Bike touring with kids

Bike touring can be a really fun way to explore new places with kids, including small kids. Our biggest concern was to find a place with bike paths or roads that we felt were safe enough to take kids on for longer distances. Ideally we wanted a place where we could go camping as well. ​

Since we were visiting family in Europe, we decided to try bike camping in France, which is famous for bike camping on the canals. We spent 10 days bike camping in Brittany, with a 3 year old and a 6 year old and all four of us had an amazing trip. I don’t know of places to do this in the US, so I would love suggestions if there are good places to do it closer to home. ​​

​Here are our tips on how to go bike camping with kids:

First, figure out the kids transportation method:

• For small kids or babies, trailers work well
  • We used a Burley trailer, but there are other manufacturers
  • As a bonus, trailers also can fit a bunch of gear in them
• For bigger kids, use a tagalong
  • We used a Burley tagalong – I find it much more stable than the tagalongs that attach to the seat post, such as a Novara one
  • Consider putting a gear rack on the tagalong – the one we rented had that and we put the bulky mattresses there
  • Some of our friends really like the Weehoo, which also fits smaller kids than the regular tagalongs and also has gear storage

This is the tagalong we used that had a rack on it.

• If the kid is too big for the tagalong, here are some options:
  • Have them ride their own bike, and plan the terrain so they can handle it
  • Look for a kid-adult tandem bike – you can rent them at the bike touring place we used and I have read about them online but I don’t know where to buy them
  • Get a tandem bike and add a “kiddy crank” to it so the kid can reach the back pedals

Next, figure out where to go:

• Somewhere with safe biking paths – so not lots of fast cars around with no shoulder on the road
• Somewhere with flexible camping or hostel/hotel options in case you don’t make it al the way somewhere
• Go somewhere with good activities along the way
  • Look for places with water play, playgrounds, good rest stops
• Consider the biking strength of the kids and adults with the gear and look for something within your capabilities for distance and hilliness

Finally, figure out gear:

• For camping and especially longer trips, lightweight is key since you’re bringing the kids (tent, sleeping bag, mattress, water purifier)
• Lighting if you will be going after dark
• Clothing
  • For kids biking, consider kids bike shorts like these
  • You can also get kids jerseys, but we just used quick-dry shirts that we already had for hiking
  • For all clothes we went with quick dry items so that we could do fast laundry at the campsite
• Make sure you have the right sort of tires for your bike (smooth or knobby)

Extra considerations for trips far from home:

• Look at gear rental costs vs shipping or checking bags on the plane
• Bring key items with you (helmets, bike shoes/gloves, repair kit)
• Plan how you will do laundry
  • We used this packable laundry soap and this scrubbing bag for doing the laundry when there wasn’t an easy washing machine to use

Details of our trip:

• We rented all our bikes and camping gear from Breton Bikes
• We did a 10 day trip using an itinerary that was provided by Breton Bikes based on the ages of our kids and our abilities
• The route was relatively flat, very safe (mostly on canals, not many cars on the roads), and had lots of good campgrounds