With weather like this, you know that summer has to be right around the corner. As you pack away the winter gear and get out your summer stuff, it's always good to check over your child's bike and make sure it still fits, with the 6 inches they grew over the winter! It's important to review safety tips with them. We've also gathered a list of some amazing LOCAL rides to try, that are kid-friendly! So ... Let's get those bikes out and get rolling!
BIKE SAFETY
Here are several articles that can guide you in the bike safety talk with your children:
PROPER BIKE FITTING
If you've ever ridden a bike that's too small of too big for you, you might have a glimpse into what your kids are up against. Typically children should be able to stand over their bike and touch the ground with at least the balls of their feet. With kids bikes, up to the time that they get their first adult size bike, the sizes are listed in wheel size. Here's what you should look for ...
Kindergarten and First Grade: 16" Wheel size, most likely with coaster brakes (If your child hasn't yet learned to ride a bike, a stryder bike really helps to establish balance and make riding on two wheels very easy afterward)
Second and Third Grade: 20" Wheel size - I prefer bikes with 6-7 gears at this point instead of BMX bikes. They are lighter and easier to maneuver than a larger size BMX bike and kids get the ideas of using gears without having too many options.
Fourth and Fifth Grade: 24" Wheel size - Now's when your child bumps up to both front and back gears, usually 24 of them. Take some extra time to work with them and teach them how to use these as it will immensely help them with climbing and their speed on flat roads and trails.
Fifth/Sixth Grade and Up: Sixth Grade and Up - 26" Adult size bike. Most kids in 5th - 6th grade can ride an adult XS or S. Adult bikes can also be labeled as 13", 14" or 15" which is the distance from the top of the frame to the bottom bracket (where the pedals and cranks attach to the frame) Riders will need a new bike once they get above 5'6" or so.
NEW BIKE PARK OPENING JUNE 1st IN NORTH BEND
You are invited to come celebrate the opening of the Torguson Bike Park. On Friday June 1st, a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 3pm, and demo rides and guided practice time for all ages follows from 3:30-6pm. A Pump Track Party, hosted by Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and Compass Outdoor Adventures, is set for Saturday June 2nd, 11am-3pm with contests, prizes and more.
The 35,000 square foot bike park located on the southwest side of Torguson Park (750 East North Bend Way) is ready to open for all levels of riders. The newly built park replaces an old user built course, and boasts an all-ages, all-abilities track, with features that both advanced and novice riders can enjoy together. A separate Striders track offers a safe environment for very young children who are still learning how to ride where parents can walk along and help.
Community excitement for this project is evident by the number of “test” riders on the track on a daily basis. From tiny tots to adults, for mountain bikers and BMX bikers, the Torguson Bike Park is a dream come true, come take a look for yourself!
Parking on site is limited during peak times. Please use Torguson Park parking plaza or better yet, ride to the park along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail! For more information about Torguson Bike Park grand opening events, please visit our website or call (425) 831-1900.
LOCAL FAMILY-FRIENDLY BIKING TRAILS
In case you're looking for local options for honing those biking skills, Macaroni Kid has put together a few of our favorites:
SNOQUALMIE VALLEY TRAIL
- Distance: Fall City - Snoqualmie (5.7 miles one-way); Snoqualmie - North Bend (10.6 miles one-way)
- Surface: hard-pack crushed rock
- Good for: All ages - accessible for jogging strollers, bike trailers, hybrid bikes and mountain bikes
- Parking and Restrooms available: 4200 block of SE 356th Place; just off 202 and up the hill.
- Why you should go: My girls love this ride because we cross a railroad trestle bridge and end at a tunnel. Be sure to check the acoustics for echo-making. I like taking the trail in this direction because there's a very slight elevation change on the way out which makes for a nice easy coast/pedal on the way back. The trail in Snoqualmie ends at Tokul Road – walk up the hill and continue to ride down into town to visit Snoqualmie Falls or grab a bite to eat.
- Distance: Less than 4 miles round trip from the Lake Alice trailhead
- Surface: paved
- Good for: All ages - accessible for strollers, bike trailers, hybrid bikes and road bikes
- Parking and Restrooms available: Park at the Lake Alice trailhead, accessed via Lake Alice Rd from Preston-Fall City Road in Fall City. Portable toilets are available at the trailhead as well as at the turnaround point.
- Why you should go: Actually, WAIT to go on this ride! Partially because King County is replacing a culvert this summer, closing Lake Alice Road until August 28th; but also because this short and sweet offers a great payoff at the end and is better seen when the leaves have dropped – a little-seen view of Snoqualmie Falls!
- Where: located on the Sammamish Plateau
- Surface: about 6 miles of dirt trails, berms, ladders, and jumps
- Good for: all ages; not good for training wheels
- Parking and Restrooms: there's a newly opened parking lot just off SE Issaquah-Fall City Road
- Why you should go: This is a nearby and well-marked way to introduce even the youngest kids to mountain biking. Look for the Green trails for the most family-friendly routes. For more adventuresome riders, Luke Talbot of Compass Outdoor Adventures recommends "the best trails to start on are Bootcamp and the Luna Chicks Jump Line as well as the skills park in the main clearing. As riders progress, add in the Deuces Wild Trail and Jubilani and working your way up from there."
- Where: The bike park is part of Fisher Creek Park, a city park that has a playground, basketball courts, fields, restrooms and a wooded area. The bike skills park is located on the upper lot.
- Surface: The intermediate course is a more difficult free ride bike trail. It has mandatory jumps and drops and no alternate routes are provided.
- Good for: older, more experienced riders who are ready for a challenge
- Why you should go: The Park is designed for all ages to learn the fun skill of riding bicycles on all terrains. The park includes both beginning and intermediate bike courses. Pads are recommended and helmets are required.
- Distance: 400 meters (about a quarter of a mile)
- Surface: Paved outdoor bicycle racing track
- Good for: All ages - even scooters and training wheels will work here
- Parking and Restrooms available throughout the park
- Why you should go: This is probably one of the most unique and kid-friendly places to ride! You may even want to attend an actual race and watch experienced riders - admission is $5 and kids under 16 are free. On the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month, there's a Kiddie Kilo for kids ages 2 to 12 years old during the race, so you can spectate and try the track!
- Distance: Approximately 7 miles (Hyak to Annette Lake trailheads) to 12 miles (Hyak to McClellan Butte trailheads) one way
- Good for: older children and confident bikers – although a gentle grade and light gravel surface, there is loose gravel in spots and the tunnel is dark and damp. Appropriate for mountain bikes, hybrid bikes and older children will be ok in a trailer bike attached to an adult bicycle.
- Parking and Restrooms available: You will want to plan ahead for this ride as a one-way trip heading from Snoqualmie Pass to the west with two cars to shuttle between trailheads. A NW Forest Pass is required at Annette Lake (exit 47 off I-90) or McClellan Butte (exit 42 off I-90) trailhead, and a Discover Pass is required at the Hyak/Gold Creek (exit 54 off I-90) parking area, as it is part of Iron Horse State Park. Vault toilets are available at the trailheads.
- Why you should go: The Snoqualmie Tunnel! At 2.3 miles long near the beginning of your trip, it is the nation’s longest tunnel open to non-motorized traffic. Again, be sure to bring a headlamp, and pack a jacket, as the tunnel is cold and dark. It can be disorienting, so a headlamp or lamp attached to your bikes is a must. Once on the west side of the tunnel, you’ll cross high railroad trestles and be treated to spectacular views of the Cascades!
