We want to give a warm welcome to the awesome folks at Hill Family Biking. They will have a regular column sharing advice and tips on biking with your family–– around Capitol Hill and beyond! –– Maria Helena Carey
After organizing our first family-friendly group bike ride in April 2023, we at Hill Family Biking have hosted hundreds of Capitol Hill residents on 17 rides. Along the way, we’ve gotten a lot questions such as, “How old should my child be to ride on my bike?” or “What’s the best route to get to Nats Park?”
We decided to team up with The Hill is Home and write a monthly advice column so everyone can benefit from the answers to these questions, gain more confidence to start their own family biking adventure on the Hill, and maybe join us on the next Hill Family Biking ride this Saturday, July 20th to Yards Park for FREE Ice Cream Jubilee!
You can send your questions to hillfamilybiking@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you.! Without further ado, our first column:
Family (Biking] Matters: Wondered if you have resources for families interested in getting started in biking. Specifically, any recommendations on bike stores or bikes for transporting two toddlers. We would love advice! Thanks.–– Toddler Toting on the Hill
Dear Toddler Toting: Thanks for the two-parter question for our first-ever column! Luckily, the first part of your question is easy. The Daily Rider on H St NE is where you should start your bike buying journey. Not only is it important to support local bike shops, but shops like The Daily Rider carry bikes that you can trust will be safe for you and your family. And when you need maintenance and repairs, you can rest assured you’ll be in good hands. The team is great at recommending a right-fit bike for you and your family and if they don’t have it in stock, they will order it or refer you to another shop. There’s no better place to start on or near the Hill.
Before we get into specifics, it’s important to recognize that buying a cargo bike is an investment––one that often comes with sticker shock. It’s an investment in a healthier, more active lifestyle for you and your family, with fewer car trips. Ultimately, this may mean transitioning to a less car-dependent family or even a car-free family down the road. Any way you slice it, the return on this investment is strong, but might not seem that way when you first pony up to the register. Think of it as a cheap car, rather than an expensive bike.
For the purpose of this post, we’re going to assume that you don’t have a garage, as they are a rarity on the Hill. If you do have one, it opens up the (garage) door to a lot more cargo bike options, such as front loaders or wheelbarrow bikes like the Urban Arrow. More on this type of bike in a future column.
For families with two kids, we’re partial to the Tern GSD, a compact cargo bike that can fit two kids in the back and haul all their stuff and is available at the Daily Rider. There are a lot of other great options and we suggest you try out a few of them. Regardless of the manufacturer, there are a few important considerations.
20 inch wheels. This allows for a better center of gravity as any cargo bike is going to be heavier and more to handle than what you’re likely used to with a standard bicycle. 20 inch wheels also allow for a frame more suitable for those on the shorter side – the GSD is recommended for riders starting at 4 ’11”. The handlebars and seat are fully adjustable for riders up to 6”5–so everyone in the family can feel comfortable riding. And the GSD’s max gross cargo weight is 440 pounds, enabling you to carry two kids or one adult passenger: One day, your teenager may even give you a ride on the back!
Strong accessory ecosystem. You aren’t just buying a bike; you’re buying a new lifestyle and you want to ensure you have the right accessories to accompany your family as your children grow older. Tern happens to have the best accessories from infant to adolescence and even accessories for hauling dogs, groceries and whatever else you can think of. The GSD has a 10 year warranty, so you want to ensure you have accessories that will suit your needs a decade from now.
A UL-certified battery. You may have seen stories in the news about e-bike battery fires. In most instances, these incidents were caused by batteries without the proper certification sold by direct-to-consumer budget bikes and scooter manufacturers. Buying from a local bike shop is the best way to ensure your battery is UL-certified and safe to charge in your home. If you want to take it a step further, we recommend a bike that has a Bosch motor and battery like the Tern GSD and most other well-respected brands.
The Tern GSD also has a belt-drive option that I strongly recommend. It’s more expensive upfront, but will save you money in the long run as you will avoid costly chain and cassette replacement costs ($300/year on average). Plus, belt-drive bikes are essentially waterproof as they don’t have chains that require lubrication.
When considering a cargo bike, storage and security are big considerations, especially on the Hill. Belt-drive bikes are especially nimble because outdoor storage has less impact (belts can’t rust). Each situation will be unique, but the more accessible you make your cargo bike, the more likely you are to use it regularly. More on bike security in a future column.
So why not buy a bike online? Many reputable bike shops won’t work on direct-to-consumer brands because of the poor craftsmanship, proprietary parts and lack of customer support, so we strongly encourage you to buy from a local shop to set yourself up for success. We totally empathize with the price disparity, but the good news is that many brands like Tern are rolling out more budget-friendly versions of their standard models. Just this past month, Tern launched the Quick Haul Long, a budget-friendly version of the GSD.
Happy bike shopping and hope to see you soon on a Hill Family Biking ride!