Fiets of Parenthood - The Movie

The Fiets of Parenthood Family Bike Games last weekend were dynomite!

95+ degrees in the hot hot sun, 100+ participants, 140+ servings of most delicious gelato from D'Ambrosio in Ballard, and $800+ raised for Bikeworks thanks to very generous donations from Globe Bikes and our Haul winner!

Our new BFFs Car Free Days wrote it up better than I could right here, and don't miss the Flickr photopool.

Kim and I feel so lucky to have such co-conspirators as Tim, Anne, Clint, Leslie, and their hardworkin' kids, and to be surrounded by so many enthused and hardcore family cyclists here in the Puget Sound. We might even have ourselves a family bike scene going on up here ...

So here it is. Fiets of Parenthood - The Movie:

Fiets of Parenthood Family Bike Games from Totcycle on Vimeo.

Photos from flickr users carfreedays, bikejuju, clintonloper, and unclejojo, with permission.

Bobiked Up Beyond Belief

After a year of trolling Craigslist for a used Bobike Maxi rear child seat, I happened across a trade-in/discard on the floor of Dutch Bike Seattle at a nice price, and now we have both a Mini and a Maxi. Mamafiets here we come!

Dad, kids, and tiger on their way to the wading pool. Must ... not ... complain about the heat.

I've chosen the Globe Live Mixte for our test bike ... I wonder if it's not Dutch enough (meaning sturdy indestructible hi-ten steel) to handle 2 kids plus parent, what with its lightweight curvy aluminum frame, but oh well. So far it feels a might bit flexy, but it's a nice smooth ride. I would have used my actual Dutch bike but as it's not a step-through frame, I'd need to attain levels of yogic flexibility to get a leg over with kids on front and back.

As far as the handling goes, between the low-ish trail, centering spring, weight on the porteur rack, and a centering weight in the front seat, you'd need an advanced degree in steering geometry to understand what's going on. But so far, it seems to work.

For those in the market for kid seats, I'm a big fan of the Bobikes (not the latest Star Wars-y ones, though), although we're used to having chest buckles over here in car country. See our front child seats article for more on fitting and such. Their Dutch kid seat competitors, GMG, previously keeping alive the kind of bent-metal-tubing seats you might have ridden in "back in the day", have also come out with some great looking new Yepp front and rear seats (AKA Mini and Maxi too). All the modern Dutch trimmings are there - windscreen, "sleeping roll," and even a locking mechanism on the quick-release! Not as necessary here in the US, where folks are more likely to gawk at than rip off such setups. See them & compare with bobikes and iberts and more at Clever Cycles.

Visualize helmets if you must. Matching ones, of course.

Whether you're in the market for a front or rear seat, or both, do take a look at the Dutch seats. They are decades more evolved than what you'll find in your local bike shop. They do have less "plastic bathtub" wrap-around coverage than the US rear seats you'll find, but I personally am OK with that. And for Dutch front seats, you generally need a more upright bike with some stem showing. But you need that anyway, right?

I do wonder if "Maxi" is the best branding choice for the US market (not that they currently care). Kind of like the (English) Brompton touring pannier that was recently rebranded as the "T-Bag." Perhaps the new Brompton US rep will fill them in on the multiple levels of wrong involved in that moniker. Similarly, makers of "Fanny-Packs" (which are making an inexplicable comeback with the fixerati youth) here in the US should seek branding consultation before launching in the UK. Glad I could help with all that.

Family Biking is the Anti-Grumpy

This weekend has been one set of struggs after another. Yesterday morning I was powerful grumpy, having failed to fix our dishwasher, which is leaving the top rack dishes cemented with food grit. A serious funk. Crabby (ask my wife). Almost didn't ride. But Kim reminded me that biking generally makes me happy, so Drew, Luc & I went off in the MADSEN to join some friends on a Spokespeople ride from Wallingford Playfield to Bagel Oasis in Ravenna. Spokespeople rides are generally leisurely, scrupulously law-abiding affairs.

Not so if you miss the start.

