What is your current family bike setup?
We have two primary “family bikes”. My wife and I share the Tern GSD, a long-tail cargo e-bike which can carry both children and lots of luggage. We also have a tandem which I have adapted to take a child who is pedalling, as well as having a child seat.
Additionally I also have a couple of standard bicycles and we have a collection of various child-sized bicycles.
How does cycling fit into your life?
I started cycling as my main mode of transport aged 16 — I loved the freedom that it gave me, and I still feel that way every time I get on a bike.
As an adult, bicycles have always been my main way of getting around. This is especially true now we’re in Reading, which is such an unpleasant and slow place to drive in. I couldn’t imagine family life any other way.
Why did you get involved in Kidical Mass?
Although my children are currently small, and travel mostly on my bike, this won’t be true for very long. And the time that they will want the freedom to get around by themselves (that I enjoyed as a child in Cambridge) will come very soon.
Reading is a fairly hostile place to cycle until you have quite a lot of experience, and preferably some from the perspective of a driver. I really want to try and drive change such that this is no longer true when my children are teenagers.
Above that, the rides are great fun. The children love the opportunity to ride with other children and on the road, and it is wonderful to meet so many other cyclists from the area.
What is your role in Kidical Mass?
I take primary responsibility for planning the routes that we will cycle in Reading, and I lead the majority of the Reading rides.