Beijing was built to be bicycle-friendly, with numerous bike rental apps and countless bicycles on every street. Plus, it has a dedicated bike lane on most roads! Well, at least that’s how it was intended. In reality, cycling through the city can be a bit of a nightmare, even for the most experienced of riders. Firstly, the dedicated bike lane is shared with electric vehicles – including larger “beng beng” cars – and sometimes even actual cars, not to mention pedestrians. Likewise, the sidewalk isn’t much of an option, since it’s too narrow to share with trees and folks on foot. Besides, they often come to an abrupt end, leaving you stranded in the middle of the road like a deer in headlights.
So I was duly impressed when Beijing Mom Eva Biehl told me that she had cycled from her home near Chaoyang Park to Side Park 4km away, with her husband Andreas and son Nikolai on their own bicycles. If the thought of cycling through Beijing with your kids in tow has ever crossed your mind, then you’ll want to check out tips from the Biehl family and others in our guide below. Do remember firstly that local law only permits children above 12 years old to ride their bicycles on the road.
Safety
First things first, choose an age-appropriate bicycle for your child by ensuring that both feet can easily step on the ground when they are seated. Other general guides recommend 12 year-olds above 1.4m ride a 26-inch bike wheel bicycle.
Always wear a safety standards-approved helmet when cycling. Brands like Giro can be found in the many Giant bicycle stores around the city, and Schwinn helmets are readily available on Taobao, where you can also pick up Cairbull’s folding helmet, Fender. For night riding, ensure you have a headlight and reflector installed on the front and back of your bicycle.
An optional safety feature you could consider would be side-view mirrors. This greatly reduces your chances of getting sideswiped by passing vehicles that tend to travel at higher speeds. Alternatively, train your kids, and yourself, to check your blind spot often.
Appropriate attire is also paramount to your kid’s safety. Open-toed footwear such as sandals are not recommended as they can either fall off easily, or straps can get caught in the spokes of the bike wheels.
Planning
“Plan enough time since cycling is so much slower,” says Biehl. We can back her up on that. Most accidents occur as a result of rushing when we are late or short on time. Be prepared to take breaks if necessary and start with shorter trips first, with the intent to build up your kid’s stamina over time. She also advises “[planning]a nice destination so they are eager to go.”
Rules on the road
“Mom and Dad are the bosses on the road,” states Biehl. “We stop at each crossing, and dismount to walk our bicycles across.” It is also critical to assess upcoming road conditions on behalf of your child and let them know of any impending obstacles or how busy the road is. Biehl learned from experience that teaching our children how to assess road conditions even before they get on a bicycle would be beneficial as “they learn to understand why we ask them to keep to the right, so we don’t have to constantly remind them.”
Top tips
Keep your child in between two adults if possible. If you are riding alone with your children, it might be best to keep them between yourself and the pavement. Don’t hesitate to stop, get off the bicycle, and push the bicycles on the pavement if the road is just too crowded.
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Images: Unsplash, Eva Biehl
