Go read the Disclaimer again. I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Seriously.

Bicycling with Your Offspring

Products and Experiences

We did the usual when we were trying to figure out how to get our son out on bicycles with us: asked friends, talked to people at bike shops. Parents tended to like the seats (always rear of the people we talked to) on the bicycle. People in bike shops tended to think they were unsafe. Initially, we could only find behind-the-cyclist kid seats. This is a terrible combination with anything other than a step-through (girly) bike. That leg swing will do some damage to a child back there. Years later, I ran across a bike shop guy who had made a front seat for his kid.

Realistically, tho, there was no way in hell I was going to put my son anywhere I couldn't watch him. What his father did was up to them. So I went looking for a seat-in-front and found several choices.

I got a Wee Ride Centre Seat. It supported some napping. It was between my arms but not way up high. Teddy and I liked it, at least when it was warm enough to ride, altho I did bump my knees. Roland preferred the trailer, but borrowed my bike for quick outings because it was easier to grab and go.

I bought Roland the Burley Solo. It has worked well for him and Teddy in Seattle, Brookline and Acton. I have not attempted to use it. It was a little confusing to set up, but not difficult (just hard to realize he was done already, I think). They go on longer, faster rides in this and it's very good for napping.

The knees thing on the Wee Ride was really awful, tho. The i-Bert Safe-T-Seat has a very dorky name, mounts on the front but sits in the middle, and angles the kid's legs well forward and away from the adult's knees. I have since seen it in person, but still haven't tried it.

The Bike Tutor has no readily apparent upper weight or size limit, and claims to help the kid learn to ride a bike (leaning in anticipation of turns) as opposed to ride along and nap. They claim to fit any bike, and to not bump knees. The directions for installation are not great and while adaptable, it is tricky to install. It works great for a toddler/preschooler. There is still some knee bumpage, but it is workable and looks like he'll be able to use it forever. The big problem here is that it fills the step-thru part of the Bianchi, converting it to a swing-leg-over. I don't like that.

Of course the Dutch have better kid gear. The Mini from Bobike has been available in the US, initially via an online baby gear retailer, but now through CleverCycles in Oregon, which also carries the Maxi and the Junior (and the i-Bert). I bought a Townie (with my preferred gears, Shimano's Nexus 8 speed, an internal hub) with a step-through and got a Maxi and Mini installed. The brakes are well up to the task of stopping our combined close-to-300 pounds. The downer is the difficulty of figuring out how to put any kind of cargo on this bike (Maxi is not compatible with a rear rack, as near as we can tell). I'll probably be forced to wear a backpack or messenger bag. Bobike makes spare mounts and the seats swap out fairly easily, so you can treat them the way we used our baby bucket, having a base in each of our two cars.

The rear seat most tempting is the Beto, which goes 6 months up to something lunatic and reclines for napping. It installs on a special luggage rack and you can buy multiple racks for multiple bikes and swap the seat easily. The maker of the Kidztandem says he puts these on his product when asked to do so (which is how I found out about them).

The Xtracycle Peapod is that system's child seat entry. Many Xtracycle owners use the Mini and some DIY kid seats for the rear.

We intended to start thinking about a modified tandem when Teddy was over 2. We are now contemplating the Kidztandem from Brown Cycles, or one of Bike Fridays family tandems, altho we'll have to upgrade to a freewheel for the kid because he doesn't pedal yet. I'd love to get an Onderwater, but no one in the US seems to be carrying them, and the people who might be willing to order one of the Workcycles versions are all as far away as Chicago or further. We're also shopping for a two-adult tandem (considering the Rans Dynamik Duo with an IPS system, if Roland decides he can tolerate a crank forward position) for us as well, but may wind up using that for family biking by adding an extra Mini-mount and using the trailer.

WorkCycles makes a couple of other bikes that present interesting possibilities for a family. The bakfiets is a bike with a wheelbarrow like box in the front. In addition to several Dutch Bike retailers in the US who are willing to ship built-bikes around the country, there are a few makers in the US building competitor products: the Madsen bicycle has a plastic box in back; Metrofiets is handbuilding bakfiets. All of them are advertising the possibility of putting a baby bucket in the bucket, so you can take your very-small-child out cycling with the rest of the family (and the dog, and cargo).

The Zigo Leader is a combination folding bicycle/stroller (kid-pod in front, ridden as a trike). The TrioBike is a similar European product with a stiff kid pod, rather than a fabric trailer style pod. The Taga is another one, as yet not available. Henry Cutler at WorkCycles actively went after the TrioBike, noted that people were comparing the Zigo to the TrioBike, and said conservatively positive things about the Taga demo at EuroBike.

