CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

Cycling with Children

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "started over the road from Diggers and went through Shandon, but it ended at the railway track and a big fence, it was completely pointless"

    Depends where you're going. You're 'supposed' to come off at Harrison Place, though you can get out near Slateford Station - long time since I've tried so maybe you can't. http://tinyurl.com/y9x8ac2

    The path surface isn't great though it's more pleasant than Harrison Road. Lots of daffs in spring.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  2. SRD
    Moderator

    But how long should a path be before it can have a name?
    true. just you guys seem to know all the names, so i wondered if there was a better way to describe it - have tried to tell people how to find it, and struggled a bit. and surely it should be signposted better? again, wondered if there was some history that others know better than me. we saw a smallish bird-of-prey hunting near the slateford end...looking for train-kill, i presume, but very cool to watch it nonetheless.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  3. chdot
    Admin

    Time for a new thread maybe...

    Not everything has a name

    Meggetland Path seems to be the simplest

    MAPS

    http://tinyurl.com/y8nhgct

    http://tinyurl.com/y8we3c4

    "wondered if there was some history" - certainly for THAT site (long and controversial).

    http://living.scotsman.com/features/Is-this-a-level-playing.2328441.jp

    Posted 14 years ago #
  4. gembo
    Member

    From the aerial shot it wouldn't take too much for the two paths to converge, tho the trains might be an issue, if you stay on past Harrison Path on Short Pointless Shandon Path the surface gets significantly better, that's why I stayed on past the Harrison Place exit (the one I had to go back to), I thought that with such great tarmac something good might be going down. I have noticed a good deal of surface upgrade along the railtracks , is this all tram-related?

    Posted 14 years ago #
  5. spytfyre
    Member

    nah that Harrison path is near me, it is used as an entrance to the rail depot by works vehicles, to the other side it got build on at West Bryson and the Western Approach road used the rest of it, pity as it would be another great route into town otherwise

    Posted 14 years ago #
  6. gembo
    Member

    it is used as an entrance to the rail depot by works vehicles,

    ah that explains the nice new tarmac

    Posted 14 years ago #
  7. chdot
    Admin

    "How important is to be a cycling parent?

    “Adult role models are very important for children. A child who grows up watching his/her parents cycling, will want to emulate them; if they see only aspirations towards motorized transport, that’s what they will also aspire to.”

    http://quickrelease.tv/?p=1113

    Posted 14 years ago #
  8. LaidBack
    Member

    Adult role models of course are very important.

    Some parents drive while making aggressive remarks about other road users. Some say things like 'I wish we were cycling but the roads are too busy and dangerous.' The family car is seen and sold as a protector and enabler to shop and visit leisure / retail parks too. This seduces parrents. So it's not suprising that children also like using cars.

    I guess most children spend as much time being entertained and educated in a car seat as at any seat at home. This highly impressionable young audience is worth a fortune to car manufacturers as these are the drivers of the future and tell their parents what's cool to own now. Of course hardly any car make is actually in profit but that's another story...

    Sorry to be negative but it wouldn't surprise me if the driving age was actually lowered in the next ten years.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  9. kcr
    Member

    Another option is the bakfiets.nl Cargo Bike:

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Widget

    Video of the Cargo Bike in action

    I decided to get one of these because I thought it was a great design and I like having my daughter up front where I can chat to her and see what she is up to.
    Not cheap, but really well designed and Clyde-built, so I expect to be able to sell it at a good price when the kids are too big for it. It handles really well, is also great for hauling stuff to the recycling, or carrying big loads of timber back from B&Q.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  10. SRD
    Moderator

    when do you anticipate selling??!!

    Posted 14 years ago #
  11. chdot
    Admin

  12. LaidBack
    Member

    Some more pics of new family bike from Circe. Designer did Airnimal so would expect a good quality machine

    http://www.circecycles.com/

    Helios Brut Two Childseat S

    Omnis Plus All Accessories S

    Posted 14 years ago #
  13. SRD
    Moderator

    In the two child seat configuration, how do you hold the bike upright while getting two kids into/ out of seats?

    I can certainly see the point to carrying one seat and one pannier rack (would solve a lot of my current problems), but two seats strikes me as awfully difficult to handle.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  14. LaidBack
    Member

    SRD

    The loading issue is tricky. So trike scores there - particularly if your load wriggles!.
    Handling on tandem with big loads at back is not that difficult with an hours practice.