"Slow down, Daddyyyyyyy!" from the back as we flew down Latona, caught some lucky lights, and met the ride on 65th. Wooot! We had a great time, lingered over bagels and hot chocolate, and rode home with our friends, Drew hot-dogging and showing off for their boys from the backseat. She's a bit smitten, in a 3 year old way, where hollering and spitting is flirting.

But truth be told, I'd been happy minutes after we left. Works every time. I'm too lazy to run, and walking's too slow, but biking? Biking's just right. The steady cadence, wind on my face, exultant feeling of powering myself through town. Getting an amount of exercise that's just enough to put the mellow into your autonomic nervous system (like deep calming breaths, but less woowoo). 

This morning, on my one sleep-in morning of the week, Luc woke at 6am ready to party, and my wife, bless her soul, had a "sore throat", and asked me to get up with him instead of her. Grumpy things were said. But got up I did, Kim having convinced me that she was actually sick and not just wiped out from carousing at some Banya place on her twin's night out. 

Struggs.

And we were out of coffee.

Struuuuuuggs.

But I knew just what to do. Me and Luc, we hit the bike, and here we are outside of Aster Coffee, 6:30am: 

Coffee, scones, and some crawling around. Good times.

And here we are at the Ballard Market. By then, I was feeling so happy and sweet that we were buying tasty breakfast-in-bed treats and medicines for Miss Kim. And yes, the backdrop in this photo also makes me happy but no, that's not why we were there. 7am's a little early for that.

Man Enough for a Mixte

Don't call this a girl's bike.

It's not a lady frame either.

"Step-through frame" works. But I like mixte (roughly translated as unisex), usually pronounced "MIXty" in this country, "MEExt" if you're Continental. 

Why ride a mixte frame? Simple.  

• Easier to share the bike with riders of various heights and genders
• Stops and starts are simpler, and unexpected stops don't impact your fertility
• Carrying bulky rear cargo or a rear child seat is much easier when you don't have to swing a leg over the back of the bike
• Many of the new/retro mixte frames are gorgeous
• According to the Swedes, they're safer (especially for seniors)

The disadvantages are few, but they are harder to make and find, and thus can cost more, and they're often not as stiff as a diamond frame (although very sturdy step-through designs exist). For a guy, it can be a bit challenging to find one that isn't visibly feminine in color and trim, but this brown Live 2 is manly enough, as are the black Dutch "Oma" designs. In fact, in the Netherlands, where something like 40% of trips are by bike, the majority of men and women ride on such frames. 

So don't let the guy at your local bike shop talk you out of a mixte frame. Or upsell you some clipless pedals you don't need, for that matter. If you must accessorize, I've got a gently used pair of TruckNutz I can send you ...

Bob Loblaw's Globlog is sponsored by Globe Bikes, who've furnished us with a Globe Live 2 Mixte in return for a series of posts on life with their bike.

Update on January 3, 2010 by Julian / Totcycle

My wife would like me to make it explicitly clear that this was a photoshop job. Done, and thank you.

Ayuh, LL Bean's got Globe Bikes They-Ah

Spotted on Christmas Eve in LL Bean's in Freeport, Maine. Drew's expression conveys her thoughts about 2 posts/week and Daddy's bike blogging on holiday. Merry Christmas!

Bob Loblaw's Globlog is sponsored by Globe Bikes, who've furnished us with a Globe Live 2 Mixte in return for a series of posts on life with their bike.

Adventures Writ Small

One of the things I love about going by bike is what seems to keep many people from using bikes as transportation: the logistical challenges and time involved in linking several trips together, or being out on the bike all day. It just seems too daunting, aggravating, and unreliable at first, I think. And the car seems more predictable, faster, and more convenient. In truth, I think car trips are less predictable, because of traffic jams, uncertain parking, and other aggravations that are so commonplace that we've written them off as the cost of doing business.

But when you get back in a car after weeks on a bike, you realize that to drive is to feel powerless and aggravated most of the time. City driving, in particular, means waiting in one line of cars after another, and then circling round and round looking for an elusive spot. On a bike, you can bypass the backups, and you almost always have front-row parking. Longer trips may take more time by bike, but they're more predictable in certain ways (traffic, for one), and more enjoyable.

