Virtual Bike Education Resource Hub
Curated by Bike New York’s Education Department for educators and parents. In response to the increased need for digital bike learning resources, our team has assembled a list of books, videos, movies, documentaries, activities, and curricula designed to keep students from pre-K through high school engaged with the history, community, fitness, and fun of cycling. Bike New York is also hard at work creating new instructional videos and virtual classroom sessions to adapt materials from our standard year-round programming for easy online access. Feel free to share this resource and adapt it to best suit your own education needs!
We’d love to hear from you! To suggest your favorite bike education materials or topics for new bike education videos, please drop us a line.
BIKE NEW YORK CURRICULA & RESOURCES
Youth Cycling Skills in the Classroom – downloadable PDF
Teacher’s guide covering bike basics, safety, and bike culture, including readings and activities. For upper elementary and middle school students.
Bike Safety Assembly Video – streaming video
A short, fun video for youth about how to safely ride a bike in New York City, including essential road rules and what, where, and how to ride. For elementary through high school students.
Bike Safety Assembly Quiz – downloadable PDF
True or false quiz formatted for presentation-style display. For elementary and middle school students.
Bicycle Jeopardy! Game – downloadable PDF
Just like the famous TV game, only bike-centric! Includes instructions for presentation-style display. For middle and high school students.
Streamable Bike Education At Home Videos
Ongoing video series covering bike handling basics and street-riding skills for teens and adults.
BOOKS
FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS:
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by Frank Viva Pre-K through Gr 2 | Read-along video
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The Bike Lesson (Berenstain Bears)
by Stan and Jan Berenstain Pre-K through Gr 2 | Read-along video |
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by David Neuhaus Pre-K through Gr 2
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Yuki’s Ride Home
by Manya Tessler Pre-K through Gr 2 |
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by Allen Say Pre-K through Gr 3 | Read-along video
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Duck on a Bike
by David Shannon Pre-K through Gr 3 | Read-along video |
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by Erin Mirabella Pre-K through Gr 3
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Eric’s Big Day
by Rod Waters K through Gr 3 |
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by Vera Rosenberry K through Gr 2
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Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen
by Cari Best K through Gr 3 | Read-along video |
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by Eva Moore and Paulette Bourgeois K through Gr 3 | Read-along video
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My Sister’s Rusty Bike
by Jim Aylesworth Gr 1 & 2 | Read-along video |
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by Lucy Jane Bledsoe Gr 3-5
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Go Fly a Bike! The Ultimate Book of Bicycle Fun, Freedom and Science
by Bill Haduch Gr 3-6 |
LIBROS PARA ESTUDIANTES PRIMARIAS (EN ESPAñOL):
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Rosaura en Bicicleta (A Bicycle for Rosaura) Pre-K & K | Read-along video
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Seguridad y las Bicicletas (Bicycle Safety) Pre-K through Gr 2
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Doña Eremita Sobre Ruedas (Mrs. Armitage on Wheels) by Quentin Blake
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La Bicicleta de Selva (Selva’s Bicycle)
by Monica Rodriquez K & Gr 1 |
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Que Pasa en Una Tienda de Bicicletas? (What Happens at a Bike Shop?)
