Holiday rides with trail dogs: Rosco & Lacy

Happy holidays all! Instead of celebrating Christmas, I celebrate the holidays. As we wind up for the year, my thoughts turn to ‘t(r)ail’ holidays and riding bikes with four-legged friends. The December break is a wonderful time to get out and visit your favourite trails and explore new ones. Riding mountain bike trails with your dog is one of the most enjoyable things you can do. To whet your whistle, here’s an offering from Kona which introduces Rosco the mature trail dog and his MTB owner Lacy. This short video puts together all the best things about MTBing with furry friends – and more. Enjoy! NG.

Holiday rides with trail dogs: Rosco & Lacy. Bicycles Create Change.com 20th December 2021.
Roscoe the trail dog and Lacy. Image: My Kona Lacy Kemp (video still).

The company of dogs when MTBing is the best feeling in the world. They love to explore new places and meet new people – and they ALWAYS love being on trail.

I’m a BIG fan of bikes and dogs. I’ve previously shared stories like:

When you ride with a dog, you are never alone. You always have someone to keep you company and make you laugh.

Dogs are also great motivators. They always want to go faster and harder than you do, which can push you to ride at your best.

Plus, there’s nothing like the feeling of cruising through the woods with your best buddy by your side.

I love riding with my 11-year-old trail dog Zoe. Zoe is a fit and keen kelpie who loves the outdoors and we have had many happy trail adventures together.

Recently I saw this short video (below) by Kona. Kona is an American bike manufacturing company so it makes sense they would promote themselves as gender-inclusive, exciting, and approachable for a range of riders.

Rosco is a nearly retired trail dog. At 11 years old, he’s still got plenty of spunk, but these days he prefers to lounge at home while his human counterpart hits the trails – but not always! Lacy started riding mountain bikes with her dog Rosco as soon as she got him, and the two have been shredding together ever since.

These days when they ride together, they do 30mins ‘old-man laps’ so Rosco can still get his paws dirty.

They take it slow because Rosco needs a few rests along the way – awww bless!

I agree with Lacy that you always learn new lines following your dog.

As an avid night rider – I loved seeing Lacy shed in the evenings, although we don’t get snow where I live, so seeing that was next level for me.

Lacy likes snowy night rides because its ‘like riding sugar’ and its where ‘shadows pop’.

Most riders can relate to Lacy’s sentiment when she says:

‘I feel weird, I don’t feel whole if I don’t get out on my bike.’

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a first-time rider, we all feel the joy of riding mountain bikes with dogs. And if you haven’t managed to do this recently, this video will help until you do!

So next time you hit the trails, be sure to bring your furry friend along for the ride.

Happy Holidays all!

Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project

Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
Matt Root and his two cargo bike under 95cm ‘city experts’. Image: Radio Adelaide.

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear Matt Root, an avid bike rider and dad of two toddlers present a session called ‘Going Dutch, cargo bikes for kids’ – and it was really great!

His presenation focused on what life on a biek and in the city is like from the point of view of his two young sons. Perspectives like child-centred research and having chilldren activitely participating and informing research and policy is a key step in better redesigning more liveable cities for all.

Matt’s project resonated particpatually strongly with me given the background my West African bicycles-for-education PhD has incorporating children’s geographies and including youths as coresearchers, and the work of Dr Gina Porter and the Child Mobility project.

So I was most intrested to hear what emerrged from the two young experts (Matt’s two sons, aged 2 and 4) while Dad (Matt)* rigged on-board GoPro cameras to capture all the fun and sense of adventure.

In this session, we heard what the pre-schoolers liked and disliked about our streets from their unique vantage point (see below).

From this vantage, Matt draws out aspects of what new ideas we can learn from these young experts.

Below are a few of those insights. All images by Matt Root.

  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
  • Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.

After Matt’s presentation, I went looking for more information about this and was happy to see Victoria Local Goverance Association has a Child Friendly Cities and Community focus.

Matt was also interviewed by Radio Adelaide about this project and why he and his wife chose a cargo bike to transport their young family.

*Matt Root is a co-owner of Flyt transport planning consultancy based in Perth and he is focused on the planning of safe and convenient bicycle infrastructure across the city. Between 2018-2020 Matt led the State Government’s planning for Perth’s Long Term Cycle Network to accommodate the city’s population in 2050.

See more of Matt on Twitter: @FlytPlan.

Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
Image: Matt Root

Urban95 Project

Here’s some more info about Urban95 project in their own words:

From the front box of a cargo bike, how do our streets and

built environment look and feel to a 2 & 4-year-old?

The Urban95 initiative asks this simple question to leaders, planners, and designers.

Urban95 design principals focus on family-friendly urban planning and those designs can help us active transport professions in our work.

The Urban95 project has at its heart a focus on children-friendly cities and urban development.

Urban95 interventions help cities increase positive interactions between caregivers, babies and toddlers; increase access to — and use of — the services and amenities families need; and reduce stresses on caregivers. They are organised into two categories of policies and services:

  1. Family-friendly urban planning and design, including the planning, design and regulation of a city’s space, land use, infrastructure and services
  2. Healthy Environments for children, including improving air quality and access to nature

The Urban95 background states that more than a billion children live in cities, and rapid urbanisation means that number is growing. 

Babies, toddlers and caregivers experience the city in unique ways. 

They need safe, healthy environments, where crucial services are easily accessible, frequent, warm, responsive interactions with loving adults are possible, and safe, a stimulating physical environment to play in and explore abound.

Urban planning for those under 95cms: Dutch Cargo bikes, kids and the Urban95 project. 30th July 2021.
The City at Eye Level for Kids (Ebook pg 54 & 55).

The City at Eye Level for Kids

From Urban95 comes The City at Eye Level which, as their website explains, develops and shares knowledge about how to make urban development work at human scale.

A collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation’s Urban95 initiative, this – The City at Eye Level for Kids – book contains over 100 contributions from across the world on work to improve cities for children and the people who care for them.

It shares practices, lessons, perspectives and insights from 30 different countries around the world, that will be useful to urban planners, architects, politicians, developers, entrepreneurs and advocates for children and families.

Railbiking: ‘Riding rail trails’ and creating your own access to nature & adventure

Many of us dream about ‘getting away‘ to beautiful places to relax and ride bikes with those we love.

Recently, I came across the video Smartwool Presents: Riding the Rails.

In this video (see below), we meet Evan Kay, his wife Ella, their dog, their bikes, and the railbike project they designed to use on rail trails to access more nature and adventure.

Evan and Ella ride MTB – a lot. Like most other MTBers, off-trail riding is their passion and purpose. They like to explore remote places and go on adventure rides.

Evan is an engineer who grew up loving farming, fishing, and family – and combining these passions with his technical skills is at the heart of this project.

Evan and Ella live in Vermont (New England, USA) where there are several disused railroad lines. There are many similar remnants of the old train networks across the USA, and seeing these got Evan curious about how to use these railroads to reimagine family adventures.

The challenge was to combine his technical skills with his love of outdoor MTB adventures. Inspired by seeing other riders adapting their bikes for railroads, Evan and Ella started working on ideas to use the rail to reach ever further and remote locations.

In this video, we see the evolution of their project to adapt their MTB bikes to ‘ride the rails’ – or railbiking as it is known.

A central aim of this project was to experience nature using active pedal power generated through their mountain bikes.

The initial design was based on three main needs. First, they wanted to use their mountain bikes as the drive mechanism. It also needed to be stable and safe. And third, they wanted both riders to be parallel (side-by-side) and not front-to-back (as in tandem like other designs). There is a platform between them that carries all their cargo and the dog with minimal effort.

I was really inspired by Evan’s ingenuity and skills in being able to utilise what is already there, yet often overlooked (in this case the abandoned rail trails) as an opportunity to extend their bike riding adventures – as well as creatively self-manufacturing an adaptive MTB frame that is unique and purposeful. So inspiring to see a design makes it easier and more comfortable to go further, for longer on a bike.

I also love that the whole family can literally ‘go along for the ride’ together!

Gives a new meaning to ‘off-(t)rail mountain biking’!

  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.
  • Railbiking: 'Riding rail trails' and creating your own access to nature & adventure. Bicycles Create Change.com. 18th July 2021.

All images in this post are stills from the Smartwool Presents: Riding the Rails video.

Happy 1st Birthday Lil Nina!

Happy 1st Birthday Lil Nina! Bicycles Create Change.com. 9th July 2021.
Happy 1st Birthday Lil Nina!

This post goes out to lil’ Nina Sarah Divine Kamara!

Happy 1st birthday!!!

Your Aussie extended family is sending you lots of love!

