Today was the first day of a new routine in our lives. Two weeks ago, our daycare provider told me that she was closing on the 28th. My heart sunk as I started researching new daycares and preschools, I realized that we couldn't afford my job at Practical Cycle anymore. Turns out, we had been paying about 1/4 of what standard places charge and there was no way for us to balance out a regular job with the cost of child care. So, as of yesterday, I'm back to being a stay-at-home mom for the first time in a year. 

On top of this big transition in our lives, Big Brother's new school make for a crazy juggling schedule, Jose's new evening classes mean I'm in charge of all night-time duties four days a week, and my folks left town for the next month and a half so we've got easy access to a car (and a cat) for that time. It all makes for a whirlwind of emotions and activities. However, great change brings about new opportunities and right now, I feel like there are many out there for me. There will be more time for me to plan bike trips, more time for writing, and most importantly, more time to spend with my family. 

While I am really going to miss my Practical Cycle family, I am looking forward to being able to still be a part of the shop in different ways. I've learned so much about bikes and bike shops from these guys, I am so grateful for the experience they've given me this past year. 

I also have some contracted days with the Safe Routes To School program in one of the local school districts and Sacramento Kidical Mass is gearing up to be a regularly scheduled ride each 4th Saturday of the month. 

Finally, bike overnights are coming back into our lives! We're starting up by squeezing one into August so we don't miss another month. This next one is going to be a doozy! Wish us luck! The boys and I head out tomorrow...

Just in case we ever need more cargo space on the Bullitt! 

I was bringing home a warrantied Go-Getter because the one I had got holes in the bottom within the first month of having it. Turns out, you're supposed to either take out the screws or add running boards. I didn't know that and there were no instructions to go with the bag. The awesome thing is that the old one was an older version and this new one is pretty awesome. It looks like they've upgraded and changed some features to make it more functional and sturdier. Now, if only the Baguettes would get to their second run. This first set that I have already needed to be replaced because of torn seams, loose buckles and brackets, and chain rubbing. The good thing is that I have an awesome relationship to my local bike shop and they've helped me get replacements quickly. I just wish I wasn't replacing the same bag over and over again. 

I realized today that the Bullitt box is exactly the size of a shopping cart at Trader Joes. Handy to know. Hopefully we're set for the week, now. 

Speaking of hauling, we ran into our friend, Jarrod, yesterday. Check out his newest upgrades: 

Yesterday was a day of both. After a long week of juggling daycare and school drop offs and pick ups and work, I had a day off to "relax." Big Brother rode to school twice this week and was cargo the other three days because of scheduling and timing issues. Since I was home on Friday, I decided it would be fun to bring his bike to school and let him ride home with me. Then, I scheduled a dentist appointment for him and realized we'd have to ride to my parent's house instead. He's never gone that far on his bike nor has he ridden on those roads. I was nervous and excited and decided that we'd make it work. 

Challenge one: Which bike to use as the delivery bike. The cargo bikes would have been the obvious answer but I didn't want to ride either of them to leave at my parents' house for the dentist. I chose the Mobic instead. I'm not sure if this was genius or insanity but here's what it looked like. 

I actually had to ride holding the Fire Bike's handlebars to keep them from catching my foot. Luckily, it was a really short ride (less than a mile) and no major catastrophes occurred. 

Challenge two: when to ride on the street and when to ride on the road. For the most part, Big Brother is okay at riding in the road next to me. However, as we got to narrower roads with more traffic, I decided he should be on the sidewalk. He loved riding on the sidewalk because he could go faster without me yelling at him to stay away from the parked cars. He was zooming along having a blast while I was in the road having mini heart attacks. 

Challenge three: the ignorant and dangerous SUV driver. Big Brother and I made it to our first big road crossing. Since he still has trouble with quick starts, I had us both on the sidewalk WALKING our bikes across the intersection. I knew it would take us the full amount of time so we waited for a "fresh" green. Our green guy popped up and we started to cross. A woman across from us turning left (it was a green light for her but not an arrow, meaning she had to yield to us and oncoming traffic, of course). She kept turning so I started yelling. She finally stopped (blocking oncoming traffic), rolled down her window and started yelling at me how I'm not supposed to be in a crosswalk with a CHILD and it was her turn to go. It wasn't. I kept yelling that she had to yield and it was our green, too. As soon as there was space, she gunned away behind us as I kept screaming at her. I'm pretty sure my exact words were: "You have to yield, Stupid!" It wasn't one of my finest moments and resulted in a follow-up conversation with Big Brother about why mama got so mad when that woman acted dangerously. 

