Do it Yourself: Bike Lessons for your kid How we taught our kid to ride a bike We don’t have a car and bike a lot, so our child has been exposed to bicycles practically since they were born. We weren’t sure what this would mean for how quickly our child would take to riding a bike of their own. And we were of course hoping to try to maintain their interest in bikes so they’d want to learn. Balance bikes vs bikes with training wheels I learned to ride on a bike with training wheels, as did most people my age. I have nothing against training wheels, but thought it’d make more sense for our child to first learn balance and handling. This can be done while scooting and gliding on a balance bike. I had noticed that some […]
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Helpful tips for biking with children (via SFBC and The New Wheel)
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and the New Wheel bike shop (Located in San Francisco, Marin, and here in Oakland.. soon!) put on a webinar a little while ago that covers an introduction to biking with children. It has a bunch of useful information, especially for those who may be new to biking or new to riding their with children. Karen from the New Wheel spoke about the benefits of family cycling (it’s joyful, flexible, fun, and empowering) and how improving city infrastructure has made this easier than before. Electric motors and improvements in battery technology have made it possible for e-bikes to serve as a lower-carbon and more fun minivan replacement. She talked about different ways to carry kids (trailers, trail-a-bikes, family bikes and cargo bikes, front and rear seats, having kids ride their own children’s bike) and common […]
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Nice bikes: A Rivendell Susie W. Longbolts with a childrens bike trailer
Riding in style in Berkeley’s Elmwood District I came across this beautiful Susie W. Longbolts bike made by Rivendell Bike Works in Berkeley the other day. The Susie W. Longbolts is a lighter duty “Hillibike”, which Rivendell describes as their steel-framed bikes, with longer chainstays and wheelbases made to absorb bumps better for trail riding and road touring. The bikes also feature room for big tires and higher handlebars. The name “Susie W. Longbolts” is an anagram of Gus Boots-Willsen, a similar but slightly heavier-duty bike of theirs. They look way more stable on bumpy surfaces than a road bike would be. The parents had set it up with chunky tires and a child bike trailer to tow their kid and scooter around in style. Or follow along for updates:
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Dwight Way and California St intersection traffic improvements – Berkeley
Building the right infrastructure for people: Traffic Calming in Berkeley There are a number of new quick-build traffic calming improvements sprouting up all over the East Bay. Crossing Dwight Way at California street as a pedestrian or person on a bike was traditionally difficult. It’s wasn’t terrifying, but the traffic speed and volume made feel like a bit of an adventure to cross. California St is far enough from a traffic signal that might create breaks in the traffic. By the time drivers reach this intersection, they have had a chance to accelerate to faster speeds. The City of Berkeley has put in temporary traffic improvements as part of Phase 2 of the Dwight Way/California Street project. The City of Berkeley will record data and use this to evaluate whether Phase 3 permanent improvements will be implemented. I hope this […]
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Bike Laws in California (and other traffic laws)
Bike laws and traffic laws for people on bikes, in cars, and people who walk in the state of California I just finished a League of American Cyclists training course, and was really impressed with the depth of information covered in the course. One important aspect of the training is the law as it relates to how people share the roadways. This reflects traffic principles, bike laws, and infrastructure in their current state. I’m hoping there can continue to be improvements that will make it easier for people to walk and bike to get to where they need to go without the fear of being hit by a car. You shouldn’t be required to drive a 5000 pound vehicle to pick up a loaf of bread and 12 eggs from a grocery store. I’m still learning, and am definitely open […]
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Top tube bags for childrens’ bikes: A quick review
Why use a top tube bag for a child’s bike? As parents, we want our children to enjoy their cycling experience. We had been searching for a way to enhance that experience for our child by finding a way for them to be able to carry their stuff on their own bike. I looked around for a couple of bags and had found an old bag that we had used before. It was beneficial because it allowed our child to carry their own snacks, band-aids, and other things deemed to them to be essential. It also freed us from having to carry the various sticks, leaves, rocks, toys, and other small things that children often collect and carry. The top tube bag location is great. It allows a child to easily access their stuff, even while riding. The top tube […]
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Blitzu Gator Bike Lights: 3 Month Review for a Childrens bike light
How is the Blitzu Head Light holding up? Bike safety lights are important for keeping bike riders safe while riding at night. I purchased a set of lights for my kid. We’ve been riding around for 3 months now with the Blitzu Gator 390, a budget bike light option for childrens bike lights. We have been using it about once per day, 5-7 days per week. The headlight/tail light set costs about $16 on Amazon, and is a good choice for a LED bike light for a child. I wouldn’t call it the best kid’s bike light, but it’s a good value and a good option. Function, Usage and Visibility: OK The light works fine. It’s fairly small, so it fits on small handlebars well. It’s easy enough for a child to operate. It has a few modes for varying […]
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Riding our light up bike pole lights (aka Bike Beam) in Oakland and Berkeley
Family bike riding around Oakland and Berkeley Our child is old enough to pedal themselves around to school, the library, and to sports practice. Sometimes it’s hard, but usually we have a good time getting to where we need to go. We get some exercise, take in our surroundings, wave to neighbors, give names to cats and dogs, and appreciate random sidewalk finds. And we can get around in an environmentally-friendly way. We ride around with a set of bike pole lights that I have been developing for a while. The bike flag lights make us pretty easy to spot. If you see us, wave and say hello! I made our bike pole lights (aka the “Bike Beam” light) to keep my child visible When we first started riding around on neighborhood streets, I realized that my child was hard […]
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Bike Soccer Dad (No Minivan or SUV Required)
I’m enjoying being a bike soccer dad. I guess I’ve become a soccer dad now. Our kid has practice on the weekends, but we bike to the field instead of taking a the stereotypical soccer mom or soccer dad minivan or SUV. We do it because we rarely drive, but there are plenty of benefits to doing so. It’s good exercise, and it’s a great way to get outside and enjoy nature. It also helps reduce car traffic congestion and pollution. It’s about a 3 mile ride that takes us 20-25 minutes. We selected our route based on Oakland’s Slow Streets (which are being taken away soon, sadly!) and other low-car-traffic roads. Berkeley has done a decent job adding physical barriers on designated routes to promote safety by slowing the flow of automobiles. There are a couple of hairier intersections […]
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Fantastic Berkeley Bike Lanes: Riding on Milvia Street on a Sunny Day
Protected Berkeley Bike Lanes on Milvia Street We rode the new Milvia Street protected bike lanes in Berkeley again a few days ago. These lanes are protected from automotive traffic in a few different ways. There are concrete islands with metal rails in some sections (by Berkeley High School, for example) and then simply concrete barriers in other parts. There are a few unprotected paint-buffered areas. In general, the lanes allowed us to feel more comfortable riding around Berkeley with a physical barrier between us and moving automobiles. We were on our way home from getting lunch. Our route took us south on Milvia Street from near the Cal campus in order to get back to Oakland. It was a short but enjoyable stretch. A few students were milling about and the vibe was nice and calm – perfect for […]
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