Top Tips for Cycling The School Run
So, you have your reasons and your bike(s). You have dismissed all those excuses and you know how to share the roads safely.
You are good to go and cycle that school run!
But there are one or two little pointers which may (or may not) help you. Feel free to use them or ignore them as you see fit.
What To Wear
In short…whatever you like!
You do not need cycling clothing in order to ride a bike. You do not need sports clothing to ride a bike.
If I head out on my road bike for a couple of hours then yes, I wear padded shorts, funny clip shoes and all kinds of unflattering lycra-based clothing. When I head out on the school run or to the shops or wherever else I am going when I use my bike for transport, I wear whatever I would normally wear.
Generally, I do the school run in jeans. We are not cycling very far or very fast so there is no need to wear sports clothes. Also, I am often heading somewhere else after I drop the kids off, and I do not really want to go to the dentist, or the shops, or anywhere else, dressed in cycling kit.
The only thing you really need to think about when deciding what to wear to ride your bike is whether anything is likely to get caught in the chain. Flappy trousers and long floaty skirts aren’t great.
One piece of clothing you might need to think about is gloves. You would be surprised just how cold your hands can get on a bike.
Where To Leave Your Bike(s)
If your school has bike racks or a bike shed, then brilliant. If not, have a think about where you are going to leave your bike or bikes. Perhaps there are other bike racks near the school. Otherwise, lampposts and railings can be handy for locking your bike to. Just make sure you don’t block pavements (as a rule of thumb, think about a double buggy passing) or upset anyone by locking it to private property!
If you are using something like a tagalong or trailer to transport little ones and then going on elsewhere, you might be able to detach these and leave them. This is handy if someone else is collecting your child on a different bike.
Also think through where you are going to leave your bike while you wait for your children to go in to school. I always wheeled my cargo bike right in to the playground (pre-covid) but it was a tight squeeze to get in through the gates. If you have an unusual bike – make sure it fits where you are planning to take it!
If you are struggling for bike storage near your school, it might be worth speaking to the school management or the local council. Grants are occasionally available for school bike storage if there is space for this to be built. Local Authorities sometimes have money for providing bike storage – and if you don’t tell them where it is needed then you might not know!
How To Lock Your Bike(s)
Personally, I always lock our bikes. Bikes are not cheap and there is no shortage of bike theft in my area.
We have a bike shed at school and I know some people do not bother to lock their children’s bikes there. After all, it is in the grounds of a primary school so there are not that many people passing through. I still get my son to lock his bike, partly because I am paranoid after an attempted bike theft at my house, and partly because I think it is a good habit to get into.
Think about the type of lock you are planning to use. This may well depend on the kind of bike you have and where you are planning to leave it:
- When I lock my road bike, I use a heavy duty D-lock which is very difficult to remove.
- For the cargo bike, I have an extremely long lock as it’s often difficult to get right in to wherever I might lock it because of its size. It’s not as strong as the D-lock, but the cargo bike also has a wheel lock as backup.
- For my son’s bike, we have a combination code lock. Again, not as secure as a D-lock, but his bike is in the school bike shed. I would use a stronger lock if the bike was outside the school grounds. The combination code means I can unlock the bike for him and shift it across the road next to the waiting cargo bike, for when he and his sister get out of school. This leaves me both hands free to get them across the road safely (and carry the bags which they seem incapable of bearing the weight of the minute they reach me!). It also means he cannot lose the key.
Whatever kind of lock you use for your child’s bike, if it has a key I would HIGHLY recommend that you keep several spare keys for it, and always take one with you at pick up time. Kids lose stuff.
On the subject of losing keys, I am a big fan of having a system. I keep the key for my own bike lock in the bike lock until I get where I am going. Once I lock it up, I always put the key in the same pocket. I lose stuff too.
How To Carry ‘The Stuff’
Obviously, if you have a cargo bike then carrying stuff is a doddle!
Before I had children I had no idea just how much stuff they come with. My children seem to be incapable of leaving the house without a weeks worth of snacks, at least two books to read, pens, notebooks and multiple toys. And then there’s the school bags and gym kits and everything else. Add to that needing to pick up milk on the way home, and you soon need somewhere to store everything. Bags dangling from handlebars is a recipe for disaster.
Rucksacks are a good place to start – for you and your children.
If you are cycling a lot, it is worth investing in a pannier rack and pannier bags. These are bags designed to attach to the back of the bike, on the rack. You can fit a surprising amount in some pannier bags. They are also really handy for the things you might want to have with you at all times, like waterproofs (certainly if you live in Scotland – you never know what the weather might do next!), locks and puncture repair equipment. There are all kinds of panniers available now so choosing might take a bit of research. My advice is to make sure they are either waterproof, or they have waterproof covers. It’s no fun getting your waterproofs out of your pannier, only to find they are already wet, or mouldy from festering in a wet pannier.
Staying Dry
If you are planning to cycle whatever the weather, it is worth investing in a decent waterproof jacket and waterproof over-trousers.
Make sure your jacket is big enough for lots of layers underneath and it will see you through all the seasons. Personally I like a hood to put up with my helmet over the top, because my hair goes wild when it gets wet!
Waterproof trousers with zips up the side are handy for getting on and off without having to take your shoes off. Make sure that the trousers are narrow enough at the ankle to avoid getting caught in your chain. Alternatively you can use one of these annoying snap bands the kids always seem to have, around your right ankle. If you want to reach new pinnacles of style, you can always tuck your trousers into your socks!
Front and rear mudguards are also great. The front one stops the bike from spitting every puddle into your face. The rear one means you don’t arrive with a mud stripe up your back.
