I don't know of any particular regulations. Judging from what I've seen on the road though, the minimum qualifications appear to be two wheels and a death wish.
My personal checklist for a bike I'd feel confident riding, however, is:
* Brakes in good working order, i.e. strong enough to make your rear wheel skid without exerting undue force on the lever (you don't want to skid your rear wheel, it's less effective, but you want to be able to). * No rust on the chain. * Lights, if you're riding at night. * Plugs for the ends of the handle bars - if they're open, they can act rather like an apple corer on you in an accident. * Gears that change sanely. * No mysterious wobbles or ominous creaks coming from the drivetrain.
This alone seems to give me higher standards than about 60% of the bikes I see. Sigh.
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Date: 2008-07-12 06:15 pm (UTC)My personal checklist for a bike I'd feel confident riding, however, is:
* Brakes in good working order, i.e. strong enough to make your rear wheel skid without exerting undue force on the lever (you don't want to skid your rear wheel, it's less effective, but you want to be able to).
* No rust on the chain.
* Lights, if you're riding at night.
* Plugs for the ends of the handle bars - if they're open, they can act rather like an apple corer on you in an accident.
* Gears that change sanely.
* No mysterious wobbles or ominous creaks coming from the drivetrain.
This alone seems to give me higher standards than about 60% of the bikes I see. Sigh.