Last year I was in Ghana and Sierra Leone for my girls’ bicycles-for-education PhD fieldwork. I spent most of my time in Lunsar, Sierra Leone riding, living and learning with my fantastic hosts and friends Stylish and Francess (read more here).

At the time, Francess was pregnant with their first child, whom they named Nina (after me) when she was born this time last year – what an honour!

And now Lil’ Nina is 1!

Woo hoo!

Lil’ Nina is engaging, surprising, and feisty.

She loves eating and playing – and she keeps the whole house on its toes. 

The family always mentions how chatty she is – and that she loves to dance!

Hells Yeah!!

Francess says she is like her namesake.

Heaven help the family if that’s true!

At 12 months, Lil Nina is super active and curious about everything and everyone around her.

I couldn’t be prouder!

Happy 1st Birthday Lil Nina! Bicycles Create Change.com. 9th July 2021.
Francess and Lil Nina. Sierra Leone July 2021.

It is such a delight watching Nina grow up.

We use WhatsApp video calls to stay in touch and there is always something new to report. I love getting updates, short videos and photos of the kooky things she is into – or some new mannerism she is practising.

…and now she is 1!!

Incredible!!

A big shout out to Francess. You are amazing! Being a new mum and completing your thesis at the same time cannot be easy. I’ll have a word to Lil’ Nina to go easy on you. You are a superwoman and most treasured friend!

To Stylish and the rest of the family – congratulations! Thanks for sharing your incredible family and journey with me.

To Lil’ Nina. Happy Birthday, Dynamo! Stay curious, strong and connected. Congrats on an amazing first year and we wish you many more to come!

Mother’s Day 2021

Mother's Day 2021. Bicycles Create Change.com. 8th May 2021.
Image: Sai de Silva

8th May is Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day mums (and dads and significant others and carers who also fill maternal roles!).

For a previous Mother’s Day, I wrote about the issues I had with some Mother’s Day ‘suggested gifts for cycling mums’.

If you haven’t read the post Happy Fearful Mother’Day Cycling Mums! check it out here – it’s well worth the read!

I appreciate the sentiment of Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) in taking time to recognise and celebrate the hard work parents do.

I like to think that mums are always appreciated as much as they are on Mother’s Day (ie for the other 364 days of the year as well) – not just one day a year … I hope …

Mums have it tough.

Women are advantaged in society and mothers in particular face enduring and unfair social and corporate pressures and constraints around childcare, unpaid labour, taking the load for emotional labour (the unpaid job men still don’t understand) and ‘being a good mother’, inequitable divisions of household labour, the hidden and overlooked value-cost-effort of stay-at-home mums and that working mums (well…all women) on average make only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Christine Carter articulates these frustrations well in her piece: All I want for Mother’s Day is an equitable division of labour. And yes… it is ‘a thing’…still!

Traditionally Mother’s Day is celebrated with breakfast in bed, flowers or lunches out with loved ones.

With much work needed to address systemic gender inequities, I’m proposing that this Mother’s Day is an opportunity to recognize such issues and think more carefully about how we celebrate mums and other (female) carers.

Mother’s Day is an opportunity to consider more critically the presence and presents we are giving to mums and what these ‘gifts’ communicate, expect and perpetuate.

Keep in mind that Mother’s Day (and other similar commemorative events) are overwhelmingly driven by corporate advertising and marketers who don’t give a shit about mums – they just want to sell more crap.

Such ‘gifts’ are not very honouring, nor are they particularly thoughtful.

So for Mother’s Day 2021, consider doing things a little differently.

Consider talking to a mother (key person) in your life – and dig a little deeper. Have a D & M (deep and meaningful). Be curious about their life (if they are willing to share) listening to what they have to say – and take your time. Go beyond the superficial and every day. Ask them more probing questions and listen to their experiences. Take time to really listen to what life is like for them – to be a mum/carer and a woman-person in the world. Ask them what their life is like – all the ups and downs. Tell them you notice all the small, thankless, important things they do – and that you know there are thousands of other hidden things that you are not aware of, but you know they do anyway, to make your life easier. Explain how you are aware of how hard they work – for you, in the home, at work, in the world.

A conversation like this is something a box of chocolates can’t achieve.

Oh… and if you do want to get them a present, ask them what they really want. Something just for them – and when they tell you what it is, don’t question it, discuss it or negotiate it- just do it.

And maybe you might want to add in something else – something more thoughtful and personal. Something just from you – that you think is an adequate tribute to that special person in your life.

