Why the Arbutus Greenway is Great for Novice Riders

We biked along the Arbutus Greenway with the kids yesterday. It was a fairly epic ride for seven-year-old Linnaeus: he rode from our home to 45th Ave where it met the greenway, all the way down to the north end at 5th & Fir, then from Granville Island to Ontario & 5th Ave. 17km in total on his 20" single speed bike. Bronte, who's almost four, biked 8.5 km, from 45th & Arbutus to 5th & Fir, then along the seawall from Granville Island to Creekside on her teeny 12" bike. (hashtag proud mama) Because we were riding our cargo bikes, the kids were able to hop on & get a tow whenever they needed a break or the route was too hairy for them to navigate the roads.

Went for a ride along the #ArbutusGreenway today. Saw lots of women, families with tiny riders, seniors on bikes. & @kenohrn, of course. #yvrfamilybiking #CarFreeFamily #bikeyvr

A post shared by Lisa Corriveau (@spokesmama) on Aug 14, 2017 at 2:51pm PDT

If you're looking for places to bike with your kids, I recommend the Arbutus Greenway. If you aren't close by, it's quite accessible by transit, or you could drive to one section & park. Here's why I liked it:

Pit stop along the Arbutus Greenway

1. Smooth sailing! The greenway is all paved now & the asphalt (as of summer 2017) is very smooth to ride on.
2. Railroads are flat roads. The route has fairly gentle hills, with the "peak" being around 37th Ave.
3. Follow the lines. There is a line painted down the middle of the path & biking/walking symbols so kids can practice riding in their "lane".
4. Skip the traffic. On weekdays it's not too busy--we didn't encounter any fast riders, & those who passed us were courteous. I find the seawall is generally busier than that.
5. Free snacks! There are blackberries along the sides of the route.
6. When you gotta go... There are toilets along the route--six according to the map. The one we used was just a plastic portable toilet, but it was accessible & there was hand sanitizer.
7. Stop & play. There are several parks along the greenway with playgrounds. The little park at 6th & Fir has a great newish playground as well as a fun interactive music installation. More on Street Beats here. 

Checking out #StreetBeatsVan at the north end of the Arbutus Greenway

One caveat: the greenway is still a work in progress, particularly when it comes to crossing major arterials. These intersections can be busy & a bit confusing for kids. Some have bike crossings, so you can ride through, some you need to walk through the crosswalk a half block over.

Overall, it's a fun ride & still somewhat "undiscovered" by the tourists, compared to the much busier seawall.

A few resources for you: 

The city has created a map of the greenway--download the PDF here. For more information on the greenway, visit the city's page. Also, check out Let's Go Biking: Colleen has a route plan for going north to south, including lots of photos & directions to get back to the Canada Line.

Happy biking! If you have any other tips or feedback about riding the greenway with littles, please leave them in the comments below!

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Beginner Biking in Mountainview Cemetery

Despite the fact that we bike pretty much everywhere, the kids actually don't ride their own bikes that much. Linnaeus was riding on the road to & from school, plus longer rides on the weekends last summer, but since he got a larger bike with only hand brakes, he isn't road safe again. He needs time to practice & get used to this new bike so that he can stop reliably.

But finding the time & place to practice hasn't been that easy. Our back lane is a great place to ride... when there aren't impatient drivers rat running through it. If we go to a park, the bikes get left behind in favour of the playground or the wading pool. We do have a driveway, but it's not really big enough for Linny to ride around that much.

Just a couple of days ago, I decided to bring the kids up to Mountainview Cemetery for a practice ride. We used to commute to Linny's school through Mountainview while we were at the swing site during the seismic rebuild, but this was the first time we'd gone there just to ride. We towed Linny's bike on our Yuba Mundo & carried Bronte's bike in the Bakfiets to get there, as it's a couple kilometres uphill from us. Once we were in the cemetery, we let them free on their bikes & they rode around for about an hour.

If you haven't been there before, it's a great place to learn to ride with lots of paved roads throughout all the sections of the cemetery, but very little traffic. We saw fewer than ten cars in the hour or so that we were there. The hills are great for helping new riders get some momentum up to start pedalling, & also to learn how to do things like standing up to pedal uphill. Because of all the intersections, you can also practice turns & hand signals.