Finally some bliss: 

Thankfully, it was just another block down to get to a park so we could have our picnic. Big Brother was pretty tired already and we still had about 3 miles to go. We had a wonderful chat and full lunch while I calmed down from the stupid SUV lady encounter. I had to keep reminding myself how rarely things like that happen and it just takes one horrible person to ruin an overall wonderful day. 

There were a few more little meltdowns, from both Big Brother and myself. He got upset that I didn't want him on the sidewalk more than he had to be. "You're NEVER going to let me ride on the sidewalk! Not EVER! It's not FAIR!!!" We had a couple more difficult sections down Alhambra st. where we either walked our bikes or we both rode on the sidewalk together. These are roads that I ride all the time on my own or on the cargo bikes without a second thought. When Big Brother is on his own bike, however, I suddenly realize how inexperienced bikers must feel in that sort of infrastructure. There were even streets with bike lanes that I wouldn't let him ride on. Now I realize who so many people ride on the sidewalk or facing traffic or hugging the gutter or do all those other dangerous things that a more experienced and in-control rider wouldn't consider. I found myself wishing we had more separated paths, something that I had never really cared for; sure they're a nice idea but just LEARN how to ride in traffic, I thought. I was wrong. 

Finally, we made the 3.5 mile journey across town to my parents' house. Big Brother was thrilled and it was wonderful to end the ride with some great shout-outs from people nearby. "Doin' it right, mom!" "Wow! What a big bike and no training wheels!" "Gee, you're really riding that thing!" Big Brother was so proud of himself. "She liked my bike," he would exclaim. At least we saw that the majority of people around were excited to see a kid on a bike riding happily. That one, single, horribly ignorant SUV woman will live in her giant car and drive everywhere, denying her children the joys of biking (and walking in crosswalks, for some reason). What a sad life she must have. 

Today was Big Brother's first day of Transitional Kindergarten. I can't believe how lucky we got when we found his school. It's a Spanish immersion program charter school that is less than a mile away from our house. The kindergarten lottery kept getting larger and larger, without increasing their enrollment. We found out they were starting a transitional kindergarten for 4-5 year olds and since Big Brother wasn't ready for kindergarten yet, I jumped at the chance. He was automatically accepted into the school and, therefore, is set for the next 9 years (so is Little Brother, too!). I am thrilled. 

In perfect Bustamante fashion, we loaded up our bikes this morning: myself on the BionX, Jose and Little Brother on the Bullitt, and Big Brother on his Fire Bike (a Specialized Hot Rod, 16" bike I got at a garage sale for $10--score!!). 

Before I get into how awesome Big Brother's school is and how much he learned today (in the 3.5 hours he was there), I'm going to rant about kids' bike options. 

You may recall that Big Brother had been rocking the Cupcake Bike previously. That was a 12" Performance bike that we were borrowing from a friend because the Fire Bike was too big for him. It was the perfect bike for him to learn on because it was small enough for him to control. It was awesome to see him move from the Strider to a pedal bike so quickly. Now that he's been growing a bit and getting more comfortable with riding, we wanted to test him out on the Fire Bike. Big Brother was a bit nervous at first because he could only put the tips of his toes on the ground but after a few rides, he was fine with it and very excited to be on his "big boy bike." 

However, now that I've been watching him ride, I'm noticing that this bike doesn't fit him any better. In fact, I think the Cupcake Bike might still be a better fit (even though it's about 15 lbs heavier and smaller). The Fire Bike may have bigger wheels but the frame geometry is ridiculous. The handlebars come up really high so they're either pinned against his chest or they're like ape-hangers. There is no way to adjust the handlebars so that he has secure control of his bike. The other big issue is that the crankarms for his Fire Bike are the exact same as the Cupcake Bike. This means that even though he is on tiptoe when he's stopped, he still can't get a full leg extension when he's riding. His knees are just as cramped as ever. 

Of course, none of this bothers Big Brother. He just cares that his bike is awesome and he's riding it like Mark Cavendish. I know that he's going to grow through bikes like crazy and it's a toss-up between getting something that's functional and not breaking the bank every year or two. I would be happy to invest in a light, easy to control kids' bike that he'll feel comfortable riding. Looking into Isla Bikes just might be the perfect answer. They have a wide array of sizes and some great looking bikes. Even their balance bike has a hand brake! I think I'm in love. 

As per Isla Bikes website:

Definitely something I'm going to be looking into. Look at these faces, how could I not want the best for them? Also, I hear that Isla Bikes also has a trade-up program. These guys know their market--us--serious biking families who can see quality as value! 

