How to Ride E-bikes with Children | KBO Bike

A happy family is a family that does things together. Everyday exercise is one thing you can do as a family to strengthen your bond and improve your health. You do not have to register yourselves in a gym or go to a family boot camp. Just choose simple indoor or outdoor activities to keep your family busy. Everyone gets up and moving, and spending time together as a family strengthens your bonds.

Bicycling is a fun way of spending time with family, either with your significant other or even with your kids. It is a great time to bond as you glide and feel the wind on your face. Helping them pick interest in it at an early age would be good. Helping them understand how beneficial cycling can be for their health as they grow. Physical and mental health are intertwined. Motor and social skills are developed by repetitive physical activity and social engagement. Both of which affect physiology and emotional health over time.

The overall line is that biking is beneficial for you, regardless of how you feel about it. Most significantly, it is good for your children. Getting them started on the right track at a young age instills healthy behaviors that will last throughout maturity, lowering health risks later in life.

Riding your bike with your kids could be two ways, depending on their ages or the type of riding style you prefer.

• Your child can either ride with you on your bike using a KBO electric cargo bike or a commuter electric bike with a child seat.
• They can also ride with you on their bikes.

Either way, you want your child to ride with you, you will understand how to ride with them by reading this article.

Let us take a look at the very primary things to watch out for when thinking about riding with your kids.

SAFETY

Safety should be the topmost concern of any rider, even when you are riding alone. Your safety consciousness should double now that you are responsible for other beings.

Your very first safety concern should be a helmet. Put on a helmet, and also wear one for the kids. When selecting helmets for yourself and your children, go to a reputable bike shop and seek guidance from an expert. It's crucial to get a helmet that fits properly: it should be snug but not too tight, and it should sit squarely in the middle of the head. It must also remain fully still. For more assurance, check to see if your child's new helmet tilts or wobbles while riding. It is a great time to get those helmets at discounted prices as the Black Friday 2021 e-bike sales are on at KBO Bike

There are some other safety factors for you to consider when riding with your kids.

• Ensure your children use a seat belt where applicable.
• When you're on the road or a bike path, ride in a single file to keep everyone safe. Bike-friendly park paths are fantastic locations to go since open trails give more flexibility and fewer traffic risks.
• Ding your bell, and pass on the left side with plenty of room, if you need to pass pedestrians or slower cyclists.
• Although it may seem logical for parents to take the lead, it is safer to let your children ride ahead of you. You'll be able to keep an eye on the road ahead while also keeping an eye on the youngsters. It also allows you to match your speed to theirs, ensuring that no one is left behind.
• Be prepared for minor bike repairs. Bring a pump, a spare tube, tire levers, and any other gear you'll need to change your tires. Make sure you have tubes and equipment for your bike as well as your children's smaller bike tires.

We must observe this safety consciousness ourselves, when we do this, the children will most likely take after us. Do not teach what you will not practice yourselves.

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR BIKE BEFORE YOU SET OUT

Checking your bike before you go for a ride will not only save you from unnecessary mishaps, it will help instill good maintenance habits in the kids.

Make sure your chain is in good working order, your brakes are in functioning order, and your tires are properly inflated. If your kids are riding their bikes, do the same thing with their bikes and have them participate in the pre-ride inspection. Make it a mandatory element of cycling, just like helmets. So that performing these inspections becomes second nature to them. Allow them to assist you in testing other features of your bike or count the PSI with you to make these tests more pleasurable.

ALWAYS PLAN YOUR ROUTE AND HAVE A DESTINATION

For kids who are just learning to ride a bike, motivating them is vital to encouraging them and arousing their interests. Having a particular destination such as a fun place like the mall or pleasure park, or going out to see family and friends, will spur the kids into riding with you. While you have a destination in mind, you must plan a route that would be convenient for your riding companion that might not have the ability to maneuver some terrain. You can make use of bicycle applications that have drawn out cycling paths, or you can use your google map to get a traffic report so you can plan your route accordingly. ​​The chosen location should be familiar to the youngster so that when they are told, they may mentally conjure up an image of their destination to keep them motivated. As previously said, as youngsters grow older, they will no longer require a goal and will want to, or be content to, go on a ride solely for the enjoyment of riding.

WEAR SUITABLE DRESSING

Before leaving for a ride, make sure that all loose clothing items are properly secured. Ensure items of clothing such as shoelaces, pant legs, and mittens, are tucked in and won't get caught in the bike's moving parts. Also, dress the kids appropriately for the weather.

BRING ALONG SOME EDIBLES

"Sometimes snacks are the ride's destination [coffee shop, ice cream, etc.], and sometimes snacks are the only way to keep them occupied till you get to your destination.

In this next part of the article, we will be discussing how to ride with kids using their age category.

• The preschool age: These are kids that are hauled on your bike.
• The Independent cycler: Kids that are old enough to use a kid bike.

There are several options for hauling kids on your bike (or on their bike). These options include:

• Bike seats (front or rear)
• Bike trailers
• Cargo bikes
• Tow ropes and tow bars

The Preschool Age

For kids that are young and not yet old enough to ride on kid bicycles, there are different ways you can use to ride with them. For smaller children who are unable to ride their bikes, trailers and tow bikes are wonderful solutions. Some people prefer rear-mounted bike seats because they are more convenient, but those bike seats are usually relatively high off the ground, putting children at more risk in a crash.

BIKE TRAILERS

Trailers are similar to small carriages in that they entirely enclose children, keeping them warm and dry regardless of the weather. The majority of them are designed to be put on your electric commuter bicycle's seat post or rear stays. True, when your kids start riding their bikes, they'll outgrow the trailer, but an old trailer can still be useful for hauling gear and groceries.

When choosing a bike trailer, keep the following in mind:

• Some bike trailers have hook-ups that keep upright at all times, so the trailer will stay upright even if the bike goes over.
• Also, choose trailers that have a harness that serves as a sort of seatbelt for the kids.

CARGO BIKES

Cargo bikes used to haul children feature a bucket upfront or in the back with buckles to keep

them safe, or a long rack on the back to mount a child bike seat.

TOW BICYCLES/TRAILER BIKES

When your children are too big to travel in a trailer but too little or unskilled to ride alone on busy routes, tow bikes are a great option. A tow bike resembles half of a bicycle. It has a seat, handlebars, and a back wheel connected to the pedals by a chain. The crossbar of a tow bike attaches to the seat post of an adult-sized commuter bike instead of a front wheel. These are great methods for novices to feel comfortable on a bike, and your child will be an active participant in the ride because they will be pedaling.

Independent Cycler

These are kids old enough to use their bikes.

GET A KID BIKE

You have to ensure that you get them the right gear. Bringing your youngster into the store to try out different bikes is the best way to choose the ideal one for them. Kids develop quickly, so you'll need to know what size frame and the wheel would work best for them. Do not try to buy a bike for a child expecting them to grow into it. An oversized bike can be quite stressful for the kid.

TOW ROPES AND TOW BARS

For a child that is independent enough to ride a kid bike, but still needs help with balancing and control or can not go on a long-distance by themselves, tow ropes and tow bars are great options.

Above all things, ensure that this process is an enjoyable one for the kids. Everyone should be relaxed and be very conscious of having a great and safe experience.