Bike Dearborn Safety Statement

Bike Dearborn is YOUR COMMUNITY!

*All types of cyclists are always welcome*

BETTER CYCLING IN DEARBORN, MI

Bike for Your Health, Our Community, Transportation, and Our Environment

BUILD COMMUNITY | OUTREACH | GIVE BACK | ADVOCATE


Info for our (almost) Post COVID world:
There are no outdoor restrictions currently. However, if you feel sick, please stay home!

We ride year round with different ride styles throughout the seasons. We encourage cyclists of all types and skill levels to join us. We are an INCLUSIVE group. All members are encouraged to post their ride plans here and invite others. Too many times, as groups grow, they exclude others. This is NOT that kind of group. Post your ride, invite others…include pace and expectations. While we are generally a no-drop group, everyone is responsible for knowing their limits and are responsible for their own safety. It’s up to you to be responsible for your own safety and well-being.

Also posted are other rides that we attend or create throughout the entire year that we participate in, but aren’t organizers. It’s up to you to find the info to make sure it’s your kind of ride.

When choosing to ride with us, you agree to the following guidelines below….

– Have FUN and INVITE A FRIEND!

– Check your bike before every ride! ABC (Air, Brakes, Chain). Please don’t pull your bike out for the first time in several months or years and expect to hop on and ride.  Test it out beforehand for safety and operability.

– We recommend carrying a spare inner tube and tools specific to your bike! If you don’t have a spare tube specific to your tire size, we may not be able to repair a flat should you be unfortunate enough to get one. 

– There may be no additional ride support or sag pick up on off season rides. While we are no drop…this means you must be able to maintain the group’s advertised pace. If you fall behind, we will stop WHEN WE CAN SAFELY to regroup. If you feel you can’t finish, you need to find your own way back to the start or home.

– Call out/Point out road hazards.  Cars, holes gravel glass, etc

-Ride no more than 2 abreast. Use hand signals. Ride in a straight line without swerving amongst your fellow bicyclists.  Communicate your intentions to pass.  Courtesy makes for a safe and enjoyable riding experience for all. 

– Stay off the sidewalks.

– We stop at red lights.  We yield to drivers’ right of way when they approach an intersection before us when we have a stop sign.  

-Stay to the right.  Our larger rides may be tough to stay to the right to allow vehicles to pass on  our left, so we look at each instance individually.  We share the road with people driving cars and do our best to be courteous.  Our larger group rides, we do what it takes to keep everyone safe.

– Keep gaps to a minimum so as not to confuse drivers and encourage drivers to cut through the middle of our group.

– Have fun and listen to music! Keep it at a respectful level in order to hear any safety hazard calls. . Please no earbuds…we want to make sure you hear hazard calls.

– Take photos! Lots of them and post them in the group and all over social media. Hashtag them…#bikedearborn! Be safe about your photo taking/riding and limit them to stops. Texting/picture taking/snapchatting on a bike is just as dangerous as doing so while driving.

– Please no drinking/smoking during our rides.

-Children are welcome at our Slow Rollin’ Wednesdays (and other slower paced rides). Children must be accompanied by an adult. Children under 9 may be better suited to ride with a parent on a tag along attachment or trailer.  Children riding on their own should be able to do so without swerving and able to start/stop without effort. 

-Helmets are required during our faster riding season and on rides that specify so. Helmets are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED on our slower rides such as our Slow Rollin’ Wednesdays (May-Oct).  We lead by example and always wear ours! 

-All of our rides are “No Drop” rides. This means that we will not leave anyone behind. You must know your own ability. We do our best to always define distance and pace of the routes. If you are unable to finish and choose to drop from the ride, you are responsible for finding your own way back to the start/end of the route. We will help with any mechanical issues within reason. There are no SAG wagons on our rides unless specifically stated.

You ride at your own risk. You assume your own risks when cycling through the city streets and their hazards. Bike Dearborn and the City of Dearborn and their representatives are not responsible for anything that may happen to you on this ride. If you attend our rides, you agree to this statement. As an adult, you make your own decisions on how to ride and where to ride.  Be kind and respectful to all our participants. We all operate at different levels of ability and comfort. Bike Dearborn is not affiliated with the City of Dearborn.


Bike Dearborn Riding Seasons:

We have 2 seasons.  Winter and Warm

1. Winter Wednesdays/Spring Warmup Wednesdays: Runs November through mid-May Routes are usually 12-15 miles and 12mph avg pace…sometimes we have some faster surges.  There is no sweeper. Tracy leads the rides, and we don’t leave anyone behind.  We ride to stay together as a group.   While we may get a bit spread out and separated, we always stop to regroup when it’s safe to do so. The route and pace may be modified depending on the winter weather and conditions.  It’s up to you to know your limits as to the type of weather and elements you can handle.  Dressing appropriately and proper bike maintenance is key. 

2.  Warm Season rides/Bike Dearborn Slow Rollin’ Wednesdays:  Start on the last Wednesday of May.   This ride has Tracy as the ride leader as well as volunteers to cork and sweep the ride.  The routes are usually 8-9 miles long and no faster than 10mph.  This season is the most accessible for beginners as it’s slow and social.  We say ages 8-80…however, we’ve had younger AND older enjoy the rides equally!  Children must be accompanied by an adult…please know the ability of your child. Children under 9 yrs old may be best suited on a tag along attachment or trailer. We want them to have an enjoyable time, and if they’re not ready for this type of ride, it may turn them off of riding their bike any other time  FUN is KEY!

Lastly, we have several Special Edition Rides which are defined individually like our Annual First Dozen Ride on January 1st, Bike Dearborn Art Tour, our Homecoming Family Bike Ride with the Mayor, our Annual Halloween Spooktacular Ride, our Annual Holiday Joy Ride, and our Ride to the Wayne County LightFest.  We do our best to define these rides so you know the plan, distance/pace, and expectations to determine if this type of ride is for you! 

Any questions can always be directed to us via our Contact Us Form.