A Tale of Two Cyclists from Totcycle on Vimeo.

A lunch-time and a commute's worth of fun and everyday cycling advocacy.

Globe Bikes asked us for our thoughts on urban cycling, with the goal of winning over hearts and minds at Specialized. Here's my oh-so-rough attempt to get the Big S more focused on practical utility riding.

For a full-strength version of the bike "humor" here, don't miss Veronica Moss, A.U.T.O. advocate, on StreetFilms.

Disclosure: This section of the site is sponsored by Globe Bikes, and I received the bike I'm riding in exchange for several months of blog posts on my bike experiences. This video was originally intended for internal purposes, but it was fun to make, so I'm posting it here. It's not so much a review of the bike as it is intramural advocacy.

I'm not sure what this award comes with, but I'm thinking a waiver, an Epilady, something with electrolytes, a 2 hour seminar in the finer points of the right-turn hand signal, a handlebar-mounted krieg-lamp aimed at eye-height, and front row seats to a heating-oil-wrestling match between David Hiller and Warren Aakervik.

I'd like to thank Jesus, mom and dad for believing in me ... and transpo cycling affirmative action, I suppose. Because Cascade is generally known for big recreational club rides and other Fredliness (despite being quite active in education, bike commuting, and advocacy, bless their hearts). It's all about performance.

And along comes little 'ol totcycle. Not a stitch of lycra to be found. Shoes that don't click. Not even knowing how much his bikes weigh. Sheeee-it.

The article in the Cascade Courier was written by Scott Marlow (thanks Scott! and MJ, I blame you for this). It's not exactly Profiles in Courage, but here it is. You may learn more about my personal hygiene than you care to know:

Cyclist of the Month: Julian Davies

Age: 37
Occupation: Pediatrician, University of Washington Medical Center
Hometown: North Carolina
Residence: Ballard
Wheels: MADSEN cargo bike, Dutch Azor Transport, Specialized Globe Live 02

Ditch your trailer. That is Julian’s advice to parents who want to ride with young children. You may wonder what type of Kool-Aid Julian is drinking, but you have to listen to a guy who can transport four kids on a bicycle.

Julian loves biking with his three-year old daughter, Drew, upfront — instead of in a tow-behind trailer. “We have some of our best conversations up there, and she gets to see more than my backside. It is much more enjoyable than listening to her cry or complain in a trailer.”

Solutions besides trailers do work. Like the Bike-Tutor from the U.K. that mounts on the top tube. Or the Bobike Mini, which mounts on the stem, for children aged 9 months to 3 years. Julian recommends both products as superior child carriers, but is also partial to cargo bikes like xtracycles, Dutch bakfietsen (“box bikes”), and MADSEN “precious cargo bikes.”

Julian has also installed bench and bucket car seats, complete with five-point buckle system, onto his MADSEN cargo bike. “Heavy? Are you calling my bike fat? I prefer strong-boned. She’s as heavy as she needs to be.”

NOTE: Julian points out that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants not ride on adult bikes until one year of age, when they can safely wear a helmet and have adequate neck and trunk control.

That said, how long did he wait? 7 weeks, with an infant car seat in a trailer, and then his custom MADSEN infant seat with head/neck support.

Julian started commuting on a RANS Rocket recumbent during med school at the University of California, San Francisco; during his residency at Seattle Children’s Hospital, fatigue turned Julian into a fair weather commuter. Today, he commutes year-round on a Dutch bike or Globe city bike daily between Ballard and the U. District. The UW Medical Center provides an indoor bike cage and showers – although Julian prefers the endless supply of baby wipes at his pediatric clinic.

The family appreciates the convenience of step-through frames, available on many cargo and commuter bikes. This feature means Julian, 5’9”, can share the MADSEN and Globe with his wife Kim, 5’2.”

Julian is also a fan of “ridiculous bike lights.” His favorites are Rock The Bike’s Down Low Glow and MonkeyLectric’s spinning Monkey lights – a 32 full color LED-ensemble for your spokes. Stylish and safe, given how many car-bike collisions are broadsides.

Diagnosed with Obsessive-Cycling Disorder, Julian started a blog called www.TotCycle.com where families with similar conditions can share information. You can find a wealth of information on TotCycle.com, including the next monthly Kidical Mass – a fun, safe, easy-going family bike ride for kids of all ages.

Julian joined Cascade Bicycle Club to support its education work in schools, and its advocacy work. Julian worked with Sustainable Ballard and Friends of the Burke-Gilman on a rally for the Missing Link. He has also attended a Ride Leader Certification session and hopes to lead tot rides for the Club in the future.

What’s the largest haul Julian has accomplished on any of his cargo bikes? He humbly claims that carrying a 6’ Christmas tree from St. Alphonsus Parish was just an obligatory bike blog photo op. “The MADSEN is an epic grocery getter. My largest run to-date is $211 worth of Trader Joe’s.” I don’t ask if that weighs more or less than four kids in the bucket seat of a MADSEN.

If you are interested in family cargo biking, Julian recommends Aaron’s Bicycle Repair in West Seattle and Dutch Bike Seattle in Ballard, as well as Clever Cycles in Portland.

Julian looks forward to coordinating a Fiets of Family Cycling (fiets is Dutch for bike) next year, based on the French constructeur races. “We’ll hold silly cycling contests — like the dropped toy, the diaper change, synchronized signals, fancy dismounts, and ‘I’ll pull this bike right over’ sibling fights.”

The next Cascade Ride Leader Training is scheduled for March.

Scott Marlow was marketing director for Cascade Bicycle Club from 2001-2005. The Club record-holder for the shortest commute (under six seconds), Marlow works from his home office in West Seattle. Nominate a cyclist of the month.

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.

If you're wondering where the Globe Bike is, we're in an awkward in-between stage with the kids, where Drew's too big for the front Bobike Mini seat, and Luc's just a few weeks away. But stay tuned for Luc's first Globe ride, later this month!

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 ...

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!

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.

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.

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?

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:

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.