Wellbeing: Safety first from helmet to pedal

Jenny-May Coffin prepares Hawaiki Morrison, 8, for a bike ride. Photo / Carolyn Sylvester

A bike ride is more than simply leaping into the saddle and pushing off, learns Jenny-May Coffin.

I like to think I'm pretty active, so when it comes to outdoor activities with the kids, I tell myself: "I've got this". However, as I recently discovered, "I haven't got this!"

Off-road cycling seems an easy, inexpensive, fun activity to do with the whanau and it is all those things. But while filming a recent story for TV One's Whanau Living, I found out there's a bit of homework to do before heading out on your intrepid journey.

Surely I just need to make sure I have the right gear? Bike - check. Helmet - check. Tyre pump - check. Ready to go? Ahh, negative.

As Kris Bartley from Bigfoot Adventures pointed out, there was plenty I hadn't considered.
What are the kids wearing? I can remember riding my yellow BMX wearing flared jeans and a cool singlet, though I didn't look that cool when my jeans got caught in the spokes and I face-planted in front of a boy I'd been crushing on! So, no long baggy pants, dresses or open-toe shoes - check.

Is the bike safe? Did you check the bike when you pulled it out of the bike shed/garage? Or perhaps, like many of us, did you just throw it in the boot and drive to your favourite cycling spot only to find one tyre is flat and the brakes are a little rusty?

So, that's the safety check - Done.

Finally, we head off to the cycleway up the road; I hear it is awesome. But is that awesome for you or for the kids?

As Kris pointed out once again, it's important to research the tracks to make sure they are appropriate for the kids' ages and abilities.

Is it a concrete/smooth surface? Is the track flat or are there steep hills? Perhaps it's a dirt track with protruding tree stumps and branches? Can the children negotiate the track safely?

I've heard of many instances where a whanau cycle day started out as fun, but turned into a nightmare because the kids simply couldn't negotiate the track safely, which led to either frustration or a nasty fall.

Clothes, bike, helmet - sorted. Safety check - done. Track research - done.

Enjoy getting out there.