At what age is it safe to bring a child along on a bicycle ride?
As the executive director and founder of Safe Moves, and a safe person, there is no age that a child should go on a bicycle with a parent. I personally believe that the bike seats that are made to go on the back of a bike aren't fit to ride on the back of a bike. A bicycle is not meant to carry that extra weight. It throws off the whole balance of the bicycle and as a former bike racer, I would not feel qualified to ride my bicycle with 20, 30, 40 pounds on the back of my bike. I wouldn't carry a backpack that heavy when I ride my bike and I certainly wouldn't put a baby or a child in the back seat of a bicycle. It throws the weight off, you can't turn as quickly, you can't break as quickly, and who would want to take a chance of the child falling, even if you weren't in danger of being hit with a car. Just a slip on some grass, or sand, the baby goes down and the baby would go down really hard. We don't recommend trailers for the same reason. We think the trailers ride low to the ground. Motorists don't even see you. How are the going to see a trailer that's riding a foot off the ground. So, if you want to ride bikes with your children, which I think is a great thing to do because it's a great sport, wait until they are old enough to ride along side you, or buy one of those units that hook onto your bike, and the child is riding independently. Babies don't belong on bikes. I think it's almost a little bit selfish as a parent to do that. Children are too young, they don't really realize what they are riding with, so wait until they're older so they can really enjoy the sport in a safe, fun way.
