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This post is from Teryn in West Virginia. She’s a clinical psychologist that specializes working with children and adolescents. As you’ll see from the photos she not only likes riding her bike around town, but taking her two kids with her! Bike commuting really can be a family affair. I hope you’re inspired by her post, and that you get your family to join you on a ride too.
Commute Distance: 3 miles to the elementary school, day care, and office.
What got you started? Our family moved to West Virginia to enjoy the outdoors and small town life after living in a larger city. I was glad to leave the traffic behind, but disliked still being in a car every day instead of being outside every day. So, I started looking into bicycle commuting as a family.
Any stories from your commute? My region is mostly rural, so bicycles in the road are largely not encountered by motorists. I periodically have experiences with cars who just don’t know how to share the road!
What is one thing you wish you knew before starting to bike commute? I have not owned a bike or cycled as an adult, so I didn’t have a clue about basic bike parts or proper care. I did get to know our local bike store owner very quickly!
What Kind of Bike & Where did You Get it? I have a Madsen bucket bike, which is made is Salt Lake City, Utah.
Anything else you’d like to share about bike commuting? Bike commuting is absolutely possible with children! Getting started took more planning to pick the right bike that would work with our kids, but we have commuted by bike nearly every day since our bucket bike arrived. With some commitment and planning, we have been able to bike successfully together in just about every form of weather sent our way in Appalachia!
What gear do you routinely carry for your commute? I am lucky enough to have my own office with a closet, so I keep a wardrobe along with basic hair/makeup supplies at work. I don’t routinely need to carry a lot of extras, but with the bucket we can carry most anything we need, including picking up groceries and dropping off recycling.
