Category Archives: kids

Dear SDOT: A little Sand on the Univ. Bridge, please

Posted on December 16, 2008 by | 1 comment
The only stretch of ice on the whole commute

Day: The only stretch of ice on the whole commute

Glare Ice on the Bike Path

Night: University Bridge: Glare Ice on the Bike Path

To my friends at Seattle DOT,

If, by chance, you happen to read this little blog before heading out Tuesday morning,  I’d first like to mention how much me and my bike commuting buddies appreciate the great job you did clearing the University Bridge deck Monday morning. It was cold but you were out there working it.

Thanks!

With that out of the way, do you mind if I ask a small favor? Is there any chance that you could pretty-please finish the North and South approaches to the deck? It’s very slippery, especially at night.

I know it may not seem like there are many riders out right now, but you’d be surprised: I think more than a few of us would benefit from such an effort.

Keep up the good work!

-Tim

PS: I used your online contact form to report this issue, but it said I’d hear a response in 10 days. I figure it will be 55 F and raining by then, so this venue will have to do.

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Posted in bicycle neglect, bigger than here, bikes, Commute, kids, seattle, streetsblog, weather

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Second Annual Xtracycle Tree Haulin’

Posted on December 15, 2008 by | 15 comments

Xtracycle Tree Haulin 2008We pedaled up to the local tree lot over the weekend and picked up our Christmas tree. Although the novelty of hauling a large tree by bike has faded a bit, it was still pretty satisfying to pull up to the tree lot on our bikes, park right in front, choose our 6′ Noble fir, strap it to Tim’s bike with very little effort, and pedal home. No drama, no fuss, no big deal. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bigger than here, bikes, kids, seattle, streetsblog, sustainability, xtracycle

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Building a kid’s bike that doesn’t suck: The Mt. bike frame

Posted on December 10, 2008 by | 7 comments

Continued from yesterday’s post: Kids’ Bikes: They suck and what you can do about it. It’s possible you may find this a bit too detailed. If that’s the case, visit the flickr stream for quick some ideas and examples.

Reaching for the brakes

Pre-upgrade: Reaching for the brakes

For the non-sucky kid’s bike project foundation, I started with Craigslist’s finest: a $65, 21-spd,  24″-wheel Trek MT 220. I like this style of bike because it has a semi-step through frame. I originally tried for a slightly older version, complete with lighter frame and a closer to a true step-through design. Unfortunately, all the samples I ran across were pretty hammered, having been through two or three kids. Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, consumerism, kids, kids' bikes, wrenchin'

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Kids’ Bikes: They suck and what you can do about it

Posted on December 9, 2008 by | 19 comments

Since the spring, our kids have really embraced riding under their own power. Anne has blogged about this a number of times. It’s been a great time for them. Meanwhile, as the resident gearhead, I’ve been growing increasingly frustrated by the absolute crap that passes as acceptable kid transportation in the US. Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, consumerism, kids, kids' bikes, wrenchin'

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Kids Will Keep Us Honest

Posted on October 20, 2008 by | 10 comments

Trip to the BookstoreThis past Saturday my biking motivation was in the toilet. I had a terrible cold that left me feeling a tad lethargic, plus Tim was out of town and I was flying solo with the kids. I tapped all of my energy pedaling both kids to a soccer game in the morning. So, when it was time to go out again in the afternoon, I heard the car calling my name and begging me to take it for a short drive. I convinced myself that I could justify a trip in the car to pick up a birthday gift at our local bookstore and then drop the seven-year-old at the party. At least I was combining trips.

I had all of the excuses covered.

As we were walking out the door, I said, “Let’s go get in the car, kids” To my surprise, the seven–year–old protested said trip: “we’re not driving, I hate cars, let’s take the Xtracycle”. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, sustainability, xtracycle

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October is International Walk to School Month

Posted on September 25, 2008 by | 5 comments
Bike to School Day 2008

Lots of Bikes at School - Bike to School Day 2008

October is International Walk to School Month. Walk and Wheel Month is part of an international movement to encourage active transportation to school. Kids are encouraged to use any type of human–powered mode of transport (feet, scooters, bikes) to get to school.

