Bike commuting with kids - any tips?

[Anonymous]

Yeah, but be really careful doing that. A lot of new cyclists will swerve back and forth between the street and the sidewalk frequently, and that can be very dangerous. In general its best to stick to one or the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, but be really careful doing that. A lot of new cyclists will swerve back and forth between the street and the sidewalk frequently, and that can be very dangerous. In general its best to stick to one or the other.

Totally agreed, I am talking about going half a block on the sidewalk around a double parked car or garbage truck, that sort of thing. It can be dangerous if you don't have a lot of experience, but if you are careful and ride slowly it's totally safe and legal. Just be respectful of people walking!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, but be really careful doing that. A lot of new cyclists will swerve back and forth between the street and the sidewalk frequently, and that can be very dangerous. In general its best to stick to one or the other.

Totally agreed, I am talking about going half a block on the sidewalk around a double parked car or garbage truck, that sort of thing. It can be dangerous if you don't have a lot of experience, but if you are careful and ride slowly it's totally safe and legal. Just be respectful of people walking!

Just so you know, you are allowed to pass a double parked car on the left, going over the yellow line, just as a car would in the same circumstance (and with similar dangers of course) I can understand a relative newby's reluctance to do that. Notthe danger is not just an issue of speed and pedestrians - it is when you swerve back into the road.

[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

If you've been on a bike in city traffic, you would know the answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, but be really careful doing that. A lot of new cyclists will swerve back and forth between the street and the sidewalk frequently, and that can be very dangerous. In general its best to stick to one or the other.

Totally agreed, I am talking about going half a block on the sidewalk around a double parked car or garbage truck, that sort of thing. It can be dangerous if you don't have a lot of experience, but if you are careful and ride slowly it's totally safe and legal. Just be respectful of people walking!

Just so you know, you are allowed to pass a double parked car on the left, going over the yellow line, just as a car would in the same circumstance (and with similar dangers of course) I can understand a relative newby's reluctance to do that. Notthe danger is not just an issue of speed and pedestrians - it is when you swerve back into the road.

Agreed- I was thinking more of times I have been blocked on one way streets that were too narrow to go around, so I used a curb cut to hop up on the sidewalk and go around for a half block. But you are right by all accounts. So much of biking depends on experience and awareness. I can definitely see people who aren't experienced bikers feeling uneasy about taking their kids around town on a bike. I wouldn't do it if I didn't already feel confident.

The other big difference time wise is if you are going up or down 15th Street in the bike lane- that is a lot faster than driving north/south in that area, especially heading downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

don't forget Idaho stops (stop sign as yield, red light as stop sign). Not technically legal but win-win for bikers and drivers alike (maybe less so for pedestrians if cyclist does not exercise caution). Keeps cyclists away from turning vehicles at intersections and puts additional space between cars and cyclists as well as improving visibility. You could go by the 'everyone does it' logic, but it actually does make sense and works.

Cyclists can also legally ride on sidewalks in much of the city (not central business district but neighborhoods), including cutting through parks, one way streets, etc.

Biking definitely faster for me than driving or public transit for 4 mile ride with stop off for kids.

[Anonymous]

We have a cargo bike. It's wonderful so far.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone ever attached a burley bike trailer to a folding bike?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone ever attached a burley bike trailer to a folding bike?

Op here. We have a chariot trailer but it never occurred to me to try it with our folding bike. I don't think it would work, but we have a very old folding bike that's tough to pedal very fast on its own so YMMV.

[Anonymous]

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

Op again.
I'm thinking of using the trailer most days. My three year old has done two miles on her balance bike but it is fairly slow going! I was mainly replying to the folks saying not to bother with a trailer since the kid will be biking on their own soon.

[Anonymous]

thanks op! I was looking at some quality folding bikes for myself but would love to know I can attach the trailer in a pinch.

[Anonymous]

NP here. My husband and I do a drop off/pickup exchange like you are talking about with a 1.5 year old and 3.5 year old in a Burley Encore double trailer. He drops the kids off, leaves the trailer at day care, then I pick them up with it.

It is easy to attach and detach the trailer from the bike, but altogether it does take a couple of minutes to lock up the bike, attach the trailer, put on the kids' helmets, and buckle them in. However, you don't have to find parking (one of my pickup locations has only street parking) and the buckling takes about the same as getting them in the car.

I will say that the kids don't have much elbow room in the trailer b/c it's not super wide. And they aren't separated by car seats so they can fight more than in the car. When they fight or the little one cries, people on the street stare, which is again not an issue with the car.

We bought a cover for the trailer but haven't tried actually biking when it's raining yet, we still drive on those days.

Altogether I like it b/c I can get some exercise and don't have to worry about parking. I feel it is safe b/c I take side streets and sidewalks when I have the kids, and it's only about 1.5 miles total each way with them (my own commute is then 2 more miles in more traffic).

We have used the trailer as a stroller for short trips and it works fine.

If you are interested in cargo bikes, you can try them out at The Green Commuter in Takoma Park: http://www.thegreencommuter.net/

Last year Kidical Mass DC had an event called the ABC's of Family Biking where you could try out cargo bikes and trailers, I don't know if they're doing it this year though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Ha; classic DCUM.

Number of kids hit in a. Burley trailer in the last--well, ever? Zero.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. My husband and I do a drop off/pickup exchange like you are talking about with a 1.5 year old and 3.5 year old in a Burley Encore double trailer. He drops the kids off, leaves the trailer at day care, then I pick them up with it.

It is easy to attach and detach the trailer from the bike, but altogether it does take a couple of minutes to lock up the bike, attach the trailer, put on the kids' helmets, and buckle them in. However, you don't have to find parking (one of my pickup locations has only street parking) and the buckling takes about the same as getting them in the car.

I will say that the kids don't have much elbow room in the trailer b/c it's not super wide. And they aren't separated by car seats so they can fight more than in the car. When they fight or the little one cries, people on the street stare, which is again not an issue with the car.

We bought a cover for the trailer but haven't tried actually biking when it's raining yet, we still drive on those days.

Altogether I like it b/c I can get some exercise and don't have to worry about parking. I feel it is safe b/c I take side streets and sidewalks when I have the kids, and it's only about 1.5 miles total each way with them (my own commute is then 2 more miles in more traffic).

We have used the trailer as a stroller for short trips and it works fine.

If you are interested in cargo bikes, you can try them out at The Green Commuter in Takoma Park: http://www.thegreencommuter.net/

Last year Kidical Mass DC had an event called the ABC's of Family Biking where you could try out cargo bikes and trailers, I don't know if they're doing it this year though.

Was searching for bike commuting. Thanks for this info and store rec!

[Anonymous]

We do this with a burley bike trailor. They are expensive but we got ours for 200 off CL. We have the stroller attachment so DH bikes him in and I walk him home. It works great! We just lock up the trailor on the bike rack!