Featured Activity: Family Bike Rides

Teach Your Children the Benefits of Biking From an Early Age.

Biking as a family is a pastime that can be appreciated at any age. It is so fun and an excellent source of exercise. Since it is one of our safest outdoor options while physical distancing, it also seems to be rapidly growing in popularity! Ensuring you have the right equipment for safety and optimal enjoyment is important, so we are excited to share our top tips for picking the right version for your child. 

Biking is like stroller-running in many ways and it is important that your child is at least six months old. A baby must be able to hold their head and body up and safely wear a helmet. For many babies, this won’t happen until they are closer to a year. If they are ready, from six months to three years old, riding with mom or dad is optimal. The adults benefit from exercise while your rider enjoys visual stimulation and hopefully begins to develop a love for the outdoors.

Phase One: Ride-along options 

You have tagalong carriers, back of the bike seats as well as the front of the bike carrier options. All of these items depend on your personal goals, preferences and what works for your specific family dynamic. 

Rear Seat

Personally, we selected the Topeak Babyseat and Rack. We love it and got active use out of it until my daughter was four. I appreciated the ability to safely get a workout because of its comfort and durability. Additionally, based on the Topeak design, my daughter and I could easily interact and enjoy the world together because of our close proximity. 

Front seat

We know a lot of families who enjoy leisurely biking and the opportunity for their little ones to “take the lead.” Kazam Weeride and Ibert styles are both highly recommended front riders.

Chariot/Trailer

This is a great article by Rascal Rides about questions to should ask yourself when investing in a chariot or other trailer. There are so many on the market, and they vary in quality, so this will help you firm up a sense of your family priorities in terms of your equipment. It’s also important to choose wisely to maximize comfort and minimize excessively jostling your little one.

Phase Two: Evolution

As your kids grow (and get heavier to carry!), there are many great options to pursue. 

Tagalong

With a more traditional tagalong, you can enable your child to feel the sensation of balancing, while getting excited about the ability to contribute to the ride. There are a number of great choices out there, but make sure you look out for one with an adjustable reach and seat height. Also, if it’s a freewheel, little ones can take breaks during long rides. The Trek MT-201 is a good mid-priced option.

The electric tag-along is amazing. We splurged on the Yuba Boda Boda for the cargo seat and because there is a high likelihood it will get active use until my daughter is six or even older. The idea of biking, instead of always using the car is a big selling point for us. Our area experiences a surge of traffic in the summer, and we will be more inclined to ride with the proper equipment. I like the cargo bike seat because it’s closer so we can use the time to explore and chat. 

Balance Bike

As you might expect, ages 3 to 6 experience a big boom of interest for little bike riders. When your little one is ready for the transition, a balance bike is a great way to begin. It allows for growth, strengthening, and exploration while developing a greater sense of balance. A popular choice is the Strider 12 Sport Balance Bike.

Training Wheels

Additionally, training wheels are an option (although not as highly recommended by bike experts) but still a very popular choice for the eager learner. There are many choices out there for bikes that will transfer to independent riders once the training wheels are removed. 

Tandem

For children with a bit more strength and experience, the tandem bike is fun. It relies on the contribution of both riders, but it is an exceptional way to contribute to the development of a very strong biker. Give the reasonably priced Kent WeeRide Tandem a shot if this is the route for you! It can handle riders up to at least 75 lbs, so your little one will have time to grow into it.

While biking is a fun, well-rounded, and rewarding family activity, we also recognize that the cost of gear can add up quickly. Especially considering the many options out there, we always recommend starting a hand me down cycle within your friend group or neighborhood. An alternative is to check out second-hand bike shops, community pages and swap options first.  

Used biking equipment can be polished up as good as new, though it is important to note that this excludes bike helmets, as a proper fit is the most important thing when heading out on the road with kiddos! Fortunately, good quality helmets can be purchased at reasonable prices. 

Happy riding friends! 

Do you have a favorite bike style for your kiddos? We love to hear from you, so please share them with us at team@happyly.com. 

For more inspiration, check out our recent blogs Bike Rides: Staying Active While Respecting the Rules and Making Physical Distancing Bearable on Wheels! Feeling even more adventurous? Take a moment to Discover the Wonderful World of RV Travel.

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