After dropping the big guy off at school, I rode to Practical Cycle for work while the remaining boy stayed home with Jose because he had a cough. I was so glad to have had the BionX today as riding home in this hot, muggy weather was no fun. Although, coming home to hear Big Brother recite Oso, Oso, Que Ves Ahi was the best ending to the day. He's been really hesitant about embracing Spanish and after one half-day at school, he's beaming and showing off his new language skills! (BTW, did you know that kids who walk or ride to school perform better?) 

Traveling by bike is always more fun.

Yesterday was pretty exciting with our Kidical Mass ride success! Today was more nerve-wracking as it was my first attempt at public speaking in a conference setting. I felt so "official" with my SPEAKER ribbon and getting to hang out with the real advocacy and program leaders like Jessica Roberts and Shane MacRhodes. Our panel was called Family Bicycling: Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders. 

I was really excited to be a part of this great group and after the breakout sessions I attended yesterday, I was feeling pretty okay about the whole thing. I even had powerpoint slides to help my along. If all else failed, pictures of my adorable kids would help distract them from my blabbering. I tried doing a run-through with my mom and bumbled the entire thing so I decided to take some notes with me.

After listening to Shane and Peter talk about their successful Kidical Mass and Bike Fest programs, I got up and talked about our own family journey to car-freedom. There was only one guy in the audience who was obviously flabbergasted about the idea of NOT having a car (although he also treated the presentations as his own personal conversation). It was great to have some friendly and familiar faces in the crowd, too. Afterwards, a couple from Arcata asked to take a photo of me with my website slide behind us so they could post it on their Kidical Mass page. 

Overall, I think it went well. We all had fun topics to talk about and cute pictures of kids on bikes. The conference was a blast. I got to meet so many wonderful people doing incredible things to help the walkability and bikeability of their local communities. One woman, Elizabeth, from Turlock was there on her own to learn about the best ways to implement Safe Routes curriculum and practices. Her family is the only car-free family in their town! Another guy from San Fran was excited to start planning how he could continue being car-free when he and his fiancee start having kids. I had to point him on to Hum Of The City, of course. I hope to be able to continue learning from these folks and sharing our experience. This is the future of transportation, whether you know it or not (you all know it, of course). I feel so lucky to be a part of this greater movement. 

I finally got to spend some real time at the 4th annual Safe Routes To School conference today. I was a bit nervous about leading the Kidical Mass ride with real people in the industry. I always feel like such an impostor. I just ride a bike, I don't make policy changes or anything important. However, finally meeting Shane MacRhodes of Eugene Kidical Mass, helped put me at ease. Having an expert help organize the ride was fantastic. He even brought unique spokecards for everyone! 

I had already ridden my planned route multiple times in the last couple of days and made a few changes here and there. There was heavier traffic than I would normally plan for a Kidical Mass ride but because the conference is at the Sheraton Grand, we didn't have much choice other than Downtown Sacramento. We already had about 30 people signed up for the ride so I knew that we'd be big enough to have a presence on the larger roads which were mostly multi-lane one-way. The areas that didn't have bike lanes still had sharrows and bicycles were pretty common vehicles on these routes. Our riders were almost all adults and the few kids were all riding on their big buddy's bike (in various forms). 

Our route was 13th st. to T st. (which is usually lovely but it was garbage day...), 10th street led us by the Capitol--where the bike lane disappears and is replaced by sharrows. J street was the biggest and busiest road we were on and the bike lane is pretty useless but it was just for a couple of blocks and we were fine. 

We ended up with about 30 riders total, including some locals and a few kidicals. We had a great variety of cargo bikes including my Bullitt, Shane's longtail Bike Friday, Mina's Madsen, Jen's Yuba, a homemade bakfiets, a demo Yuba Lux with Monkey Bars, a couple Boda Bodas, and Grandpa Greg with his grandson on the trail-a-bike (4th grandkid to pedal that ride!). There were also a few "regular" Bike Fridays, a Brompton, and a handful of Practical Cycles's rental fleet that had been donated to the conference this week. 

After a quick informative intro and ride briefing from Shane, we pulled out into traffic. We followed all traffic laws with me as leader and Shane as sweeper. Every so often, I'd hear on the walkie-talkie "hold up ahead" from Shane and we'd pull over where it was safe to allow the rest of the group to catch up. No one gets left behind on a Kidical Mass ride!

