bicycling around Michiana with children

[melissa]

Hi, I work for a parenting magazine and Web site called
MomsMichiana.com. I am looking to do a story on how to ride around our
community safely with your children and I need some parent sources to
talk to me about their tips/tricks/best practices, as well as the
"why" of it all.

Please call me at 574-807-2956 or email me at mjac...@sbtinfo.com.

Thanks,
Melissa Jackson
South Bend Tribune

[BethCap]

I hope somebody knowledgeable will reply! Our family just moved to
South Bend, chose a home in Sunnymede specifically for the sake of
walk/bikeability, and are looking forward to venturing beyond the
neighborhood for daily school & work commutes... But what's the safe
way to go about it? More family ride info, please!

Thanks for this great site and all of the wonderful work you're
doing!!! :)

--A Mom New to Michiana

On May 21, 9:24 am, melissa <triviu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi, I work for a parenting magazine and Web site called
> MomsMichiana.com. I am looking to do a story on how to ride around our
> community safely with your children and I need some parent sources to
> talk to me about their tips/tricks/best practices, as well as the
> "why" of it all.
>

> Please call me at574-807-2956or email me at mjack...@sbtinfo.com.

[kmblu]

We like to bike with our 9-year-old son and have since he was born
(not always in this area though.) So we started him in a Trek Transit
Deluxe trailer. It was great because we could still go the distances
that we wanted and the trailer had a little storage area behind the
seat for things like diaper bags, toys, etc. We just made sure that
we brought lots of things to entertain him, food & water for him, and
made frequent stops to let him out to explore and he was happy. We
have since transitioned to a Trek Mountain Train trailer bike. We put
him in charge of deciding when he needed a stop to stretch or get a
drink and he didn't always have to pedal so he was happy. The Trek
has gears so this past year he's been learning about shifting gears at
the right times. We also got packs to go on our bikes so that we can
still take things like food for snacks, extra clothing (or space to
take extra clothing off), etc. I think our next step (since this will
be the last summer on the trailer bike) is to get a tandem.

In this area we mainly stick to trails/paths, like the one along CR 45
or the Pumpkinvine. We can bike from our house to the one on 45, but
it's risky because we have to ride on a CR and drivers aren't always
nice. The Pumpkinvine is an amazing trail and we love it! We just
did the 15 mile loop this past weekend in the Pumpkinvine Bike Ride
for a second year in a row.

Safety and following the laws/rules are important to us so we make
sure we review them every time before we head out. We also try to be
considerate bikers - stopping at stop signs, not pulling out in front
of cars, biking on the correct side of the road/path, etc. Set a good
example while the kids are young and they'll remember it.

The why of it all for us is that we are doing an activity together as
a family, just like when we hike together or kayak together. We are
also sharing with our son something that we loved and did before he
can into our lives. Hopefully it will become a lifelong love for him
as well.

Kristi

[Paul Taylor]

Beth.
I think you will find the Bike Michiana map of South Bend, Mishawaka
and Elkhart, helpful. It is on-line at http://southbendbikes.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/bikemap.pdf
. The on-line version probably too detailed to print on a home
printer,buy you can buy a large printed copy from any area bike shop
for $5.00.
Paul

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