I just logged my final miles on May Is Bike Month and amazingly ended up beating my last year's total of 600 (although not by much). I had pledged 500 for both boys but ended up resetting them to 250 each-- Big Brother still didn't quite make it and Little Brother barely squeaked in. I was doing a lot less riding with both of them, probably because the little one is older and because I now have a few jobs that require me to ditch them every so often. However, I didn't miss a day of riding and I never pushed myself more than I felt like going. Every mile was purposeful transportation and I loved it! This afternoon, when I was feeling particularly crabby, I rode over to my folks' house to pick up Little Brother's Strider. We left it over there a week or more ago and he's been asking for it every day! He runs to the shed and looks around asking "Bike? Mine bike?" 

After picking up the bike, I decided to take the long way home along the American River Parkway. As I was leaving, I could hear car tires screeching in the distance and engines revving like crazy. It was definitely the best decision for my sanity. Along the American River, I had a leisurely trip. I was riding the BionX Breezer but was on pretty low assist because I was almost out of battery. It was enough to negate the headwind and still feel like I was having fun. I ran into a friend at the beginning of the trail, my mom a bit farther down, and my dad a short while after. 

I stopped at Trader Joe's before heading home to pick up a couple of staples. Since the city still hasn't approved their bike rack renovations, I've started pulling my bike straight into the shop and locking it up in front of customer service. I wish I had gotten a photo of my panniers with the Strider sticking out the back and the toilet paper rolls bungeed to the rack. 

In the end, I had a lovely day. I led a bike ride with 10 5th graders around their school, got a bit of work done, played with the kiddos, and had a full bike ride. Can't wait for June--Drive Your Car Month! Let's see how many bike trips I can replace by car! How many miles will you pledge? 

By the way, the ElMundo BionX is here! Practical Cycle is hosting the launch party on June 9th from 12pm-6pm. We'll have free test rides, a free raffle, and yummy snacks! Stop by and say hi and see how this bike just might change your life! 

More cargo biking fun!

On Friday, we drove down to Stockton to have an awesome day with our besties. Totally worth driving! The boys were asleep within a few minutes of driving home and stayed asleep for the rest of the night. We didn't bike much that day but it was fun and full nonetheless. 

We made up for all the driving on Saturday when we first stopped at our neighborhood farmers' market then got ready to go camping in our friend's backyard across town. I chose the Mundo because I needed to carry more bulky stuff than the Bullitt can handle and because the roads are pretty crazy for part of the route and the Mundo is often more maneuverable and narrower in tight places.  

Our friends, Jen and her son, joined us on their Mundo. Jen had mapped out an awesome route through the neighborhoods and nearly skipped past all the busy arterials. It was so much nicer than the other times I'd ridden up. We had shade, quiet streets, and great conversations. Riding to go camping is fun but it's even more fun with friends. 

Camping was so much fun! The boys ran around like crazy--it was the best yaya time, ever! 

We rode home this morning, again with our Mundo buddies. It was nice and cool and quiet. The one section on Watt Ave. is horrible, as always but we were soon on the American River Parkway. There's some weird construction about to happen but I don't know what's going on. From what I can tell, there's a good chance that the Watt exit is going to be closed for a long chunk of time. That's going to be pretty annoying for many riders if there's not an easy alternative. If anyone has some info, I'd love to hear it. 

It was a 12 mile ride home. Little Brother had conked out within a mile but woke up midway to join in the big boys' conversations. When we got back, Big Brother actually asked to take a nap. They were asleep in minutes and stayed asleep for three hours. 

I had to get ready for our evening Kidical Mass ride and it was almost impossible for me to wake up from my own cat nap. Luckily, our friends were coming by to ride with us and use the Mundo. That was the push I needed to drag myself up and get a move on. 

Little Brother was the only one who was awake so he was the lucky one to join us. There was no way for me to wake up the big guy so we left him behind with papa. 

There were 20 riders at Kidical Mass! We started with a picnic dinner then a short ride along the parkway and into Old Town. From there, everyone broke into smaller groups to head to their respective homes. 

It was the best way to get reenergized for the coming week. It was an incredibly busy weekend but was so full of friends, biking, and fun that I couldn't think of a better way to spend my free time. 

