9 minute read
Winter cycling for all the family
Check your tyres and dig out your gloves… it’s time to get out and about on your bike with the family this winter!
As we head into the winter months you’ll have noticed the days becoming much shorter and much colder than we have grown used to over the last few months.
Though we’ll all have to wrap ourselves in an extra layer or two to battle the elements, we wouldn’t let that stop you thinking about making the most of the great outdoors (or indoors – we’ll speak a little more about that later) with the whole family.
Whether you want some inspiration for family rides and local routes, help with teaching your younger ones to ride, or simply some time for yourself to look after your mental wellbeing, British Cycling has all you need to get pedalling this winter.
HSBC UK LET’S RIDE LOCAL
During the first lockdown, we saw a huge number of families get out and cycle together to make the most of an unusually warm spring and quieter roads. Although there has been a huge upheaval in our day-to-day lives since March last year, and things are still not what we’re used to, one of the remaining constants has been the freedom to cycle. Throughout 2020, the simple joy of cycling – whether commuting as a key worker or discovering new routes from your front door – has been clear to see, as so many of us have been encouraged to keep (or start) pedalling.
That’s where resources like our brand-new online hub, HSBC UK Let’s Ride Local (www.letsridelocal. co.uk) come in to help. Taking the family out on a bike ride is a great way to get some fresh air, exercise and a dose of feel-good! HSBC UK Let’s Ride Local provides ideas and inspiration to help keep everyone motivated and safe while cycling in your local area and has a dedicated section on riding in line with Government guidelines. It brings together a whole host of handy pointers to help you get going, too, then when you’re ready, has a number of tips for a safe and successful bike ride as well as more than 1,000 free cycle routes to help you get out and explore.
GETTING THE KIDS PEDAL-READY
Riding a bike gives you a great sense of freedom – and we think every child in Britain should have the chance to learn. That’s why we created HSBC UK Ready Set Ride; (www.readysetride.co.uk) a fun and easy way to help children from as
young as 18 months to eight-yearsold learn to ride a bike with free, quick and easy games – having lots of fun along the way.
Kids can start at any age and there is no pressure to get it right on your first go. In fact, you don’t need a bike or any cycling knowledge to get started. HSBC UK Ready Set Ride is all about introducing pedalling to playtime, where learning together is a fun, family adventure that can be completed in three simple steps.
CYCLING WITH KIDS
When it comes to how old your children need to be, there’s no legal age limit for children cycling on the road - it really comes down to parents making a sensible decision based on their children’s cycling ability, maturity and awareness of possible hazards.
For children under the age of 10, there is no criminal liability for cycling on the pavement, but this doesn’t mean that children always should or need to ride on it. Younger children can ride safely on the road but, as traffic awareness doesn’t really develop until 8-10 years old, children younger than this should be closely supervised.
When it comes to the basics for chaperoned cycling, the main requirements are that a child should be able to ride in a stable, predictable and controlled manner. They should be confident riding in a straight line, cornering, and be able to brake and come to a halt in a controlled manner. If you are unsure about your children’s cycling skill level, try some rides in a trafficfree environment first to determine whether you feel they’d be safe on the road.
We’ll always advise parents to check their child’s bike to make sure it’s well maintained, properly fitted and safe to ride. After that, we’d suggest making sure your younger ones are familiar and comfortable, then when it’s time to head out, take advantage of traffic-free cycling routes and cycle paths but make sure, if using a shared cycle path, that your children are aware that they may encounter pedestrians.
Having younger children who aren’t ready to ride on the road doesn’t have to mean no family cycling fun – find out more of the British Cycling website www.
britishcycling. org.uk
SHOULD YOU TAKE YOUR CHILD WITH YOU TO TEST OUT BIKES, OR CAN YOU BUY ‘BLIND’ FOR PRESENTS? Frog Bikes only sell through Independent Bike Stores, so that the bikes can be fitted to the child along with being fully built and correctly assembled by a qualified mechanic. The sizing of Frog Bikes is based on the average inside leg measurement of the child rather than age – each child is different. Whether they are confident or tentative riders also plays an important factor when fitting the bike.
Frog stockists have access to a FrogFit app where arm length, inside leg measurement and a rider’s confidence level together inform the model recommendation.
