Top 5 Tips for Your Bike Rodeo

At Helmtops we’re often asked to participate in Bike Rodeos so we’d like to share our top 5 tips

Registration Day

Registration often takes more time than you think so if you are having numbers of any size than we recommend a registration day. Typically best is anytime the week of the event that works for the people running the registration tables. During registration, along with any forms that need to be signed or filled out, you can remind people what to bring, i.e. bike helmet, water bottle, sun screen. Another advantage to having bike registration before is that any handouts can be offered then. So if there are t-shirts or Helmtops being provided riders can wear them to the event. Of course you’ll want registration during the day of the event but having registered most already the kids will be on their bike that much sooner.

Consider other Attractions

While bicycling is of course the main event we’ve seen the best bike rodeos bring in other entertainment. After all how long is a three year old going to bicycle around until they get tired and need a breather. This doesn’t have to cost your rodeo anything as often local businesses or groups will pitch in and promote themselves to the community. We’ve seen some amazing American Indian dancers, a great clown and a guy who randomly got Simon Says games going. This is all part of what makes a good bike rodeo a great bike rodeo.

Add Some Instruction

Often times we feel this is a bit of a missed opportunity at some rodeos. While the children enjoy going around obstacles courses or just cruising on their new bike it’s the perfect time to teach. Bicycling is like any sport – it’s learned. So make sure you setup some stations that the kids work through that teaches them the “rules of the road”, how to properly put their helmets on and the bike laws of your particular state. Many bike shops attend these events and you might ask them to remind children about hand signals while they are checking tires and seat heights. A recommended document for how to run instructional bike rodeos is “The Organizer’s Guide to Bicycle Rodeos’” and can be found at http://www.bike.cornell.edu/pdfs/Bike_Rodeo_404.2.pd

Ample parking Nearby

Many families bring multiple children and bikes to a rodeo. If ample parking is not available then it starts to affect the quality of the event as people are forced to drive around often far from the event. Then parents and grandparents have to group children and bike together and weave their way through streets to get to the event. We’ve seen drop off zones work if parking is not nearby. If you are having a bike rodeo of any size we suggest you contact the local police to see if they can have police there to direct traffic.

Remind People to Drink Water

Bike Rodeos are usually done in the nice times of year which means it can be downright hot. So if you are hosting a bike rodeo make sure you either have some water stations setup around your area or continue to encourage adults and children to keep drinking water. It’s easy for young ones to get thirsty. Simple coolers under the shade with cups left out work well or even better stations manned by bike rodeo volunteers work well.

Bike Rodeos are gaining in popularity and it’s a great event that can have a huge impact on your community.

email us at gregg (at) helmtops.com to inquire about great group discounts for bike rodeos and to get a sample.

Check out the designs: Bike Rodeo