The very best part of the whole weekend was coming home to my cheery big boy and watching him do this: 

I am so proud of this boy! 

The last 24 hours has been fun.

Yesterday, I convinced my dad to ride out on the Mundo to help with a special photo shoot. He had never ridden the Mundo before and was a bit hesitant but as soon as he got te seat high enough, he wa good to go. Sadly, I didn't get a photo of him on the bike. Next time, though, since he now feels comfortable to ride it. He even offered to take one of the kids on the way back because the boys were getting crazy in the Bullitt.

Speaking of Kidical Mass, the next one is this Sunday at 5pm in Discovery Park by the archery field. Bring a picnic dinner and then join us for a short ride on the American River Parkway.

I'm excited to see Jen's new bike and catch up with our bikey friends whom we haven seen for too long! Hopefully, we'll get a chance to meet some new folks, too.

We did make it home from the Ryde in one piece, thankfully! The trip home was pretty similar to the way there. It was slightly less terrible though, probably because there was slightly less traffic than Saturday and we had just had a lovely night's sleep without having been woken up by children at 6am. Still, it wasn't much fun. We had a strong headwind and the same speedy drivers. I didn't get honked at until we got closer to town, though. That was nice. I always wonder why drivers have enough time to lay out on their horns but not so much thought given to tapping their brakes. It takes about the same amount of energy. 

Still, even a bad bike ride is still a bike ride. The experience might not have been what I had expected but it was an adventure and some great time together with my hubby. I look forward to trying out some of the alternate routes that have been suggested to avoid the 160 traffic and maybe trying it again on a weekday when the roads aren't full of wine-soaked drivers. 

It has been nonstop action since we got back, too. I managed to make it to work at Practical Cycle (which was perfect timing because our BionX Breezer's front wheel had gone wonky and needed attention) after our trip and squeeze in some more biking classes through the Safe Routes To School programs in both Natomas and Citrus Heights. I'm pretty brain-fried at the moment. 

Some exciting news--Jose's mastered the Bullitt! He had to lower the seat to make himself more comfortable but he felt good enough to take the kids to daycare for the first time! And, he didn't crash! 

It was really cool to see the kids in the Bullitt from another angle other than behind them. They are just too flippin' cute! 

Today was a great example of why we need two kid-toting bikes. Jose took Big Brother to a Giant's game by riding the Mundo to the train and I dropped the little monster off with my mom so I could drive to the biking class in Citrus Heights with Dan Allison. The irony isn't lost on me that I drive to a class to teach kids to use bikes as transportation. It's kind of like flying around the world in jets to warn about the dangers of global climate change. 

However, I did get to put some of my new bike mechanic skills to the test--adjusting derailleurs and brakes, tightening stuff, and just looking cool while playing with the program's new Bike Friday student bikes. These aren't the typical Bike Friday folders but are incredibly adjustable to fit a huge range of people--from third graders up to real adult-like people. They were sent over without much quality control and have too many variations and a few problems. We weren't able to fix everything but that's what a real mechanic and warranty service is for. 

The most ridiculous comment of the day came from a teacher who walked over to see what we were doing. "Teaching biking? Really? Isn't that what parents are supposed to do? First it was tooth-brushing, now it's biking! Are we going to be forced to pay for bikes for kids, now?" As if there are better things for our taxes than buying kids bikes. Dan pointed out (to me, not to her, sadly) that one single freeway onramp could pay for a new bike for every single child in the district. 

It's always pretty horrible driving around in a car but it's even worse driving around in the suburbs! There are so many lanes of traffic, confusing signs, nonexistent speed limits, and really depressing pedestrian/bike infrastructure. It's easy to see why people who live in these areas "need" a car. The less I drive, the less I take driving for granted. Today, I watched a man tie his necktie with both hands while driving past a school in the morning. Ben Marans said on Twitter this morning: "It pains me to see so many ppl behind the wheel who treat driving as a secondary activity to eating, make-up, texting, reading, etc."

So to make up for it, here is a photo of how awesomely cute you could be while waiting for public transportation:

And then, because you're not exhausted from driving, you'll look like this: 

Doesn't that look like more fun? 

