Trailnet

Well, I had just gotten my bike fixed and ready to go, and realized I was absolutely petrified to ride near or in St. Louis traffic. Hell, I’m scared of these crackheads driving in a car. So, I looked around for some resources, practiced around my block and read up some more. I fortunately heard about Trailnet’s Bike Smart class, which was free for those who qualify. Well, sad face, the first one got cancelled, and I received c courtesy call to make sure I heard it was cancelled (stupid rain). Well, it was rescheduled and I was one happy cyclist, since by that time I had actually made my way to Forest Park and rode in traffic a little.
The class was awesome. It informed cyclists of their legal rights and the legality of certain practices (obeying traffic lights, not riding on sidewalks downtown and other business districts). They also gave us some nice coupons and then we did the street portion, where we practiced avoidance maneuvers, quick turns, etc, then got to ride in traffic in a group ride.
My back brake (my favorite one and best one to use regularly), somehow decided to break, and one of the teachers told me what I needed to do to fix it, so I was doubly served by the class.
I know they have group rides and do alot of policy and advocacy work as well, but I’m not quite at the group ride stage yet, I’ll update when/​if I go to one.