Fit to be tried: cycling with juniors
Monday April 05 2010
IT'S good for you, gets your heart pumping, and proves all those ruddy-faced Dutch people can't be wrong. But doing it with your child can be a challenge -- especially as they get older.
Cycling, even in our dour weather, is a great way to get about, and we now have plenty of incentives to reduce our carbon footprint.
For example, the tax relief on purchases of bicycles up to €1,000 and 209km of bicycle lanes in Dublin alone.
And so it was that for many of us, when cutbacks and work shortages reduced our household spending, the car just had to go, or at least be used less -- better for us, better for the environment, and we'd get fit too.
No problem, I thought. We'll cycle around. And I'll bring my sturdy young fella with me on the back. But there's the snag -- it's hard to get a bike carrier strong enough to handle kids weighing more than 22 kilos.
Think Italy, France or Holland, where thousands of people cycle around giving a backer to kids of up to 10 or even older.
It's taken me six months to find a solution -- the Bobike seat, available online from a shop in England or from local suppliers.
The helpful owner, Stuart Conway, went to the trouble of getting my bike measurements before he supplied me with a dream seat capable of safely carrying my boy, Ruairi (six).
"The Bobike Junior is pretty much unique in its ability to carry up to 32 kilos, and there's a big demand," says Conway, whose shop is in Brighton.
Conway has customers from Ireland to the US and carries a good range of child seats to suit all sizes. Or your local bike shop should be able to help.
Now I have the carrier, I can ferry myself and Ruairi from where we live to the local school and other events, happily joining the other 35,000 cyclists getting around Dublin on two wheels.
But while we might have more than 200km of designated bike paths, one third of them are shared with buses, and it can get pretty nerve-wracking doing a duo with a double decker while your pride and joy screams "Beat them, mammy."
Despite the odd flat tyre (the shamed feminist in me hates to admit standing by the road looking helpless until a friendly motorist gave us a hand), occasional heavy rain and acquiring a John Wayne walk (those bike saddles can be murder), we've stuck with it.
And there's a great biking community here, with regular family events across the country in beauty spots such as The Burren, host to the An Post cycle tour last year. Make sure you have good lights, and carry a puncture kit.
Lack of storage space is a legitimate gripe, and some shops might find it an easy way to attract business if they put a bike rack outside.
But it's still a great way to get around, enjoy the view and improve your fitness. And if you have a junior to carry, you can have a chat to your kid at the same time.
- Amanda Phelan
Irish Independent
