Tag Archives: bikes

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

A “better” bike rack through dental technology

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Tim K | 1 comment

I love our dentist, Dr. Russell. He’s the kind of guy I can exchange snippy banter with while he takes better care of my mouth then the words coming out of it often deserve.

As many of you know, Anne and I are turning into bike rack zealots. So its no surprise that during my cleaning last winter, I spent some time berating him for his shoddy bike parking. The rack at his office is old, rattly, rusty, and not even secured to the ground!

To his credit, Dr. Russell didn’t jab me with one of those evil dental picks. Instead, he listened respectfully, asked a couple questions, and gave me a little hope he’d do something about it.

Last Thursday I was back for my summer cleaning. Approaching the still-in-place ratty old rack my initial disappointment quickly turned to admiration for the way he had spiffed it up and secured it with the tools of his trade:

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in bicycle neglect, Ha, Rack that Bike

Tagged bikes, dentist, racks, seattle, security, trees

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

Seattle Ride of Silence Tonight (May 20)

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Tim K | 3 comments

The Seattle 2009 Ride of Silence quietly rolls out from Gas Works Park at 6:30 this evening. The ride, if you aren’t familiar, is an international event intended to honor those killed or injured cycling on roadways.

I participated last year and was marked by the ride. It’s a rather eery experience when a few hundred normally chattery cyclists string out along the road for a completely silent, solemn parade. Other than the whir of tires, ratcheting of freehubs, or squeals of wet, longbike disc brakes (sorry about that), it really is a ride of silence.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

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

Tagged advocacy, bicycle, bikes, Commute, respect, ride of silence, seattle

Our Hood Ornament Girls are Ready for Spring

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Anne | 2 comments

Spring has sprung in a typical Seattle way these past weeks, one day it’s 70 degrees and sunny and the next it’s 50 and raining. We’re not putting our winter clothes away any time soon.

However, my daughter decided last week that our girls were getting a little hot in their winter wear and they were ready for spring. The dolls’ outfits were not at all appropriate on sunny days. They got outfit changes last week. They are definitely ready for spring now!

Even if we changed them too soon, they are just dolls, they’ll be just fine.

– Anne

2 Comments

Posted in bikes, kids, kids' bikes, oma, weather

Tagged bike hood ornament, bikes, clothes, dolls, fun, kids, weather

With Kids, Sometimes We Ride on the Sidewalk

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Anne | 15 comments

Bike to School Month is in full swing. The racks have been full this past week despite the rainy weather. This hardy group of riders doesn’t mind biking in the rain. Way to go.

The increased number of pedalers around the school means a few biker, non-biker conflicts. We’re learning from each other and need to keep an open dialog so we can live harmoniously on the shared streets and sidewalks.

One recent conflict surrounded whether or not bikes belong on the sidewalk. In King County, bikes are allowed on the sidewalk as long as they follow the rules of the road and the sidewalk. Continue reading →

15 Comments

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

Tagged bike-to-school, bikes, sidewalk

News Flash! Cars are expensive

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Tim K | 26 comments

This just in: driving a car costs a whole bunch of money. Crazy as it may sound to all eight of our car-loving readers, puttin’ the pedal to the metal isn’t quite as cost effective as actually pedaling.

This according the American Public Transportation Association’s Transit Savings Report. They looked at what a car costs to own and run (the whole deal from buying it, maintaining it, parking, registration, insurance and more) and then compared that with what transit use would cost the same family.

The PI says in Seattle such a comparison nets a$10,483 savings for those chucking their car keys. And that’s for transit use. A bicycle switchover would probably fare even better. Pretty impressive.

Continue reading →

26 Comments

Posted in bicycle neglect, bigger than here, bikes, Human Powered Politics, mass transit, sustainability

Tagged alternative, bike life, bikes, economy, money, transit

Ten Days with the Madsen Kg271 Bucket Bike

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Anne | 15 comments

Warning. This post is loooong. Tim and Anne co-wrote it. Singly they tend toward verbosity. Together? Oy. Maybe grab a cup of coffee or beer before you start.

Probably the best thing about this little bike blog thing is all the great people we’ve met. Folks like David and Stephan from Dutch Bike, Marge (who we’ve yet to physically meet, but I’m sure we will some day), Marcus and Elliot from Austin on Two Wheels, Val, and more. It’s been a great ride.

One of our newest blog buddies, George loaned us his Madsen KG271 (you know, the long bike with the big bucket on the back) for a 10-day testing stint.

Full disclosure: George is friends with the owner of the company and asked us if we’d give his own personal Madsen a try and share our impressions. He didn’t ask for any sugar coating, and it’s a good thing. Tim’s not real good at being sweet.

Over the course of a week and a pair of weekends, we both had the opportunity to ride the Madsen as part of our daily routines (where we normally ride our Xtracycles and Anne’s Oma), as well as on a couple special-purpose, made-for-Madsen adventures. Tim picked up bags of compost; Anne transported three kids home from school. We even had some of our bikey neighbors take it for a spin. Overall, the idea was to see how this one bike (in one size, shared by two people of very different size) could fit into this bike life we’ve built for ourselves.

Continue reading →

15 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bike lust, bikes, cargo bikes, kids

Tagged bikes, cargo, cargobikes, kg271, Madsen Cycles, opinion, review

Transportation Forum + Bike to Work/School Kickoff

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Tim K | 1 comment

I love commuting with my wife

Friday is a big day.

We kick off Bike to Work month (Tim) and Bike to School month (Anne and the kids). I’m pretty sure we’ll be blessed with clear (or at least dry) skies, so don’t delay the start of your commute season. Remember, this is Seattle—the weather can only get worse as we get closer to June.

If you find yourself downtown with a spare hour around lunch time, I’d recommend checking out the Forum, TOWN HALL: Visioning the Puget Sound Region’s Transportation Future. It’s part of their ongoing Friday Forums series:

Transit demand continues to skyrocket while operating revenues are plummeting. How do car sharing, walkable and bike-friendly communities, and transit work together to form a new vision for transportation?

You’re even bring your lunch so if your schedule can swing it—unfortunately, mine can’t— please share any good takeaways. From over here in the cheap seats, it looks like an interesting collection of speakers will be covering some major ground.

WHEN:Friday, May 1st, 12:00 – 1:30 PM
WHERE: Bertha Landes Knight Room, Seattle City Hall (on 5th Ave.between Cherry and James St.)

More info at the Transportation Choices Coalition website.

-Tim