Happy Mother’s Day 2021.

Oli and the Pink Bicycle – Bike books for difficult conversations with children: alcohol feotal syndrome & adoption

Books are good.

Bikes are great.

Books with bikes are better.

Books with bikes that help people are the best.

Books with bikes that help people have difficult conversations are the best.

Oli and the pink bike is a short story book for children about alcohol feotal syndrome.

Oli and the Pink Bicycle - Bike books for difficult conversations with children: alcohol feotal syndrome & adoption. Bicycles Create Change.com. 4th May 2021.
Image: Coram BAAF

What is the story about?

This UK short story introduces Oli and her adoptive family, and it follows Oli through her difficulties with behaviour and schoolwork. During the story, we learn about her condition, how it affects her, and all the good things about herself.

This story is designed for children aged seven to 11 whose development and behaviour has been affected by parental substance misuse, or who knows someone else who is affected. It is part of a series designed to teach children about a range of health conditions common to many looked after children.

After the story, there is a question and answer section covering a wide range of FAS topics and questions. There is also practical information and advice provided in a straightforward and child-friendly style.

Oli and the Pink Bicycle is one of a new series of books for children exploring health conditions that are common to many looked after children. Other titles in the series focus on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, dyslexia and emotional and behavioural difficulties. The books in the series will be invaluable for social workers, foster carers, adopters, residential workers, health care practitioners and teachers to use with children who have these health issues or who know an affected child.

Hats off to author Catherine Jackson who is a writer, journalist, cartoonist, and author of Parenting a child with mental health issues and illustrator Rachel Fuller (who has also done A safe place for RufusWhy can’t I be good?Elfa and the box of memories and Spark learns to fly). Great job team!

Basic Storyline – what to expect

It’s Oli’s seventh birthday – the first one since her new mamma and papa adopted her – and she’s really excited about the present she has been promised. A pink bicycle! But Oli’s special day doesn’t go to plan and she is so angry that she just screams and screams.

Nothing ever seems to go right for Oli. Her first mamma drank too much alcohol and took bad medicine when Oli was just a tiny bump in her tummy. Now Oli finds numbers and spelling difficult, can’t always make her arms and legs do what she wants them to and often loses her temper. Oli is sad and doesn’t know what to do, until the mysterious Aggie Witchhazel sets her a series of challenges to help her discover all the good things about herself.

Oli and the Pink Bicycle - Bike books for difficult conversations with children: alcohol feotal syndrome & adoption. Bicycles Create Change.com. 4th May 2021.
Image: Coram BAAF

Thoughts on this book – a review

The following book review is by Mrs. Dale van Graan who is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education at Kingston University. I like this review as it gives a few points about how to engage with this book with youngsters – in particular the idea of having ‘a secret list of friends’ – see more below.

This is a story about a seven-year-old little girl who has Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), and who has been adopted. The story builds with a great deal of anticipation about and around her seventh birthday, describing some of the behavioural and emotional difficulties a child with FAS might experience in the home, at school and socially, as well as the potential impact of her behaviour on others in those environments. The main character meets a neighbour, a helpful adult who assists her in developing a strategy to identify resources within herself and in her environments, to help her.

What is particularly helpful is the child-friendly explanation of how a child may develop FAS and how her development, behaviour and emotion regulation may be affected. However, in my view the fact that she is also an adopted child did not necessarily add value, apart from if this resource was to be used specifically with children who have been adopted or to educate children more generally about some of the additional needs children who have been adopted may have.

The book is aimed at children aged 7–11 years, who may read it themselves, or alongside an adult who may be able to enter into some discussion, explain and elaborate on some of the concepts. The ‘story’ in itself is engaging and entertaining, with effective use of humour.

However, it is a little concerning that the character is encouraged to keep a secret list of friends who could help her and the circumstances under which she meets the helpful adult are a little questionable, so I would be reluctant to encourage a child to read this without adult support to promote discussion and comprehension.

Simple illustrations and a short game at the end are likely to enhance the appeal of the book for children.

Another very useful aspect of the book is the question-and-answer section at the end, which covers a range of queries and concerns about FAS, from a child’s perspective, and practical information and advice, in a straightforward manner. Although published by BAAF, I would suggest that the book has relevance to a wide range of children and could be most effectively used in a classroom context.

van Graan, D. (2015). Oli and the pink bicycle [book review]. Practice: Social work in action, 27. pp. 233 – 234. https://doi.org/10.1080/09503153.2015.1026056

Parts of this post sourced from Corambaaf.com and News from Nowhere.