For our anniversary/birthday weekend, Jose and I decided to ride down the Delta to the Ryde Hotel--an old speakeasy from the thirties. We had gone for their famous Sunday buffet brunch about 6 or 7 years ago on Christmas. We had ridden down that morning to meet my parents, who had been staying there for the past few days. We gorged, napped, then ride back. It was awesome and we were looking forward to a repeat.

Sadly, it wasn't to be. We dumped...I mean, dropped...the kiddos off with my folks and started our ride around 11am. The route through south Sacrameto was trafficy but doable. However, once we got onto the levee roads, we lost any whisper of a shoulder and the speed limit was posted at 50 mph! The narrow, curvy roads were dotted with white crosses the entire way. It was exhausting! I tried taking the lane, I tried riding the shoulder, nothing helped slow these drivers down. There were only a couple of drivers who passed too close and/or honked, one giant truck belched black smoke on purpose as he sped by. It was enough to wear me down and lose faith in all of humanity.

We had planned to camp at Brannan Island, about 45 miles south, and had packed up our gear in the Mundo. The other bike we took was Oscar, my light touring bike. It was funny to switch bikes because of the contrast between them. At a stoplight, Jose on the Mundo slammed on his brakes because of a short red light. I had just picked up speed on Oscar and smashed into the back of the Mundo. He barely moved while Oscar almost flew over my head. I was lucky to have gotten my feet on the ground before the bike stopped moving. It made for some very shocked drivers in the nearby lanes. We switched bikes back and forth--the biggest bonus for marrying Jose who rides the same size bike.

Anyway, after 37 miles of riding rough roads in heavy traffic, we reached the Ryde and decided to call it a day. We were able to park the bikes inside which was nice. One of the staff saw us arriving all sweaty and weary and mentioned that they had a swimming pool. I was so excited until I saw that the pool was a foamy green color and closed.

We thought about backtracking to Walnut Creek, 3 miles, to have dinner but the thought of getting back on the road in even heavier traffic convinced us to stay at the hotel for an over-priced, less delicious meal. At least the drinks were strong.

We seem to be hard on bikes. Probably because we use them constantly. We usually ride at least 2 bikes each every day. Cargo bikes for errands and kid-duty, electric bike for class and quick stops/commuting, and a range of "others" to supplement. Right now, the Linus is down with a broken spoke and Jose's Easton has been down with a stripped seat collar bolt. 

This morning, I finally had the chance to bring the Easton in to Practical Cycle. I rode the Bullitt to drop off the kids in the morning but found that I couldn't leave the bike at my mom's (where the Easton was hanging out) because I would need it again tomorrow. Towing bikes is pretty easy on the Mundo and I had already accomplished carrying the folding Mobic in the bucket so I decided to give the Bullitt some more bike-on-bike action. 

On the way there: 

It turned out to work out pretty well. I took off the front wheel to make the bike lighter and shorter. Then, I strapped down the frame in a couple of places with some tie-downs and a bungee net for good measure. 

We made it to the shop easily, just having to account for the extra bike hanging out the front and to the right. I needed a wider berth and went over the tracks slowly but the bike held. I did, however, end up with a yucky scratch in the box from the pedal (there was a rag between the chainring that minimized the damage). It really is just a little scratch and it was bound to happen anyway. As John Lucas says "it's a sign of a well-loved and well-used bike."

On the way back, I enlisted Tim's help to switch things up a bit. 

We took the front wheel off again and instead of putting the rest of the bike in the box, we tried to attach it to the frame. At first, I put the fork in the pannier but the bike swayed too much side-to-side. Then, we realized that the dropouts fit perfectly in the rack. It was as if it had been made that way! 

We strapped the bike down to keep the fork from bouncing. It turned out to be incredibly stable and easy to ride! It was my own little trail-a-bike. I got lots of turned heads and thumbs-ups and even chased a roadie down with this giant bike-train. He kept blowing through stoplights so, eventually, I couldn't keep up. 

It's pretty awesome to know how many things we can do with these bikes. People buy bigger cars just to do what I do--carry 2-3 kids, haul around bikes and crazy cargo, go fun places. I just hope to help change people's minds about what a bike can really do with a little imagination and enough tie-downs. 

Saturday: Rode to Davis! I chose the Bullitt so our friend, Randy, could take his kids on the Mundo. The ride there was quick and pretty painless, even going across the causeway. I love this ride. It's not very pretty--lots of urban cycling through West Sacramento, stinky highway, noisy cars, and a recent obstacle of Caltran's takeover for a section of the trail. 