    The most difficult 'load' on a tandem is another adult fighting for control! Children on seats will be heavy but quite passive. Older children pedal with you and their weight and strength don't compete. Keeps them warm!

    I think you're keen though on the idea of a trike or baksfiet which will allow you to keep an eye on children and be weatherproof. Hope Christiana is available to try from Bike Station.

    I just posted this up as I think it is a most ingenious way of covering the multi-tasking issue which many people seem to require.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  15. SRD
    Moderator

    I can definitely see the attraction of this -- and it is good to know all the options. I like the flexibility/adaptability; I would just like to see the designer putting two kids in an cycling off :)

    Posted 14 years ago #
  16. spytfyre
    Member

    Wow that is a nice option - although if we have another bairn by the time they are big enough bairn #1 will be out of those seats and onto something else.
    Looking forward to Sunday and testing a possible loaner seat/bike (fingers crossed there's a snow free path to try on)
    Time has raced past recently and I am rapidly running out of it to get a commuting kiddie to nursery then me on to work and a bike shed that would not be happy with trikes or very long cargo bikes/trailers either.
    Does the bike station have anything I could peek at is anyone on here from the bike station?

    Posted 14 years ago #
  17. SRD
    Moderator

    Have been on the phone to them this morning, and they are planning to buy some trikes/bikes etc for people like us to try. Will see if I can get them to reply, rather than me.....

    Posted 14 years ago #
  18. LaidBack
    Member

    Circe do seem to have a double sided stand available to help loading their tandem. I've emailed them for more info and possibility of demo.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  19. SRD
    Moderator

    Anyone noticed Harry's Mum's bike in _Harry and the Dinosaurs_? The rack not only fits Harry's seat, but is long enough to also fit the bucket of dinosaurs (or maybe some panniers?). What a great design....

    Posted 14 years ago #
  20. nearefare
    Member

    man so pricy and so want one, where do you start

    http://biketobe.com/bikes/family-/-utility

    Posted 14 years ago #
  21. SRD
    Moderator

    Fab. If I had a small wudgit I would definitely go for the detachable buggy concept. The Triobike looks very cool too -- both the interchangeability and the fact that you get to keep big wheels -- although that link isn't very clear. Googled it and came up with some other versions, which suggests you have to have two specialised bikes for it to work? which would push to cost waaay up. There's a few enthusiastic blog posts though.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  22. spytfyre
    Member

    Thanks for the shot of the bike seat SRD - I reckon the model that Freewheelin on Slateford have will do me, it can always end up being a backup seat on my backup bike if I change to something more fancy in the future.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  23. SRD
    Moderator

    Happy cycling! Quite fun to meet a real-life 'forum member' :)

    Posted 14 years ago #
  24. spytfyre
    Member

    indeed it was, we should organise a mass ride - Lintlithgow via the canal sounds nice to me - in the spring

    Posted 14 years ago #
  25. chdot
    Admin

    As long as you 'advertise' it as a ride to Ratho with a Linlithgow option - it's further than you might think following the contour.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  26. SRD
    Moderator

    There's a good question -- if it takes me 45min to 1hour (I think) to cycle to Ratho, how long would it take me to get to (a) Linlithgow and (b) Falkirk Wheel? (and yes, I know I could come back on train from either, which is part of the attraction).

    Posted 14 years ago #
  27. chdot
    Admin

    Route to Ratho (about 7 miles)

    "British Waterways also ask that cyclists obtain a permit to use the canal." No longer true.

    Randomly from Google - says 22 miles to Linlithgow.

    Posted 14 years ago #
  28. spytfyre
    Member

    The Linlithgow run (pre kiddie seat) took use a few hours I think, this was a long time ago then we left the path and hit the road on to the mecca known only to the locals as Westfield...
    We discussed going on to Falkirk another day. I reckon it would be worth making a day of it, setting off at 9 or 10 am, stopping for lunch at a canalside pub somewhere then on to Falkirk wheel then turn back and stop off at Ratho for dinner (we could even book a table or five and pre order the grub then call them when we are half an hour away...)

    Posted 14 years ago #
  29. chdot
    Admin

    Options is good...

    Trains is good...

    Posted 14 years ago #
  30. chdot
    Admin

    A previous trip.


    Posted 14 years ago #

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