Halloween Bikes 2020

We don’t have a strong culture of celebrating Halloween in Australia. But given many readers of this blog are in countries that do celebrate Halloween – this post is for you!

Previously I have shared Halloween-themed posts – like the super-fun Homewood Witch’s Ride (Alabama, USA) where everyone dresses up in awesome outfits and go for a ride around town.

Also, the Mala Bruja Alleycat (New York City, USA), which is held the night before Halloween, on Witch’s Eve which is an all-women’s courier-inspired alleycat fun-but-serious race-ride where you tick off checkpoints along the way. (More events like this please!)

Halloween Bikes 2020: Ideas for events & costumes

So for a fun bike-themed Halloween 2020, you will need a bike-and-costume and a kick-ass bike event to go to….so here two ideas to encourage you to get your ‘spooky self’ (and family + friends) on bikes and riding your local neighbourhood for Halloween 2020.

Halloween Bikes 2020. Bicycles Create Change.com 31st October 2020.

2020 Zombie Bike Parade

The 2020 Zombie Bike Parade (what a wicked idea!) was a collaboration between local bike shop Davis Cyclery and BIKE City Theatre Company (Bike City USA). This event invited the local community to dress up and join in for an afternoon ride around the Davis Bike Loop for a massive Zombie Bike extravaganza.

As well as mixing with locals, the Bike City Theatre Company and their team of sketch writers, directors and actors provided entertainment and an event like no other! The dancers did a great job of zombifying dance moves that keep everyone humming along. They had fun, laughs, socially distanced photo ops and an unforgettable community bike-themed Halloween experience. Here are a few snaps from the event and you can see more here.

Bike-Themed Characters & Costumes

If you are just cruising around your neighbourhood for general spookiness (and not a themed event – like the Zombie Ride above) then you can diversify your costume – and anything goes!

Online, you can find heaps of websites, pictures and DIY videos of creative and fun bike-themed costumes. Some websites have links to buy the products featured – but like most people, I will ALWAYS opt to make my own version out of recycled materials.

Any mum’s DIY YouTube video is great for tutorials on how to make costumes at home. More sustainable, more personal! Here are a few of my favs from Bikes Reviewed.

  1. Headless Horse (Biker) Man
  2. Pac Man Pair
  3. ET & Elliot (a classic!)
  4. Evel Knievel
  5. Pee Wee Herman

So what ever you do for Halloween 2020 – have heaps of fun doing it on ya bike!

Bike Birthdays

Bike Birthdays. Bicycles Create Change.com 1st October 2020.
Image: Aspects of Kings Park.com

October is the month of my birthday (hooray!) and it got me to thinking about how bikes might feature in birthday celebrations.

So in honour of my own – and all the other people-rider-birthdayers – this post looks at some creative, kooky and conventional ways bikes can be used for an awesome birthday celebration via the 3 main elements of invitations, food and cakes.

For any other bike-related ideas like locations, games, decorations and activities, there are heaps of websites and ideas on Pinterest. The ideas here are just an entry point to get the inspiration flowing for you next bike-themed birthday party.

For whenever your birthday is….Happy bikey birthday!

Bike Birthdays. Bicycles Create Change.com 1st October 2020.
image: Sourced on Pintrest (no attribution given)

Bike Birthday Invite Cards

Of course, you need to let people know it’s your birthday and invites are key. Invitations are a very personal choice and show your particular personality and passion. As well as confirming key birthday event information, invites can also visually set the tone and expectation for the party.

As someone who cares deeply for the environment, I would go for an e-card. But for those who still like print-based outputs, you can’t go past a custom-designed birthday card.

Of course, you can make your own, or use a photo for Canva or print services at places like Officeworks or Kmart, but if you want to minimize the hassle or you can’t be bothered with the design and effort – try Zazzle for bike inspired birthday cards. (This is an Australian service, I’m sure there will be an equivalent if you are living elsewhere).

Zazzle is a community of researchers, professional artists, manufacturing gurus, patent holders, inventors, musicians and more, who are united by a passion to re-define commerce. They apply technology, design and skills to help customers produce their own products and designs – it is pretty impressive.