My friend, Leslie and I are leading the effort at our local elementary school. We were so inspired by the success of Bike to School Month last spring, we thought we’d encourage more kids to join us this fall. Cascade Bicycle Club sponsors the program locally, giving prizes to kids who make at least seven car-less trips to school in October.

Is any one out there leading a walk, bike or scooter–to–school effort this October? It’s not too late to get something organized.

I’d love to hear what you’re doing to promote it.

– Anne

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, sustainability

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Back to School (on Bikes)

Posted on September 9, 2008 by | 5 comments

Back to School (on Bikes)School started in Seattle last week. Hurray. Yippee. Yahoo. I’m not even going to try to contain my excitement as I now have two kids in school full time. After seven years of kids-all-the-time, it’s nice to have some time to myself to do whatever I want.

And I want to ride my bike. Alone. (I’d also ride with a friend if the opportunity presented itself as long as they promised not to whine or bicker or proclaim, “it’s not fair” if I pedaled a little faster than them.) Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, seattle, sustainability

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Has it been a year already? (our year of Car Free Days)

Posted on August 19, 2008 by | 12 comments

Life and summer and perfect weather and kids going to bed late and too much work for Tim have gotten in the way of bike blogging these past few weeks. We figure it’s summer and the kids are out of school and we’re free and easy to go where we want, when we want and we’d much rather be outside riding than sitting in front of the computer prattling on about riding. A long winded explanation excuse for why we’ve been lame bloggers these past few weeks.

We have a lot of experiences stacked up to share with you–they will most likely trickle in this fall when the weather turns and we’re hunkered down inside. There you go, all the excuses we could muster for now. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, sustainability, xtracycle

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Riding with Kids: The Recipe for a Happy Summer

Posted on July 30, 2008 by | 4 comments

Riding in the RoadWe’re having a great, virtually car-free summer. After a horrendous spring, with snow and cold rain way too far into June, the weather in Seattle has improved to a near perfect 70° and sunny on a daily basis.

Tim’s working his ass off for the the man this summer, but other than morning swim lessons, the kids and I have no set daily plans. From lunchtime on, we’re free to pursue classic summer activities: park visiting, swimming, gardening, reading in the hammock, beach combing, library visits, insect studying, berry picking, lake wading, and just about anything else that involves transport by bike. Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, kids, neighborhoods

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Elliott Bay Water Taxi – a great day trip

Posted on July 7, 2008 by | 1 comment
West Seattle Water Taxi

Looking Back at Seattle

We’re always hunting for fun car-free day trips. Since our kids aren’t riding too far on their own yet, (they ride on the Xtracycle Snapdeck) we’re limited to one-way distances under 10 miles or so.

That’s why the Elliot Bay Water Taxi, which runs from downtown Seattle to Seacrest Park, is a great day trip. The ferry leaves from Pier 55 – roughly a seven mile ride from our house. Once the ferry docks, Alki is a quick 2.5 mile spin along the waterfront to all the sand, sun, cruising, and beach volleyball you can handle.

The fam on the Water Taxi

The bike friendliness of the Water Taxi is a bonus. There’s plenty of room for bikes inside toward the bow (that’s the front for you landlubbers). Just roll your bike on the boat, pay your $3 (or $1 with a Metro transfer), bungee it to the railing and enjoy the 12 minute crossing.

We have taken our road bikes on the taxi before but we weren’t sure if the crew was going to balk at the longbikes— transit workers can be cranky about bikes (especially really big bikes) sometimes. It turns out the Argosy (the tourist boat company contracted to run the water taxi) employees were great and loading the bikes was no problem—even on a busy weekend day.

The beach, bikes, and a big boat. All easy and hassle free.Xtracycles on the Water Taxi

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Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, seattle, xtracycle

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