Longer rides.

When I first picked up Bertha I couldn't imagine going on long rides. I bought to replace car trips below 5km. Today however she and I took 3 children all the way to Abbotsford Convent, which is just about 9km away. Despite going slowly up the hill at Richmond we made it there in 45 minutes. It has never taken less than 30 minutes to drive there, so I was pretty happy. 

Because Bertha is so wide there were a few places we got stuck behind cars on chapel st. There is a bike lane down the whole street, but cars and trucks regularly park so it is blocked. On Bertha I can't edge through narrow spaces easily. 

On the way home we had someone stop me to ask about the bike (not uncommon when riding this bike). He asked whether I felt unsafe with the children in front and then suggested putting a layer of foam on the front to dull impact. This is the first time someone has suggested that there is a danger of a front on collision. I found it interesting, but I honestly feel that the risk of me riding fast straight into something is lower (by a long way) than any risk of a car hitting me. And a car is more likely to hit the side than the front. 

We stopped at lord of the fries on the way home and all 3 children happily ate chips for the last 10 minutes of the ride. 

No photos, my phone ran out of battery. 

Pilen Lyx and Yepp Mini

This is the bike that i posted a photo of yesterday. It has arrived in it's new home and we have all spent time admiring it. T went inside and found his helmet as soon as he saw it and insisted on going up into his seat. I can safely say that he approves of the bike. He spent a good 15 minutes playing with the windmill that Peter had thoughtfully attached to the handlebar. He also practiced ringing the bell and holding onto the adult handlebars.

I intend to ride this bike LOTS over the next few years, and will be updating here with a review after I have had a chance to really get to know her. What follows is just a few impressions of the Yepp seat based on the few test rides T and I were lucky enough to have before we decided to buy.

The seat is attached to the handlebar, with a quick release switch that means that it is extremely easy to remove the seat if you are not going to be taking the baby with you on a ride. There is also a lock so that thieves don't just walk away with the seat, not a major concern in Australia where the seats are not all that common, but useful in the bike-centric environment where these were developed.

I was concerned that T's weight would make steering twitchy, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was definitely noticeable, in that I found I was reluctant to take my hand off the handlebars to signal, but it didn't really change the way the bike rode. I was also concerned that the position of the seat would make it hard for me to ride without bumping my knees. Again, that didn't actually turn out to be a problem. I did turn my legs out just slightly from the position I was riding in without the seat, however the change was natural and didn't cause any issues for me.

The seat has a small handlebar area for the child to hold onto while you ride. T liked to hold it, but also spent much of the time playing with and ringing the bell, and waving his hands in the air. We borrowed the sleep pillow attachment which fits over the handlebars when we tested this set up. I know people like this attachment but it seemed that if we has the seatbelt tight enough T couldn't really lean forward enough to lay his head on it. 

Not a cargo bike

Peter from ps bikes sent this photo of my new bike. It will be delivered tomorrow. Will post more details soon. But in the meantime wwm? 

She needs a name too.  Feel free to post ideas in the comments. 

In the begining

Once upon a time I watched a TV show in which families were challenged to be more green. One of the participants was a mother with 2 small children, and the advisers on the show fitted her out with a strange looking contraption. A cart thing. or maybe a bike? it had a carseat in it for her toddler and a place for her preschooler to sit on a bench. i watched her peddle down to the local shops and thought to myself that this was the craziest idea ever.

Well, it might have been crazy but here we are. I now own one of those crazy machines, and ride it everywhere, full of children and stuff.