We don't really have a name for what the Japanese call mamachari (much less the crazy coolness that comes from Maruishi called Frackers), and the Dutch call moederfietsen. I've definitely got a couple of them now, though. The Bianchi with its Bike Tutor and panniers (soon to have a Mini and panniers) and the Townie with its Mini and Maxi. We probably won't ever buy a bakfiets, unless we get the kidztandem with the basket option. I don't think we'll be using the WeeRide again; it was just too painful on the knees.

Strategies for Getting on a Bike with (a)Kid(s) and Going Somewhere

Between the existence of bike and family friendly Portland, OR, the bike Holy Land that spans Oregon between Portland and Eugene, and the wonder that is FedEx ground shipping and the internet, you can get just about anything sold in the US sent to you ready to use anywhere in the lower 48. Worst case you might have to find a bike guru to put it together for you. Step number one, if your local bike guru can't just supply all you want and need, is to dig around online. Step number two is to develop a relationship with someone (could be yourself) who likes using tools and is good at it.

Most important, however, is step number 3: figure out what you want, and then don't let them talk you out of it.

Bike folk mean well, but bicycle culture really got annihilated by cheap gas and cheap cars after the oil price crash of the early 1980s. Gone were the mothers and herds of little ones getting from point A to point B on Raleigh 3 spds and a rusting fleet of Schwinns. Many new parents probably grew up in a world geared only by derailleurs, in which all bikes had top tubes, and your only two choices were road vs. mountain bike. It wasn't that way when I was a kid, and it is increasingly not that way now.

Between the trend back to the city, the recent gas price spike, and a lot of worry about the climate, bike culture in the US is finally seeing a renaissance of non-enthusiast cycling. What was once the "comfort" category, trying to find one bike to quickly sell to the aging, infirm and hopelessly gear-illiterate so they could go back to discussing the relative merits of carbon fiber, has subdivided into cargo bikes, family bikes, city/townie bikes, "Dutch" bikes, crank forward, comfort, cruiser, blah, blah, bleeping blah. Unfortunately, until you've been doing what you want to do for a while, it can be hard to tell what's there to look good and what's genuinely useful to you.

Outside of certain shops on the West Coast and a very small handful of other places, it's going to be tough finding someone who can walk you through the choices. Even if they do, you'll be stuck special ordering and paying in advance for just about anything you do settle on -- compared to all the crap you don't want which is cluttering up the shop floor.

Here's an incomplete list of what you might encounter:

Bike shop workers have argued against rear kid seats on a bike because when you mount or dismount, you'll whack the seat. Also, by raising the center of gravity of the bike, it increases the risk of falls. This is, imo, an argument for a girly bike, aka step-through configuration, women's bike, women specific design, omafiets, etc. If you suggest this as a solution, someone will argue against it as weaker and/or heavier. But they should at least concede it solves the mount/dismount problem, and reduces the balance problem (no straddling the top tube; no dork stand). A very high quality wishbone or rectangular central kickstand will help with loading and unloading the kid(s) and cargo.

A refinement on this strategy is a crank forward bike such as Electra's "Flat Foot Technology" bikes. They have taken the standard road bike position and rotated it back so you are sitting sort of slouchy upright. Your feet can go flat to the ground when stopped (definitely one and maybe both) without dismounting while still having the seat correctly located for pedalling. It may not be aerodynamic, but if you have kids and cargo, you probably aren't aerodynamic anyway.

The next issue raised will be the weight of the bikes, particularly because you're probably now talking about specific makes and models and they can compare those to lighter ones they have on the floor to sell you today. If you total your weight, the weight of your children, and the weight of your clothing, diaper gear, toys, drinks, snacks, library books, groceries and whatever else you're likely to be hauling, and then show that number to the bike shop worker, this should shift the discussion away from how heavy the bike is to useful issues like, can you move it at all, can you get it up hills, what do you do when you forget to downshift before stopping, is the frame up to the task and will the brakes be effective. You need answers to these questions, and the person you are talking to may not even have thought of them until just now. You might need to raise them yourself.

The answer to can I move it at all and get it up hills is simple: you need a low enough gear. Bike shops are really good at gears. They can get you a low enough gear, but will be reluctant to do so because gear range costs and a low bottom gear means a lower top gear means you won't be able to go as fast. If they haven't figured out yet that you don't want to go fast (the stopping problem, the kids, the cargo, etc.), state clearly: I will never travel faster than x mph on this bicycle. If they argue, just repeat yourself and get them refocused on the brakes and the lowness of the low gear. You don't want to walk this thing up any hills.

