Earned before 4/1/99 Earned
after 4/1/99
CYCLING
Either this Merit Badge
or Swimming MB or Hiking MB
is Required to earn the Eagle Scout Rank
These were the REQUIREMENTS before the
REVISIONS
which were made when a new pamphlet was issued in 2003.
To see the current requirements
Click Here
- Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that
could occur while cycling, including hypothermia, heatstroke,
heat exhaustion, frostbite, dehydration, sunburn, insect stings,
tick bites, snakebite, blisters, and hyperventilation.
- Clean and adjust a bicycle. Prepare it for inspection using
a bicycle safety checklist. Be sure the bicycle meets local
laws.
- Show your bicycle to your counselor for inspection. Point
out the adjustments or repairs you have made. Do the following:
- Show all points that need oiling regularly.
- Show points that should be checked regularly to make
sure the bicycle is safe to ride.
- Show how to adjust brakes, seat level and height, and
steering post.
- Describe how to brake safely with foot brakes and with hand
brakes.
- Show how to repair a flat. Use an old bicycle tire.
- Take a road test with your counselor and demonstrate the
following:
- Proper mounting, pedaling, and braking including emergency
stops.
- 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.
- Properly execute a right turn.
- Demonstrate appropriate actions at a right-turn-only
lane when you are continuing straight.
- Show proper curbside and road-edge riding. Show how
to safely ride along a row of parked cars.
- Cross railroad tracks properly.
- Describe your state’s traffic laws for bicycles. Compare
them with motor-vehicle laws. Know the bicycle-safety guidelines.
- 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.*
- 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.
* Bicycle must have all required safety features. It must
be registered as required by your traffic laws.
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.
BSA Advancement ID#: 39
Pamphlet Revision Date: 1996
Requirements last updated in 1998
|