Once the basics of everyday biking are under your belt, the logistics actually become exciting challenges - adventures writ small. Instead of the humdrum, autopilot frustrations of driving, your mind and muscles are occupied in new challenges, which keeps things fresh, sharpens your wits (literally), and makes the journey as engaging as the destination.

Biking for transportation is a way to "up your difficulty level" in a pleasurably challenging way. How will I get there? What will I be able to carry? What will I wear? What's my backup plan? These challenges are not for everyone's temperament or abilities, to be sure, but for most they could be a way to engage in "everyday adventures".

Take the other night. Cascade was hosting Joe "Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie at REI for a slideshow. He's releasing "Mud, Sweat, and Gears: A Rowdy Family Bike Adventure Across Canada on Seven Wheels", which I've been eager to read.

So I rode the Globe to work on a sub-20s morning, and made plans with Tim of CarFreeDays to ride to REI together after work. After the Africa by bike slideshow and Mud, Sweat, and Gears preview (got the book, so far it's excellent), we rode back up to Ravenna, where Tim went home, and I continued north to my friend Scott's house for "Tiki Night". 

Not what you're thinking, though. The Tiki is a Wharram catamaran that a group of us have been slowly building over the past decade, which has recently reached an exciting state of hulls-fiberglassed-ready-for-paint-looks-like-a-boat-now near-completion.

James Wharram is an eccentric but visionary English designer who builds catamarans using modern plywood/epoxy "stitch & glue" techniques, but reviving out-of-fashion but very functional Polynesian design influences like using cord lashing to attach the deck to hulls, and gaff sails. Also eccentric, but appealing, is his habit of sailing naked with his wives whenever weather permits. 

We had a good time sanding and applying another coat of epoxy, and then Mike and his brother Matt and I went off to celebrate Matt's birthday at Zayda Buddy's in Ballard. They'd driven to Tiki night, but were inspired to drop the car back and Mike's and bike to Zayda's late night happy hour. It's just more fun, and the cold made it an adventure. 

Here's a photo Tim took of the ride to REI, MonkeyLectrics ablaze, balaclava in full effect, the opposite of naked, really:

"Julian Gets Lit", by carfreedays

Total mileage hard to estimate, but over 20 miles. But as lots of little bike trips along the way, and plenty of wool and warm gear, it was a fun adventure along night-time streets. In fact, if I'd been in my cozy complacent car cocoon, I would probably have pooped out before the last stop, but each bike ride was invigorating. Not to mention counteracting (somewhat) the cheese-fries-with-gravy and beer at Zayda's.

So go by bike, and you'll find that everyday adventures can keep you young at heart, fit, and more "awake" in a larger sense of the word. We may not be biking across Africa, or even Canada, or crossing the Atlantic on a home-made catamaran in our birthday suit, but adventures writ small are adventures nonetheless.

Bob Loblaw's Globlog is sponsored by Globe Bikes, who've furnished us with a Globe Live 2 Mixte in return for a series of posts on life with their bike.

Christmas in East Haven

Well folks, we're here in East Haven, CT for the early holidays. 'Staven if you're local. And there's nothing remotely bikey about what we're doing. In fact, we're rolling in Tony Soprano's SUV. Because Kim thought we should rent a 4-Wheel Drive, and it was the only one. Turns out she's more psychic than Miss Cleo, as we got hit last night with a big winter storm, and there's almost a foot on the ground.

So we've been driving. A lot. From parking lot to parking lot. Chili's, TJ Maxx, the Best Buy at the mall, Premium Outlets, drive-through Dunkin', the full catastrophe. When in Rome ...

And yes, we drove through the "Fantasy of Lights", the local holiday light bonanza. And look what we saw:

Even more lit up than my MonkeyLectric

I'm pretty sure Portland (where else) has a bike/walk only night at their drivethrough Festivuhannukamas lightshow, but I can't bear to get on bikeportland.org right now. Too painful. I miss my bikes.

But ... there are other things to do in life, I suppose. Like eat snow:

"It tastes like a yucky crayon"

And first snow angels.

