disappointed rant..

[Bluetree]

Ignore them. You said it yourself: they are not cyclists.

+1.

I rode through the UK and it's actually one of the better (safer) places to ride. I rode from London, thru Wiltshire and Somerset to Devon (Teignmouth), then went back and north thru Gloucester and Cardiff before being stopped in Shropshire because of horrible weather. There really is no comparison to the aggressive/angry drivers and some subpar road conditions I have to deal with in the States.

You live in beautiful country – don't let old fuddyduddies deter you from seeing it on two wheels!

[redrhodie]

Yes, non-cyclists often don't get it, and it can be surprising when it's someone you think would understand. I think your dd will love it, and you will find it safe, fun, economical, and useful. Go for it!

[lph]

ah, sheesh, it's the "cycling is incredibly dangerous" reflex kicking in. Isn't that annoying...

We got the same from my in-laws. We rode our bikes everywhere, they talked about it with awe and amazement. We had a baby, they helped us buy a trailer, we rode everywhere with him we could, on closed roads, quiet streets, bike paths and sidewalks. I overheard MIL "bragging" to some friends in a shocked tone about how we "took him in the trailer everywhere, right out on the motorway in all the traffic and cars!"

At the time I flipped and went all righteous and pontificating on her, but it's just that she had never had need to differentiate between the risk level on the motorway and on a quiet residential street because she drives her **** car everywhere.

[limewave]

I pulled DD in a trailer all the time before DS came a long. My parent's completely flipped out about it. They eventually learned to bite their tongue. We'd often do 30 mile rides. I even brought DD along to a weekly women's group ride.

We have the burley solo, which seats only one and is therefore narrower--we could really hug the side of the road.

[hebe]

Thank you for all the replies.

Bluetree, your journey sounds wonderful. Teignmouth is so beautiful and you passed through such stunning places. I live in Wiltshire, near Avebury. I should say that they are two of the least "fuddy-duddy" folk I could imagine - considerate, loving, assertive, widely travelled and adventurous. I was honestly stunned by their opinions.

Limewave, we were looking at the Burley Solo too. It's encouraging that you had so much wear from it. lph, Crankin, Muirenn and RedRhodie, thank you. With such limited experience it's sometimes hard to tell if I am being over-ambitious, especially after such a bad start with the bike seat , but we only get one go at raising a child, right? She absolutely adored the Burley that we had on holiday and we enjoyed riding with it. I can also hire bikes + trailers locally so will have another go before committing the cash.

Thank you again.

[PamNY]

I can't speak as a parent, but speaking as a former child, I'm glad my parents were somewhat adventurous.

Have fun with your travels!

[PinkBike]

that was a really nice thing to say PamNY. +1 to everyone else.

[alice]

I can't speak as a parent, but speaking as a former child, I'm glad my parents were somewhat adventurous.

I went everywhere in a bike trailer as a kid, and those are some of my favorite memories of childhood!