LazyGirl

There should really be a "Help! I'm a newb, what should I buy?" forum. I guess this fits just as well.

I have a bike now, but when I move I'm going to start from scratch, buy all new stuff, and give my current one to someone else to ride. I have one two year old right now, but I am still fertile, so anything's possible. I'd like to live entirely car free, but I'm not sure if it would be feasible.

I'm going to be moving to Texas this summer (haven't decided on the specific town yet) with my 2-year old. I'd like to plan ahead so that I know what to buy when I'm there so that I won't have any need for owning a car. Also, I'm concerned about if I ever get pregnant again, I don't want to have to give up bicycling until the kid turns one. I've been told that women shouldn't bicycle when they're pregnant- what is the specific reason for that anyway? And would getting a three wheeler (for better balance- is potential for falling the reason you're not supposed to bike preggers?) solve that problem? Also, I've been told that you're not supposed to take a kid bicycling until they're one year old at least, why is that, and is there a way to do it safely? Like maybe a special "car seat" that fits a special trailer or something? If I can't take an infant with me, how am I going to be car-free (baby sitters are not an option).

Note: I'm not intending on having more kids anytime soon, but I'd feel better if I was prepared.

Also, I'm going to want to be able to take my current squirt on long distances as she gets older, and I figure that even though as she reaches biking age she'll be able to go short trips biking behind me, if I go somewhere a ways away (or cross country- if I ever get that inspired), I'm going to need to be doing the pedaling for her. What's the minimum age before a kid can physically go long distances under their own power, and is there any sort of means of being able to tow a girl up to that age (however old that may be)? If I have another kid I'll need to take both at once with me.

So, besides kid(s), I need to worry about groceries. I've heard about trailers for that, but how difficult would it be with kid(s) and a load of groceries? I'd like to be able to haul a week's worth. Mostly I'm worried about the amount of space it would take up, width and length, and if I was in a narrow spot/passing other bikers would I bump into them/have close calls?

How about public transportation- I know a lot of places have racks on the bus so that you can put a bike on, but what about a kiddie trailer? Or two trailers if I'm carrying groceries? Also, the bike racks I've seen are often on a sidewalk just a few feet from the street, which is enough room for a bike, but what do I do about my trailer(s)?

I don't like biking uphill, I just poop out and have to push my bike up. Would I be able to push my bike uphill with groceries and kids? Should I consider an electric bike? Are there other "bike-like" options I could try?

I've always had a problem with bike seats. Well, not always. When I was younger my parents would get me cheap $100 or less kiddie bikes with those crappy plastic seats that were very comfortable. As far as my butt was concerned I could ride forever (although,with a one speed, pedaling was hard). Then in high school I got a more expensive bike with a fancy seat and it sucked. It cut off circulation to my crotch (even though I'm a girl) and hurt my hip bones. Same thing with the next seat, not near as bad though- it had a hole cut in it which helped a lot. But I don't know how to find a comfortable seat, and if it hurts to ride I'm not going to be biking as much. Even if it is easier to pedal.

I'm afraid of riding in snow/ice, I don't care how fancy/good traction the tires have, I won't bike in it. Fortunately that won't be a problem in Texas, but if I was going somewhere with lots of snow and I wanted to brave the cold to bike I'd probably have to get a three wheeler. Just thought I'd mention it.

I'm concerned about inclimate weather- rain and hail mostly, but also heat/cold for the sake of my kid(s). I'm wondering about enclosed bikes/bike trailers, and covering my groceries/etc. Going out on a sunny day is fine, but if I'm using a bike for everything, I might end up outside when it's hailing. I don't wanna get clobbered!

I like to bike in an upright position- I hate leaning over to pedal. I got a "comfort bike" last time, but I'd still like the handlebars a little bit closer...

I've had a bike stolen once, hear about people getting their bikes stolen all the time, so I don't want the most expensive thing as I might need to replace it in the future due to thieves. I'll probably have to carry cab money "just in case", as I don't want to have to walk home again. I don't want a used bike (unless someone is giving it away/I know the person) because I don't want to risk paying for a stolen bike, thereby encouraging that sort of thing. Besides locking up my bike (I didn't do that last time-oops!), what can I do? BTW, I've heard U-Bolt locks are really easy to pick... with a ball point pen.