Big Brother got squirrley around mile 18 and since we were on the bike trail, I decided to let him move around. It was rough for all of our bottoms and I didn't want him to be too uncomfortable. Little Brother loved cuddling with his big brother. 

When we reached the Farmers' Market, we were greeted by Chris and Jon from Cool Davis with strawberries, pastries, and ice cold water! We even got new tee shirts! It was awesome! 

Plenty of delicious food, fresh fruits and veggies, and playground time followed and created some very exhausted children. It was getting really warm by afternoon--93 degrees. My boys were cozy in the Bullitt and Randy's son quickly passed out in the Peanut Shell. However, his daughter was sitting at the stoker bars and started looking pretty tired. She was resting her head on Randy's back and starting to doze when we decided that we needed to move her into a secure seat--the Bullitt. 

Yep, we had three kiddos in the Bullitt bucket. Little Brother was not happy to have been woken up but after some very loud singing and distractions, he realized that we were the party bike. Fifteen miles with a 120 pound cargo and a slight headwind. It was a good thing they were so cute or I might not have made it. The kids were quite squished but had fun. Everyone was really tired and uncomfortable.  

We made one last stop about 2 miles from home. The little ones were worn out and we didn't want to leave them with grumpy memories about our long adventure. So, we stopped at Suzy Burger for dipped ice creams. That revived everyone to last all the way to home where the sprinklers were waiting. 

Sunday: CycloFemme! Last year's CycloFemme wasn't quite what I was envisioning so this year, I enlisted the help of some awesome ladies. We planned a route that had two sections. The first was a bit easier and the second was more challenging but ended at the Sunflower Drive-In in Fair Oaks--13.1 miles total, each direction. We started with 28 riders, coffee, Doughbot Doughnuts (thank you!!!), and lots of bikes. 

There were some new-to-riding folks, some new-to-the-area folks, little ones on their own bikes, little ones on their parent's bike, and everyone was ready to ride! It was so wonderful to meet such great new friends and catch up with old friends. Everyone cruised at their own pace, ranging from speedy to strolling, whatever was comfortable and fun. 

Our second stop was at William B. Pond. We lost a couple of riders, one due to a bee sting and another to a little bike crash (she's okay). The little ones on their own bikes headed back to meet back up in Fair Oaks while their mama giddily zipped back and forth along the bike trail, kid-free. There were cookies (made by my own mama!), fresh fruits (thanks, Randy, for hitting up the Farmers' Market before the ride!), and more coffee (I was begging folks to drink it up. Next year, we go with cold mimosas!). 

The next 7.9 miles had more rolling hills but we pushed on happily, again at differing comfortable speeds. The last half-mile of pure uphill made the ride even more satisfying and the Sunflower Drive-In even more delicious. 

The way home was a lot harder for me. It was hot again--95 degrees today and even though the ride had more downhill in this direction, we had a headwind again and long stretches of tree-less path. I think the two rides in a row got to me, too. My legs felt like goo. I made it back home in our little break-away group of Jen (kid-free now!), my sister-in-law Eliana, and our new bikey friend Mary. 

I am so grateful to be a part of this great biking community and to be constantly meeting new folks who are already in or just joining the biking fun. I'm already looking forward to start planning CycloFemme 2014 and bringing more people into it so Sacramento CycloFemme can continue to grow and evolve into something huge! 

Davis ride tomorrow! We're leaving from Grant Park (22nd and C st) at 8:30am--sharp! The Cool Davis team is going to meet us there with refreshments and t-shirts. Then, we'll hit the Farmers Market for goodies. If you want to stay longer, Whole Earth Festival is also happening. 

Sunday is Cyclofemme! For more info: www.facebook.com/events/465273203563939/ It's the perfect way to spend Mother's Day! 

May's Kidical Mass ride is on May 26th at 5pm. We'll meet at Discovery Park near the archery field for a BYO picnic followed by a family-friendly loop on the American River Parkway. 

