Cycling Sisters

I ride my bike year round, almost always with my 3 kids. The only thing that stops us is a lot of snow or ice on the streets. You can't get enough traction when you tow kids if this is the case (you'll end up spinning your wheels and maybe even doing a wheelie!). Once the streets are plowed and salted, you can easily get out and about again.

Note: bike maintenance is super important if you ride in the winter. Be sure to check out the information on the bike maintenance page for specifics!

For winter riding, I *strongly* recommend using a trailer versus a bike seat for small children. Since your balance is not compromised with a trailer, it's much safer than when you have a bike seat with a heavy child on the back throwing things out of whack. This is especially true if you hit a patch of ice or ride in snow. Children are also more comfortable in a trailer since they don't have to deal with wind chill. If you use a bike seat, be sure to cover exposed skin on the face and ears and do frequent visual checks on your child to assess how they are holding up. Be extra careful when negotiating turns or turning around to check on them.

Plan on more time when traveling in the winter. Wind is the biggest factor that slows you down, but consider other weather conditions as well.

Every rider should have a few items on her bike to deal with an emergency. Some of these are bike-related, some injury-related.

Remember to always have some sort of identification on you and your bike that provides your name, an emergency contact #, and hopefully your insurance information as well. I have a state-issued ID card that I keep in my handlebar bag at all times.

So, you had the misfortune to get in an accident. Or perhaps, like me, you just want to be prepared for the worst. Here's a basic guide to help you out should you actually have an encounter with the road--in the most literal sense.

There are some good online resources for this issue; one of the best is located at our own trusty Chicagoland Bicycle Federation website. Links are provided at the bottom of this page.

http://www.geocities.com/anagai/
===>Cycling Sisters is listed here!
This page is dedicated to help you find information on bicycle clubs in your area. Club pages can contain a wealth of information on biking in your area such as ride schedules and descriptions, local trails, events, advocacy, biking links and information of other clubs. All listings are categorized by state. Just select your state below for its listing. Check out the links below for additional biking resources and the "links & info" section in your state page for regional biking information.

I am currently searching for new clubs and will be adding new state listings continuously.

This is a picture of my daughter's best friend (and our neighbor) Jamilax. She rode her bike to school every day up until about the end of October (rain or shine).

Downright entertaining links:

Hokey Spokes:

www.hokeyspokes.com
Okay, I have these. I admit it. They are completely dorky, and COMPLETELY awesome. Kids go nuts over these, but quite frankly so do adults. They make you more visible, but better yet, they spread smiles like candy.

Build Your Own Bike Bucket:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=lt&doc_id=1841&v=1k
If you commute at all, you can recognize the utility and value of this set-up. Better yet, it's made of recycled materials and allows you to ditch your car. What is not to love about this?

Links for stuff.

Price shopper for bike gear: www.bestwebbuys.com/bikes
If you know what you are looking for, this is a great tool. Let's say you want the Planet Bike CL400 light; type it in, and this price shopper will locate all that are posted on the web, sorted by price. Remember to factor in shipping (on some sites it's free) and any online coupons you might have--sometimes it's cheaper to go with the #2 or #3 choice if you have either of those.

Performance Bicycle: www.performancebike.com
General bike gear, usually good prices, big variety of stuff.

Bike Nashbar: www.nashbar.com

Team Estrogen: www.teamestrogen.com
This is a great site to find a wide selection of women-specific cycling clothing. Specialty headings on the site include winter gear, women's plus sizes, and pregnancy styles, none of which are easy to find. They usually have some great steals on the Clearance page. Customer service is very good. They also have a great, free forum and bulletin board which has postings from all over the country. Check it out!

Terry Bicycles: www.terrybicycles.com
Terry Bicycles was founded by Georgena Terry, a legend in the bicycle design field. She got fed up with having to accept uncomfortably fitting bikes. So she built her own. And the rest is history...

Please cut and paste the following to see this Amazing Girl Dancing on Her Bike: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8867862777896510907&pr=goog-sl

October 21, 2006