What do I do if I'm on a long distance trip and my bike breaks down or gets stolen?

So given this,
1. Any questions?
2. What kinds of bikes/accessories are out there?
3. What would you recommend I get/what advice/knowledge can you give?
4. What other factors of car-free living do I need to consider?

Platy

Hi LazyGirl, welcome.

If you want to be car free, your most important decision will be selecting the right places to live and work.

Ideally, you want to live right next to a retail center with a grocery store, and real close to a public transit center.

For the car free person, this is much more important than anything having to do with bikes and equipment.

Jolt

I'm not sure about pregnant women not being able to ride a bike--what I've sometimes heard is that if you've been doing it before getting pregnant, you should be able to continue but pregnancy isn't a good time to start. Part of this probably does have to do with the possibility of crashing, but then again one can crash in a car too so I'm not sure how much water this argument holds. The other possibility is that on some bikes the big belly might interfere with the riding position (road bikes) but if you're on something where you sit upright that should be less of an issue. As for waiting until kids are a year old before taking them along, that has to do with their neck needing to be strong enough to support the head when going over bumps etc. I for one would really like to see somebody come up with a good, safe solution to this issue so people can take younger infants in a trailer (I don't like the child seats that you can put on the back of the bike--I think a trailer is much safer in the event of a crash) without worrying about them getting shaken up too much--I don't have kids yet but when I do, I would like the option of continuing to do my short trips by bike without having to schedule them around being able to leave the kid(s) home with dad.

Now about the bike: I would probably recommend a hybrid for the type of riding you intend to do and the fact that you like to sit upright. But then, I may be biased since I use a hybrid for utility-type riding and am quite happy with it. As for hills, just riding more and getting stronger helps cut down on having to dismount and walk it up. Make sure the bike you get has some good low gears; hybrids usually do (look for a triple chainring on the front). Check Craigslist and similar sources for used bikes; sometimes you can pick up a pretty good one for a very reasonable price, and if it's not the latest and greatest thing it should be less likely to get stolen.

donnamb 

Regarding excercise during pregnancy, I think this page give a good summary of the issues and current guidelines. I recently went on a bike ride where there was this woman there who had to be at least 6-7 months along. She was riding a Bakfiets with a 3 year old in the bin. She had to take it easy and go very slowly up hills, but other than that, she was cruising right along with everyone else. Of course, I would never say that someone who hasn't been riding for a while should try that, but it was nice to see it could be done. As to set-up, here's a woman I've seen around town with her rug rats and errands. (Sorry about the image-heaviness, here.)



This woman lives in the suburbs, so I've never actually seen her.


I understand this woman lives down in Eugene.

lima_bean

This may sound strange, but my honest answer would vary wildly depending n what city in Texas you moved to. =p

Jolt

Cute pic with the kids! :-) Must make hills difficult though...

Michel Gagnon

It's probably not an idea to race during pregnancy, but gentle exercise is almost generally no problem. But then, what is your normal riding style? Some people make each ride a strenuous exercise, while others ride slow enough to not develop a sweat.

If/when you become pregnant, issues would be the "obvious" ones like:

– Body position: you will likely prefer straight bars or drop bars that are as high or slightly higher than the saddle, rather than drops that are much lower.

– Straddling the bike: A mixte frame or a mtb-style frame with lots of clearance is easier to straddle than a frame with a high top tube.

– Heat resistance. I don't know where you presently live, but if you are used to northern weather, you should gradually get used to Texas summer heat. I'm from Québec, so 100°F summers would be a real challenge for me.

As for bike racks on the bus, I have no direct experience with them: our "officially great" bike system is great for recreation but doesn't like bikes on busses and other good ideas like that. However, most or all bus racks are made with the standard adult bike in mind. Bikes must be unloaded, bikes with a child seat may fit, Xtracycles usually don't fit, tandems and child trailers never fit. And even if they were, think about the time you would need to put the bike on the rack, bring your panniers inside... and keep an eye on your child at the same time! So basically you need to find a place that you can cycle to and from.


