Bicycling can be a fun family adventure for all ages.
By Lisa Cordeiro
July 2015
Summer is a great time to venture outdoors and enjoy nature. Bike riding allows families to spend quality time together while getting some fresh air and exercise. Plus, it doesn’t cost a lot of money.
Older school-aged kids and teens often love riding bikes because it offers a sense of freedom and adventure. Even children who are too young or physically unable to ride a bike on their own can, with the right equipment, accompany their parents. Bicycling is a fun way for all to go exploring, and it’s also environmentally friendly.
Bicycles are portable enough to bring along in your motorhome. You can park the RV and take the bikes out for an hour or two or for a full day of activity. You may just find that everyone enjoys biking and wants to incorporate more of it into their lives.
Who Can Cycle?
With a variety of bikes and attachments available, family members of all ages can enjoy cycling. If younger children will be accompanying you, consider the equipment they’ll need. The youngest may have to sit in a seat attached to an adult’s bike. Toddlers may enjoy riding in an attached trailer. Once a child is old enough to begin pedaling, an attachment can be added to the adult’s bike so you can ride together in tandem. This gives kids a little bit more independence, but doesn’t push them too hard before they’re ready to ride on their own.
My family has tried all these options. When my kids were old enough to fit into bike seats, we mounted them on the adult bikes behind the cyclist’s seat, similar to a car seat. When the kids outgrew the bike seat, they graduated to a bike trailer. With some snacks and toys, they had room to sit and play in the trailer. It was also a handy place to stash a bag.
Benefits Of Cycling
The most obvious benefit bicycling provides is the exercise gained during these outings. For us, that was especially true when biking with the kids and their additional equipment, including the times I had to ride up a hill with a bike trailer. Terrific exercise, yes, but oh so tiring! I underestimated how heavy pulling a trailer uphill would be. Now my son rides his own bike while my daughter often rides a tandem bike with my husband. For shorter trips, she’ll ride along on her own. Having different options allows us some flexibility when planning our bike trips.
My uphill trek notwithstanding, cycling is one of the more enjoyable ways to work out. You might not even realize how much exercise you’re getting. Cycling builds strength, increases stamina, improves cardiovascular fitness, burns calories, and reduces stress. Some say there are cognitive benefits as well.
Your wallet will appreciate the savings achieved by simply using your legs to pedal. And, when exploring by bicycle, you can find ways to avoid the traffic congestion that drivers face.
What You Need
If you don’t have a bicycle, you may be able to rent one from a cycling shop. A specialist will be able to help you determine the type of bike that works best for your activity, such as a mountain bike for trails or a road bike for pavement. If you’re in a city, you can check whether a bike-sharing program is offered; these programs enable you to pick up a bike at one designated location and drop it off at another. You may be able to rent a bike or use one at no charge, either for a short period or for the day. Keep in mind, however, that you might not find smaller bikes for younger kids at these locations. Make sure each bike is in good working order before leaving the shop or bike-sharing location.
No matter your age, wear a helmet. This is key even for short rides. Accidents happen. It’s easy to trip over a branch or lose your balance in a patch of sand. One of my kids hit a bump and rode into a telephone pole two houses from our own. He hadn’t been riding for 30 seconds when it happened. Luckily, he was wearing a helmet.
Planning The Outing
Think ahead before the bike ride. Are you going for an hour or a full day? Since you’ll bear the additional weight of whatever you bring, you don’t want to overpack, but you do want to make sure you have the essentials. You won’t need much for shorter rides, but be sure to bring water. You can get thirsty rather quickly while riding.
Some other items you should consider, depending on the difficulty and duration of your ride:
- Snacks
- Sunglasses
- Bike repair kit with inner tube
- Small first-aid kit
- Map
- Cell phone
- Sunscreen and insect repellent
- Clothing layers that you can add and remove, such as a sweatshirt or windbreaker. You can heat up quickly as you ride, but if it’s cool or windy, you’ll feel it.
Choosing A Route
For your first family ride, choose a route easy enough for the youngest family member. You don’t want to make it so difficult that it’s unenjoyable, because if it’s miserable for one, it will end up miserable for all.
Try bike paths where youngsters can ride along on their own. As they grow and can ride for longer periods, you can increase the distance and difficulty. Keep it fun, though. If you challenge them with a route that’s too much too soon, you might end up with cranky kids who want to go home. Start small and work your way up so everyone enjoys the activity.
As you plan other trips, know everyone’s limits. Prepare for shorter rides and plenty of breaks. Let everyone stretch their legs and drink water to stay hydrated. Playgrounds are good options to let the kids run and climb before you resume cycling.
