Category Archives: bikes

Xtracycle Bike Camping (with Kids)

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Anne | 7 comments

For those of you who were wondering, no, the heat wave hasn’t lasted three weeks. We’ve just been lazy bloggers of late!

We recently returned from a fantastic short bike camping trip with our kids. Tim and I haven’t been bike touring in 15 years. Not sure why, I guess we just haven’t made it a priority. Our kids are now old enough to carry some of their own weight (both on and off the bike) so we decided to give it a whirl.

Huge success.

Our destination: Lopez island in the San Juan Islands, a classic Northwest bike tour. The San Juan Islands are touring gems, and for good reason. Scenery is beautiful, the ferries make it fun and convenient to shuttle between the islands, people are friendly, and if you choose the right islands and the right route, the hills aren’t too bad. Best of all, once you’ve unloaded from the ferry and lets the high-speed hordes roar past, you’re free to roam on relatively traffic-free roads. Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in bike touring, bikes, kids, summer, xtracycle

Tagged bike camping, bike touring, family bike touring, Family Cycling, kids, San Juan Islands, summer, xtracycle

Hotpocalypse

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Anne | 22 comments

photo courtesy of Cliff Mass Weather Blog

We’re wilting up here in the Northwest. After a week of warmer than usual weather, we broke the record today and surpassed 100F. It’s definitely too HOT for us!

Just last week I read about New Yorkers and Floridians who are unplugging their air conditioners to save energy and some cash. Meanwhile, we’ve had one week of hot weather in the Northwest and stores can’t keep air conditioners on the shelves. Continue reading →

22 Comments

Posted in bikes, seattle, weather

Tagged heat, Northwest Weather, riding in the heat, seattle

Reports from the Field: Another Local Xtracycle

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Anne | 11 comments

James W and kids on the Green Moose (photo courtesy of James)

Tim and I blather on and on about bikes and our adventures on the blog and we love to hear from people who find some of the info useful.

James W emailed us this morning and passed along photos of his Xtracycle, the Green Moose, he built up with his son. It’s a beautiful build. We’re glad you contacted us, James, and look forward to seeing you out on the road! Continue reading →

11 Comments

Posted in bikes, longbikes, xtracycle

Tagged community, Green Moose, local, seattle, Xtracycle Build, xtracyle

New Light Rail and No Parking, What a Concept!

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Anne | 10 comments

Columbia City station on Seattle's Link light rail from rutlo on Flickr

Sound Transit is launching it’s starter light-rail line from Westlake Center to Tukwila tomorrow.

Today’s Seattle Times reports that some would-be light rail riders are upset by the lack of parking around the light rail stations. According to Rick Sheridan, SDOT spokesman, this was done on purpose.

“Light rail was meant to be fed by people taking the bus, walking or biking,” said Rick Sheridan, spokesman for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). “It was not meant to be fed by cars.”

Sounds like a great opportunity to promote cycling. One mile is a doable bike ride for most people. Let’s hope people get inspired to give cycling a try since they won’t have any place to park their cars. Go ahead, buy a beater bike and ride it to the light rail station.

Does anyone know if they put in adequate bike parking?

I’d love to hear from some South end readers about what you think of this topic. The Times has 329 comments at this time, so it looks like a hot one.

– Anne

10 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, Commute, neighborhoods

Tagged light-rail, parking, seattle

Riding, Pedaling, Everyday Cycling, What do you call it?

Posted on July 7, 2009 by Anne | 36 comments

Awhile back, Tori over at Gracie’s Wrench asked for suggestions for a new term to describe cycling as transportation or everyday cycling. “Commuting” usually refers to going to and from work. “Riding” usually refers to sport riding. What do you call everyday cycling? I read all the comments to her post, and quite frankly, none of the terms really spoke to me. Not in the same way “commuting” does.

I’m looking for a good one (maybe two) word term to describe using a bike to go to the store or to get coffee or out to dinner.

Does anyone have a good one?