Gears

I know that was not the question, but if you live in a hilly town, you might want lower gears than standard. An often-available possibility is to replace the smallest ring (the granny) with an even smaller one. Pulling a bike loaded with goods and child isn't too bad on flat terrain, but hills become magically steeper.


Trailers

Given your situation, a 2-children trailer is probably your best option. Some trailers have more headroom than others and some have more cargo space than others. I used and abused a Chariot trailer (vintage 1999 or 2000) and worn it over some 8000 km. Amongst their current line, I would say that the non-convertible ones have much more cargo space than their high-end ones. If you add a rear rack and two panniers, you will definitely have room for a full week of groceries on your bike + trailer, maybe even more. Two things to take care of:
- Do not swamp your child with groceries. I preferred to store soft items like vegetables, milk bags, etc. in the child trailer with the child, and harder items like tin cans in the compartment behind her or directly on the trailer floor or in panniers, so she would not receive a can on her leg if I hit a bump.
- Be aware that a child might be hungry. My #2 daughter was the hungry type, and there were a few times that some vegetables were "missing" when I got home.
– For Texas, get a trailer that has a meshed seat. Otherwise, your child will sweat and stick to the seat.
– My #2 child always wanted the front door to be open: no screen, no nothing. That's fine, as long as you have a full fender and a mudflap on your rear wheel.



Older kids

The trailer may be used until the child turns 4 (interest wise) to 6 (height and weight wise). When the child gets older, you may go for a trailercycle or for a full tandem (with child stoker kit). The trailercycle is cheaper, but the full tandem is more stable and a good idea if you think of a cross-country tour.

As for cycling on their own steam, it really depends. My oldest one started on two wheels at 5 (a few trials at 4) and was stable at 5.25 y.o. She was OK on the road at 6. My oldest one just started on two wheels at 7.25, so she is definitely not ready to hit the road right now!
Apart from being stable, I found that knowing left and right is essential and that you need to know how much your child will listen to your instructions. At 6 and 7, I found that my daughter had no problems with heavy traffic... providing it didn't last for too long. Besides, have you a "tomboy" that loves to take risks and challenge you or an overly fearful curb-hugging one? Are you living in an area where everything is close or not? These are factors that affect your children's autonomy.

The Feldmann family (search on https://crazyguyonabike.com) has crossed Canada with two children that were 9 and 11. It's probably close to the youngest age for long-distance touring with children on their own bike, but others have toured with much younger children on a tandem or trailercycle.


Weather

I can tell you from experience that a helmet does wonders in hail. And in most urban or semi-urban environments, you are most likely to be able to find shelter in short order.

For more gentle weather, rain and cold (down to -20°C) is not a problem for your child as long as she rides in the trailer. In fact, hot sunny days are more likely to be problematic. Keep sunscreen around!

Cold and wet weather will become a problem when your child will ride on the trailercycle. Then you'll need to bundle her up!


Ice

A two-wheel bike works great on ice and snow. For bad conditions, you may read this or this.

gwd

I agree with Platy. My neighbor raised two kids car free and for the last decade at least bike free too with no husband. Move to a place like where I live with lots of car free mothers and watch how they do it. If you are going to move anyway make a smart move.

donnamb 

Actually, she's got an electric power assist on that bike.

LazyGirl

Lots of good stuff guys! Thanks for the info! More questions, though.

Someone mentioned being able to live car free and even cycle free... Sorry I love to bike (as long as I find one with a good seat!), I don't want to be bicycle free. Just car free.

Hmmm... Yeah, my "comfort bike" is a hybrid. It lets me get close to but not quite an upright position. Whatever happened to bikes with the handlebars way above the seat? I just want my kid's bike, but grown up sized and easier to pedal! That was comfy!

So... with kid(s) I'd either be riding the bus OR my bike, not both on the same trip? I should've guessed as much. Is there any way to combine a bike/trailer with another mode of transportation? If I had to, would a taxicab be able to handle all of that stuff?

I didn't know there was storage in those kiddie trailers. So, you think, with the panniers, I'd only need the kiddie trailer to haul my groceries home? How much extra space would a front basket give, and how much weight could I put in there without affecting balance?

