Tag Archives: xtracycle

An Every Day Adventure to the Bicycle Music Festival

Posted on August 23, 2009 by | 11 Comments
An Every Day Adventure at the Bicycle Music Festival

An Every Day Adventure at the Bicycle Music Festival

We  just returned from a day of family Xtracycling. If you’d asked where we were going when we left the house, we probably would have mentioned something about the Bicycle Music Festival. Sure that’s where we were headed, but in reality we were out for a dose of every day cycling adventure.

In the course of an hour or so on the bikes we picked up the youngest from a play date, helped a friend install a basketball hoop, took some photos, stopped at the library, saw a ton of boats and houseboats, took some more photos, and picked up some excellent free stuff on the road near said houseboats (some BRAND NEW Ikea LED lights plus some high-quality nickel-plated light fixtures with sconces that will go nicely in our bathroom. SCORE!)!

And that was just on the way to the music festival. Continue reading →

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Posted in bigger than here, bikes, kids, summer, xtracycle

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Car Free Days is Clinging to a Bikey Summer

Posted on August 20, 2009 by | 4 Comments
Faster, the Night is Catching Us

Faster, the Night is Catching Us

It feels like Summer is fading around here.

Quickly.

Maybe it’s the way it changed from tank-top weather to sweater weather in about two hours this afternoon. Or maybe it’s the way I’ve decided that lights are now a prudent addition to my evening commutes.

Whatever the reason, the Car Free Days family is feeling some serious pressure to do something, anything, fun in the last couple weeks of summer.

Luckily for us, the Seattle bike scene has stepped up to provide some pretty family friendly, bike on music action this weekend. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, extravehicular activities, Human Powered Politics, longbikes, seattle, summer, sustainability, xtracycle

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Car-free Kayaking

Posted on June 2, 2009 by | 8 Comments

Car-free Kayaking

Tim has been combing craigslist for the past six months looking for some inflatable kayaks that we can haul to the lake on the Xtracycles. We used to own sea kayaks before we had kids but sold them a few years ago. Loading and unloading the kayaks on the car and driving a mile to the lake was never worth the effort for us and we didn’t use them that often. It wasn’t that hard for us to let them go.

Still looking for a way to escape the beach crowds during the warm summer months, inflatables that can be hauled on the bikes seemed like a good solution for our summer boating needs. These inflatables aren’t going to get us to the San Juans, but are perfect for floating around the lake with the kids on a hot day.Pumping up the Boats Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bikes, cargo bikes, extravehicular activities, kids, xtracycle

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Taking the new skis for a ride (with Paris)

Posted on April 26, 2009 by | 4 Comments

I recently scored a smokin’ deal on some telemark skis on craigslist. Because I harbor a special guilt about my addiction to making turns (pretty much the only reason we own a car is for getting to the ski hills, and I don’t even want to think about the massive carbon footprint of the ski industry), I sure wasn’t going to drive to SoBa to pick up the planks. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bikes, Burke-Gilman Trail, cargo bikes, xtracycle

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Leaf-Blower Elegance in a Bike-friendly Package

Posted on April 1, 2009 by | 14 Comments

Oma TankerAs most of you know by now, the team at Car Free Days is involved in an outright crusade to drive less and ride more. So far it’s been great. We’ve been riding (our Xtracycles and Anne’s Oma, mostly) nearly everywhere we need to go.

Those of you adept at reading through the lines, however, have probably noticed a little discord along the way. There was our son’s brush with hypothermia on the New Years cargo bike ride. There were challenging logistics for a 10pm wedding reception in Auburn. And we still get grief for the 50″ Plasma we scratched the crap out of hauling it home from Costco on the Xtracycles. And yes, the hills. Always the damn hills.

In many cases, my friends, pure people power isn’t the only answer.

We’ve dabbled with the idea of powering our Xtracycles with a Stokemonkey. Everyone we know who’s used one loves it. And Todd at Clever Cycles is a total peach. Really, the Stokemonkey is a perfect product, save one major shortcoming: They run on electricity. Franky, we just can’t condone the wasteful use of electrons wondering if perhaps a salmon got trapped behind a dam or a seagull met its demise at the blade of a wind turbine.

