Earned before 4/1/99     Earned after 4/1/99

CYCLING

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Either this Merit Badge
or Swimming MB or Hiking MB
is Required to earn the Eagle Scout Rank

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The changes to the wording of the requirements shown below were made with the release of a new edition of the Cycling merit badge pamphlet in 2003. However, the changes did not appear in the 2004 Boy Scout Requirements Book.  The omission was an editorial error.

New text is in bold underlined text like this sentence.
Deleted portions are struck through italic text like this sentence.

Click Here for the OLD requirements.

To see the NEW requirements without the changes highlighted,
Click Here

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1. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while cycling, including hypothermia, heat reactions heatstroke, heat exhaustion, frostbite, dehydration, sunburn, insect stings, tick bites, snakebites, blisters, and hyperventilation.
2. Clean and adjust a bicycle. Prepare it for inspection using a bicycle safety checklist. Be sure the bicycle meets local laws.
3. Show your bicycle to your counselor for inspection. Point out the adjustments or repairs you have made. Do the following:
   1. Show all points that need oiling regularly.
   2. Show points that should be checked regularly to make sure the bicycle is safe to ride.
   3. Show how to adjust brakes, seat level and height, and steering post tube.
4. Describe how to brake safely with foot brakes and with hand brakes.
5. Show how to repair a flat. Use an old bicycle tire.
6. Take a road test with your counselor and demonstrate the following:
   1. Properly mount, pedal, and brake Proper mounting, pedaling, and braking including emergency stops.
   2. On an urban street with light traffic, properly execute a left turn from the center of the street; also demonstrate an alternate left turn technique used during periods of heavy traffic.
   3. Properly execute a right turn.
   4. Demonstrate appropriate actions at a right-turn-only lane when you are continuing straight.
   5. Show proper curbside and road-edge riding. Show how to safely ride along a row of parked cars.
   6. Cross railroad tracks properly.
7. Describe your state’s traffic laws for bicycles. Compare them with motor-vehicle laws. Know the bicycle-safety guidelines.
8. Avoiding main highways, take two rides of 10 miles each, two rides of 15 miles each, and two rides of 25 miles each. You must make a report of the rides taken. List dates, routes traveled, and interesting things seen.*
9. After fulfilling requirement 8, lay out on a road map a 50-mile trip. Stay away from main highways. Using your map, make this ride in eight hours.

* The bicycle Bicycle must have all required safety features. It must be registered as required by your local traffic laws.

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Scouts should follow the Bike Safety guidelines in the Guide to Safe Scouting, when working on the Cycling Merit Badge.  Those guidelines include the following statement:

All cyclists must wear a properly sized and fitted helmet approved by either the Snell Memorial Foundation or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards.

The ANSI standards mentioned in the Guide to Safe Scouting have apparently been superceded by newer standards. For more information on Bicycle Helmets, we encourage you to look through the information on the web site maintained by the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.

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BSA Advancement ID#: 39
Pamphlet Revision Date: 2003
Requirements last updated in 2003