– Anne

36 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, Everyday Biking, shopping

Tagged cycling, everyday biking, everyday cycling, words

I like Riding Because….And I Thank My Dad For It.

Posted on June 21, 2009 by cfdgirl | 13 comments

This post was written by our 8 year old (and typed by her mom. Hunting and pecking 400 words would have taken a really long time!) It was her idea, and these are all of her own words. Happy Father’s Day, Tim! We love you.

My Dad is the one who taught me to ride my bike without training wheels.

In the summer, we used to go down to our spot at Magnuson, it was a steep grassy hill by the tennis courts. Dadddy drove me down there with my bike, it was usually only me and daddy. I would coast down the hill, try and steer and while I was steering, I tried to see if I could use my brakes while doing it. We would stay there all day. The only time I got hurt was when I was going down the part of the hill that I usually didn’t go down, I tried to steer, except my bike fell over. The back of my knee was out so I scraped the back of my knee.

I didn’t want to ride my bike again. But my dad convinced me to keep riding, and now I’m a good rider. I think it is because I did not give up. And If I gave up, I may never feel the joys of riding. Continue reading →

13 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes, kids

Tagged bikes, Dad, Daddy, Father's Day, kids, Learning to Ride a Bike

Anne Dreams of a Family Triplet

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Anne | 7 comments

Anne's latest dream bike

School gets out today. This time of year is bittersweet. We are all ready for a break from our normal routine and are looking forward to some carefree summer times. I’m sure the kids will be happy not to hear the words: get dressed, eat your breakfast, put your book down, brush your teeth and we’re going to be late for a few months. Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bike lust, bikes, kids

Tagged Family Transport, riding with kids, summer, WorkCycles, WorkCycles Triplet

Bike Dates … with Friends in other cities

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Anne | 18 comments

We like visiting Portland, not just because of it’s bike culture, yummy food and modern architecture, but also because we know some great people in town.

Last week, Tim and I got together with some of my college friends for dinner and beers as part of a long weekend (without children!). We went to college a while ago so these really are old and super fantastic friends. As always, we had a great time catching up and sharing stories and cutting loose with them. Even us semi-old people need to do that from time to time.

Mitch, Julie, Vincent, Anne and Tim enjoying dinner and beer at Seraveza. Photo by Jennifer

Since our kids were at home with grandparents, we were the only couple that didn’t have to worry about relieving babysitters and picking up kids and putting them to bed etc. So naturally when our friend Jennifer had to leave early to pick up her kids, we offered to be helpful and give Vincent a “ride” home.

As most of you know, our four wheels are not of the usual variety but since we ride practical city bikes, an extra passenger was no problem. Continue reading →

18 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, cargo bikes, dates, PDX

Tagged beer, bikes, biking with friends, friends, portland

Car-free Kayaking

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Anne | 8 comments

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. Continue reading →

8 Comments

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

Tagged bikes, kayaking, kids, summer, sun, xtracycle

Bike to School Month, the Momentum

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Anne | 1 comment

It’s so great to watch the number of cycling families grow during Bike to School Month.

I have noticed a pattern since we started organizing Bike to School Month last year. At the beginning of the month, the number of cycling parents and kids isn’t that impressive. This year a dozen or so families biked to school on a daily basis the first week. But as the month progresses, (and the weather improves) more and more families join the fun and start riding bikes to school.

Is it momentum? Is it peer pressure? Does it just look like fun?

Kids see their friends riding to school and it looks like so much fun, they want to do it too. Those kids convince their parents to give it a try. As more and more families join in, the bike racks fill up. And pretty soon bikes are spilling into the garden and being locked to any available stationary object. Sometimes they aren’t locked at all (who is going to steal a kid’s bike from a school playground anyway).

I’m not sure how the momentum builds. What I do know is: I’m still seeing new faces at the bike racks every day(and they’re all smiling faces).

Thanks to all of the parents who have given biking a try. You’re doing your kids a huge favor, and hopefully you’re having some fun too!

Does anyone have Bike to School stories to share?

– Anne