Though people can overlook such negatives, we at Car Free Days like to think our moral junk is of a stiffer quality than average. So that’s meant schellping our damn kids up the damn hills on our damn bikes with only our damn legs to thank.

Until now…

Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, buildin' the xtracycle, consumerism, gas, Ha, safety gear, sustainability

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Reading

Posted on February 20, 2009 by | 16 Comments

Xtracycle readers: on the go and home

Some kids watch movies on those ever-so-handy-back-of-the-seat-dvd players, our kids read books on the back of the Xtracycle. Why not? Someone else is “driving”. The Snapdeck is a great place to sit back and enjoy a good book.

Even though the kids have been reading back there for some time and I’ve grown accustomed to the sight,  it still makes me smile. I also chuckle when on-lookers stop and ask, “do you know they’re not holding on back there?”

Yes, I know. Thanks for your concern.

It’s beautiful in Seattle today. We’re going to ride up to the library and checkout some new books.

Have a great weekend!

 - Anne

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Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids

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What’s in your Bike Bag?

Posted on February 11, 2009 by | 15 Comments
What's in your Freeloader?

What's in your Freeloader?

While searching for a Band-Aid in my FreeLoader the other day, I came across a few of the strangest things. This prompted me to take everything out and do some early spring cleaning. (Thankfully cleaning out a FreeLoader is not at all similar to cleaning out a car – I didn’t find spilled milk or moldy cheese or anything gross in there).

Find anything interesting in your bike bag lately? Please share!

- Anne

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Posted in bikes, xtracycle

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Xtracycle Shuttle Service

Posted on January 19, 2009 by | 2 Comments

IMG_0557Since the kids were out of school today we decided to spend the day at the Science Center. The Science Center is in the middle of Seattle Center on Lower Queen Anne,  six miles from our house and just a little too far for me to haul both kids on the Xtracycle.

One fifty–pound passenger is completely doable. Add another and they eventually get bored and pick fights with each other. No fun for anyone. Especially not the pilot.

Usually, when I travel distances over three to four miles with both kids, I take the bus. But after days and days of fog in Seattle, the sun finally appeared and it was beautiful. I just couldn’t bring myself to load everyone on the stinky bus for the 30 minute ride.

I really wanted to ride my bike. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, xtracycle

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Bike the Vote: Car Free Days goes Xtracycle style

Posted on November 4, 2008 by | 6 Comments

Anne and I are holdouts. We, unlike the rest of the county, prefer in-person voting over the mail-in/absentee alternative.  Call us old fashioned if you like (and this article does), but we really enjoy seeing our neighbors while we soak up the mood at our local community center on Election Day.

We also think in-person voting is darn useful for getting get the kids involved in their democratic responsibilities at a young age. For my money, there’s nothing better for inspiring responsibility than bringing your kids with you to vote. I vividly remember standing behind my mom in the big metal voting booth and craning my head in wonder as she yanked the curtain and started pulling the levers that cast her vote. By the time I was old enough, those booths were gone (dang!) and I had to make do with hanging chads and coloring in bubbles.

But I still got to vote.

Booth or no, the experience is rich. Our polling place was just humming this morning. We’ve been voting at the same community center for 12 years and have never seen it so busy.

Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, extravehicular activities, Human Powered Politics, xtracycle

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Are Xtracycles taking over in your part of the country?

Posted on September 21, 2008 by | 22 Comments

photo by Beth Hamon via BikePortland

According to BikePortland, Xtracycles are taking over. Have you experienced the phenomenon in your part of the country? I love the shot of the gaggle of Xtracycles all lined up. Awesome.

Can’t wait to see a similar shot in Seattle. Seattle definitely has more Xtracycles cruising the mean streets than a year ago. 

If the seven Xtracycles in the photo do in fact all belong to women, there’s something to be said for women being the key to a successful bike culture. What an excellent shot and powerful statement about the success of Portland’s bike culture.

 - Anne

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Posted in bigger than here, bikes, longbikes, sustainability, xtracycle

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