This is a thread about our kids who commute by bicycle, to school or wherever they need to go.

Do your kids ride? How do you equip them, bike and gear? How did you get them started? How do they like it, how do you like it?

My son rides his bike to high school. It is about 3.5 miles each way. He rides about a mile on a greenway (a street designated for cycling, that has lots of bikes and not too many cars), crosses a bridge then rides about 0.5 mile in a bike lane on a major street, then rides with traffic through downtown Portland on a regular road to school. I took him riding on the route last year when he started high school, and I used to ride most of that route to work. It is a good route, quite safe.

He rides an '80s steel road bike, a pretty nice one (SLX, full Mavic, rack, lights, fenders) that doesn't look like anything special. We installed Gatorback tires and so far he hasn't had a flat. His rain jacket and pants, lock, pump, and flat kit ride along in his backpack. I got him a pannier and he seldom uses it, but he has a folding wire pannier for days when he needs to carry more stuff.

My son really likes riding, enjoys the exercise and the fitness helps with his main activity, which is dance. He is a fast rider, and does the ride in to school in under 20 minutes. He's ridden two centuries so he isn't new to bikes. I've taken him on rides around the city, taught him about right hooks and similar threats, and followed him to watch his riding. After watching me ride to work for eight years, he thinks commuting by bike is the preferred mode.

Unlike many of us, he's not a year round foul weather dedicated bike commuter. When it starts raining incessantly and is dark early, around late October, he rides some days and other days takes the bus or we drive him or he carpools with other kids. By then, school and other activities are heating up. He has dance rehearsals, theatre rehearsals, more homework. And in high school there isn't any opportunity to change or shower when he gets there. Apparently it is bad for your social life to be damp and smelly. He insists on riding in jeans and Chuck Taylors. I'm told that showing up at school in cycling shorts and a jersey would be instant death (to one's image).

I think riding his bike to school is good for him. He feels independent, learns about traffic and safety, gets fresh air and a workout. I do worry a little, but there isn't much objective reason for concern.