It's good to know that you can bicycle when you're pregnant. So, biking upright should be sufficiently stable, if I got pregnant? I wouldn't need a three wheeler to keep balanced? Wish I knew that when I was pregnant with my daughter, I could've been biking then. But there's no way to take a newborn along? Hmm... how is it that riding over bumps in a car is fine, but on a bike it is not? Would a really good suspension system take care of that? Ha ha, I guess you can't just pop a newborn in one of those infant carriers and ride while you wear him/her? One fall and "squish!"

Hmm... I started looking on other sites, and I found something interesting: https://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4029
Wait, how old is that kid in the pic in the car seat? I know it's not a newborn, but it's gotta be less than a year old? So I'm confused. Is it or isn't it safe to tow a newborn with the proper equipment? Unfortunately the page don't really say more than that. And I can't seem to find any more info on it. Ideas?

Well, if it is possible to ride with a newborn, that'll solve a lot of problems. If not, I'm going to have to find some alternative. I don't mind using public transportation sometimes, but I don't want to be dependent on it. I've been through a bus strike before (a month long), so I'm gonna need a backup plan. So, what would I do if I had a newborn and a bus strike? Taxicab rides would add up, and if it's a good bus system that people use, cabs would be scarce in a strike. Renting a car during a bus strike? That would be expensive, but if they don't happen too often it'd still be cheaper than a car. Of course, that depends how long the strike lasts/how much the car costs. But, again, rental cars would probably be scarce during a strike, too.

If I can't use a bike, and public transport is on strike... how would I get from point A to point B, if it's more than walking distance? What about a quadricycle? Or some other contraption? Would that be newborn safe?

I agree living in the right place is going to be a big part of it. Living 30 miles from a grocery store wouldn't cut it, even with the fanciest bike around. Unless maybe it was a moped (ha ha). I'd prefer to live in a town where I can get from one end to the other of the main part of town easily by bike. It's ok if there's some houses out a ways, as long as the part I'll be living in is fairly compact.

Well, here's a list of the cities I'm considering. I really don't know a lot about them- I've been researching for a place to move for close to a year, but I still know very little. I guess I'll find out which I like best when I get there. These are all in Texas:

Portland, Port Arthur (coast); Denison (near Oklahoma); Jacksonville, Marshall, Nacadoches, Mount Pleasant (eastern Texas); Round Rock, Austin, Lockhart (Hill Country).

So I've got ten places to visit, although I might knock a few off my list before I get there. If you know anything about any of these places that would make me not want to live there (or anything especially positive about them), let me know.

Oh, and transporting bikes- at some point in my life I may need to travel. Could I get a bike/trailer on the plane without mondo fees? I was gonna ship a bike via US mail once, but that would've cost more than the bike itself, so I bought a new one instead. That sucked. What about renting a bike? Buying a new bike? I'd hate to have to buy a bike anytime I went somewhere, but who knows how much taking it with me/renting one would cost? Maybe a rental car for vacations, eh? Or as long as there's no strikes planned I could use the bus. Or maybe rent a Segway... wait, that wouldn't work with a kid. What about the train, would you get charged extra to bring a bike on there? So many questions...

My riding style? Depends on if I'm in a hurry or not. If not, it's a pretty moderate pace, don't stress myself too much. Usually don't breathe very hard. Try to build up speed for the hills, but I still don't make it to the top. I don't pedal very fast, because pedaling fast tires me out as much as slow but hard pedaling, even if there's very little resistance. Generally I'll keep my bike in the same gear or two the entire ride, even on hills, because of that. On downhills I don't bother changing gears because I'm already going fast enough. Lower gears just don't seem to help me up the hill. Pedaling faster just tires me out and I end up walking anyway.

Actually, exercising in general I avoid heavy breathing for the most part, I find it uncomfortable. I'll exercise, but not enough to make myself pant or anything. If I'm late for something I put more into it, with heavy breathing and what-not.

Should I get a pressure gauge? Or is the "pump it 'til the tires don't give" method adequate? I'm starting to wonder if that method results in sufficient psi...

Always wondered what fenders were for... I thought they were just to give a bike a "classic" look.

My two year-old is pretty good at left and right. Should be right up there when it comes time to ride.

