September is the perfect month for biking. With a little luck we’ll have plenty of sunshine and maybe just the slightest nip in the air. And, in the Twin Cities, you’ll find two opportunities to get the whole family — and the whole community — out on their bikes. We asked Erik Saltvold, owner of Erik’s Bikes in Minneapolis and a sponsor of the Minneapolis Bike Tour, how to get kids up and at ’em on two wheels.
1. Start ’em young
Bike trailers give the youngest tots a taste of the open road.
2. Graduate to a trail-a-bike
These handy attachments for an adult bike let younger kids pedal while the grown-up does most of the work. What’s key: They feel like their participating in the ride.
3. Hand over the reins
Most 7- or 8-year-olds with some experience can move on to a bike with speeds and handle a 5- or 10-mile ride. “That’s long enough they feel like they’ve done something but not too long that they can’t accomplish it,” says Saltvold.
4. Make it fun
When you ride as a family, choose a destination — like the ice cream shop. Stop for a picnic along the way. Make it an adventure.
5. Use bikes for transportation
Ride to the store, to visit friends, to school, to the movies, everywhere you can. A kid who rides a bike every day is an independent — and fit — kid.
6. Make it safe
Ride the route to school with your child. If it’s not safe, talk to the school. There are federal and state funds available to improve walking and biking routes. (Go to SafeRoutesInfo.org for more information.)
7. Get the right bike
Most important: It’s one she wants to ride. Then she’ll feel ownership and use it more often.
8. Get the right
accessories
You don’t need a lot. But streamers make riding fun for the littlest ones. Older kids need water bottles and reflectors. Anyone who might be riding at dusk needs lights. And always buy a good lock.
St. Paul Classic
Sept. 9, check in from 7:15 to 9 a.m.
Begin and end at the University of St. Thomas, corner of Cretin and Summit Avenues, St. Paul
Choose a 15- or 30-mile course
$30/adult, $12/child
BikeClassic.org
Minneapolis Bike Tour
Sept. 16, start between 7:30 and 9 a.m. and ride at your own pace
Begin and end at Parade Field, located at 400 Kenwood Parkway, Minneapolis
Choose a 15- or 41-mile course
$40/ages 13 and up, $12/ages 5–12
MinneapolisBikeTour.com
