We Want YOU

... to learn the ABC's of Family Biking!

Yes, it's the family biking event of the season! On Saturday, April 21st, Kidical Mass DC, WABA and DDOT Safe Routes to School will help interested families learn more about the tools and resources available to help them bike together.

• WABA staff will teach basic skills classes along with a special NEW class on biketrains and group riding
• SCRAP-dc will have a special bike-decorating station with repurposed crafting supplies
• The Bike House will offer a skills clinic on roadside repairs (so you and your little ones will never be stranded!)
• Local bike shops BicycleSPACE and The Daily Rider will exhibit some of the equipment and special bikes they sell to help parents transport kids (and dogs, groceries, gardening supplies and anything else you can think of!) around town
• And last but not least, several local biking parents will show off their own bikes and share their tips and tricks for riding with their children. 

Here's a short list of some of the nifty toys incredibly useful tools you can expect to see at The ABC's of Family Biking:

• iBert and BOBike front-mounted bike seats
• Yepp and Peanut Shell rear-mounted bike seats
• Xtracycle Free Radical, Xtracycle Radish, and Yuba Mundo longtail cargo bikes
• Boxcycles Christiania cargo trike
• Larry vs. Harry Bullitt and Gazelle Cabby bakfietsen (two-wheeled boxbikes) 
• Burley and Chariot trailers
• Adams Trail-a-Bike
• Strider Balance Bike

We'll also send all attendees home with a Resource Guide that lists contact information for participating bike shops and Show and Tell parents, along with other helpful sources of information on biking with kids of all ages.

When: Saturday, April 21, 2012. 11am -  2pm (biketrain class starts at 1pm)
Where: Capitol Hill Montessori School at Logan, 215 G Street NE (parking lot entrance is on 2nd Street NE)
Places to eat nearby: Union Station Food Court, Ebenezer's Coffeehouse (201 F Street NE), Sidamo Coffee (417 H Street NE, very kid-friendly and has changing table in bathroom)

Join us on April 21st to get ready for the first-ever Bike to School Day. Hope to see you there!

Where We Ride: Met Branch Trail

Before I had a kid, I used to be a cyclist of the “strong and fearless” variety. No road was too busy and no bike lane too narrow to stop me from getting to my destination by the most direct route. After I had my son Alex, though, it was as if I had become a newbie all over again. Suddenly I was hyperaware of every vehicle, every pothole, every pedestrian and every hazard on the road. I began to prioritize traffic calmness much more in choosing my routes.

Around the same time, I discovered the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

How We Ride: Pushbikes

Photo courtesy of Like-A-Bike

Although Baby A is still too young and small for any kind of training bike, I’ve already been doing my research on the best way to teach him how to ride. If you’re like me, you remember graduating from a tricycle to a bike with training wheels to (finally!) an independent two-wheeler; but some parents are now finding that their children can begin at a younger age and transition more smoothly to two-wheeled bikes by using small pedal-less bikes known variously as pushbikes, scooter bikes, or balance bikes. A few parents on the invaluable Brookland parents’ listserv have offered their suggestions on introductory bikes for children. Read more after the jump!