[Closed] School runs, by bike

I used to just lock our trailer up at the school during the day. There was a space inside the school that was out of the way though.  That did it until they were old enough to ride themselves. The upside is dragging them in a trailer every day makes you feel supercharged when you lose the trailer at the weekend 🙂

When I was just dealing with 1 drop off, trailer. If I was doing an onward commute and collection, just lock it where I'm dropping them off.

For a while now, the trailer has been a squeeze for the two of them together, so I've used a tag along for the biggest and a Macride for the smallest now he's too big for the weeride - this will only give a year or so on top of the weeride, but it is ace for MTBing.

I'm lucky that big child's school is 5 mins walk from mine, so when picking up I just ride from work and we walk home, then we take the smugness flotilla to pick he little one up - unless the big one fancies taking her own bike (which she'll have no choice about come macride outgrowth time!)

I've used this combo in all weathers, you need to wrap up the little one on the macride though! I do fit studded tyres for winter, just in case. I don't mind the off chance of me falling on black ice, but I don't want to take the kids down with me.

I trailered it for a year in Sheffield to nursery - I had a lock on the nursery staff covered bike rack they let me use, as no staff used it.

We also did a few at school with one on tag-along and one riding.

But it was quicker to walk for us.

I went with the Surly big dummy route when our youngest outgrew the weeride. However I also get all our deliveries sent to work so haul a fair amount of cargo home and then pick both children up on it (from nursery and after school club) at the end of the day. Its the expensive option but given I've had it a year and a yearly Southampton centre parking pass is £1200 it is nearly paid for already.

How about a follow me tandem hitch. Depending on if you are also collecting him then you can leave his bike and most of the follow me at school locked up. Other plus point is he gets to ride a bit.

I had the Halfords double trailer and it folded up really quickly which made it ideal for locking up and leaving. Does yours fold??

I used a topeak seat which clipped into a pannier rack over the rear wheel with my daughter for nursery then school when her brother arrived I bought a second hand Burley trailer and continued to use the seat. Good waterproofs trousers and jacket if wet and riding in the chair. Age difference (4yrs) meant time carrying both of them together was limited. Shiftwork meant I'd always be able to go from and return home with trailer.

Presumably the school have a bike rack? Can't see them objecting to you locking it up at the school. The trailers are great in bad weather, although in my experience can still get a bit damp in there if there's a lot of standing water.

I've seen trailers in bike racks at schools near me, seems the easiest solution.

Weehoo trailer, it's narrower than a standard trailer so less noticeable if you take it on the commute. Has a roof and rain cover.

If he has his own bike the follow me tandem would be an option. Leave his bike at school. If he's riding will keep warmer.

For nursery runs on the weeride we used an all-in-one rainsuit on colder days, tended to take the car if it was really wet.

For me it’s been cargo bike and wee ride... but now the little one is too big for the weeride they either:
BOTH sit on the cargo rack.. or
BIggest rides his bike, little one on the cargo rack..

Depends if it’s me or their mum picking them up..

DrP

School drop off? Let him ride his own bike? My 4 year old does just over 3k to and from nursery most days and I have his little brother in the Hamax on the back.

Thankfully there's a little shed for buggies etc at nursery so can leave his bike and the Hamax in there during the day, then I ride into work (or home, via the jump spot)

Get one of those Dutch jobs with the big bucket up front?

Get one of those Dutch jobs with the big bucket up front?

Sadly, can't get one of those down the cycle path to school round here

Sadly, can’t get one of those down the cycle path to school round here

really?

They're no wider* than a normal bike, just longer but can turn surprisingly tight circles when needed!

* Well yes they're wider than a normal frame, but narrower than the handlebars, so if the bars fit the bike should, and if the bars don;t fit the cycle path isn't fit for purpose as most mobility scooters also won#t as well as many wheelchairs. The box on ours is wider than most at 680mm wide, that was the max we could go for as our back gate opening is 700mm...

^ There are parts of the national cycle network near me that are rendered completely inaccessible with a baby trailer. You certainly wouldn't get a large cargo bike or mobility scooter through them. Wheelchair may be borderline.

What makes them inaccessible Butcher? I think I could get mine through anywhere you could get a normal bike with two panniers on through.