Plan ahead. During a motorhome trip, check if your next travel stop has any bike paths that you can add to your agenda of activities. If you have access to the Internet, try a website such as Pedaling.com, which has a searchable database by ZIP code.
Cycling While Traveling
Bicycling is an excellent way to explore a new place. Many cities offer biking tours. Such tours might be a good option for your family if you don’t want to plan a route and you prefer having a guide lead the way and point out attractions.
My family and I have ridden bikes around Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts; New York City; Washington, D.C.; the Maine coast; the White Mountains; and the Carolina coast. Each site has a new flavor to experience. In Boston, we followed the bike paths along the Charles River before venturing off to destinations in the city, such as Boston Common. On the Cape Cod Rail Trail, we traveled past beach dunes along the Atlantic Ocean — a very scenic route and not as crowded as many tourist destinations in summer.
In Washington, D.C., we visited many of the monuments by riding down the National Mall. We easily traveled to a number of destinations, seeing more than we would have in a vehicle and covering much more ground than we would have on foot. Some D.C. streets have center-median bike lanes; these made it easier and safer than riding along the right side of busy roads.
I rarely miss a chance to rent a bike in New York City and ride through Central Park. Rental locations in the park make it easy to hop on a bike and ride the paths for an hour or a day or more. Cycling in the city and the park can be very busy, so make sure you follow the rules and ride on the designated paths in the right direction. When you need a break, there are many benches and grassy spots. You can grab a bite from one of the food vendors or bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it while you people-watch.
One warning for New York City: Avoid riding through Times Square. The area is heavily congested, and although the streets have bike paths, pedestrians often walk in them. We’ve tried to ride through and had to dismount and walk our bikes through the crowd. The Hudson River route offers a far more enjoyable ride. It has fewer crowds, plenty of open space to ride along the water, and opportunities to stop at outdoor cafés for refreshments.
Get Ready, Get Set, Go Biking!
Consider a day of bicycling during your next motorhome trip. Whether you bring along your own bikes or borrow or rent them where you stop, you can enjoy exercise, fresh air, and family togetherness.
Further Info
- Pedaling.com’s databases are searchable for bikes and equipment, guided tours, events, bike routes, and other bicycling resources. Visit www.pedaling.com.
- Bicycling magazine’s website includes articles about bikes, gear, and other topics, including a beginner’s guide. Visit www.bicycling.com.
Safety Tips
- Wear a helmet.
- Learn the rules of cycling.
- Look before you turn, and indicate your intention to others on the road. Learn hand signals.
- Obey local cycling laws, traffic signals, and road signs.
- Watch for doors that may open on parked cars.
- Don’t use headphones or a cell phone while riding.
- If traveling at night (not recommended for beginners), add lights and reflectors.
Bike Trails For RVers
RVParks.com recommends these bike trails.
- The Virginia Creeper Trail, which stretches 34 miles in Virginia from Abingdon to Damascus, is an easy biking adventure suitable for novices. www.vacreepertrail.com.
- The Greenbrier River Trail traverses 78 miles through some of the most remote areas of West Virginia. www.greenbrierrailtrailstatepark.com.
- Railroad Grade Road in northwestern North Carolina runs 10 miles between Fleetwood and Todd and is mostly flat. www.ncrailtrails.org/trails/railroad-grade-road.
- The 5-mile Jones Beach Bikeway is the premier bike path on New York’s Long Island. Find it at www.traillink.com.
- Cape Ann Cruise explores Boston’s North Shore. The shorter 22-mile loop circles the rocky shores of Cape Ann. Search for it at www.trails.com.
- American River Bike Trail Ramble in California is a 32-mile path from Old Sacramento to Beal’s Point on Folsom Lake. Find it at www.trails.com.
- Berkeley and the Oakland Hills is a 27-mile loop through the Berkeley, California, area. Search for it on www.trails.com, which rates its skill level as difficult because of hills.
- Busse Woods Bicycle Trail in Illinois’ Cook County is an 11-mile trail that winds through meadows and forests around Busse Lake. www.fpdcc.com.
- Trinity River Trails Ramble in Fort Worth, Texas, offers 28 miles of paved paths, some of which follow the Trinity River. Search for it at www.trails.com.
- Bear Creek-Morrison Half-Century Cruise is a 48-mile ride that begins in the heart of Denver, Colorado, and reaches to the geographically spectacular foothills near Morrison. Find it at www.trails.com.