Activities for Kids

10 Cool Biking Parents Reinventing the Wheel

Discover 10 parents who totally rock (and roll!) when it comes to biking with kids.

By Gabby Cullen May 5, 2016

From the mom you see toting her four kids around town on wheels to new trails and bike lanes popping around the country, it’s clear that biking is not just a mode of transportation for families, but a way of life. In honor of National Biking Month, we took a look around, and found cool parents who make the daily trek on their wheels in sunshine, rain, and yes, even snow. Flip through the album below for 10 inspiring, adventurous and fun stories.

Jimmy Lizama – Los Angeles, Ca

Jimmy Lizama, biking parent to son Joaquin (5), is founder of Re:Ciclos: a Los Angeles-based project that recycles landfill-bound steel bicycles and sends them into the hands of kids who redesign, re-fabricate, and assemble them into cargo bicycles, then distribute to communities, individuals, organizations, and businesses for future endeavors. He is also the original “cook” of Bicycle Kitchen, a nonprofit bicycle repair space, and at the age of 41, this native Angelino and veteran bike messenger has never owned a car, an impressive feat in a city where automobiles reign supreme.

Joaquin’s first ride with dad happened when he was six months old, strapped into a baby car seat that was strapped into the bay of a cargo bicycle. Since then, Jimmy and his family have taken camping trips, gone to the beach, done school dropoffs, gone to the movies, run errands and been everywhere else where you’d take a car.

Coolest biking experience? Taking recycled materials, and building a cargo bike for $8, with the help of kids from east L.A. It’s all about re-imaging how people get around L.A., and why.

Find out more: Re:Ciclos.org

photo: courtesy Danny Lizama

Do you know a cool parent who bikes? Tell us about it a Comment below!

—Gabby Cullen