I can understand some rural bits of the NCN having issue but anywhere in a town/urban area should easily accommodate *most* bikes. Just trying to understand what it is, tight corners? hemmed in by fences/walls? anti-motorbike gates?

^ There are parts of the national cycle network near me that are rendered completely inaccessible with a baby trailer.

Ditto. I spent years having to do the nursery run up a really steep hill (fun with 40kg of trailer & kids), all because the trailer wouldn't go through the entrance barrier to the cyclepath.

We have a Weehoo now, which sometimes has the same problem: it articulates at the seatpost and is very long, so won't always go round those pairs of opposing barriers. I think I had to unhitch it 4 times on the Taff trail...

School drop off? Let him ride his own bike? My 4 year old does just over 3k to and from nursery most days and I have his little brother in the Hamax on the back.

Miniransos learnt to ride at age 3; microransos took until 5 1/2. It turns out that kids are different, and in any case, I wouldn't want to commute with either on a busy main road.

all because the trailer wouldn’t go through the entrance barrier to the cyclepath.

If it's that, and they are a genuine barrier to normal access, including wheelchair etc. then you can request to have them removed on disability discrimination grounds. It's been done numerous times to get rid of them. There are guidelines and actual rules on what they can/can't and should do.

Thanks for the suggestions, no way would I let him ride it’s a busy route with loads of road crossings,parked cars and turns into chaos at school drop off and pickup.

There is a bike rack, I’d assumed it was for kids and staff not parents, but that’s an option. The Halfords trailer does fold up but it’s still big.

I have a 2 man weeho which is great for family days out but I reckon too big for the school run. I’m always nervous about the length of it with cars pulling up to junctions fast.

I hadn’t actually thought about walking the bike with him...it’s probably a 20-30min walk at 4 year old pace. Maybe I could get a folding bike to carry there and then carryon after. My work is only 3.5miles from the school. Very Busy and a few nasty hills though

If it’s that, and they are a genuine barrier to normal access, including wheelchair etc. then you can request to have them removed on disability discrimination grounds. It’s been done numerous times to get rid of them. There are guidelines and actual rules on what they can/can’t and should do.

A wheelchair or buggy could get round, the trailer was too long when coupled to the bike. Unloading the kids and uncoupling then reloading/ recoupling was an option but a total PITA. This kind of barrier is quite common on the NCN, you know, the routes Sustrans markets as family-friendly...

I hadn’t actually thought about walking the bike with him…it’s probably a 20-30min walk at 4 year old pace

That's what I do. As the kids have got older the walk has got quicker - down to 15 minutes now. Plus the panniers on my bike are handy for carrying all of their stuff.

This kind of barrier is quite common on the NCN, you know, the routes Sustrans markets as family-friendly…

Yup 🙁

I guess it depends on the trailer and where it articulates, I've never had any issue getting a BOB through anywhere but some of the kiddie trailers can be a bit more of a handful, especially if they articulate at the seatpost rather than the rear wheel.
There's still a decent case to be made for removal/changes if it prevents access, there are other and better ways to deal with entrances and exits.

The best thing I've ever bought was a second hand Thorn childback tandem like this one, but with flat bars
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thorn-Junior-Childback-Tandem-Bike/293110909010?hash=item443ec58852:g:2ScAAOSw6o9c9X3g
Easy to ride with one on the back or solo as it is not as long as a regular tandem. It did us great service with two kids and they hold their value, so sold it without much loss.
You could drop him off and then ride to work.

What makes them inaccessible Butcher?

One example near me (in town, on route to the shops) is 3 parallel barriers.
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Took me approx 10 minutes to get through with baby trailer, having required to uncouple the trailer and physically lift it over the top, all in the rain. Even a bike by itself is hands on. Others I have to find creative ways around as they're simply not wide enough. It's very frustrating when you ride anything other than the norm.

Yup, ours are full of stupid barriers. Solo bikes fit; Follow-Mes fit but you have to be careful with your kid's knuckles (whoops); tagalongs get stuck; trailers can **** off; cargo bikes? do me a favour; tandems? you're having a laugh you freak; tricycles? recumbents? oh come on, you're just being silly now—why don't you get a nice diesel BMW X5 like a normal person?