Welcome to Carfree Families, a column about biking with kids written by Marion Rice.
Marion is a mother of two (ages 5 and 2) and she’s full of ideas and tips about how to be a confident and capable carfree mom or dad.
If you’ve got kids and you want to drive less and ride more, stay tuned for articles on everything from exploring family bike options, to cycling with babies and toddlers.
For more inspiring examples of family riding, view BikePortland.org’s Family Riding Photo Gallery or browse the Family Biking story archives.
Read the latest Carfree Families articles by clicking the headlines below.
A couple summers ago, our family would go on big bike outings down and around the Smith & Bybee Wetlands area (it’s fun, you should try it!). My tweens and husbeast would go speeding up ahead of me, while I struggled behind, pulling the hard-bottom Burley trailer, our picnic stuff, and our kindergartner. It was … Read more
Now that we’re acquainted, my first and biggest question is: “How are you not constantly having a heart attack?” I know some of you are totally chill. I see you. I have this amalgamation of chill cyclists in my head, based heavily on a few in particular. One looks more like he’s hovering along, and … Read more
Most kids’ bikes available in the US, like these spotted at Tour de Ladd this fall, aren’t fitted out for city riding. (Photo © J. Maus) After an exhaustive search for a good city bike for my son, I have concluded that kids bikes in general are in a sorry state. Either they are poorly … Read more
[Publisher’s note: This review is by our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice. Marion’s last column explored safety and cultural issues around carrying infants by bike.] Griffin and dad test riding the FollowMe.(Photos © J. Maus)
A baby seat in a bakfiets is not a rare sight in Portland.(Photos © J. Maus) A reader contacted us with a dilemma — she is about to have her first child, she doesn’t own a car, and she travels primarily by bike. In preparing for her new life as a parent, she had some … Read more
Marion Rice and daughter Gleneden [Publisher’s note: This article is by our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice. Marion’s last two columns have been about biking while pregnant. Today she talks about negotiating a first bike purchase with your child.] Starting at about 10 years old, I can remember going everywhere on my bike with my … Read more
[Editor’s note: The story below, written our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice, is a follow-up to a story we published on February 2nd. That story introduced you to Portlander Angela Koch and posed the question: Should you ride while pregnant?] Angela Koch, 32 weeks pregnant, pedals happily along SE Ash Street.(Photos © Dan Liu) Angela … Read more
Marion Rice and daughter Gleneden [Publisher’s note: This article is by our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice (bio). Marion previously wrote about how to deal with kids who don’t want to go by bike. Today, she delves into the topic of biking while pregnant.]
Marion Rice and daughter Gleneden [Editor’s note: This article is by our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice. Marion previously wrote about how to keep kids warm and dry on the bike. Today, she offers up her tips and thoughts about what to do when your little ones don’t feel like hopping on the bike (which … Read more
Marion Rice and daughter Gleneden This article was written by our Family Biking columnist Marion Rice. For previous articles in this series, and for links to other articles and photos on family biking, check out the Family Biking Page.
Marion Rice and daughter Gleneden [This article was written by our Carfree Families columnist Marion Rice. For previous articles in this series, and for links to other articles and photos on family biking, check out the Carfree Families Page.]
Marion Rice and daughter Gleneden [This article was written by our Carfree Families columnist Marion Rice. For previous articles in this series, and for links to other articles and photos on family biking, check out the Carfree Families Page.] Some of you may wonder what this post has to do with family cycling, but I … Read more