Why Biking To Work Is Kid-Friendly

Written by Laura Cerutti

Part 2 of 2. Read part 1 here.

Last week we talked about making biking to work with a child more convenient and less difficult, but we understand that there are some safety concerns when it comes to riding with your little ones. After all, it is your natural instinct as a parent to protect your kids. One of the of the dads from the Bike to Work Challenge recommends going slow, making sure your bike is in working order, and ensuring that all of the connections to your child's ride-along apparatus are tight and secure. It is also imperative that your child is wearing a properly-fitted helmet at all times! Now that you know why you should bike to work with your kids, here's how you can get started:

Get the right equipment

Before they are old enough to ride confidently on their own, there are plenty of options for bike seats, trailers and cargo bikes to tow your little one.

REI ($299)

REI (179.95)

The dads from the Bike to Work Challenge both chose to use trailers. One father made arrangements to leave his daughter's bike trailer at her school before continuing his 10 mile trip to work. He then swings by the school to pick up the empty trailer on his ride home. He later informed us that he eventually ungraded to a Weehoo igo trailer that allows his daughter to become an active rider and pedal along with him to propel them forward.

If you have multiple kids, you don't have to pick favorites on who gets to ride with you! It is possible to attach multiple kids to one bike, just check out how this mom from Portland rides with six kids. (Yes! You read that correctly. Six kids, one bike!).

Six kids is no deterrent for this Portland mom.

Plan your route

On a weekend or a day off, ride alone to your child’s school and then ride by work. Time yourself and take note of bike lanes and hazardous intersections. After you are comfortable with your ride, bring your son or daughter along so they can get also get used to the ride and you can get used to them being hitched up to your bike. Once you are both comfortable, get ready to bike to school and work together!