Tag Archives: xtracycle

Bikes carrying skis

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Anne | 1 Comment

Tim makes hauling large items look so easy

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Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bikes, cargo bikes

Tagged bikes that haul, ski, snow, xtracycle

Fifth-Annual Xtracycle Tree Haulin

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Anne | 7 Comments

Tree Haulin Track Stand

Thought we’d post some photos of our 2011 Xtracycle Tree Haulin event. We won’t bore you with another retrospective of all of our tree-haulin adventures, you can read the one we wrote last year if you’re interested. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bikes, extravehicular activities, family cycling, xtracycle

Tagged 2011, garden gnome, happy holidays, Holiday, holiday tree, Holiday Tree Haulin, tree lot, xtracycle

Fourth-Annual Xtracycle Tree Haulin (plus retrospective)

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Anne | 21 Comments

We used to make a huge production out of the annual-tree claiming event. We’d load up the VW camper, grab a $5 (bargain!) Forest Service tree-cutting permit, drive up toward the snow for a while, and tromp around in the (snowy, wet, muddy,etc) woods, until we found a tree we could all agree on. Of course, said tree was always double the size we needed (they look smaller in the forest), so fresh we couldn’t bear to take it down until Valentine’s day, and that five-dollar permit usually involved an oil change, a swap to the snow tires, and at least a tank of gas. So really, $5 plus another eighty or so & change.

Bargain?

So when we seriously started doing the long-bike thing, we thought we’d give our auto-induced tree haulin’ a break for a year so we could support our local, neighborhood tree lot and find out if was really possible to haul (it seems so obvious now) our family tree via bike. I mean, it’s just a year, right? Then we’ll go back to fun way up in the snow.

Except, all of sudden it’s our fourth, haul-by-bike Christmas. It turns out we didn’t miss the old that much at all. In fact, we’d argue the new way is much, much better. Here’s why: Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes

Tagged "orange helmet", 2010, Bicycle Christmas, Christmas Tree, tree haulin, tree-by-bike, wet, xtracycle, Xtracycle tree haulin

Fiets of Parenthood Seattle: HOT HOT HOT

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Anne & Tim | 18 Comments

We’ll admit it. We were worried. When the mercury climbed above 90 on Saturday, we were pretty sure most everyone would call in “hot” and go to the lake instead.

Hey, that’s what we would have done.

But still, what were we going to do with four freakin’ gallons of Grade-A gelato, 120 spoke cards (note to self: don’t print the date; you can re-gift them later), and enough Slow Race Silly Bandz to outfit the entire 2-4th grades of the John Stanford School? Continue reading →

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Posted in bigger than here, bikes, family cycling, kids, seattle, summer, weather

Tagged bikes, family, family bikes, fiets of parenthood, fop, xtracycle

Sometimes they run

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Anne | 19 Comments

Now that our kids are getting older, they don’t always ride on the back of the Xtracycles. They are both confident road riders and are quite capable of riding their own bikes. But, sometimes they take a ride on the Snapdeck. Usually because it’s night or we’re traveling farther than they think they can ride or our destination requires pedaling on busy roads or they just feel like chilling on the back of the bike with a book.

When they choose to be a Snapdeck passenger, I usually tell them to wear running shoes. Cause even the most seasoned Snapdeck rider needs to get off, stretch his/her legs and take a little run from time to time:

- Anne

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Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, xtracycle

Tagged exercise, kids, running, xtracycle

Fresh and Fruity: Build your own VeloMix Bike Blender

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Tim K | 8 Comments

Around here, we’re mad for smoothies. The youngest doesn’t want to get dressed until he’s had his blended concoction of mangoes, raspberries and bananas. And who can blame him? If your parents offered to make you a smoothie nearly every day of your life, you’d take ‘em up on it, right?

Besides being wonderful parents and frozen-food gourmets, we’re also a little nuts for bikes. So it wasn’t much of a leap to decide to combine our passions into one Xtracycle-flavored taste explosion.

Of course, the easiest way to join these loves would be to get out the plastic and order a Fender Blender from Rock the Bike. These HPB (human-powered blenders) are much-loved by the kind of Xtracyclers you’ll often see lingering, sweaty, around large piles of fruit at the Bicycle Music Festival, Burning Man, and various bikey celebrations. I’ve tasted the results of such purchased efforts and unfortunately, while the smoothies taste delicious, they are really tainted by the same bitter aftertaste that comes with buying most commercially produced goods.