As an example, I typed in ‘bicycle birthday invites’ into their search and HEAPS came up. You can use stock designs or create your own. The images below are from Zazzle and are just a few you can get from the initial search:

Bike Birthdays. Bicycles Create Change.com 1st October 2020.
Bike Birthdays. Bicycles Create Change.com 1st October 2020.
Bike Birthdays. Bicycles Create Change.com 1st October 2020.

Bike Themed Party Food

Of course you are going to need some party themed bike food. The below list is more geared towards kids parties, but lets face it, kids party’s often have best snack food.

I’ve also included a few images of more adult, savory and ‘technical’ food (at least in construction) to offset the usual sugary-laden snack food and bike cake to follow.

Here are some bike party food suggestions from the Mighty Mom’s Club:

  1. If you’re feeling ambitious, follow this lead and make chocolate gears as cupcake toppers.
  2. Increase the bling and glitz things up with this gold cake topper.
  3. Why not ditch the classic birthday cake for more portable cupcakes with a bicycle topper? If those are a bit over budget, here’s another adorable option.
  4. This bicycle fruit tray is both healthy and a work of art.
  5. Race your way to a piece of this delicious bundt cake complete with bike lanes and cake toppers.
  6. These super-simple rainbow pinwheels will have all your riders refueling with glee.
  7. Aren’t these chocolate and sprinkle covered pretzels adorable? Put them on display as “kickstands!”
  8. The rules of the road apply to cyclists, too. Lighten up your table with these fruity traffic light skewers.
  9. It’s always a bonus when there’s more than sugar, sugar, and more sugar at a birthday party. This wheels-and-cheese recipe is sure to please everyone especially when you serve it on these trendy plates.
Bike Birthdays. Bicycles Create Change.com 1st October 2020.
Image: Colleen O’Keffee

Bike Birthday Cakes

A while ago I wrote about bike cakes (read about bike cakes here), so I will not go over it all again here.

But it does need to be said that bike-themed cakes are AWESOME!

Personally, I prefer home-made bike cakes to store-bought, just because of the diversity, personalisation and effort it takes to make it – but saying that, I won’t be turning down a slice from ANY creative bike cake on a riders birthday.

Bike cakes are only limited by your imagination, time, skill and finances.

In my book, the weirder and more fun the bike cake – the better!

Here are a few examples of bike cakes:

*Just as a side note – I am frustrated by how bike cakes are pretty much solely focused on male riders and perpetuate very traditional ‘masculine’ conventions/performatives in the theming, naming and decorating. One of the only female-rider bike cakes that did not have (all) pink, flowers, balloons, a step-through bike or something hyper-girly was a cake (first one below), from Dubai. More bike cakes that have female-riders who are equally portrayed as diverse, champions, fast, risk-takers, active and adventurous riders, please!

Bike Birthdays. Bicycles Create Change.com 1st October 2020.
Image: House of Cakes Dubai

Bike lessons for COVID-19 homeschooling

Bike lessons for COVID-19 homeschooling. Bicycles Create Change.com 12th September 2020.
Image: The Conversation

COVID-19 has seriously disrupted habitual ways of how we move, learn, work and live.

COVID lockdowns mean that most Australian families now have their kids at home and many parents are readjusting to having to supplement schooling with educational activities at home.

Many parents have serious concerns about how COVID will impact their child’s educational outcomes. This is a concern for many educators as well.

Recently, Dr Sue Whatman, a colleague of mine at Griffith Uni School of Education, published an article for The Conversation entitled: Is it time for Australia to implement kids-only COVID-19 briefings? in which, among many good points, she highlights the pressure teachers and families are under and a need for kids to be included in age-appropriate briefings about COVID.

It is a great article and well worth a read.

It also got me thinking about the additional pressure many parents must be feeling at home now the responsibility for not only the health and wellbeing but now also for their child’s education.

Even for the most creative and resourceful parent this is a big ask.

Schools doing their best to help, but many parents are looking for additional materials, lessons and productive work to keep active minds and bodies on task and learning.

Bike lessons for COVID-19 homeschooling. Bicycles Create Change.com 12th September 2020.
Bike lessons for COVID-19 homeschooling. Bicycles Create Change.com 12th September 2020.

Bike lessons for COVID homeschooling

Regular readers of this blog know I have shared a number of other bike-related school resources including:

This week I came across Teach Starter which is an online teaching platform providing easily downloadable ready-to-use, curriculum-aligned teaching resources expertly designed for primary school teachers and their students.