I took the boys out to REI this evening to get some sunglasses to prepare for the rides this weekend. I want to figure our a way to create some shade for the Bullitt and am totally up for some suggestions. I don't have the rain cover and would prefer to not spend $300 until the bike is at least paid off (in about 2 months...way better than a car!). I would also prefer not to drill into the box too much, it's still so new. Although, Little Brother did spill half a cup of icee in it when we stopped to chat with friends at a little league game. 

It's been crazy around here. One child down with a stomach bug, monsoon rain (for 20 minutes), 90 degree heat, May Is Bike Month, next child down with stomach bug, bike shop work, exchange student work, blogging, CycloFemme! I feel like we're bouncing all over the place. 

The weather cooled down for a couple of days and I was excited to get the kids into their cute rain clothes and not feel like I was constantly sweating. For a minute, I almost wished I had gotten the rain cover but then realized that it'll be a thousand degrees in about a week and we didn't need the Bullitt turning into a greenhouse. 

Of course, a few minutes later, it was hot again. 

Yesterday, we were hanging out at the park and I thought about Dorie's secret third seat on the Bullitt. I thought Big Brother was a year or two away from having long enough legs. Turns out, we've got a brand-new seat! 

Then, just for fun, I thought I'd take a rest while the boys played at the park. 

It's a snug fit and I'm not sure if I'd try it for transport, yet. Especially since I'm the only one I trust to ride the bike at the moment. 

We stopped by my parents' house to show them our new discovery but to my surprise, they didn't even seem surprised. They must be used to my crazy bike-antics and just assumed this was totally normal. 

Today, Big Brother woke up with a sore tummy. I was worried since Little Brother has been sick (although he seems totally normal everywhere except his diaper). Big Brother doesn't wear diapers and I was nervous about going out but we gave it a go anyway. First to Doughbots (where he didn't touch his doughnut...) and then to Bike Fest. 

Of course, they mostly seemed fine but the crowd and the heat wore on both of them quickly. 

However, we got to visit with lots of our friends and check out fun bikey things. Big Brother threw up his ice cream (part of the Bike Fest freebies) in the grass so he spent the rest of the time (a half hour or so) sitting in the shade while we waited to hear the raffle winners (bummer, not us this year. THERE WAS A BROMPTON UP FOR GRABS!!!). 

Little Brother was asleep before we even packed up to leave and we rode home with a giant bouquet of balloons. 

I had to do a few more errands this evening and I actually used my mom's car for part of it because it was at our house and I needed to bring some of my bikes back from their house. It worked out well but I ended up having three very close calls while driving. I realize that the biggest factor in crashes is speed. I was really grateful that I was going so slowly when one car backed out of a parking space in front of me without looking and another turned left into my lane mere feet from my bumper. This graph stays in my mind constantly, especially when I'm driving. I really think cars should be limited to 20mph in populated areas, max. 

Out of the four bikes at my parents' house, the Mobic, the Linus, the Motiv, and Oscar (check Our Fleet), I chose to bring home Linus. Halfway home, I heard a "ping" and thought--I wonder if I just broke a spoke?

My first spoke, ever. I love my Linus but these wheels are crappy. 

I spent the rest of the evening installing new bar-end mirrors to the Bullitt and Mundo, fixing and replacing some bells, and putting an older mirror on the currently-defunct Linus. That's about the extent of my mechanic skills--if it requires more than an allen key, I'm usually out of luck. 

Although, Tim did let me put together this pretty Boda Boda for the shop! I learned about truing wheels, adjusting brakes, screwing on pedals, and fun stuff like that. It may not be huge repairs and I did need quite a bit of guidance  but it's given me a better understanding about how bikes work. I love working at Practical Cycle! 

Dropped off Big Brother at daycare then rode over to the dr. with Little Brother. Seems like he's got a stomach bug that's been going around. We took the Mundo because Jose came along to stay home with the boy so I could go to work. He rode the electric bike but realized the BionX rack was missing a bolt. Good thing I'm taking it in to Practical anyway. Sad thing is that Jose's Motiv is also down because the seatpost bolt is stripped and too loose. Good thing these are bikes and all their repairs are so inexpensive! I can't imagine having to keep up a car (*bumper* =$1000).

Of course, my Bullitt had to be left behind. For the first time, it actually felt fine to swap to a "normal" bike from the longjohn, even though I've ridden it exclusively for about a week. No more noodle arms! Jose still needs some practice with the Bullitt.