I'm a hiker and I will always be a hiker at heart, but my husband has been road biking for a few years now and has really wanted to add biking to to our family outdoor activities so this summer we decided to take the plunge! It's been almost four months of family cycling and I'm having a great time and have rekindled the joy of riding a bike.
Family Road Gear
Since my husband was all set with his bicycle gear, we needed to get the rest of us outfitted! First of all, we needed to purchase two major items a bike trailer and a road bicycle for myself:
I haven't been riding consistently since I road around the training base camp in Georgia on a "Cruiser" type bike in 2004. Even back then I was very spastic and clumsy (which I still am), so I had some hesitations to start road biking. After a few visits to local bicycle stores I decided on the Giant Avail 5 Women's Road Bike. I tested out a few fancier road bikes but as a beginner road biker I really couldn't tell the difference so I decided on the Avail 5. Review will be coming soon...
Our three year old son absolutely refused to learn to ride a bike with a balance bike because it didn't have pedals like "Daddy's Bike", so we ended up buying him,
Giant Jr. Animator. If you can't tell we kind of like Giant bikes! Our son still does not understand the mechanics of riding a bike yet so when he rides his bike we are usually walking or running along side him.
Riding So Far....
Family riding so far has been a learning experience, as any new activity normally is! My kids are slowly building up their "Time Limit" in the double trailer. I'm learning what activities, snacks and toys to bring along so they can keep entertained in the trailer. Our daughter has a terrible time with wearing a helmet, she absolutely hates it so of course she has a somewhat dislike to the trailer BUT every time she is having a better and longer experience with the helmet so OVERALL it's getting better!
I'm trying to keep the same principles as Chasqui Mom's Toddler Hiking Cycle when we are riding and taking breaks when needed, stopping and letting the kids burn their energy, etc. A few other things we are learning are:
- The kids love riding FAST and going over bumps.
- I'm re-learning how to ride a bike! Not that I forgot how but just its different now as an adult!
- Bike paths that are family and beginner friendly in the East Bay.
- Learning that I'm a "Freddy" (a novice rider)! A mountain biker explained that to me recently....
- How to dress when riding, what not to bring and what to bring...
- My husband and I are learning to ride while towing our kids in a trailer! It's heavy!
Our routes so far have been close to home due to fact that we don't have a way to transport our bikes...yet! Looking into bike racks so we can start exploring other routes in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm really glad my husband convinced me to start riding again because I had forgotten how much fun it is to ride and it is another great way to get the family exercising!
A big "Shout Out" to +CentriPEDAL Bikes LLC, our local East Bay bicycle store, where we purchased our Giant Bicycles. We are now loyal customers of CentriPEDAL Bikes. You can also follow them on Facebook.
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