kids bikes?

[heartsy77]

We are a large family headed to FW for the 1st time in Oct. Is it safe for kids to ride bikes in the FW? If we are taking bikes we need to buy a bike rack for our camper. Anybody have thoughts? We have 4 kids that would use their bikes ages 13, 11, 10 and 5.

 

[the eman]

We are a large family headed to FW for the 1st time in Oct. Is it safe for kids to ride bikes in the FW? If we are taking bikes we need to buy a bike rack for our camper. Anybody have thoughts? We have 4 kids that would use their bikes ages 13, 11, 10 and 5.

Fort Wilderness is a great place to ride bikes. There are some really nice bike paths and it is a good way to get to the pool or store. Terrain is level so very easy riding.

When we first got our camper, we had four bikes we needed to bring; 2 adult and 2 child. Our first try was to put the kids bikes in the bed of the truck and the adult bikes in the camper. We padded them with moving blankets. It worked OK but wasn't very convenient.

I have been told not to get a bike rack for the back bumper of the trailer. I have a friend whose rack fell off on the highway spilling his bikes on the road. Not good.

There are a few better options. You can get a bike rack that mounts above the gas tanks and holds up to four bikes. You can get a rack inside the bed of the truck that holds 2-3. There are tall racks that go above the bed of the truck - no one seems to make a low rack anymore. Or, you can mount a rack on the front of the pickup.

Our choice was the Arvika four bike rack that mounts above the gas tanks on the front of the camper. It has worked very well for us. I put a review on my blog, which I can't post here yet. But, you can find it if you search for Arvika bike rack on Google. Overall, we are pleased with this solution. It would be nice to have one on the truck so we can bring bikes when we aren't camping - but I couldn't find a solution like that which fit our situation.

Bike racks for campers is always kind of a hot discussion on the Trailer Life forums, so you may want to search there, too.

Happy camping.
the eman

 

[skyp4WDW]

At Easter 2 years ago, a little boy on a bike was hit by a disney bus and killed at Ft Wilderness. Be sure you supervise your kids as they ride around the fort.

 

[Musikfans]

We bought a 4-bike rack two years ago and have used it 10-12 times with no issues. Ours mounts into our towing receiver. It has a swing-down design. We also bought a long, snake lock that we route through all the bikes and through the bumper for security.

Ours came from Walmart and was around $80. Worth EVERY penny. We bring two adult and two teenager bikes.

Our biggest concern was blocking our plate. We haven't moved it and have never had any issues. A police officer told me that it's not common to ticket for this unless you're asking for trouble by acting a fool on the road.

 

[bama_ed]

I might let ghe oldest two go together close by like the pool if it were near. But not the youngest two. They need the supervision.

With all the cars, golf carts, and busses on the roads, I would bike on the sidewalks.

Bama ed

 

[Tiggntaz]

We always bring our boys bikes with us to when we go the Fort, though the younger ones are never left alone, just too much traffic, and my older boys always have some way to keep in touch with us, it used to be the motorola walkabouts, now they have cell phones. The Fort is great for biking, but you just need to keep safety in mind!

 

[North of Mouse]

We bought a 4-bike rack two years ago and have used it 10-12 times with no issues. Ours mounts into our towing receiver. It has a swing-down design. We also bought a long, snake lock that we route through all the bikes and through the bumper for security.

Ours came from Walmart and was around $80. Worth EVERY penny. We bring two adult and two teenager bikes.

Our biggest concern was blocking our plate. We haven't moved it and have never had any issues. A police officer told me that it's not common to ticket for this unless you're asking for trouble by acting a fool on the road.

If you have a gas motorhome, you would have no problem with the rack you speak of, but not on a diesel with the back motor. Also, trailer bumpers are not made for the weight and are very unsafe as PP mentioned. We have seen some on the roads and they're bouncing every which way, just waiting to pull the bumper off. We quickly get our rig away and don't stay behind them. What are some people thinking?

 

[AndreeaScott]

Although I don't have any kids myself I do own a bike trailer which I have used to transport both children and adults, and as a full time cyclist I would say that I find it even safer than biking by myself, as with the trailer I tend to get a lot more space and respect from passing motorists. The main safety point I would make is to make sure the kids are wearing a properly fitted helmet, even inside the trailer, and you might think about taking the trailer into a bike shop to make sure the wheels and carriage are sound before taking it out on the streets.