Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition

home who we are regional bicycling bike rides CycleSmart program Bici Centro program bike commuting newsletter meetinga and events Bike Week youth bicycling contacts web resources Pro Bike/Pro Walk 1998 shop bike gifts join our Bicycle Coalition search our site


Join our email list. Subscribe address Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition email us

Biking programs for youth

photo of BMX riders

Young bikers at Santa Barbara's BMX track in a regional race. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

2008 Summer Classes

  • July 7-August 15, Youth Earn-a-Bike Program, sponsored by Bici Centro of Santa Barbara. The summer program is open to 12-16 year-olds, and consists of a four-week session, followed by an intense two-week session. The first one starts July 7th. Forty hours time are spent with participants on street cycling skills, bike maintenance, working on their own bicycles, and group bike rides. The $12 cost includes Bicycle Coalition membership. Learn about it at www.bicicentro.org.
  • June 23-27, BMX Summer Camp, sponsored by Elings Park. Open to children 5-12 years old. BMX camp is a fantastic opportunity to learn BMX or refine current skills. The camp is designed for riders of all levels and abilities to improve basic skills and to introduce track etiquette, while putting safety first. Instructor Dale Bowers has operated Santa Barbara BMX for 16 years. Dale currently trains and coaches several young athletes for competition and operates the Elings Park BMX track two evenings per week. Dale and his experienced staff will guide your child through all of the intricacies of BMX. Participants must bring their own helmets and functioning bikes. Daily 9:00 AM -3:00 PM at Elings Park, 1298 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara. Information and registration at elingspark.org.
  • June 30-July 3, BMX Summer Camp, sponsored by Elings Park. Same camp as above. Information and registration at elingspark.org.
  • July 14-18, Kid's Triathlon Camp, sponsored by Momentum 4 Life. This camp is for children ages 7-12 who can swim 25 yards in a pool and ride a two wheel bike. Class takes place at UCSB, 2:30-5:00 PM. Limited to 150 participants. For more information and registration, go to momentum4life.com.
  • July 20, Santa Barbara Kid's Triathlon, sponsored by Momentum 4 Life. Not a camp, but a single event. This is the third annual kid's triathlon, open to children aged 7-15, to help them establish a healthy foundation for life. Limited to the first 200 applicants. Details at www.sbkidstriathlon.com.
  • July 28-August 1, BMX Summer Camp, sponsored by Elings Park. Same camp as above. Information and registration at elingspark.org.
  • August 4-8, Mountain Bike Camp, sponsored by Elings Park. Open to children 7-14 years old. Great cross country and downhill mountain bike trails have been developed in Elings Park South. Experienced instructors guide your child through the basics of trail etiquette, bike maintenance, and riding skills and will prepare participants to compete in future races at Elings Park A functioning mountain bike and helmet are required. Daily 9:00-12:00 noon at Elings Park, 1298 Las Positas Road, Santa Barbara. Registration details at elingspark.org.
  • August 11-15, Mountain Bike Camp, sponsored by Elings Park. Same camp as above. Information and registration at elingspark.org.
  • If you know of other ongoing youth bike programs, please tell us.

Bike to School Day

photo of kids with bikes

Nearly 150 kids biked to Vieja Valley School on Bike to School Day 2002 shown here. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

  • The Bike to School Day 2008 events will take place on May 20th. They are arranged school by school within our county. Events are being arranged at individual South Coast and Solvang schools. At least these South Coast schools are participating: César Chavez, Monroe, El Camino, Ellwood, Hollister, Goleta Family School, Monte Vista, Cold Spring, Hope, Vieja Valley and Isla Vista. Bike rodeos and bicycle safety instruction are being offered at César Chavez, Ellwood, and Brandon prior to Bike Week. Contact South Coast coordinator Kim Stanley-Zimmerman at ksz@linkline.com, or Solvang coordinator John Padfield at jpadfield@mac.com.

Santa Barbara Middle School teaches bicycling

photo of kids circling on bikes

Santa Barbara Middle School students circle on the playing field upon returning from a tour. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

  • For good reasons, the Santa Barbara Middle School calls itself "the bikingest school in the country." Their school logo has a bicycle wheel in it, and their active bike tour program that has been part of their core curriculum from their start in 1976.
  • Whenever students return from a bike tour, there is a ceremony at the school. Hundreds of parents, family and friends show up to cheer the riders. Over a hundred welcoming signs are posted along the approach roads and the entry drive to the school. The student support is apparent and touching.
  • For all cyclists, it's heart warming to see hundreds of students bicycling with assurance—and pleasure. For more information about the private school (grades 6-9), visit their web site www.sbms.org. Read an article about the school by Ralph Fertig. A shorter version was published in the League of American Bicyclists' Spring 2002 magazine.

How to Teach a Child to Ride
by Sean Coffey & Bill Strickland, Bicycling magazine, December 2001

  • Holding onto the seat and running beside your wobbly child is frustrating (for both of you), takes too long, and is guaranteed to produce at least a skinned knee. Here's how to teach your kid to ride in one session—in less than an hour.
  • Find a gentle slope in a grassy field. Lower the seat so your child's feet can touch the ground when he's seated. Have him coast down, using his feet as outriggers for balance. Repeat this until he masters it, then have him raise his feet after he starts down the hill. Explain that he can put his feet down at any time to regain stability. Repeat this until he coasts down steadily without using his feet. Raise the saddle slightly, and coast down several times with feet on leveled pedals (at 3 and 9 o'clock), then incorporate pedaling.
  • You've just passed the torch.