Bike commuting with kids - any tips?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My twins grew out of our Burley Bee trailer around age 4 - width-wise, they weren't comfortable and didn't fit well. We upgraded to a Croozer Kid for 2, which is one of the widest doubles on the market, and they will likely fit well until about 6.

I slipped on a patch ice and crashed on my bike one morning on our way to school - in the trailer, the kids were stable and safe. The trailer also has the advantage of being able to bundle them in blankets.

Since you're talking about ice, I guess you don't live here. There are places I would use a bike trailer but DC is not one of them. Narrow streets, cars parked on both sides of the street, crazy traffic, cars coming out of alleys = your trailer isn't visible to drivers.

[Anonymous]

Based on our own experience, at this age (PK=4), you'll be better off getting your child onto a bike and ride it on the side-walk for a couple of reasons:
- Trailers are expensive and your child will outgrow it in just a year or two (mentally as well, won't want to go in it)
- Think of the long haul, say, what about 3rd, 4th, 5th grade. Getting him/her on a bike now will form bike proficiency and good habits in the long run (also fosters independence more generally)
- It's much easier to handle with the deferred drop-off pick-up schedule you outline (I speak from experience having done both, plus bike seats)
- Exercise (not letting the child be wheeled, pulled, pushed etc.)
Your other option is a trail bike (one you hitch up, look for one you can take off easily and lock up independently) but for the reasons stated, I'd recommend against it. The only reason that would want to make you favor it over an independent solution for your child, is if you absolutely must ride in traffic.

[Anonymous]

For the person who recommended an Extracycle, until what age/grade are they generally used?

[Anonymous]

Congrats on the short distance to cover to school.

started bike commuting and walking (about 75/25) the mile to school with my son when he was 4. He happened to already be good on a bike (learned to ride w/o training wheels quite early and spontaneously), so we just kept to the sidewalks and I did a TON of training with him on warning pedestrians and slowing way down when passing them; stopping well before the intersections; and stopping to check for cars at every alley entrance/exit. It was time-consuming at first and I felt like I was hectoring him every step of the way, but it paid off. We've been bike commuting now for 5 years. Overall, though, I'd say you have to teach them to be extremely careful and responsive to your direction, and they must be strong riders, so you would need to practice almost daily over the summer. Also depends a lot on the general safety of your route, whether there's room on the sidewalks, etc.

There's no way I would invest in something to transport a 4-year-old, but your situation may be different.

In cases of very bad weather or when he's headed somewhere else directly after school, we walk. If you work up to it, most kids can handle a mile walk at age 4. Once they're used to it, a morning walk tends to put them (and you) in a really good mood, ready to learn.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the person who recommended an Extracycle, until what age/grade are they generally used?

They are rated for 400 pounds of cargo, including the rider. So certainly an adult and 2 kids quite old are totally reasonable. You can get a Yepp toddler seat as an accessory, so you could go as young as 1 year old with that. A kid probably as old as 10 would fit quite comfortably. The space is quite big- I have seen some people take 3 kids around 6-7 years old, without a toddler seat, just sitting on the platform.

The big benefit of a cargo bike is the simplicity and speed versus dealing with kids' bikes. If your distance to school is less than a mile the time savings won't be significant. But if you are biking 2-3 miles you will be saving at least 10 minutes each way. Factor in hills (which kids might not be strong enough to do until they are in the 8-9 year old range), and it makes a lot more sense.

Another benefit of a cargo bike is the ability to haul other things like groceries. It can easily be a car replacement if most things in your life are in the 2-4 mile range, plus you have public transit options for bad weather and the like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, a bike seat on each bike might be easier/less bulky. But you'd have to check with school to make sure you can leave the trailer - probably hitched up to a bike rack. You will want a helmet - they have toddler helmets you can easily get. We got the CoPilot seat - really like it. As for trailers, Burley is one of the more popular ones, but it is very heavy, and while it can work as a stroller, too, it really isn't designed that way. Schwinn makes a great one that works beautifully as a stroller (so you can always bike there, stroller home). Baby Jogger makes a City trailer/stroller that also works really well as both a trailer and a stroller, but it is pricier than the Schwinn. We ended up getting the Schwinn...about a month before they came out with the City. It has held up quite well over the years.

This bike seat will be the best option because it is rated to a really high weight- 77 pounds. That means you will easily be able to use it for the next 3-4 years if you want. Two of them would be $350. You would probably want to get a basic rack for each bike, those are probably around $30-40 each

http://www.amazon.com/Bobike-Junior-Rear-Child-Seat/dp/B008Y5UMTW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429406757&sr=8-2&keywords=bobike

I am a daily biker and would heavily recommend biking as the way to get around. It is sooooo much faster than any other way at rush hour for distances less than 3 miles or so.

