There are few things I enjoy more than biking. Whether it’s by myself, with my dog, or with kids. When I bike by myself, it allows me to clear my head and get away from any stress. When I used to bike with my old dog, I loved watching him be so happy in nature. As he got older, we had to get him a bike trailer so he could still enjoy his bike rides with us and it really made the biking easier. If you’ve got a smaller or older dog that isn’t able to keep up on bike rides then take a look at this Jugdog.co.uk article on trailers you can buy for them! Anyway, I also really love going for rides with my kids too and so it’s something we tend to do both at home and on the road. All four members of our family have our own bikes, but even when we travel by plane we often end up renting or borrowing bikes at our destination. Here are just a few reasons why biking with kids brings me so much joy:
New perspective. I’m always surprised by how different places look from the back of a bike. In London I rode through Admiralty Arch into Trafalgar Square and saw, for the first time, a replica of Lord Wellington’s nose protruding from the arch’s wall where generations of soldiers on horseback have rubbed it for luck. Our bike ride in Paris was no less thrilling; like so many famous cyclists before us, we had the chance to ride into the Place de la Concorde, a large public space I had previously only ever circled in a bus.
More recently we were in northern Wisconsin and rode our bikes along country roads that we had covered in our car at 50 miles an hour. While the area seemed pretty from our vehicle, on our bikes we smelled the pine trees that stretched as far as the eye could see like a million Christmases, saw a deer step across our path and contemplate us, stopped to dip our feet in cool lake water, and admired the myriad dragonflies who dipped and darted around us.
Street smarts. Teaching my children to ride bikes safely feels like I’m handing them a valuable set of skills including basic traffic principles and how to pay attention to their surroundings. Plus, they are learning about alternative forms of transportation and about loving our Earth and husbanding its resources, lessons they are likely to carry into adulthood and share with their own children.
My children have had enough experience riding in both city and natural environments that I feel comfortable letting them take their bikes and ride independently around our suburban neighborhood. They love having this freedom, and I love knowing that they are savvy enough to stay safe.
Family time. My children always talk to me when we’re out riding. When they were little, this came in the form of constant commentary about what we saw around us. I loved how being on a bike together allowed me to see what they saw and to answer questions or respond to their opinions in the moment. There have been times however where during our family time, we’ve had punctures in tyres, broken handle-bars and all-sorts of issues. When this happens it can disrupt our day and ruin our fun activities and we also don’t like to be without our bikes for too long! I have a place that can fix my bike and I recommend if you’re an adventurer like us you should be prepared with one too!
Now that eleven-year-old Tommy has entered that nebulous world of tweendom, I find that bike rides seem to allow him to open up to me about his friends, school, and everything else that’s on his mind.
Ice cream. (Or beer. Or cheese dip.) Going for a long ride eases any guilt I might have about the inevitable treats that seem to accompany it. It’s a workout without the work.
Perhaps the ultimate reason I love to ride bikes with my children is that doing so makes me feel like a child myself. I love feeling the rush of wind, the way the gears click into place, the stretch of my legs pumping to take me where I want to go. Few things make me feel as free, and I love to think that I’m passing along that freedom to my boys.
Biking-with-kids tips
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e didn’t start cycling together as a family much until my oldest was able to ride his own bike. That’s partly because he hated riding in a bike trailer as a toddler and that was what was often available when we rented bicycles. So when we made a financial commitment and geared up to ride with my younger son as a baby, we bought a seat for my bicycle instead. He never complained, I think because it was so much easier to look around. (Your child needs to be at least a year old and able to hold his or her head up before you can use a child seat on a bike. And if you’ve got two little ones, it is possible to put a seat on the front and back of your bike and ride with both at the same time.) - I highly recommend the purchase of an attachable tandem for children whose legs are long enough to reach the pedals. This is a great way for your child to gain confidence and start to learn how to ride without having to balance or steer. And while I don’t have any scientific confirmation of this fact, I believe that it makes learning to ride independently later an easier task. Plus you’ll get a great workout – I found that Teddy always stopped pedaling as soon as we headed uphill. It’s been two years since I rode with him attached to my bike and I still can’t get over how light I feel.
- Both of my boys learned to ride bikes without training wheels when they were four. I can’t take any credit for teaching them, as my husband Matt did it all. But I think there was less resistance and fear because they were so young.
- Make sure you have the correctly sized bike for your child and that the seat is at the right height – both of these things make it easier to ride and will thereby increase pleasure and willingness to go for rides. The staff at any bike shop can help you if you aren’t sure about what size bike your child should ride on.
- I bet your kids can bike farther than you think they can, especially if the terrain isn’t too challenging and you stop regularly. When Tommy was six, we once did a 20-mile ride with three-year-old Teddy riding in a seat on my bike. Now that both boys can ride independently, we routinely cover anywhere between 15 and 25 miles.
- Wear helmets! All you you! Even when you are renting! (Yes, this is worth three exclamation points.) I can’t believe how many families I’ve seen where the adults in the party wear no helmets. Sure the kids are protected, but is that really the message you want to send your children? Because you can bet your bottom dollar that the minute you aren’t around, if they’ve seen you riding without a helmet they’ll do it too.
- Keep a small bike repair kit and first aid supplies with you – nothing ruins a family ride faster than a tire fail. And kids do fall off their bikes.
- Want to learn more about cycling with kids? There are some real experts out there including Nancy of Family on Bikes who spent three years riding from Alaska to Argentina with her two sons.
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This post was written in conjunction with my relationship with Vacation Roost as one of their ambassadors.
We love biking with our kids, too! Since it’s how we mainly get around town in Germany, I can take it for granted. But it’s good to think about all the reasons why we love it, and you’ve put that into words so nicely here!
Thanks Chamisa – Yes, sometimes I just like to put it out there, especially since I know there are families who maybe think it might be too hard to try with kids.
Biking as a family is so great. I used to do it a lot as a kid and plan on doing it again when I have children! It’s a great way to bond and also a great way to promote healthy exercising habits!
I love this post as well! Biking with kids is not only great exercise but a fantastic way to see a new place. What a wonderful way to spend family time together. Thanks for sharing!
Aw wow the bike extension is awesome. I want one of those. My son would love it. x
We used ours quite a bit Leanne and it really meant we could go for some long rides before he would have been ready otherwise. A great way to help him keep up with his older brother.
i too love riding bikes it gives you so much calm and soothe that you just get lost in it.I enjoyed picture in the post very much i must say not only the post but images are also very nice.
Where did you find the two wheel attachment with the basket? I would love to purchase some thing like that for my son and I.