After we'd been riding for a while, we stopped in the shade under a big tree for a snack. There isn't a lot of seating like benches in Mountainview, but there are quite a few places with a patch of open grass, so you don't necessarily have to sit right on someone's grave. There are always a few neighbourhood dog walkers around, plus the occasional person driving in to place flowers on a grave, but generally, we have the place to ourselves.

The kids had fun & both of them got in some good practice riding, so I think we'll go back more often. Have you ever biked in Mountainview Cemetery? Got any suggestions of other good places for little kids to practice riding in East Van?

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New Bike Day: Kid Edition

It wasn't that long ago that Linnaeus learned to ride his green 16" Norco bike without training wheels, but he's already too big for it. He's had it over two years, so that's not bad in terms of longevity. It's also a single speed with coaster brakes, which is okay for learning to ride, but inadequate for commuting 4km uphill to school. So I started looking for a decent 20" commuter bike for him.

My wish list included:

• front & rear hand brakes
• fenders
• rear rack
• short reach brake levers
• internal gear hub with at least three speeds
• easy to shift grip shifters
• light frame
• dynamo lights

There are a few companies in Europe that make great kids bikes with all of the above--the German company Puky, for example--but getting one to Canada is difficult & expensive. Woom & Islabikes--both American--make some fantastic models for kids that tick most of the boxes on my wish list, but they're also quite expensive given the exchange rate & shipping.

The next best option seemed to be to get a decent light frame bike & modify it to add as many of the above features as possible. I settled on a Trek Precalibur single speed. It's fairly light, comes with front & rear hand brakes. The brake levers on it have an adjustable reach & Linnaeus can use them easily. The cranks actually have two positions for the pedals to allow for more adjustment as his legs grow. I like the full chain case too so we don't have to worry about his pant legs getting grease stains or getting caught in the chain.

Trek makes several versions of the Precalibur, but the horizontal dropouts on the single speed model we bought mean we can easily adjust chain tension by moving the rear wheel back or forward, so we can add an internal gear hub. Fenders shouldn't be too bad to find in this size & hopefully we can work out a way to attach a rear rack without having any eyelets on the rear of the frame.

It looks as if Trek is phasing out this particular version of the Precalibur, so we had to hunt a bit to find a dealer with one in stock. We picked up the bike from Cap's Westwood in Burnaby on our way home from a trip to Maplewood Farm recently (with a Modo minivan). Linny tried it out in the parking lot & I have to say, I'm glad we didn't bike train bike home with it, like I was originally planning. He rode straight into a curb & nearly crashed because he has no experience with hand brakes & tried to backpedal to stop. Happy to have the option of booking a Modo minivan whenever we need to transport things like this.

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Terra Nova Adventure Ride Recap

Having breakfast at Tandem Bike Cafe before the #YVRFamilyBiking Terra Nova Adventure Ride

#YVRFamilyBiking Terra Nova Adventure Ride biking up Heather Street 

Sunday's Vancouver Family Biking Ride was tons of fun! It was probably our longest ride yet, almost 15km from our meeting spot at Tandem Bike Cafe to Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment.

Five families joined the ride, a total of 13 people. Four of the six kids were riding their own bikes. Linnaeus was the youngest of them, & he had trouble getting up some of the hills, so he rode on the Yuba part of the way, while Clint carried his bike on his Metrofiets 'flatbed' deck.

Crossing the Canada Line Bridge

Having a few cargo bikes around means we can always be flexible & give rides to the youngest kids when they get tired. If you want to come on our next ride with a young rider let us know--we'll likely have several cargo bikes on the ride who can carry an extra kid &/or tow or carry their bike as needed. It's a great way to get little kids riding longer distances & give them more confidence without having to commit to them riding all the way or having a meltdown before they get home.

Read more on cargo bikes & supporting kids learning to ride here. 

We rode down Heather & over the bridge at a leisurely pace, with quite a few stops to load & unload Linnaeus & his bike from the cargo bikes, as well as meeting two of the families along our route, plus a bathroom/water/play stop along the West Dyke Trail in Richmond. The total time was about two hours, probably two thirds of that time we were riding, I think.

Our route followed the Heather Street bike route south to Kent & then we went over the Canada Line Bridge. On the Richmond side we took the Canada Line Bikeway, then Smith Street, Beckwith Road, No. 3 Road, Capstan Way, then River Road for a block until the beginning of the dyke trail. Heather Street was quite quiet, more bike traffic than cars.