BicycleSpace is a great shop and I would go there first to see what they have for you.

How is that possible? Wouldn't a cyclist obeying the rules of the road, stopping at red lights and stop signs, yielding the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks, etc., require the same time as a motorist traveling the same streets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, a bike seat on each bike might be easier/less bulky. But you'd have to check with school to make sure you can leave the trailer - probably hitched up to a bike rack. You will want a helmet - they have toddler helmets you can easily get. We got the CoPilot seat - really like it. As for trailers, Burley is one of the more popular ones, but it is very heavy, and while it can work as a stroller, too, it really isn't designed that way. Schwinn makes a great one that works beautifully as a stroller (so you can always bike there, stroller home). Baby Jogger makes a City trailer/stroller that also works really well as both a trailer and a stroller, but it is pricier than the Schwinn. We ended up getting the Schwinn...about a month before they came out with the City. It has held up quite well over the years.

This bike seat will be the best option because it is rated to a really high weight- 77 pounds. That means you will easily be able to use it for the next 3-4 years if you want. Two of them would be $350. You would probably want to get a basic rack for each bike, those are probably around $30-40 each

http://www.amazon.com/Bobike-Junior-Rear-Child-Seat/dp/B008Y5UMTW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429406757&sr=8-2&keywords=bobike

I am a daily biker and would heavily recommend biking as the way to get around. It is sooooo much faster than any other way at rush hour for distances less than 3 miles or so.

BicycleSpace is a great shop and I would go there first to see what they have for you.

How is that possible? Wouldn't a cyclist obeying the rules of the road, stopping at red lights and stop signs, yielding the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks, etc., require the same time as a motorist traveling the same streets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, a bike seat on each bike might be easier/less bulky. But you'd have to check with school to make sure you can leave the trailer - probably hitched up to a bike rack. You will want a helmet - they have toddler helmets you can easily get. We got the CoPilot seat - really like it. As for trailers, Burley is one of the more popular ones, but it is very heavy, and while it can work as a stroller, too, it really isn't designed that way. Schwinn makes a great one that works beautifully as a stroller (so you can always bike there, stroller home). Baby Jogger makes a City trailer/stroller that also works really well as both a trailer and a stroller, but it is pricier than the Schwinn. We ended up getting the Schwinn...about a month before they came out with the City. It has held up quite well over the years.

This bike seat will be the best option because it is rated to a really high weight- 77 pounds. That means you will easily be able to use it for the next 3-4 years if you want. Two of them would be $350. You would probably want to get a basic rack for each bike, those are probably around $30-40 each

http://www.amazon.com/Bobike-Junior-Rear-Child-Seat/dp/B008Y5UMTW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429406757&sr=8-2&keywords=bobike

I am a daily biker and would heavily recommend biking as the way to get around. It is sooooo much faster than any other way at rush hour for distances less than 3 miles or so.

BicycleSpace is a great shop and I would go there first to see what they have for you.

How is that possible? Wouldn't a cyclist obeying the rules of the road, stopping at red lights and stop signs, yielding the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks, etc., require the same time as a motorist traveling the same streets?

I'm not the previous poster (not sure I'd agree on the 3 miles number), but there are ways to legally get around faster in heavy traffic.

For one, bike lanes tend not to build up and get gridlocked like general lanes, so in heavy rush hour traffic, I can get where I'm going a lot faster.
Second, even without a bike line, a bicyclist is legally allowed to go between cars in their lanes, which is quite safe in backed up traffic.
It's pretty easy to find a place to lock up a bike, whereas it can take between a minute and a F-ing lifetime to park a car during rush hour.

[Anonymous]

WABA has a number of bike safety classes. They also respond to emails if you ask for safest routes etc. I was so happy with their responsiveness I became a member!

[Anonymous]

re: 9:54. Yes, slipped on ice in DC. Not sure why you think that would make me an out of towner? We ride almost exclusively in bike lanes and on trails at times of day when we are riding against the flow of traffic - the trailer is highly visible and I've never felt unsafe with my kids traveling that way. To each their own - I like the stability of the trailer and the fact that they can cozy up and keep warm. Others will prefer a more kid on bike scenario.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks for the tips! Good to see others are doing this. Tried out routes in the car today to measure the distance and keeping off of the busy streets and in bike lanes as much as possible makes it 1.4 miles from our house to school. Unless we get story studying over the summer I'm guessing that's probably a little far for a three year old on their own power, at least at the beginning of the year, right?