If you haven't ridden much, you might not know about the downshifting problem. Some people don't ever change gears, or rely upon a ride partner to tell them when, or shift somewhat randomly and hope it works out, relying upon finding a downhill if they can't just stomp it into movement when they stop in a high gear. This won't work with two kids and cargo on your bike. Enthusiasts know how to pick up the rear wheel and spin it into the gear they want. This won't work well with kids and cargo on your bike. The easiest solution is to ask for a planetary hub/internal gear/Shimano Nexus/SRAM internal/Rohloff. Feel free to let the bike shop worker ramble on about gear ranges and cost, but the bottom line is going to be how much money you have. Try to get the widest range you can afford, compatible with paying for the rest of the bike. I'm partial to the Shimano Nexus 8, but there are other options. With this kind of gear, you don't have to do any maintenance (well, bring it in for a little oil every few years), it'll survive being rained on, you can change gears whenever you want.

The is the frame up to the task will be a difficult question to answer definitively, and will depend a lot on what number you came up with when you totalled yourself, your kids, your cargo, etc. Bike shop workers should be able to help you avoid real problems, tho. Wikipedia has an article on Bicycle brake systems if you want to try to understand the brake choices yourself. You can probably safely rely upon advice from your bike shop worker if you tell them how much you're planning on putting on this bike and under what conditions you will be riding it it (if you'll ride when the road is wet, that may influence which kind of brakes are appropriate).

Other things to spend money on

Save some money for accessories. Those bikes being ridden by mothers in the Netherlands have about a third of their value in things like locks and racks and kid seats and lights and so forth. Your bike should, too.

Lock Your bike It always sucks to have your bike stolen, but it's extra bad if you had kids and cargo to get home somehow. The standard reliable approach is a U-lock and chain. The idea is to get the U around the front wheel, the frame, and a bike stand. This limits where you can go and get off the bike pretty severely. As usual, the Dutch have solutions that bike shops here don't take seriously. Bikes there have frame locks (Axa Defender) with plug-in chains. This locks the rear wheel to the frame. Bike shops here see that and say, thieves will just pick up the bike. But that's not what we're trying to deal with here. We need to stop people from stealing the rear wheel and leaving you and your kids stranded at the ice cream stand or spray feature. The U-lock only protected your front wheel and frame -- if you were lucky. The frame lock, a U-lock, and a chain should enable you to attach your bike to something fixed in the environment, and protect frame and both wheels. You may want to take your quick-release seat with you.

Standard practice in places where people use their bikes to go places and do stuff is to attach the lock and chain to the bike and just let it clank while in motion. Alternatively, you can put it in your cargo space.

Design Cargo Space Rear racks that take panniers that convert to backpacks or shoulder bags are really wonderful. A front basket is also useful. Anything you have to use bungee cords on is less good. A stretchy cargo net with hooks is cheap and easier to deploy and more reliable. Attaching things to your body should be a last resort -- you'll probably do that with other cargo space, and it does impact your ability to manage the bike (and kids).

Get a Comfortable Saddle Everyone loves the Brooks saddle, so that's a great place to start. But the real moral here is don't just accept what came with the bike, and don't let people focus you on mountain bike vs. road bike. Go looking for something aimed at the upright/cruiser/comfort/commuter crowd and don't be shy about trying out the women's seats (hey! I'm talking to the dads here, too!). A really comfortable saddle also reduces the need for padded spandex shorts which will fit in less well at story hour or in the freezer section than they do in a peloton.

Get a Great Kickstand Bike shops suck at this. You want a wishbone (under the bike, shaped like a wishbone) or side stand designed to hold a bike stable while being loaded, or, if you can get one, a rectangular stand designed for cargo bikes. Your kids will move around while you're getting them situated, and the groceries need to be stable while loading the kids (or vice versa). You don't have that many hands. Get a great stand.

Lights Bikes in Amsterdam all have dynamo hubs with standlights. It can be hard to find people in the US who know what these words mean. So when you're shopping for a lighting system, walk away from battery in favor of a dynamo, and if you can possibly swing it, get a front hub dynamo over a bottle dynamo. And make sure your system has a standlight. The result will be a bike which has good lights whenever you need them -- and you'll never need to worry about charging them, because when you pedal, they'll get power and the backup battery will be trickle charging. Lights let you cycle earlier in the morning and later in the evening, even if you don't expect to be out after dark. And you should try bike trails at night; they can be a lot of fun.

Helmets And, sadly, despite all those people in other, more bike friendly cities not seeming to need them, helmets all around.

The Law

Before taking your kid out on a bike seat, in a bike trailer, or similar, you may or may not wish to consult your local law and regulations to determine if it specifies any age limits on what you are proposing to do. More importantly, you should definitely not do anything with your baby or children that you think might harm them.

Baby Gear

Totcycle Family Cycling Blog

Henry Cutler of WorkCycle's Blog


Copyright 2007 by Rebecca Allen.

Created May 23, 2009
Updated May 25, 2009