Recreational & Family - Article on biking with kids

I just wrote an article about options for cycling with children here: http://austinbikeblog.org/?p=528

I'm interested in others experiences. What works for you?

Good stuff! It is nice to see people posting articles like this.

We started with a Burley trailer and graduated to a Trek (Gary Fisher 206) trailer bike. On long rides, my 5 year old will still use the trailerbike, but she prefers to ride her own bike. I taught her to ride at 4 years old using my own home made version of the "Like-A-bike" made out of a $4 yard sale bike with 12" wheels. She now rides a 16" tire bike that I modified with a 3 spd S-A hub and hand brakes.

The older one rips along on her own full size bike. We can occasionally get mommy out on our family rides, but only if we promise to keep the grades to a minimum!

Thanks. I have an old trailer bike a friend gave me that is missing some key parts to make safe. My son, who is 4, is definitely interested in riding one, but I think we're going to just get a new one than sink money into this old rusty one.

I've actually got an Xtracycle kit shipping to me right now to convert an old hybrid we have to a cargo bike. I'm going to experiment with different ways to haul my kids on the back deck. I'll write something up about it and let everyone know it's up.

I'm interested in others experiences. What works for you?
This worked for me this morning and I hope during this whole school year:


Only few minor problems with this setup:

corraling and uncorralling three kids needs to be done in prescribed order - it helps to have another adult
the trailer has the rain cover, the seat does not - so no taking the little one in heavy downpours, also she needs to be bundled up way heavier than trailer cargo
uphill sucks, but I think it's the aging engine problem :D

Trailering w/ topography pretty much demands mtn bike gearing, or a willingness to go down around 5mph

That was one of the joys of getting the little one out of the trailer and onto the trailerbike. The Burley sometimes felt like I was pulling a drag shute behind me. The Trek/Fisher 206 is a 6 speed, and my daughter will shift on command and is a good little stoker on the hills. Just for laughs, I sometimes stop pedaling and let her push me along!

At 51, I know something about the aging engine issue!

This worked for me this morning and I hope during this whole school year:


Only few minor problems with this setup:

corraling and uncorralling three kids needs to be done in prescribed order - it helps to have another adult
the trailer has the rain cover, the seat does not - so no taking the little one in heavy downpours, also she needs to be bundled up way heavier than trailer cargo
uphill sucks, but I think it's the aging engine problem :D


Looks great.

One thing, it's hard to tell from the picture, but do you have a kickstand? While I hate what they do to the lines of a bike, they are pretty much a necessity when loading kids. Plus, you're so far into Fred territory when you have a trailer, kid seat, or kid tandem, who cares? I'd recommend a double footed kickstand to aid with loading and keep the bike more stable when putting the little one in the kid seat.

One thing, it's hard to tell from the picture, but do you have a kickstand?
I do and it's folded in this picture.
I don't trust it when the kid is sitting in the seat (my kids can be very lively at the times) or kids are jumping into the trailer taking their seats.
I was deliberating at double kickstand before, but so far it has not been a necessity (with the Schwinn/Instep trailer attachment I can lay the bike on the side if necessary and the trailer will stay upright)

I pretty much have to work as fast as possible, put my daughter into the trailer, strap her down, shower her w/ toys and stuff to sort through, close the lid and go so she doesn't have time to start squirming and knock the whole thing over.

I'd let it fall over once (trailer only, NOT with a kid in a rear seat!) My kids were bouncing around in the trailer and made the bike fall over. That shocked them enough that now they know not to do that.

My daughter doesn't mind letting the whole thing go over, even the trailer.

GREAT Article! Really Enjoyed it. =)
Cant wait to get my son out on the rode in a trailer.

Haven't you noticed, Fred is in! Most of us don't look good in spandex, so why try and be something we are not comfortable in. Like Sailor, I can usually be found in a T-shirt and soft shorts, although I do have one set of 'mountain biker baggies' for long trips. I tried gel once and returned them - kind of felt like wearing a diaper! Even fenders are making a comeback. I couldn't ride my Dahon at work without them.

Go to Europe or Asia. These people are serious about riding, yet they do just fine on 35 lb iron tube bikes, and everyday street clothes. We need to drop the fashion statements and get back to basics.

(I'll get off my soapbox now.... sorry....)

I'm interested in others experiences. What works for you?

Urban kid buggy!











And the ongoing Xootr Swift modification saga is here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=438594).

I'm writing an article for this week that will have more detail, but I wanted to go ahead and post these pictures of my kids on our new Xtracycle with my addition of home made handlebars made out of PCV piping. I'll post here once I have the full article up.

That's pretty cool looking! Oh, and nice Subi also.

I finally posted an article about this setup on my Xtracycle here: http://austinbikeblog.org/?p=736

We put our kids on the back of bicycle built for three - that worked great!

Earlier this week I was hitching the trailer back to the bike to bring my daughter home, after having left the trailer at the daycare like I always do, and noticed the QR on one of the trailer's wheels had come loose. I suppose it's worth mentioning that things like that bear checking as part of some kind of routine before packing the kid(s) into them.

For more useful info, log on to http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3595. there are also other items on the subject: just search "family cycling" on www.ctc.org.uk

Interesting Xtracycle setup. I talked briefly with my wife about the possibility of doing something like that, and she asked if the PVC could be made more like a roll cage.

This is much better than ARE YOU CRAZY!? so I consider the conversation a success.

THis is how our son gets to school daily - no downpours but light sprinkles and cold are a go.

How long is the trip to school on that tandem? And how far does the tandem go for the rest of the day post dropoff? I've seen a sliding crank setup around town here too, a guy w/ a ~3-4 yr old. Looks pretty fun. My 7 yr old rides his own bike to school, but it's less than a mile. preschooler goes in a trailer that gets stored at the daycare, so once I drop the kids, I just have me and my bike (or my wife and her bike depending on who's doing the shuttling).

It is exactly 1 mile from the house to the front of school - nothing too impressive. My husband than heads home. We have put 1000 miles on that set-up since December - 210 in 5 days in Cape Cod and MV this summer. Our son just turned 7. We're hoping to take the stoker kit off this winter - our son is pretty high up right now!! We have short (ish) cranks right now and crank shorteners - maybe in another inch or so he'll make it. The TREK is a large/small - originally bought with me in mind BUT I HATED IT!