Author: Admin

What is your current family bike setup?

We currently have four bikes: each of our two daughters has their own Isla Bike, which we are big fans of. They’re light and agile and incredibly sturdy. We bought them second-hand, and apart from a few scratches on the frame they are flawless.

For us adults, we own a regular touring bike that I bought about 8 years ago. Components are optimized for low maintenance, to serve for daily commute and transportation needs, even when you don’t have the time to keep it in tip-top shape.

And lastly our trusty Urban Arrow Family cargo bike, to ferry the kids or shopping (or both). It has electric assistance, which is really great for a hilly place like Reading. My wife and I have a similar leg length and we can share the bikes without needing much adjustment. We own also various child seats and a trailer, which have been used less and less since we bought the cargo bike.

How does cycling fit into your life?

Cycling has been the main means of transport my entire life. Growing up in Germany I cycled to school by myself and used it to go to friends, if necessary paired with a local commuter train that gave me an amazing range, long before I reached any legal driving age. As a student, I lived in a mid-sized German city where cycling was cheaper, faster and more convenient than public transport or driving. Only later we got a car and used it mainly for longer distance travel, especially since having kids.

Now, we do most of our daily trips by bike, so a typical day might look like this: I do the morning school run (with the cargo bike) and cycle on to the office. My wife works from home and uses the other bike in the afternoon to meet me at my workplace (conveniently on the way) to swap bikes and pick up the kids and continue to play dates, a play park or simply back home.

Occasionally there is even a friend coming along, riding with three kids in the cargo box, which is something we couldn’t even do by car without planning child seat logistics ahead.

With this, and many other family outings and trips in between, we ramped up more than 5000 miles on the cargo bike in the three years since we bought it.

Why did you get involved in Kidical Mass?

We moved to Reading four years ago, expecting to be able to continue our cycling habits as before. Suffice to say that I was slightly disappointed – virtually no dedicated cycling infrastructure beyond a few disconnected bits and pieces, which meant I had to use the road where I encountered surprisingly many aggressive and hostile drivers. In short, it didn’t feel safe. It was entirely unimaginable to let my kids cycle in this environment the way I did growing up.

A few months later, the first COVID lockdown happened and traffic nearly disappeared. We bought the cargo bike and went cycling frequently, exploring the landscape on beautiful country roads. None of that is possible in the same way any more but it showed what it could be like. So, when Simon told us about the initiative to set up Kidical Mass, we were immediately on board and have been since the first Reading ride (sadly missed a few in-between, though). Back then, our little one was still on a balance bike but managed to ride about half the length on her own, before enjoying the rest comfortably in the cargo bike, watching her older sister pedal along with the group.

What is your role in Kidical Mass?

I’m filling in when needed and able, so you may have seen me as a regular participant with our kids, as a marshal, test riding a route to see if it works for a long bike as ours, or carrying loudspeakers and cake, to spread joy during and after the ride.

Thanks to our cargo bike, I also frequently end up as a people carrier, be it for a dad whose bike didn’t fit in the car but only his daughter’s (and cycling to the start point from home wasn’t safe!), or for a city councillor and even Santa!

What is your current family bike setup?

We have two adult bikes that my husband and I share: his regular bike and an Urban Arrow family cargo bike. Our daughters (4 and 6) both have bikes with pedals.

We also own a trailer and a bike seat although we use both very rarely these days and prefer the cargo bike.

We have a special pannier bag on the cargo bike that allows us to attach kids bikes if they get tired, increasing the range for all-family cycling trips.

How does cycling fit into your life?

Years ago, when I started university, I didn’t like cycling much, rather preferred my inline skates. During my time at the university I gradually used the bike more and more, to the point when I used it for almost everything in my daily life.

Once I actually got frustrated with my husband when he recommended I should not cycle any more on the icy roads using my half-broken bike at the time, while being pregnant with our second child and towing a toddler in the trailer. (Retrospectively I absolutely see his point but back then, it felt like he was taking away my freedom).

Long story short, since then we moved to the UK and I needed to look for a new bike. At the beginning of the first COVID lockdown, we decided to buy a cargo bike. At that point it felt like we got our freedom back. We were able to go on cycle tours and with very few cars on the road, we felt safe even on lengthy cycling tours on country roads.

We now use the bike every day for school runs. It’s nice being able to pass all the cars waiting in traffic – making the commute time a lot more predictable in the morning.

Why did you get involved in Kidical Mass?

Since lockdowns ended, we could see a steady increase in car traffic and felt less and less safe on the roads. Our kids would love to cycle themselves to school more often. But having them this close to heavy traffic is a stress factor for me, in particular along the horrendous Shinfield Road.

We learned about Kidical Mass from friends who organised the first Reading Ride. Thanks to our great marshals, I can relax and enjoy a bike ride together.

What is your role in Kidical Mass?

I have since joined the organiser team as the regular baker, making sure the kids (and adults) have a little treat at the end.

What is your current family bike setup?

I have a trailer for wet and cold days, or longer trips and a bike seat on the back of my other bike.

My partner doesn’t really cycle unless with me, so all of our toddler’s set ups are on my bike because he doesn’t feel comfortable enough unless at Kidical Mass rides.

How does cycling fit into your life?

I don’t drive so cycling is my main mode of transport. I don’t cycle for the sake of cycling only very often, more as a way to get to A,B,C and D. But during maternity leave, those commutes would be about 100 miles a week to all our baby classes and seeing friends.

Why did you get involved in Kidical Mass?

I started organising Kidical Masses because my cycling changed: I could no longer weave between traffic in the way I could, B and our trailer were part of traffic. Some junctions we couldn’t fit down the cycle lane to get the stop box.

We’d spent 2 months in hospital when he was born, and I was determined we wouldn’t spend another day there because lack of decent infrastructure put us in unnecessary danger from people driving metal boxes recklessly.

My son deserves a planet that is habitable, he deserves clean air and a healthy and fit Mum. Cycling achieves all of that but feeling unsafe stops so many people from using it as their main form of transport. Kidical Mass helps raise awareness of the need for safe infrastructure which will benefit everyone.

What is your role in Kidical Mass?

I’m one of the organisers and can often be found marshalling a ride while my partner takes our son, and feels safe doing so because I’m there protecting them from people in cars.