This website is full of educational resources, videos and worksheets at all primary school levels and perfect for parents to use. There is a small cost for monthly access (under $10).

Thinking of my nieces and nephews, I typed in ‘Bike Riding’ to see what they had and was delighted to see a range of bike-related materials.

Of course, there are heaps of other topics, subjects and learning areas that are full to the brim, but for me, I was most keen to see they had on offer for families like mine, who are bike crazy.

Having resources that fit with family values and activities is a great way to keep kids engaged – and have a read to use worksheet is so helpful for parents who care deeply for their kids but might be close to tearing their hair meanwhile.

Here’s a look at some of the bike-related educational resources I found and there should be something for any primary school-aged rider.

And for all those parents out there – best of luck!

Remember, if it gets all too much – just take ’em for a ride!

Bike lessons for COVID-19 homeschooling. Bicycles Create Change.com 12th September 2020.
Bike lessons for COVID-19 homeschooling. Bicycles Create Change.com 12th September 2020.

All images courtesy of Teach Starter unless of otherwise specified.

Dissident Bicycles (Part 5): ’The Art of Free Travel’

In this post, we look at how Meg Ulman, Patrick Jones, their two children (aged 11 and 2) and pet dog used an incredible 6,000km family bike tour up the east coast of Australia as a way of putting into action their ethical, environmental and social principles. This is the fifth and last instalment of our August 5-part series written by Laura Fisher exploring how bicycles are used as a dissident object in contemporary art. Previously we looked at Ai Weiwei’s ‘Forever’, then ‘Returnity’ by Elin Wikström and Anna Brag, then ‘Shedding Light’ from Tutti Arts Oz Asia Festival. The last post was on how public space is being creatively activated as sites of protest using bicycles by the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination. Enjoy! NG.

The Art of Free Travel

A final project that demonstrates the power and promise of the bicycle is the 6,000-kilometre journey taken by “Artist as Family”: Meg Ulman, Patrick Jones, their two children (aged 11 and 2) and pet dog.

As writers, gardeners and environmentalists, Ulman and Jones exemplify the ecological sensibility that a growing number of us embrace. In 2015 they decided to take up this environmental imperative as an artistic-philosophical project.

Over a period of 14 months the family rode their bicycles from their home in Daylesford in Victoria to Cape York in Northern Queensland, during which time they lived by foraging (they had extensive knowledge of edible plants), fishing, trapping, exchanging labour for food on farms, and through the hospitality of friends and strangers.

Click here for Meg and Patrick’s blog: THE ARTIST AS FAMILY

Dissident Bicycles (Part 5): ’The Art of Free Travel'. Bicycles Create Change.com 25th August 2020.

Their blog posts and book attest to the heightened engagement with the world that bicycle travel affords: two-year-old Woody was able to identify an enormous variety of animals and plants, and meaningful connections were made with the many strangers who invited the family into their homes, sharing their knowledge and stories.

The physical demands of cycling focused their minds upon the needs of the body and the available sources of energy replenishment.

As these projects demonstrate, the bicycle is a nimble tool for individual and collective agency and a catalyst for knowledge creation, self-awareness and meaningful social encounters. It is a technology that serves our need for self-reliance and exploration, without surpassing the body’s capabilities.

In an era in which we are incarcerated by our affluence – through work, debt, declining physical and mental health, and an exploitative and wasteful dependence upon the declining natural resources – the bicycle is the ultimate dissident object and symbol of freedom.

Dissident Bicycles (Part 5): ’The Art of Free Travel'. Bicycles Create Change.com 25th August 2020.
Image: Still from ‘The Art of Free Travel’ film trailer.
Dissident Bicycles (Part 5): ’The Art of Free Travel'. Bicycles Create Change.com 25th August 2020.

Laura Fisher is a post-doctoral research fellow at Sydney College of the Arts, The University of Sydney. In October 2015 she co-curated Bespoke City with Sabrina Sokalik at UNSW Art & Design, a one night exhibition featuring over 20 practitioners celebrating the bicycle through interactive installations, sculpture, video, design innovation, fashion and craft. This event was part of Veloscape, an ongoing art–research project exploring the emotional and sensory dimensions of cycling in Sydney.

The contents of this post was written by Laura Fisher and first published online by Artlink (2015). Minor content edits and hyperlinks/footnotes edited to aid short-form continuity.