Getting back on your bike when pregnant needs a little thought in terms of bicycle suitability. I tried to mount my trusty red road bike and found that I could touch the handlebars with the tips of my fingers only, not ideal for steering. Pregnant women’s changing body shape means that a bicycle needs to have higher handlebars than a road bike and ideally a step through frame (without a high cross bar).

I rode a mountain bike for a couple of months of my pregnancy, which was very comfortable thanks to big tyres and many gears, however throwing my leg over the cross bar soon became challenging in terms of maintaining balance.

At seven months I up (down?) graded to a ‘grandma bike’ with a basket on the back. Its high handlebars and step through frame made for comfortable riding right up to the last moment, not to mention that the basket made transporting groceries home a breeze. This bike took me all the way to the end of my pregnancy, including to the hospital for my 40 week check-up. If you are thinking of cycling through your pregnancy, I’d recommend a bike like this.

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