I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.

About twelve years ago, I started bicycling as my primary form of transportation. In truth, this originally came about as a way to stay quit from smoking. I figured the opposite of spending money on ruining my lungs was to save money by salvaging my cardiovascular system.

When I started biking, it was a torturous, wheezing affair. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't have a stroke! As weeks went on, I got better and better. Knowing that starting smoking again would negate any and all progress I had made kept my resolve strong and little by little, I became a bicycler instead of a smoker.

One side effect of this is that I'm not a fan of driving, which is what happens to many bicyclists. Simple errands that CAN be done by bike slowly start to feel like they SHOULD be done by biking until you begin to see using the car as a sign of failure.

As such, having a kid has been tough. We live in a society where rocketing around at 70 mph in a primarily fiberglass and plastic cage is widely considered safe for a child, however, there are no such assurances extended to bicycling. Bicycle product manufacturers won't clear a product for an age group unless they are almost certain they won't get sued, with most bike seats and carts coming with instructions to not use them until 1 year. In fact, in Michigan, children aren't even allowed to BE on a bike until 1 year.

Which is strange since there are many families in Denmark and Holland that don't even have cars and are two wheeling their babies around from day one.

So which is it?

Unfortunately, there really isn't a consensus  as this great Bike Portland article points out.

Test Run

It's really hard to find good info on this. It seems like opinions from Europe = the American recommendation + 3 months. I've personally come to the conclusion it seems that while 12 months is pretty much guaranteed for ALL to be safe, sometime around 9 months is where it's GENERALLY okay, depending on the kid's neck strength (and Cleo has had exceptional neck strength from day 1). Top that off with me finding the Mini Yepp that, unlike everything else we have encountered, actually clears kids of 9 months to be able to use it and I finally found a rational to get this kid on two wheels!

While the Yepp wouldn't fit on my commuter bike, it did fit on my mountain bike. This was a blessing in disguise since the super fat tires, knobby tread, and lower gearing meant I wouldn't outrun H on a ride (who does not bike nearly as much as I do) and the shocks would provide a much smoother ride for the kiddo. Yes, this meant doing things like putting a kickstand on it which is tantamount to installing seat warmers on a dune buggy, but for my girl, I was willing.

We did a small test ride on Thursday and the kiddo seemed to enjoy the ride even if she hated her comically large helmet. Seriously, the moment you unbuckle that thing she overhand throws it with both hands as far away from her as possible. Her helmet contempt is regrettable, but at least her form for soccer throw-ins is being developed. And while the carrier negatively affects my pedaling form a bit, it's really only for short rides anyhow. 

Then on Sunday we did our first family bike outing in a ride to the food carts nearby, a little over 1 1/2 miles there and the same distance back. I was really freaking nervous! Last time my palms had been so sweaty was the time I had to give a best man speech at my buddy Mike's wedding! But ultimately...

IT WAS GLORIOUS!

The kid laughed on the ride there and made fun noises while I sang songs to her. She would grin at her mom when she would pull up along side us. We had a fun outdoor breakfast and then cruised back. All in all, a great time was had by all and I'm looking forward to squeezing in some more bike rides before the sun goes into hiding for the winter!