Daddy-Daughter Snow Angels

I'd love to pay the folks at Full Hands a visit in New Haven, as they sound like lovely folks, and to aid my bike withdrawal a bit with a quick hit off their Radish or bakfiets. But we're leaving for Maine on part 2 of our holiday adventures. In our big honkin' SUV, cupholders overflowing with caffeine & corn syrup. But we'll be back on bikes by New Year's!

And there's an auspicious finding in the basement here: the bike that Kim's father rode cross-country from Guilford to Seattle after a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm! Almost as impressive? He did it in jeans and other plain-clothes on a department store Schwinn without any "touring" gear to speak of. Mike had fortitude, that's for sure. Happy Holidays to you all, wherever you may be.

Bob Loblaw's Globlog is sponsored by Globe Bikes, who've furnished us with a Globe Live 2 Mixte in return for a series of posts on life with their bike.

Baby, It's Really Freaking Cold Outside

This week in normally temperate Seattle featured record-low temps, generally in the 20s during my commute. Now that's a totally doable riding temperature, but for me, it's when cycle chic becomes cycle geek.

Yes, folks, out comes the balaclava. Under the ski helmet with the ear covers. And the puffy ski jacket. And the wool mittens. And the goggles.

What can I say? I don't like the hurting of the ears and the cheeks. Or the cold air crying. And this way, my commute is totally comfortable. In fact, I prefer a gorgeous cold clear day like this to the usually dreary wet.

Under this sexy exterior you'll find a whole lotta merino wool. No merino skivvies, though. Yet (hint, hint). Nothing beats wool for comfort in hot and cold and wet, not to mention the fact that you can wear it an absurd amount of times without stinking. Why? Because it's hygroscopic!

How're you surviving the cold?

Bob Loblaw's Globlog is sponsored by Globe Bikes, who've furnished us with a Globe Live 2 Mixte in return for a series of posts on life with their bike.

Touch My Monkey Bike

Well, the Globe got bikedelic this week. Monkey Lectric lights, baby. They ensure that every bike trip is a good trip. I spent about an hour that first night just spinning the front wheel, playing with the 9 different basic patterns (you can also control color options and how "ADHD" the pattern variations get).

The best thing about these lights (and Down Low Glow ground effect lights) is that they actually address an important safety issue for those who ride at dusk and in the dark - side visibility. A recent analysis from Fort Collins, CO found that over half of car/bike collisions and serious/fatal injuries resulted from broadsides. These lights are pretty hard to miss, and unless they trigger a seizure in approaching drivers they're likely to reduce my broadside risk. The front rack on the Globe keeps them from being too distracting for me, although I will confess to looking for the patterns in reflections as I pass.

Installing them was easy, and they do seem waterproof, as they've been dipped in epoxy, and the battery compartment is covered by a rubber case. I've got two on the front wheel to balance the weight and to enable a pattern that fills the wheel at lower speeds.

Here's a night-time video panda shot of the Monkey Bike on the way home from the store. What's in the rack? Diapers, Donuts, and Dale's Pale Ale. It's how we do.

The "professional" version (i.e. priced way out of our range) of these lights are mind-blowing as well, as you can upload patterns and movies to the lights. Watch, and dream:

Bob Loblaw's Globlog is sponsored by Globe Bikes, who've furnished us with a Globe Live 2 Mixte in return for a series of posts on life with their bike.

I Crash Ballard

With apologies to ZeroPerGallon (make us one like this pretty please?)

The Globe actually has the skinniest tires I ride, and as such, I've gotten all nervous again about the train tracks I cross under the Ballard Bridge and further down the trail. The rain and wet leaf slime hasn't helped.

I came across a friend last year just minutes after she'd landed on her front teeth after taking the tracks at the wrong angle. And while the dentists and ERs of Ballard need all the business they can get in these tough economic times, until the Missing Link gets built, let us all remember:

CROSS TRACKS AT A RIGHT ANGLE

And while we're at it, easy on the front brake while riding on wet leaves.

Bob Loblaw's Globlog is sponsored by Globe Bikes, who've furnished us with a Globe Live 2 Mixte in return for a series of posts on life with their bike.