Boy Scout Archives: Cycling Merit Badge

Since 1911, hundreds of thousands of Scouts have made the most of their two-wheel adventures by earning the Cycling merit badge. Whether you just got your first bicycle or have been cycling for years, you will learn more about your bike and what it can do by working on the requirements for this badge.

Either the Cycling merit badge OR the Hiking merit badge OR the Swimming merit badge is required for the rank of Eagle Scout. Scouts who earn more than one of these badges may count the additional badges as electives.

See the Cycling Merit Badge Requirements

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Bicycle Rodeo Applause  A reader asked "Do you any applause that would work for the Bike Rodeo?" so here are an applause, a cheer, and a song you can use at your bicycle rodeo.

Start Your Engines - STEM Award for Boy Scouts (Technology)  The technology Nova STEM award for Boy Scouts is called Start Your Engines and is designed to help you explore how technology affects your life each day.

Physical Fitness Troop Program Feature for Boy Scouts  The physical fitness troop program feature offers the opportunity to introduce concepts of exercise diet, and healthy habits in a troop setting.

50 Miler Award  The 50 Miler award recognizes Scouts who go the distance, literally. This recognition can be earned by Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, Venturers, and Scout leaders. If your unit is planning a trek, your members might be able to earn this award.

BSA Methods - The Outdoors  One of the methods for Boy Scouts is “the outdoors”. Being outdoors presents Boy Scouts with challenges and adventures. Boys enjoy the independence of getting away from home and taking care of themselves.

BSA Bike Safety Guidelines  BSA has a list of bike safety guidelines on the Scouting.org site. The guidelines and procedures apply to all BSA unit, council, and national program activities involving bicycling.

Cycling Merit Badge for Boy Scouts  We haven't had anyone earn this badge in recent memory. The Scouts in our troop always earn the Swimming merit badge their first year at summer camp. The troop does go out riding occasionally, especially on Grant's Trail which is very close to us. They have considered doing a longer camping/biking trip on the Katy Trail, but no Scout has stepped forward to plan that yet

Powdered Sports Drink Recipe  Sports drinks like Gatorade or Power Aid are designed to replenish the water and salt your body loses when you are active or exercising. You can mix up your own powdered mix to accomplish this for a fraction of the cost of purchasing these drinks by the bottle.

Bicycle Riding Log  For some cycling recogintions, Scouts must record the time or distance spent riding. A basic log sheet is located at the bottom of this post to help you complete this. If you really become interested in cycling, you might consider getting a simple bike computer to aid you in figuring out this data. These devices record the time spent riding, mileage, average speed, and more.

Bicycle Helmet Fitting  This month I am focusing on cycling. Helmets are required for all BSA cycling activities. It is important to note that this applies to adults also. Your helmet isn't going to do you much good if it doesn't fit correctly. Here are some guidelines.

Bike Repair Tips  This month I am focusing on cycling. If you are going to ride a bike, you'd better make sure it is in good repair first. You don't want to be riding along and have your front wheel fall off or your brakes not work. I found a great website called How To Fix Bikes which offers all sorts of advice on - drum roll... - how to fix bikes!

Bike Inspection Checklist  Before riding a bike, Scouts should know how to do an inspection of the bicycle and check that it is in working order. The checklist below will give you a good starting point. You will need to explain each step to the Scouts so they learn the terminology and why each part is important.

Cycling Theme  I am featuring a Bikes theme this month. This theme has lots of useful information for Cub Scouts, but much of it applies to Boy Scouts and Venturers also. Boy Scouts can use the aids you will see this month with the Cycling merit badge. And Venturers will find this information useful for the Cycling/Mountain Biking elective for the Ranger Award.

National Outdoor Badges - Riding  When I first looked at this badge, I didn’t realize that riding covers both horseback riding and bike riding, Hopefully your Boy Scout troop program includes one or both of those activities.

Requirements and Helps for Boy Scout Merit Badges  You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers as you earn merit badges. There are more than 100 merit badges.

Bike Hike Safety and Etiquette   Before going on a bicycle ride with a group of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, or Venturers, review some bike safety and etiquette rules. Includes a printable discussion aid.