Quick pit stop along the West Dyke Trail

The on-road part of our Richmond leg was busier, particularly along No. 3 Road, but the drivers were patient enough & there is safety in numbers. If you are a less confident rider on your own, or riding with a child on their own bike, you may want to take the sidewalk for some parts. Once we got up to the dyke trail, it was smooth sailing for everyone.

The weather was perfect on the way to the park--sunny & not too hot. There was plenty of shade there & the parents got to sit & relax a little at a picnic table while the kids ran around in the playground. Terra Nova is a really amazing playground for kids of all ages. Now that Bronte has gotten a little bit bigger & stronger, she has figured out how to climb all the way up the giant rope ladder tangle that leads up to the 10 metre high tunnel slide.

The ride home was quite warm--I regretted wearing jeans as they stuck to my legs--but still enjoyable with the breeze off the water & the sunny weather. The West Dyke Trail is well served by washrooms & water stations at multiple locations, so we were able to refill all our water bottles as needed.

I really enjoyed the ride & the kids love Terra Nova, so I am certain we'll do this ride again sometime soon.

Very tired from her epic climbing adventures on the giant structures in Terra Nova, Bronte passed out in the bakfiets

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5 Tips for Family Biking Route Planning

Taking a slight detour to visit the "Chicken Channel", our neighbourhood coop

In the ABCs of Family Biking workshops, there is just so much to talk about that we can't possibly cover every single topic in detail. So I've decided to do a series of blog posts delving into the nitty gritty of these family biking topics.

At the first of our workshops, something that many parents brought up was that they were worried about the safety of riding in traffic with their babies & toddlers. Though we have quite a few kilometres of fully separated bike lanes & paths like the seawall in Vancouver, you will encounter car traffic when you're riding in Vancouver. But mapping out your route can really make a big difference.

I have been biking with my children for more than five years now, but I still usually plan out my route when I'm going somewhere new. An example of when I didn't: I recently decided at the last minute to ride from kindergarten dropoff to Staples on Broadway at Birch. I decided to just wing it & ended up crossing Oak at an intersection with no lights, which required some assertive vehicular cycling. Then I had to zigzag through some streets after nearly getting sucked into the black hole of navigation that is Shaughnessy. It all worked out fine, but it just wasn't the usual smooth, relaxing ride.

For families who are new to biking with their tots, this little bit of preparation is even more important. Knowing where you're going & how exactly you're going to get there under your own steam can go a long way to making it a better experience.

So here are my top five tips for planning our your family ride:

1. Google Maps Bike directions. I use this quite a lot when I'm planning my route to a new place. Both the mobile & the desktop version will give you suggested routes with estimated time it will take, plus details like the elevation gain of the route, so you can pick the least hilly path when you're hauling that extra 20, 30, or more pounds of children on your bike. A caveat: Google Maps isn't perfect so sometimes it's worth zooming in on the satellite images to double check if there are lights at any major arterial roads you'll be crossing.
2. Let Google navigate. Mobile Google Maps has the GPS navigator option. Just turn on your location settings & input your start & end points & then click on the blue arrow to have Google tell you when & where you need to turn. Works best if you have a handlebar mount for your phone, but you can still listen if the phone is in your purse or pocket.
3. Grab a map. The City of Vancouver's bike maps, as well as the Translink cycling maps for the municipalities of Metro Vancouver are handy too. You can download the PDFs & zoom in on your phone if you want access to a map without using data. The paper versions are very portable, folding up to business card sized--great if you don't use a smart phone.
4. Follow the Bikeways. Plan your route to include traffic calmed bikeways, along roads with lower speed limits (like those around parks & schools), seeking out separated lanes where you can, &crossing arterial roads at intersections with bike buttons. Though your route might not be as direct as taking main road, it makes for a less stressful ride, generally, when you take, say, 10th Avenue rather than Broadway.
5. Stop & smell the roses. Being able to pull up onto the sidewalk & take a look at something for a minute is one of the big benefits of cycling. If you have time, try to plan your route to allow for a quick stop for the kids. It could be to peruse the books at a little library in your neighbourhood, or to watch the goings on at a construction site along the way, or maybe past one of the spots where you know there will be interesting mushrooms or flowers growing. One of our favourites is to visit the chicken coop when we take an alternate route home from school.

Some day, there will be a lot more cycling infrastructure in this city & we'll be able to just jump on bikes & not really plan so much. But until we catch up to Holland (trust me, I'm working on it!), taking a few minutes to figure out the most comfortable route will make your rides more fun.