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Superabuelo (Super Grandpa) by David M. Schwartz and Martin Luis Guzman Gr 2 through 4 |
BOOKS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS:
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by Jane Langton Gr 3 through 8
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Bicicletas del Pasado (Bikes of the Past)
by Mark Beyer Gr 4 through 7 |
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Pedal it! How Bicycles are Changing the World
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The Great Bicycle Experiment: The Army’s Historic Black Bicycle Corps, 1896-97 by Kay Moore Gr 5 through 8
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Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?: Five Kids Meet Their Country by John Seigel Bottner
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Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry’s Extraordinary Ride
by Peter Zheutlin Gr 7 through 12 |
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Iron Riders: Story of the Fort Missoula Buffalo Soldier Bicycle Corps by George Niels Sorensen Gr 7 through 12
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BOOKS FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS:
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by Michael Kranish
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Rusch to Glory
by Rebecca Rusch |
| Full Tilt by Dervla Murphy |
by Emily June Street
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It’s All About the Bike
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Holy Spokes! A Biking Bible for Everyone by Rob Coppolillo |
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Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy
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The Adventure of Priory School by Arthur Conan Doyle (text with audio) |
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The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist by Arthur Conan Doyle
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VIDEOS
DOCUMENTARIES:
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The Bicycle Corps: America’s Black Army on Wheels: “The story of the 25th Infantry’s bicycle trip from Montana to Missouri in 1897.” (view free stream)
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Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story: “A 2014 documentary film about Nelson Vails, the first and only African-American medalist in cycling at the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles.” (view free stream) |
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Rising from the Ashes: “A 2013 independent documentary film about the development of a national cycling team in Rwanda, a country still affected by 1994 Rwandan genocide.” (view trailer | purchase film)
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Blood Road: “The mysteries surrounding her father’s death in the Vietnam war lead ultra-endurance mountain biker Rebecca Rusch on an emotional journey as she pedals 1200 miles of the Ho Chi Minh trail.” (view trailer | purchase film) |
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Bicycle: “A 2014 documentary film about the history and culture of the bicycle in Great Britain. Written and directed by Michael B. Clifford, the film features conversations with numerous historians, designers, Olympic athletes, and youth.” (view trailer | view free stream with IMDB account)
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Afghan Cycles: “Following a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists, Afghan Cycles uses the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights – human rights – and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis.” (view trailer | purchase or rent film) |
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My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes: “A 2014 documentary film that tells the story of the rescue of thousands of Italian Jews during World War II by ordinary and prominent Italians, including the champion cyclist Gino Bartali.” (view trailer | view free stream – part one | free stream – part two) |
FEATURE FILMS:
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Breaking Away (1979, PG): “A bicycle enthusiast in a small college town spends his post-high school summer trying to sort out his future while training for the two biggest races of his life.” (view trailer | purchase or rent film)
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Beijing Bicycle (2001, PG-13): “Guei, a seventeen-year-old boy from the countryside, comes to Beijing to seek work, finding a job with a courier company which assigns him a brand-new bicycle. After it is stolen, Guei goes on a search. At the other end of the city, Jian is a schoolboy who buys Guei’s stolen bicycle from a second-hand market. When Guei’s search brings the two boys together, more than the ownership of the bicycle is brought into question.” (view trailer | view free stream – original language with English subtitles)
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Wadjda (2012, PG): “An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school’s Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest. The first feature film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia.“(view trailer | purchase or rent film)
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The Flying Scotsman (2006, PG-13): “A true story based on the inspirational and remarkable Scottish cyclist, Graeme Obree. In 1993, this unemployed amateur broke the world one-hour record on a bike of his own revolutionary design, which he constructed out of scrap metal and parts of a washing machine. Shortly after Graeme broke the record, he lost his title when another cyclist beat his time. This only served to motivate Graeme to break the record again.” (view trailer | purchase or rent film)
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The Bicycle Thief (1948, unrated): “The story of a poor father searching post-World War II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which he will lose the job which was to be the salvation of his young family… Cited by Turner Classic Movies as one of the most influential films in cinema history, and it is considered part of the canon of classic cinema. ” (view trailer | purchase or rent film)
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The Kid With A Bike (2012, PG-13): “When Cyril’s father abandons him, he obsessively searches for his bicycle–placing his last bit of hope in this symbol of their relationship. Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and his disastrous search for father figures, Cyril risks losing her–though she refuses to give up without a fight.” (view trailer | purchase or rent film)
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2 Seconds (1998, unrated): “Follows the story of a bisexual woman who takes a job as a bike courier in Montreal after being fired from her previous job as a professional downhill racer.” (view trailer | view free stream)
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The Triplets of Belleville (2003, PG-13): “When her bicycle-enthusiast grandson is kidnapped by mysterious henchmen, an old woman is aided in her search by her faithful dog and three eccentric divas in this animated romp.” (view trailer | purchase or rent film)
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Activities & Other Curricula
- Ride Illinois Safety Quizzes – With quiz options for kids, adults, drivers, and truck operators
- Shape America Bikeology – Bike-focused middle and high school curriculum for teachers and instructors
STEM RESOURCES
ONLINE MATERIALS:
- The Exploratorium: Science of Cycling – Resource site for middle and high schoolers
- The Bicycle Problem That Nearly Broke Mathematics – Nature Magazine article
- Sheldon Brown’s Bicycle Technical Info – Incredibly useful resource containing numerous articles on bicycle mechanics and bike repair
TEXTBOOKS:
- Bicycling Science by David Gordon Wilson – For high schoolers
- The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt – For high schoolers (free PDF download)