So, a helmet will protect me from hail, and the trailer will protect her? What if I'm in a situation without shelter, like on the road to nowhere or all the stores I could stop in are closed? That's why I'm wondering about an enclosed bike, those velocycles. What if I need to get somewhere, could I continue biking in the hail, or should I pull over until it clears? Should I bring shelter (a tarp, maybe?), just in case?

Those xtracycles look pretty neat, but they really need more picks with nothing loaded, I was having a hard time figuring out exactly how they looked.

All I know is there's a lot of styles out there for bikes/trailers/etc., so I'm having a hard time figuring out what would be most practical/comfortable.

Hmmm... So a trailer for now, and a tandem or trailercycle for when she's older. Somehow I would think that the trailercycle would be more stable because it's lower. Wouldn't a tandem be higher up?

Jolt

Not speaking from experience here, but I don't see why a three-wheeler would be needed during pregnancy; the extra weight isn't more on one side of your body than the other, so it shouldn't unbalance the bike. As for taking a newborn along, the problem as far as I know with the bumps is that they tend to be worse on a bike than in a car (and also I'm not sure if the people making the recommendations in this country are thinking about whether using a car seat would fix this). It does seem like some sort of suspension system on the trailer would take care of this, or maybe even some sort of springs etc. in the trailer seat (sort of like using a suspension seatpost on a bike that doesn't have front or rear suspension). I agree, using a front carrier/sling has the potential to be bad news in the event of a crash! It would give the kid a smoother ride but no protection if you were to fall. Regarding the quote from the other site, they don't give much info, do they? I would be very interested to see what people do in Europe and whether they have had any problems--sounds like they have figured out ways around the issue, but are they truly safe? If so, then we can and should adopt those methods here. It does seem like people over there are a lot more interested in cycling as transportation than they are here--in this country the people who design this stuff don't seem to give a flying fart in space about how to solve certain practical problems like transporting kids under the age of 1. How do the Dutch etc. handle this situation?

You wrote that pedaling fast tires you out just as much as slow hard pedaling. In fact, faster pedaling in a lower gear is better for your knees so it would be a good habit to get into. And I would also recommend getting comfortable with the finer points of shifting--it really does help you be more efficient when dealing with hills! It will come with practice, and probably fairly quickly as you ride more--you'll just learn as you go what works best as far as when to shift for a hill.

As far as the pressure gauge, it probably is a good idea; that said, I don't have one and I just pump till the tires feel hard.

Sorry, I know exactly zilch about the cities you're looking at :-) I've never even been to Texas, so I'll let someone else handle those questions!

Platy

Portland (Corpus Christi), Port Arthur, anywhere on the Gulf - consider how you would do a carfree hurricane evacuation on a day's notice.

Nacogdoches - the main roads through town are completely bike unfriendly. Out of town, the roads are high speed and mostly narrow.

Round Rock - has no public transit at all by policy. Very spread out.

Austin - my home turf. Cycling is well accepted. Major hills to the west. Be careful to choose a place within a couple of blocks to a grocery store that's well served by Capital Metro. The rail line they are putting in place is a joke, it won't help you be carfree at all.

Hill Country - is exactly what it says.

The missing piece of the puzzle is what kind of job you are looking for, or if you won't be working at all.

I was hoping Dahon.Steve would show up so we can discuss his light rail based method for selecting a place to live and how to find a job. Dallas has good light rail and average bus service. It's also served by Greyhound, TRE (train to Ft Worth), Amtrak (ha), and of course two airports.

Platy

Oh, throw Lubbock into the mix too. Flat country, not humid, wide streets, the older part of town is on a nice grid layout. It's a college town. Even has a couple of lakes. It's remote from the rest of the known universe, a good place to hide out if you're inclined that way. Bus service - it exists, even if most people don't notice it.

Saltheart

I can't speak to the pregancy issue as I'm male but it seems to me you should look at recumbent trikes during pregnancy. As for other considerations...if your serious about being car free you need to think about how far you'll need to go for the basic neccessities food, doctors, etc and make sure you can get there be bike or with public transportation....make sure you can haul the bike on public transportation. Can you get your kid to school? if not your going to need to home school. These kinds of issues...good luck with it though...

