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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    18

    Riding with the kids

    I haven't noticed many posts about riding with the kiddos, but I'm new here and probably haven't looked very hard. I'm starting to lower my car time and upping my bike time and I have a 1 year old and a 3 year old in tow. So far, so good. I've got a Yuba Mundo cargo bike with a Yepp Mini on the front for the wee one and a Peanut Shell on the back for the big one and then it still has room on the rack for panniers and groceries/cargo/baby gear. We were using a trailer but for lots of off/on errands, it was too much.

    What are other moms with kiddos doing?

    Elle

    www.tinyhelmetsbigbikes.com

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wilts, UK
    Posts
    903
    Hello and welcome to TE!

    I'm a new rider (coming up to two years now) and have a trailer for my four year old. It doesn't get used that often at the moment, as I'm using the bike more for solo "me" time, and also because the traffic on the nursery run is pretty unpleasant and unpredictable and it's just no fun. That said, we have fuel-delivery drivers strike looming so I expect I'll be back dodging the lorries again soon. I'm hoping that we'll use it again when she starts school in the autumn, other than that I use it to take her to her favourite park in town and we always hire one on holiday. Here's my trailer thread http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=41526
    Dawes Cambridge Mixte, Specialized Hardrock, Specialized Vita.

    mixedbabygreens My blog, which really isn't all about the bike.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    18
    I thought I had replied earlier but I don't see the message...Have you heard of Kidical Mass? It's like a car-pool but with bikes where families pick up other riders along the way for a "safety in numbers" type ride to school, the park, events, etc. Sometimes that can help other families gain confidence to ride and that's always a good thing!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    49
    Hi. I don't have kids but I think it's great that you're riding with yours. I see more and more people taking their kids to school on trailer bikes and trailers now on my daily commute and I get to chatting with them sometimes at traffic lights. On the whole, the kids seem to love it. There's even a mum who rides a cargo bike and the kids and dog all pile into it. It's a brilliant sight.

    tinyhelmets, I had a look at your website - what a great set-up you've got. Hebe, the lorry run sounds awful. I'm in the UK too. Worth a letter to the local councillor? I know many are still stuck in the dark ages where cycling is concerned. A number of them are latching onto the 'Cities fit for cycling' campaign launched by The Times though. Anyway, good luck with it.

    A question: What's it like riding a trailer around hills, especially downhill?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    97
    At the beginning of the school year, I rode my 4 year old in a child seat on a semi-regular basis to his Pre-K. As the snowbirds came down, the traffic increased enough that I wasn't comfortable doing it anymore unless my auto won't work. I've thought about walking him to school but as he gets more headstrong, I'm almost afraid that he will escape and try to do it himself. He has also outgrown the child seat that I had on the bike.

    My boys (4 year old and 6 year old) were regularly riding 14-20 mile rides in the trailer with me pulling, but they are getting too big to ride together. DH and I just got new bikes and we are considering purchasing a half-bike tow behind for the 6 year old. He rides pretty well but just can't keep up with us on his 16 inch tires. He doesn't seem quite big enough for a 20" yet. We rented one of the tow behind bikes on Monday and he did awesome on a 14 mile ride. (We are poor though so its hard to break with the money - I think we will though).

    We live in Florida so most of our rides aren't too hilly. I did head over to where they do the Hilly Hundred and didn't get too far when I was pulling both of them in the trailer. Most of the time, it isn't too bad though.

    They both seem to enjoy it most of the time (until they start getting in the space of the other one).

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Wilts, UK
    Posts
    903
    Quote Originally Posted by silversurfer View Post
    Hi. I don't have kids but I think it's great that you're riding with yours. I see more and more people taking their kids to school on trailer bikes and trailers now on my daily commute and I get to chatting with them sometimes at traffic lights. On the whole, the kids seem to love it. There's even a mum who rides a cargo bike and the kids and dog all pile into it. It's a brilliant sight.

    tinyhelmets, I had a look at your website - what a great set-up you've got. Hebe, the lorry run sounds awful. I'm in the UK too. Worth a letter to the local councillor? I know many are still stuck in the dark ages where cycling is concerned. A number of them are latching onto the 'Cities fit for cycling' campaign launched by The Times though. Anyway, good luck with it.

    A question: What's it like riding a trailer around hills, especially downhill?
    Thank you. I decided to try again, as generally lorry drivers are pretty good here, and a two mile round trip is really too short to do in the car especially with fuel prices as they are, and cycling there is definitely safer than walking, even with the traffic and potholes. I will talk to my councillor, who is very pro cycling. Part of the problem is that a good chunk of the estate is private roads rather than council-owned so there doesn't seem to be any rush to fix the road surface or enforce parking restrictions. The Times campaign is interesting, do you think it extends to "Sleepy Wiltshire market towns fit for cycling?" I've got a session booked with the cycling instructor who taught me to ride, so I'll ask her for tips on the best way to ride there too.

    I haven't done any really steep hills with the trailer, but it's a case of dropping into the right gear early and counting or singing my way up.
    Dawes Cambridge Mixte, Specialized Hardrock, Specialized Vita.

    mixedbabygreens My blog, which really isn't all about the bike.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    2,543
    We recently purchased a weehoo for our 2 (almost 3 yo). He didn't like riding in a burley trailer anymore, he wanted to be riding and pedaling. He LOVES the weehoo. Attached to my bike is a burley piccolo for our 6 yo and attached to THAT is the weehoo. It's a very long train. I use it to take them to and from school/daycare and to soccer practice, the park, etc.

    If I'm going to get groceries, I leave the kids at home and take the burley trailor.

    2005 Giant TCR2
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    2nd Sport, Pando Fall Challenge 2011 and 3rd Expert Peak2Peak 2011
    2001 Trek 8000 SLR
    Iceman 2010-6th Place AG State Games, 2010-1st Sport, Cry Baby Classic 2010-7th Expert, Blackhawk XTerra Tri 2007-3rd AG

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