Families on Two Wheels
It’s a cliché that getting the family out and about is akin to mobilising an army. If you’ve got children of various ages, genders and dispositions, it can be hard to find an activity that everyone enjoys. In an age where games console is king, cycling can provide one of the few ways to get the whole family out in the fresh air. The simple act of riding your bikes together as a family can so often be a common denominator. Bikes, good weather, a great route and plenty to see and do along the way can be a recipe for a perfect day out.
Even if you are an experienced rider, biking with your children can make you rediscover the simple joys of riding a bike. If you are used to riding on your own, you may have to readjust to a slower, more relaxed pace. You may need to be more philosophical about your mileage and your rate of progress. But you’ll be rewarded by the knowledge that your kids will be getting fit, interacting with the world around them, building their confidence and, most important of all, having fun.
It’s likely that your children already have bikes but may simply view them as another childhood possession, along with skateboards, footballs and games consoles. But your children’s bikes are an underused resource that can be the catalyst to a great day out. To most children, the bike seldom goes further than the local park. Some never make it further than the end of the street. Getting out on bikes, further afield, can open your children’s eyes to what is possible on two wheels.
Bikes can add a new dimension to boring country walks, turning woodland tracks into exciting, all terrain challenges. With the development of dedicated, traffic free, town and country routes, together with mountain biking centres with graded family routes and great facilities throughout the UK’s finest forest scenery, there’s never been a better time to get the family out and about on two wheels.
But what do you do with the reluctant cyclists in your midst? Unless you’re very lucky, there will be members of your family who won’t be as dedicated to cycling as you are. A top tip is to add in other, non-cycling activities into your day out on the bike.
A route that takes in a children’s playground, an opportunity for an impromptu kick-around or a café stop for an indulgent cake or two can help keep the reluctant cyclist in your family suitably entertained. If you’re the committed rider, it might be too easy for you to see the ‘riding bit’ as the main event. To interest and inspire the family, try turning the cycling day-out on its head. Think of a great family destination such as a country park, farm, fairground or stately home, plan a family friendly route and use the bikes as the means to get there. If you’ve got a reluctant cycling partner, get the kids minded and plan a summer’s afternoon trip to a local latte stop. It could be the start of a beautiful friendship on two wheels.
Like any activity involving the family, a bit of planning and preparation goes a long way. Make sure you know your route – young children will not thank you for lengthy detours. Make sure that you bring enough warm, waterproof clothing to cope with the typical British summer. Most of all, plenty of drinks and snacks will keep your brood fuelled up and motivated – you can use the promise of snacks as a carrot to keep the youngest kids moving. Make sure that you’ve got the right tools and tubes to do basic trailside repairs – you don’t want your big day out to turn into a long walk home.
As far as bikes are concerned, more or less anything goes. Plan a flat route, non-technical route and keep the pace slow, and young children will keep up on BMXs or other single speed bikes. For more rugged rides at mountain bike centres, proper mountain bikes with a good spread of gears and front suspension will keep things moving when the terrain gets challenging. Even if your children are too young to cycle independently, a childseat or tag-along can be a passport to mobilising the whole family. Rather than having to wait for those rare ‘child-free’ riding opportunities, you can take your youngest offspring with you.
Everyday Cycling has put together a comprehensive selection of great family routes and rides, together with a series of family cycling events to kick start your family’s cycling summer.