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We are a family of 4 wanting to start recreational riding together. Can someone please advise on the best bike shops in/around Austin to help us get started off in the right direction as far as equipment? Ages 43, 39, 7 and 4. Thank you very much for any input.
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At 05:04 PM 7/7/2012, you wrote:
>We are a family of 4 wanting to start recreational riding together. Can someone please advise on the best bike shops in/around Austin to help us get started off in the right direction as far as equipment? Ages 43, 39, 7 and 4.
This is a nearly impossible question to answer without some information about your budget, interest, past cycling history, level of fitness, etc. If you want to cycle decent distances with the goal of some fitness, you will never do so with a 4 year old unless you have either a tandem or a single with a trailer. Tandems can be fit with a "child stoker kit" in the rear that places a second set of cranks/pedals within reach of younger kids (I'm unsure if these are still made, however - I heard years ago that the company may have gone out of business). I've heard of kids as young as 3 having fun on the rear of tandems so equipped. ...but such an arrangement can be very expensive. A semi-decent tandem that you would want to ride for more than just a mile or two will cost at least $1,000 and that's really at the bottom end of something that would be okay to ride more than around the block. Less expensive options include bike trailers or "trail-a-bike" options that can be hooked to a single. The former requires the kids to do nothing, while the latter permits them to do some pedaling if they wish. Some of the nicer trailers have suspensions and can be converted to jogging strollers - Chariot brand is the one I went with years ago when my daughter was young.
My tandeming and trailering was in another state, however, so I don't know about the shops that would be best in this area. I've ridden with some families that had a beautiful triplet with a trailer that they took on centuries with their kids of about your family's ages. I would guess, however, that they laid out about $10,000 or more for their custom Santana triplet.
I did a quick check on google and noticed that Bicycle Sport Shop rents tandems. I would guess that someone in town might rent trailers or possibly trail-a-bikes. I certainly wouldn't want to put out thousands of dollars on something only to find out that the kids (or parents) didn't like it. ...so renting or borrowing might give you some idea about what the family will appreciate before you lay down too much money.
Jeff
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Just saw this, so sorry for the late response. I would definitely try the trail-a-bike option for the 4-year-old. For the 7-year-old, best thing to do is go to a bike shop and see what fits and makes the most sense for them...likely a 24-inch wheel bike. And also what makes sense for you.
Then look on craigslist to see if you can find bikes used that's still of good quality. I noted this on a quick search for trailer bikes: http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/3110990175.html Emailing your neighborhood list serv also is a good idea, since lots of people have kids that outgrow their bikes, then they just sit there for a long time.
If you can't find it used...then go back to the shop and buy a new bike. I've done this routine before and ended up finding a used bike sometimes and sometimes just shelling out money for new at the shops. I personally love the Novara kid bikes at REI if you can afford them.
Also, if you're going to tow a trail-a-bike, and if you're a beginning rider, you'll want to get a bike that sturdy and easy to ride, most likely a hybrid and not a road bike with drop bars.
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