AdventureDad

Summer has finally arrived here in Stockholm and it's time for  summer adventures with my son.  One activity that we both really like is biking, or rather mountain biking. Daniel is too young to be able to bike properly, except on his tricycle, so when we bike together he rides in a bicycle child seat behind me. He loves riding in the bike seat and as soon as I get the bike ready he comes running with his  helmet.  Foxy wife also enjoys biking but because of Tanditas, the nickname of our upcoming baby girl in August, biking is no longer possible. She's very cute but looks like she swallowed three soccer balls:-) But me and Daniel are looking forward to many nice trips during the beautiful Swedish summer.  If you haven't tried biking with your child, try it.  You will both  love it.  It's great way to bond and you can make it as easy or difficult as you like.   You can go for  short trips to daycare or the store, nice leisurely afternoon rides with a lunch (and wine) break,  or focus more on hard workouts. (Click on images for larger sizes)

There are a couple of different ways to carry your toddler on the bike.  You can pull a small bike trailer behind the bike or mount a bicycle child seat on the rear  of the bike. If you have two kids you can also have one seat mounted near the handlebars and one in the rear but I don't recommend the front mounted kind for safety reasons.  I  prefer the bicycle child seat since it's easy to mount and transport, my son is close to me, and it's far easier to ride the bike.  The bike trailer is really heavy to pull and it's not comfortable for your toddler on uneven roads.  At what age can you take your baby biking?  There is no exact age but usually just before 12 months until 3-4 years.  Your baby obviously needs to be able to sit properly and have a solid neck that can support the head.  We started at around 15 months simply because of the season and that felt a little "late".  Your child can then ride in the bicycle child seat until he/she can bike on a real bike.

After looking around at some different models I chose the Hamax Sleepy.  Hamax is a well known brand that has  been making bike seats for many years and their products are safe, nice looking, and functional.  One nice feature of this seat is that it's reclineable to make the ride more comfortable and your child will be leaning slightly backwards when he/she falls asleep.The seat is easily mounted on your bike by installing an adapter on the down-tube.  It's irrelevant if your bike has a luggage carrier or not.  After you've installed the adapter (one-time 10 minute installation) you simply slide the bicycle child seat into the adapter and it locks automatically.  Since the seat is "hanging"over your rear wheel it offers excellent suspension for your child and this helps protect the spine and make the ride comfortable.  The great thing with this kind of installation is that you can use the seat on several bikes by purchasing  additional adapters.  We've got four bikes fitted with adapters, two hardcore mountain bikes and two city bikes.  Switching the seat over from one bike to another takes a maximum of 30 seconds. 

A couple of notes on safety and comfort.  My son never goes on the bike without a helmet. Neither do I.  Buy a good bike helmet.  Don't be cheap and stupid.  Make sure the safety harness for the seat is fairly tight and locked.  Also use the straps for the feet to avoid any unpleasant events with feet in the spokes.  It's unlikely but possible.  Be careful during your first couple of rides.  Center of gravity will be higher with your baby in the rear even though it's barely noticeable for most riders.  Bring an extra wind jacket or sweater.  It can get chilly in the back if you ride fast.  Don't ride on high tech single-track or other challenging areas.  We are used to extreme mountain biking without Daniel but with him we ride on normal roads, gravel roads, or double-track in the woods.  Do stupid, challenging rides when you're alone, not with your baby.

Here in Sweden most people use their bike on a regular basis.  We've got a dedicated bike lane on most roads in the country and many take the bike to work.  Some do it for pure exercise and others out of convenience.  Most parents with kids older than 18 months both work and have their child(ren) at daycare.  Parents that bike to work often drop their kid off on the way and then swing by on the way home as well.  A perfect solution during the warmer part of the year.  It's a fast and easy way of getting your child to daycare. 

If you're not into challenging bike rides but would still like to spend some quality time with your child, a leisurely ride of a few hours is perfect during those warm summer days. You can use a city bike with few gears or a real hardcore bike.   Bring some food and drinks, some toys, and a little extra clothing and head out in the sun.  Stop at a suitable spot, enjoy the sun, let your child play in the grass or in the water with some toys, and sip on a beer or a glass of wine.  Or go for a ride to your favorite restaurant for a nice lunch and a couple of drinks. We do that all the time and find it very relaxing.  Time the ride so that nap-time is during the beginning or end of the ride.  Children love to sleep in the bicycle child seat.  It's almost like being in a car, the motion is very soothing and relaxing.   As soon as you see your toddler getting tired, recline the seat slightly to keep the neck in a comfortable position and keep on biking.

To bring your child during harder workouts you'll benefit from using a real bike.  It can be a mountain bike or a road bike.  By real bike I mean plenty of gears and a light but strong frame with quality components. You can go a lot faster and take more challenging routes.  Bring plenty of water, and make sure your child is not too exposed to the sun.  And bike in a careful and responsible way even though you're training.  Daniel loves our rides.  Sometimes a little too much.  During steep uphills, which are pretty hard with a child in the back, he taps my butt with both hands and says "pappa" "pappa".  That's his signal that I'm going too slow. He then wants me to stand up and pedal and keeps lightly tapping my butt until we are over the hill or have reached sufficient speed. If he wasn't saying it in  such a cute way I would be pissed since my legs are usually filled with lactic acid during those long uphills.

We've just started using our new  tricycle and Daniel loves to go for short rides and fill up the loading area in the back with all kinds of crap from the neighborhood.  When do kids start using a real bike without training wheels?  Age 4? 5?  I can't wait for those awesome moments when  all of us  go biking together. Me with Tanditas in the bike seat, Daniel on his own two wheeler, and Sandra on her bike. Although it kind of scares me to even think of bringing Daniel with his own bike on a road.  He's very responsible and careful but the possibilities for something to happen are there, even in Sweden where there is virtually no traffic.

Categories: Daniel, Family, Kid stuff
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