If you are leaving your bike(s) out in the open on a rainy day, it is worth covering the saddle. Some saddles act like a massive sponge and are really not pleasant to sit on once wet. You can buy saddle covers…or you can use a carrier bag. I have a friend who leads Breeze rides and carries a supply of shower caps for covering everyone’s saddles in the event of a rainy coffee stop – ingenious.
Be aware of just how much kids love puddles. Whether on foot or a bike, a giant puddle is like a child-magnet. If it has been wet and there are going to be puddles, I get my son to wear waterproof trousers and coat…and his wellies, even if it has long since stopped actually raining. I have also learnt to stay well back from him on the path when there is a puddle to go through.
Considerations With Girls
If you have a girl riding a bike to school, it is worth thinking through what they are wearing.
It was only when my daughter climbed onto the tandem for the school run wearing a pinafore dress and socks, that I realised the issue. There is absolutely nothing wrong with cycling in dresses and skirts, but it might be worth a pair of shorts underneath for dignity and comfort.
If you have a girl who is particular about hairstyles, you might also need to think through hair and bike helmets. Headbands and hair clips can dig in if you put a helmet over them. My daughter went through a phase of liking her hair in a bun on the top of her head – that was a tricky one.
Having named this considerations with girls it occurs to me that the hair issue could equally be an issue for boys. My son is a total scruff (he takes after his parents) but others might like their hair just so.
It is well known that fewer women and girls cycle than men and boys and this is something which needs to change. By finding ways to be active and keep the appearance you want, you can help set up your children (girls and boys) for a healthier lifestyle now and in the future.
Helmets and High-Vis
The issues of helmets and high visibility clothing can provoke very strong reactions in some and I have absolutely no intention of getting into a debate on this one. I’m going to state the basics – as I see them – and leave it there!
I wear a helmet when I ride a bike. I am bringing my children up to always put on a helmet when they ride a bike. I have worn bike helmets for so long that it feels odd if I get on a bike without a helmet. However, helmets are not compulsory in the UK and I don’t think they should be. A few countries have taken the step of legally requiring helmets when cycling and the biggest effect has been that the overall numbers of people cycling in those countries have dropped dramatically. If you look at the Netherlands where cycling culture is huge, very few people wear helmets.
Wearing a helmet (or not wearing a helmet) is a matter of personal choice and nobody should be telling you otherwise. If ‘helmet hair’ is going to stop you from cycling, then you have every right to decide not to wear a helmet.
If you do choose to wear a helmet, then anything sold as a bike helmet in a reputable shop is certified and therefore good enough. Generally, the cheaper ones are bigger, but they are just as effective. Dearer ones might make you look a bit less like a mushroom if you have a big head like me! If you are going to wear a helmet, it is worth checking that you have it fitted correctly.
When it comes to high visibility clothing, I only wear it in the winter when it is dark. Even then, I sometimes don’t wear it as I have good lights and am cycling in street-lit areas. Again, wearing high-vis clothing is not a legal requirement in the UK, and remains a matter of personal choice. It is obviously very important to be seen by other road users when you are on a bike. However, being seen is not all about high vis. If it was then all cars would be painted bright yellow. You can make sure you are seen on the roads by riding in the appropriate road position for the conditions.
Lights
I like to have bike lights on the cargo bike all year round. Most of the year I rarely use them, but because I use the cargo bike five days a week most of the year, they’re handy to have in case of fog or torrential rain. If I keep them on the bike then I don’t need to start digging about for a set when I’m in a rush to get the kids to school.
In the winter, lights are essential. Even if it’s not actually dark, the light can be very low by school pick up time.
You need a white light on the front and a red light on the back of your bike.
Bike lights come with various fittings. Some have a bracket which attaches to your bike and the light clips into the bracket. Others can be just elastic attachments. You will need to have a bit of a think about where to attach your lights, especially if you are not so tall and don’t have much seat post showing to attach things to! If in doubt, ask your local bike shop.
When it comes to powering your lights, your options are batteries or rechargeable. Personally, I like USB rechargeable lights. If you do use these, be warned that they don’t give much notice before they run out of power. Lights with batteries fade for a while before going off. Rechargeables seem to work one minute and not the next. It’s worth having an idea how long the charge will last and then charging them accordingly. Ours last a week with no problems so I always bring them in and charge them on the Friday ready for a new week.
Most bike lights have options for a steady light or flashing. You can also usually change the brightness. When you get your lights, do check how bright they are on the setting you plan to use. Some bike lights now are really very, very bright and blinding oncoming traffic (or oncoming pedestrians and other cyclists on paths) is not going to help you be seen.
One issue which I had never considered until I read a social media post on it, is the issue of flashing lights and epilepsy. Apparently this can be a big problem on paths in particular. I don’t use the flashing setting since I read that.
You can buy reasonable bike lights fairly cheaply these days. I have a set of front and back lights which I bought at the supermarket for £5 which I keep in my pannier bag as a spare. Like most things to do with bikes you can really spend as much or as little as you want on lights.
Fuelling The School Run
Cycling takes more energy than sitting in a car! This is great for your child’s physical health….but not so great if you have a child like mine who gets easily hangry! I find a biscuit before getting on the bikes allows the worst of the traffic to clear, and prevents massive strops on the way home!
What About The Winter?
The top tips above are fairly general and relate to cycling all year. However, when it comes to wintery weather there are some additional considerations to think about.
You can find out more about cycling the school run in winter here.
For now, get those bikes out and cycle that school run!
Cycling The School Run Articles
This series of articles are based on a talk I gave in August 2020 for Greener Kirkcaldy. If listening is your thing, you can access the recording here.
The articles follow a kind of order as shown below, but can also be read in isolation. If you have questions or comments I would love to hear them and will follow them up with further articles if I can.
