one very happy customer!

David”

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