[Anonymous]

Are you joking OP? A 3yo biking 1.4 miles, am I missing something here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, a bike seat on each bike might be easier/less bulky. But you'd have to check with school to make sure you can leave the trailer - probably hitched up to a bike rack. You will want a helmet - they have toddler helmets you can easily get. We got the CoPilot seat - really like it. As for trailers, Burley is one of the more popular ones, but it is very heavy, and while it can work as a stroller, too, it really isn't designed that way. Schwinn makes a great one that works beautifully as a stroller (so you can always bike there, stroller home). Baby Jogger makes a City trailer/stroller that also works really well as both a trailer and a stroller, but it is pricier than the Schwinn. We ended up getting the Schwinn...about a month before they came out with the City. It has held up quite well over the years.

This bike seat will be the best option because it is rated to a really high weight- 77 pounds. That means you will easily be able to use it for the next 3-4 years if you want. Two of them would be $350. You would probably want to get a basic rack for each bike, those are probably around $30-40 each

http://www.amazon.com/Bobike-Junior-Rear-Child-Seat/dp/B008Y5UMTW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429406757&sr=8-2&keywords=bobike

I am a daily biker and would heavily recommend biking as the way to get around. It is sooooo much faster than any other way at rush hour for distances less than 3 miles or so.

BicycleSpace is a great shop and I would go there first to see what they have for you.

How is that possible? Wouldn't a cyclist obeying the rules of the road, stopping at red lights and stop signs, yielding the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks, etc., require the same time as a motorist traveling the same streets?

why the eye roll? I'm interested in the answer of how one mode of transportation on city streets is faster than another mode of transportation on city streets, assuming that the same set of laws apply to both modes of transportation. Which in the District, they do, re: right of way, traffic signaling, etc.

-- a cyclist, so stop rolling your eyes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, a bike seat on each bike might be easier/less bulky. But you'd have to check with school to make sure you can leave the trailer - probably hitched up to a bike rack. You will want a helmet - they have toddler helmets you can easily get. We got the CoPilot seat - really like it. As for trailers, Burley is one of the more popular ones, but it is very heavy, and while it can work as a stroller, too, it really isn't designed that way. Schwinn makes a great one that works beautifully as a stroller (so you can always bike there, stroller home). Baby Jogger makes a City trailer/stroller that also works really well as both a trailer and a stroller, but it is pricier than the Schwinn. We ended up getting the Schwinn...about a month before they came out with the City. It has held up quite well over the years.

This bike seat will be the best option because it is rated to a really high weight- 77 pounds. That means you will easily be able to use it for the next 3-4 years if you want. Two of them would be $350. You would probably want to get a basic rack for each bike, those are probably around $30-40 each

http://www.amazon.com/Bobike-Junior-Rear-Child-Seat/dp/B008Y5UMTW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429406757&sr=8-2&keywords=bobike

I am a daily biker and would heavily recommend biking as the way to get around. It is sooooo much faster than any other way at rush hour for distances less than 3 miles or so.

BicycleSpace is a great shop and I would go there first to see what they have for you.

How is that possible? Wouldn't a cyclist obeying the rules of the road, stopping at red lights and stop signs, yielding the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks, etc., require the same time as a motorist traveling the same streets?

why the eye roll? I'm interested in the answer of how one mode of transportation on city streets is faster than another mode of transportation on city streets, assuming that the same set of laws apply to both modes of transportation. Which in the District, they do, re: right of way, traffic signaling, etc.

-- a cyclist, so stop rolling your eyes

1, It is legal for bikes to proceed on a leading pedestrian interval, even when the main light is still red.
2. Legal filtering, especially in bike lanes
3. Here and there a multi-use trail can provide a short cut or a faster way than traffic. Very locally specific though
4. But mostly parking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

why the eye roll? I'm interested in the answer of how one mode of transportation on city streets is faster than another mode of transportation on city streets, assuming that the same set of laws apply to both modes of transportation. Which in the District, they do, re: right of way, traffic signaling, etc.

-- a cyclist, so stop rolling your eyes

1, It is legal for bikes to proceed on a leading pedestrian interval, even when the main light is still red.
2. Legal filtering, especially in bike lanes
3. Here and there a multi-use trail can provide a short cut or a faster way than traffic. Very locally specific though
4. But mostly parking

I would also add the ability to strategically use sidewalks (slowly and safely) outside of downtown to get around things like garbage trucks, blocked intersections, etc. Can often save you 2 or 3 light cycles in certain situations.