So, no, in my quest for a pure smoothie, I wanted to skip the commercialism, re-purpose items from our garage and kitchen (items that I’ve already paid the aftertaste tax on), flex my languishing DIY skills, and see if I could take the bike blender power to 11.

In the end I spent more time on the project than I expected, but the resulting efforts were worth it. We turned this:

Into this:

Interested in building your own mobile blender? Read on…

Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, consumerism, extravehicular activities

Tagged "bike blender", bikes, blender, smoothie, xtracycle

Please Stand with Haiti

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Tim K | 12 Comments

*updated with cider stand info below:

Thanks to Tom of Bikejuju for raising awareness of the situation in Haiti and specifically promoting Paul Farmer‘s Partners In Health (PIH) and their Stand with Haiti campaign as a worthy place for donations.

When I was in graduate school and working in an undergraduate library, “Mountains Beyond Mountains“ by Tracy Kidder was the required “Common Book ” for all UW freshman. Me, as a good librarian, and Anne as a member of the extended campus community, chose to read along. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves touched deeply by the story of Haiti, Farmer, and his organization PIH. Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, cargo bikes, extravehicular activities, news

Tagged cider, Greenlake, Haiti, Partners in Health, Paul Farmer, Stand with Haiti, xtracycle

Third-Annual Xtracycle Tree Haulin’ Adventure

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Tim K | 4 Comments

When the already short Seattle days end at 4:18 pm (the earliest of the year!), the window for an after-school tree-gathering-family-bike adventure is small.

We tried to grab the kids right after school, bundle them up in extra (or is it Xtra) layers and hustle our way over to the local summer berry stand/temporary pumpkin patch/Christmas tree oasis while the feeble sun still shone.

Though we did our best to make our selection in the waning light and hightail it home before everyone turned into a Popsicle, it wasn’t meant to be. Not to point fingers, but damn, those kids are picky. I think we liked it better when they didn’t get to vote. Instead, we shivered up a storm while we picked up, fondled, and rated what seemed like every Noble Fir on the block. I finally stepped in with fatherly veto power to break a three-way tie (no surprise to anyone who knows me: The winner was $11 cheaper) and get us on our way with a minimum of bloodshed.

Then it was on the bike for a should-be-quick trip home in the dark. And Did I mention it was cold?

Hell yes. We even resorted to ducking into a Starbucks for cocoa and cider so the kids’ little piggies could thaw out before the final leg home.

Said Fir now sits in a bucket, hydrating in preparation for its month on stage in the lights. And me? I’m already over the voting scandal and looking forward to the fourth anniversary adventure.

More photos here

-Tim

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Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bikes, kids, shopping, xtracycle

Tagged christmas, Christmas Tree, kids, local, xtracycle

Car Free Days Votes for Bikes

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Tim K | 2 Comments

We miss election day. Most of you probably voted weeks ago and we’re just getting around to opening our ballots. It’s not the same since Washington went to an all-mail system.

So it’s probably not to going to help most of you that we’re putting in a last minute endorsement in our otherwise a apolitical blog for Mayoral Candidate Mike “bikes” McGinn.

As you expect, our pro-bike support of the pro-bike candidate is pretty obvious. Joe Mallahan also makes it an easy choice for a family who takes their voting seriously. Even if Mallahan didn’t promise to run the city like a phone company, he’d still fall short with us for his personal voting track record.

The fact that he’s missed 13 (thirteen!) elections since 2001 means we won’t be sending any hanging chads in his direction (Susan Hutchison, by the way has fared poorly, missing eight in the same time period).

You may have different hot-buttons and may make other election choices; that’s OK with us at Car Free Days.. Just whatever you do, don’t be like Joe and Susan. Vote. Make your voice heard.

-Tim

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Posted in bigger than here, Human Powered Politics, seattle

Tagged bikes, elections, mayor, seattle, voting, xtracycle

Joy-filled, kid-cam view of an Xtracycle commute

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Tim K | 12 Comments

I’m a little behind on my blog / RSS reading (like 6-9 months, oops) so maybe this one has been all over the Inter-Webs. But even if it has, I don’t care. I love it and I’m posting it here anyway.

Nate Byerley, CEO of Xtracycle, spent some time filming his daughter Davis and their commute to school on a PeaPod (child seat) -equipped Xtracycle. The result is the perfect video to share with anyone who wonders why children should be transported by bike.

Watch and then answer me this: Have you ever seen such joy (“I see a kitty! … Scream with me!”) from ANY child strapped into a video screen-equipped mini van or SUV?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bikes are better!