Mixing the joys of cycling and parenting

The boys return from a ride ready for a rest. Photo Caitlin Fraser

Tony and Caitlin share their experience with a bike trailer for Samuel.

Having children brings untold joy into your life, with an exponential increase of the amount of stuff that can invade your house. Assessing what is really required it is easy to write off a bike trailer as unnecessary, expensive and space-hogging. But here are five reasons why they are worth it:

High flying BMX

Dean Benalla gets airborne with his BMX (Photo Connectons BMX)

Do not conform your children to your own learning for they were born for another time -Hebrew Proverb
We see them on the street standing tall over small bike frames the whole time as rarely do they sit on the seat. The bikes are quite often absent of brakes as the riders create their own free style braking method of the shoe over the frame onto the back wheel.

These young riders are athletic and extremely agile and have an extreme sense of fun. They defy all cycling thinking of set up of seat height frame size and gearing yet in their own way it all fits the style of riding chosen but to the untrained eye it is just another BMX.

National Ride2School Day

Kids enjoy some exercise and independence by riding to school. (Photo Eddie Barkla)

Wednesday 25 March was National Ride2School day which is a “Go for your life” initiative with the hope building behaviours and connections to assist our youth to be healthy and active.

‘Medical experts tell us that school students should be aiming for at least 60 minutes of daily activity to beat off obesity-related diseases, including diabetes 2 and cardiovascular disease,’ according to Ms Leigh Snelling, Ride2School’s Director. Leigh said National Ride2School Day was a great way of showing how easy it is to include exercise into daily routine for a healthier, cleaner and greener future.

Ready, set – ride to school

Child’s play: riding to school helps keep your kids physically active. Photo: Eddie Barkla

Maybe it’s the free breakfast, but Ride to Work Day gets bigger every year. The good people at Bicycle Victoria wondered why the grownups should have all the fun. So now there’s Ride to School Day on Wednesday 12 March.

It’s actually part of a much bigger, year-round program designed to encourage kids to get more physically active. And, like Ride to Work Day, it’s a great way to try out the idea with a lot of other people.

If riding to school is a new idea for your children you’ll need to do some preparation before you pack their lunch and wave them goodbye. Start with their gear.

Take off the training wheels for a fast start

Forget the training wheels on those new bikes. Children (and adults!) can learn to ride faster without them. A simple three step method develops confidence with balance before the new rider has to worry about pedalling.

Remove the training wheels if fitted. Now take off the pedals and lower the seat so the child can sit on it with both feet flat on the ground.

Cycling is all in the family

Cycling is something people of all ages and abilities can do together. I got talking to Peter Dunham about cycling families at the Bendigo Parks ride in March. This is his family’s story.

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My wife and I both grew up riding bikes, not competitively, but just as kids do. It was a great source of fun and independence.

Bicycle helmets keep your kids safe for life

If a bicycle is on the Christmas shopping list for your kids, a helmet should be right underneath it. Bicycle helmets have been compulsory since 1990. More importantly, they protect kids (and adults) from severe head injuries. Like the bikes we talked about last week, the most important factor in buying a helmet is the fit.

The right bike gives your kids the best riding start

Look in any toy store or department store this time of year and you’ll know bicycles feature highly on Christmas shopping lists. The same consideration applies when buying children’s bikes as shopping for adults – safety.

It’s important the bike is the right size for the child. You can’t buy something bigger for the child to “grow into”. Just as with an adult, if the bike is too big, it’s uncomfortable to ride and difficult to handle. A child should be able to get on the bike unassisted, otherwise they’ll have trouble getting off. And falling off isn’t attractive!