Have you got any other tips you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them in the comments below.

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CycleHack Talk: Barriers to Family Cycling

Friday I had the pleasure of speaking at CycleHack Vancouver. I was invited to talk about the barriers that biking families face. The goal of the event is to bring makers & idea people together to address some of the barriers that stop people from biking.

I thought I'd share a written version of what I talked about here.



When it comes to family cycling--especially with kids under six--barrier is all the stuff they require. They need enormous amounts of stuff to leave the house: diapers, wipes, extra clothing, snacks, drinks, toys, blankets, even a potty, sometimes. So deciding to bike to your destination, rather than driving seems like a crazy idea.

I've learned that biking is often faster than driving & it's totally possible to live car free with a family. But it's still tough for families to get started--figuring out gear--front seat? Rear seat? Trailer? Cargo Bike?--feels like information overload.

 try to help people overcome these barriers in a few different ways. First is my blog: I write reviews of gear, tips & hacks, upcoming events & recaps of rides, all about how we make transportation cycling & carsharing work with two little kids, & how cycling is awesome.

Second, I organize Vancouver Family Biking group rides. I think that recreational cycling is the "gateway drug" to transportation cycling. I hope by coming on our rides & chatting with other people, families new to cycling will be inspired to get groceries or go to their next appointment by bike.

Third is listening, providing advice, & connecting people when I can't answer a question. Much of this is in the Vancouver Family Biking Facebook group. This group is a great little forum where parents ask questions & share information on things like rain gear, taking transit with bikes & little ones, cargo bikes, and so on.

Fourth, my friend Tonya & I organized the Mount Pleasant Family Biking Festival last year to celebrate family cycling & showcase real family biking setups. We had over 25 families in the show & shine, talking about their seats, trailers, & cargo bikes, as well as offering test rides. We're doing it again this year Stanley Park, bigger & better, on September 24th--stay tuned for more details!

Fifth is education: Tonya & I are providing five workshops on the ABCs of Family Biking this summer, funded by the Vancouver Foundation's Greenest City Neighbourhood Small Grant & supported by prize donations from bike shops & Modo.

There are still a lot of other barriers that I come across that I'd love to see some solutions to this weekend. Here's my list:

Obviously I talk to a lot of families with all the work that I do & the number one barrier I hear people talking about is fear. Riding in & around vehicle traffic with your baby on your bike doesn't feel safe. & when your kindergartener starts riding on their own like mine did a couple of months ago, it's a whole other level.

Another safety issue comes up when using front or rear child seats on a bike. According to my research there's a very very small chance of being injured riding in a seat on parent's bike. It's getting on & off--that's where injuries happen. When it's just one parent balancing a regular bike with one or two children on it mounting can be really difficult.

I've solved this by getting two cargo bikes that have bombproof wide double kickstands. But not everybody has the budget or the space to get a cargo bike.

Front seats don't impede rear panniers, but weight limits are lower, so around three or four years old, you'll need to move your child to a rear seat. Rear seats are often on the rear rack, not usually compatible with panniers. With the weight of groceries, or whatever else you're carrying, plus a kid on the bike, you get the balance problem I mentioned before.

This bike has some cool seats that work great for a four year old & a seven year old. But kids at top of the percentiles for weight & height don't fit seats that will hold them securely. A toddler who still falls asleep on the bike needs to be strapped in but could be past the weight limits of a baby seat. Then there are special needs kids who are older but still need more physical support or restraints--there are few options for these kids & none that are affordable.

Just like anyone who bikes, security is a big issue with family biking, Where it differs though is when you have a cargo bike with a front basket or a child seat on the front. These bikes don't fit well into many of the bike racks around the city. Then there's the issue once all the kids are riding on their own bikes. Locking up one bike not too hard, but locking up four to six bikes means that one parent might be carrying their weight in locks.

The last barrier I'll talk about is storage. When you're going from one store to another or running errands, you can't really leave stuff on the bike, like your tool kit, water bottle, coffee mug, kleenex, diaper bag, grocery bags, or purchases, so you have to drag it all inside when you lock up. My bakfiets has an accessory I can order to create a lockable trunk under the child bench, but that's not really an option on longtail cargo bike or 'normal' bikes.

That's my list! Keep in touch on social media, visit my blog for information on the family biking festival, links to the Vancouver Family Biking Facebook group, & the workshops. Thank you for listening & I look forward to hearing about the Cyclehacks inspired by tonight's talks!

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