WHY DOES THE WEIGHT OF A BIKE MAKE SO MUCH DIFFERENCE FOR KIDS? This is really quite simple. Some kids’ bikes weigh as much as the child, so they are at an immediate disadvantage when starting to learn to ride a heavy bike. If the bike is lightweight and has child-friendly parts like easy to reach brake levers and gear shifters for little hands, the bike is so much easier for them to handle and they experience success much faster (sometimes they’re cycling in a matter of minutes!)
DON’T FALL INTO THE TRAP OF BUYING A BIKE THEY CAN GROW INTO This is the biggest temptation, and understandably so when kids grow so fast. But this tactic is likely to put them off bikes altogether. If they can not touch the floor, even with their tiptoes, and can not reach the handlebars/brakes comfortably they will associate cycling with being scared and uncomfortable. It will take a long time and a lot of encouragement to erase this.
The great thing about Frog Bikes is that they hold their resale value and the quality of the frame and components mean that a Frog Bike can be handed down or sold on multiple times instead of being taken to the tip after a few months.
WHAT OTHER ELEMENTS ARE IMPORTANT TO LOOK OUT FOR? In addition to balance skills, it is important that a child learns to brake from an early age. This is why Frog Bikes even have a brake on their tiniest 10” balance bike – the Tadpole Mini!
Whilst we’re discussing brakes, check the bike has child-specific components. The brake levers especially need to be easy to reach and pull, this ensures they can control their speed and grow in confidence.
WHAT BIKE DO I CHOOSE FOR AN OLDER CHILD LEARNING TO RIDE? Ideally, most children will start to learn on a balance bike, so they master balance before having to worry about how to pedal or change gears. Some children, of course, may not show an interest at a younger age, but there are still options for parents with older or taller children. You can remove the pedals on a first pedal bike, so it can be used as a balance bike until they are ready to pedal. Frog Bikes also do a larger bike (Frog 52S) without gears, for children who are not ready for gears but have an average inside leg measurement of 52cm (approx. 5 to 6 years old).
STABILISERS – ARE THEY A GOOD OR BAD THING, AND WHY? Stabilisers tend to offer a false sense of security. Children end up leaning to one side or another, rather than learning the important skills of balancing (which will be needed once the stabilisers come off anyway!) This is why Frog Bikes generally encourage their customers to try without them.
ARE THERE ANY PITFALLS TO BE AWARE OF WHEN BUYING BIKES? It is really important that the bike is fully assembled, fitted to the child and has had a full check by a qualified mechanic. Buying a bike online normally means it will arrive unbuilt, which can be daunting for a parent and leaves a concern about whether it may not have been assembled correctly once they have finished. (Or the parent ends up having to pay a mechanic to build it).
GEARS A wide range cassette and single chainring is a lot easier for children to master their bike’s gears. This will make the bike lighter, simpler and easier to ride. All of our Hybrid bikes come with this setup.
If you are purchasing a bike with gears and a rear derailleur it is a good idea to get a kickstand for the bike too. Children are not great at propping up their bikes and a kickstand will help prevent any knocks to the gear mechanism and keep the gears changing like clockwork.
THE OPTION TO CUSTOMISE THE BIKE TO YOUR CHILD’S NEEDS Most children will only have one bike so this bike will need to cope with everything that’s thrown at it. Check the bike has eyelets to attach mudguards and pannier racks if it is going to be used for the school run. If you are going to be hitting the trails as a family at the weekend then you might want to prioritise front suspension like our Push the Limits MTB range.
What accessories might be good to buy if kids already have bikes? There are lots of fun and useful accessories available.
Perhaps start with a helmet – the sooner a child gets used to wearing a helmet when they are on their bike or even just playing with it, the sooner it becomes a good habit!
Frog Bikes also produce high visibility kit bags and vests which can be great for cycling to and from school so you can be seen. Knog lights, which are easily attached to the bikes, are available in lots of colours too! There are even Frog hoodies and jerseys if you want to stand out!
You can find lots of ideas at www.frogbikes.com
GET COOKING
From the importance of gut health to satisfying lunchboxes in winter and how to eat less meat, in this issue we’ve got lots of top tips and ideas to get your kids to eat a wide range of healthy, nutritious foods – and enjoy them too!