BAH

I always recommend an xtracycle,no matter what the question
My nephew's first words whenever he comes to visit are bike ride! bike ride! bike ride!

DizzyG3

OK. For starters, you sure type a lot for a lazygirl ;-)

My family (me/wife/3 yr old/6 mo old) have been completely car free for about a year now and car lite for a year or so before that. We live in the Boston area, so public transportation has been a huge factor. Having said that, we definitely prefer the freedom of biking as opposed to waiting for trains and busses. Here's a quick and dirty breakdown of what we have done/do/plan to do as far as biking gear is concerned. This is what works for us, so please don't simply assume that any of this is a universal fit.

- Xtracycle. It is our minivan. We have two Bobike seats (maxi fo rthe toddler & mini fo rthe baby) and it is flat out fantastic. Our area is somewhat hilly (nothing like San Francisco though) and a Shimano Nexus 8hub does the trick nicely. We plan on adding a Stokemonkey (https://cleverchimp.com/products/stokemonkey/) someday soon to deal with big bike + 2 kids + groceries + whatever else. If you're concerned at all about the Xtracycle, check out Surly's Big Dummy (https://www.surlybikes.com/new.html). It looks to be a pretty sweet ride and all accounts I've seen of it look to be very promising. It is also compatible with the Stokemonkey.

- Burley D'Lite trailer. This thing has also been great. On colder days and in bad weather, it's easy to zip the kids (it holds two) in with blankets and a hot water bottle if necessary and hit the road. It also has room in the back for some gorceries. I have on occasion been a little overzealous and loaded the trailer with too much kid and groceries. This caused the frame to bow enough for the wheels to rub on the trailer's frame and drag something fierce. Taking some of the weight out and putting it on me instead of the trailer sorted that right out and the trailer suffered no ill effects.

- Lights. My commuter bike (a Breezer Uptown) has a generator hub. This means I never worry about batteries running out. it als gives me a bright enough light tha stays lit when I stop. The minivan referred to above really never gets out at night, but if that changes we'll probably put a generator hub on that too. Drag is negligable if even noticable and the benefit of the light system far outweighs any drag issues. Another option is Reellights. You can get tehm here (https://todd.cleverchimp.com/blog/) or here (https://hiawathacyclery.com/cart/inde...roducts_id=26).

- Weather. I have heard that the Finnish have a saying that goes "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing." I couldn't agree more. A simple waterproof jacket provides most of my cover. Ride slow enough so that you don't get more wet from sweating. For leg coverage, I plan on getting rainlegs. You can get them from Clever Cycles (https://clevercycles.com/) when they open in a few weeks, or online here (https://todd.cleverchimp.com/blog/). I either ignore foot coverage or go the ultra-simple/ultra-cheap way of tying plastic shopping bags around my feet. Looks dorky, but works like a charm.

- Public transit. My wife and I plan on picking up a couple of folding bikes in the future. Brompton, Dahon, and Bike Friday are just a few out there. If you have just the one kid, you could get a single-kid trailer that converts to a stroller and tow that behind the folder. You could then get all this onto the train pretty easily unless the train is too packed with people. If the weather is nice and you have a Brompton, you can get an IT Chair (https://www.itchair.info/) for the kid. One of the partners at Clever Cycles has one that I test rode with my son when out in Portland. Great setup and my boy loved it.

- Knowledge. Know some basic bike maintenance stuff. You WILL get flats. Know how to fix them and it's not such a big deal. You can get kevlar-belted tires that will reduce the frequency of flats (greatly reduce in my personal experience), but nothing is foolproof. Know how to adjust and replace brakes. It's really simple. Get a book on Bicycle maintenance and repair to have as a handy reference. And remember, this is not rocket science. You're definitely smart enough to figure it out.

- Lastly, just get out and ride. Sounds like you don't really have that problem too much, but it's still worth repeating. The more you do it, the easier it gets. My wife was riding while pregnant with our little girl up to about 7 or 8 months. She definitely took it easy, but she still got around on the Xtracycle with our 3 yr old on it. She loves to tell me what a whimp I am whenever I complain about a particularly tough commute.

I wish you all the best in your move and car free future. May you and your family (whether it grows or not) have many happy miles.