There are a few things that when I see families out riding really surprise me. It almost seems to be a common theme wherever I ride in on traditional bike paths.

So here they are:

1.)    The family that rides with helmets on their children but not on themselves. Okay so the important part is that the kids have helmets on, that is a great start. (It is a law in the State of Maryland that children under the age of sixteen wear one.) My question is, if it is important enough for your children to be wearing a helmet why aren’t you? Shouldn’t mom and dad be leading by example? The last thing you would want to have happen is an injury to your head that would greatly alter your life, the life of your family and possibly lead to your death. Wearing a helmet is such a simple thing to do and greatly reduces the possibility of a head trauma it is also the number one device in limiting a cycling related head injury. A bicycle helmet can reduce the risk of a serious head injury by up to 88% according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. I mean to me it is a no brainer.

2.)                The family that has helmets on the children that aren’t properly fit or the helmet is outdated. While wearing a helmet is a good start it really should be a properly fit helmet. So many times I am riding by children and the helmets are, too big, too small or simply not even sitting on their heads right. In some cases an improperly fit helmet can cause more injuries if it were to snag on something when your child’s head lands on the ground. I good helmet that properly fits your child’s head is a small investment to make in your child’s future. If you are unsure of the fit of your current child’s bicycle helmet, stop by I will be happy to double check the fit and make any adjustments necessary. Or simply stop by your local bike shop. Remember you should replace a helmet every three to five years (most children out grow them sooner) or after any accident that the helmet has been in.

3.)                Children that are riding bikes that are to small or improperly fit. It is great to see that you and the family are enjoying some quality time together. So why not give them the proper equipment so that they can properly enjoy the activity? You make sure their shoes fit so why not make sure their bicycle fits. In many cases it is as simple as raising the seat to the proper height or inflating the tires to the proper pressure. Teaching the kids how to use the bike pump and properly inflate the tires is a great learning opportunity. Have them take on that responsibility of proper inflation for the family bike rides when they get to the appropriate age. If your child outgrows their bike get them another one that fits. I see it on every ride where the kids are struggling to ride their bikes because they are too small or don’t fit them properly.  These are easy fixes that would increase the fun factor for everyone tenfold. This is one of the reasons we offer our Youth Bike Trade in Program; to make it as easy as possible to keep your children on the appropriate sized bicycle. These trade-in bikes are also great bikes to purchase when you would prefer not to buy a new bike. The program is great for the parents who purchase a new bike, great for the family that purchases a trade in and friendly for the environment by keeping them out of the landfill etc. If you have a question about the fit of your child’s bicycle bring it on by and we will be happy to help you fit your bike. I love to see children out enjoying their bikes and they will have a lot more fun on one that fits them properly.

These are really easy issues to address and in most cases relatively inexpensive. The cost per use of a bicycle is really low when compared to so many other sports and activities.  A quality bicycle will offer hours of enjoyment for your child and for you, while having a much better resale value when it is time to replace the bike or upgrade it.

So get out and ride with your family and create a great story for your family.

See you on the trails!

Ernest Freeland

Crofton Bike Doctor

You can’t do much today without seeing, hearing or reading about being “green.” We are all learning about our “carbon footprint” what it is and how we can reduce it. Never before has being “green” or being environmentally more friendly been more prevalent then it is in today’s world.

There are lots of simple things that each and everyone of us can do to be more earth friendly as we live our lives. Personally I feel there really isn’t any reason to not be doing these things. Then things get a little harder to be green more effort and thought is required on your part. So depending on your commitment and desire to live a more “green life” you may or may not choose to do more.

As our economy struggles to find a direction to head for an extended period of time we hear a lot about living in excess and saving money everywhere you can. When many people sit back and examine their lives I think they will find areas where they would agree that they live or have lived a little excessively.

Another prominent theme in today’s media is ways to save money on everything. You see ads on television, read articles on the internet and in the paper, books are written on the subject.

You may wonder what being green and saving money have in common and why am I writing about these two things. It is my viewpoint that we have become a disposable society in so many ways. We use things a few times maybe only once and then we throw them away. Maybe it is because we are done with them or they have outlived their useful life. In today’s world it is likely that the item has broken and it can’t be repaired, or it is cheaper to simply replace it then it is to repair it. Many times it is less hassle for us to simply replace it them to go through the trouble to fix it.

In my daily life I struggle to find items of quality to use. A recent outing to find some new jeans comes to mind. As I went from store to store to find some jeans that I liked I began to notice some interesting trends. The same jeans fit differently, were made from different fabrics and in many cases made in different countries. So a pair of Levi 505’s in a 36/30 were really not the same and each fit differently. I had to shop among stores for the better quality and the right fit. Or you had to sacrifice quality for fit. Not a very fun consumer experience. I imagine in the race to get the price down Levi just continually bid out the production runs of the jeans. My father in law also noticed this on a shopping trip for pants for himself.

To me it seems the general quality of the things we use are a lot worse than they have been in the past. When I talk to people about this almost everyone has a story of a product of poor quality or durability they have recently experienced.

I find it very interesting that two of the bigger subjects in our news seem to be in direct contradiction of each other. Being “green” and buying everything at the cheapest price possible.

If we as consumers want everything at the cheapest price possible then we have to sacrifice certain things. Quality and service come to mind. When we sacrifice quality for price we are consuming items that aren’t durable and increase our carbon footprint in the world because they won’t last as long as we need them for.

In order for manufacturers to keep creating and producing things at the lowest prices they need to seek out manufacturing facilities that can do it cheaper then the next guy. These factories are in countries with fewer regulations on their environmental impact. I’ll save for another discussion the impact that goes on in transporting these goods to areas where they can be purchased by the consumer.

What I am urging you to do is to seek out items of quality that will last you the life you need the item to last. Purchasing items that won’t have a short life and then end up in the local landfill. Preferably purchasing items that can be passed on to other users when you are done with the item. One of my wife’s and my favorite things is an antique dining room table that we purchased. We managed to find a table that was of better quality construction then most of today’s tables that we saw and considerably less expensive. This table is serving us well and we look forward to many, many more years of use before we pass it down to the next user.

In many ways what I am asking might be the greatest challenge in today’s world and your daily life. Finding items that are durable and useable for generations to come is not an easy task.

When we purchase items for the store we look at the quality of the item to make sure that it will last for the intended life of the item and hopefully for other people to use. This philosophy is one of the reasons we started our youth trade in program. This program takes perfectly good used bikes and gets them in the hands of others that can enjoy them for years to come.

This philosophy is one of the reasons I love to sell quality bikes. We see bikes that have been around for years being enjoyed by their owners. These bikes aren’t clogging up the landfills because they work the way the consumer wanted them to. If the owner can’t find a new owner when they are done with them there are programs that take these bikes and get them into the hands of people who can use them.

Please consider quality and durability when you make purchases. The world will be a better place and you will be a happier person from using an item that works they way it should with fewer hassles. You’ll have more time to do the fun things in life like ride your bike instead of dealing with something that isn’t working the way it should.