It was an easy but thorough 3 miles around downtown. We made one longer stop at the Capitol for a quick photo op and fortune cookie (thanks, Elena!) snack. As we got back to the hotel, some of the riders broke off to the Farmer's Market a few blocks away. The rest of us closed the ride with a visit to POPcycle (I had garden mint chip--amazing! Thanks, dad!). Rachel had pedaled the POPcycle down to peddle her homemade gourmet ice cream pops. Yummy! It was the best way to close out a fun but warm afternoon ride. 

After the ride, I sat in on one of the breakout sessions--Fleets and Geeks--to learn about bike education and bike fleet options. It really helped me get more excited about the breakout session that I get to be a part of tomorrow morning--Family Bicycling: Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders. I'm having a great time absorbing all the expertise from these folks who are very involved in all the planning and implementing of these great programs to get safer streets for all. I am so inspired to bring some of these wonderful ideas into our future Kidical Mass rides. 

I found out about Mobic Bikes last year through a craigslist ad offering a demo folding bike for $350. We were in the market for a basic folding bike. I drove out to their warehouse/office in Fremont and gave it a test ride. I loved how zippily it rode and how simple it was. It supplemented our giant Mundo perfectly. As much as I'd love a Brompton or Bike Friday, those just weren't in our budget. 

I got a message a few weeks ago from Michael Pan, founder of Mobic bikes. He let me know that they have some new models of folding bikes and one of the newer demo bikes was about to go on sale. He offered us a chance to upgrade our Mobic 415 since the seatpost had never been quite long enough for me, even with the longest one they offered. After looking into the new features of the Mobic Life, I jumped at the chance. We have had our Mobic for over a year now and although it's not one of the main bikes that we ride, I'm always really impressed when I hop on it for a spin. We've taken it on some longer rides and have had great use of it as a spare bike for friends (especially ones of smaller stature). 

My dad and I loaded up the 415 and drove out to Fremont to their new headquarters. One ride on the Life and I was sold! The seatpost is longer and beefier, with hash marks for quick adjusting to your preferred seat height. The handlebars are adjustable now, the chainring is larger, the cassette has a wider gear range, and the brakes are stronger. Our folder is going from a great occasional ride to a sturdy everyday bike. The Life even folds easier and tighter than the 415. When folding the 415, you have to use the leg straps to help hold it all together. With the Life, a powerful set of magnets keeps it locked tight and the stem fits in between the wheels for a snug package. The tires are higher pressure and thicker, too. The fenders are now polycarbonate instead of aluminium and the wheels are quick-release instead of bolts. There are braze-ons for a bottle cage and a solid rack with bungee included. 

It is just an all-around better deal for the type of riding we like to do, making the Mobic Life an even better bike for our fleet. 

I'm really excited to have our new Mobic around. Jose has already claimed it as his commuter since he lacks space at his job to store a big bike. It's pretty incredible to see all the changes Michael and his company have made since their original model. Michael has been great to work with and has happily answered all my questions. 

As an added bonus, I also got to test out these tube-less tires! They're not for sale, yet, but I am really intrigued  These narrow orange ones are comparable to a high-pressure road tire and there was a fatter (and sparkly yellow!) tire that would feel more like 35psi. They were a smooth ride, much lighter than I had anticipated. They felt like the EVO material that our Yepp seat was made out of (but I'm not sure if it was the same). From what Michael said, they're a pain-in-the-butt to install but once they're on, you never have to worry about changing them until you wear them out. They're also a surprisingly reasonable cost at $25-45, depending on your bike's rims. This could be pretty life changing for many bike commuters as you'd never have to worry about getting to work late or dirtying up your fancy duds due to changing a flat. 

I always think that my life will calm down, once whatever it is that's making me crazy ends. Then I realize I've always got something crazy following closely behind. Yesterday, my last exchange students boarded their plane home. I was looking forward to doing nothing but sleeping today since my boys were having a slumber party at 'Nama's, but of course, something came up. I have a few more days of cleaning, organizing, and wrapping up and then I'll be ready to jump into my next event--the Safe Routes to School conference next week. I get to help lead a Kidical Mass ride on Wednesday with Shane from Eugene and am joining in a breakout session on Thursday morning entitled Family Bicycling: Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders. The following week, I go back to Practical Cycle for more days than before. Truthfully, I can't wait to check out what they've done over the last month! I keep seeing all their great posts about new bikes they're carrying and demo-ing--Strider Bikes, Xtracycle conversions and Edgerunners, and the Boda Boda Lux! 

I feel like this is the perfect time for new beginnings and changes for my career and life. Since I've barely (relative to me, of course) been biking this past month, I feel like I have to crawl my way back to my previous riding. It's like starting from scratch. However, when I think of all these fun things I have just around the corner, I am overwhelmed with excitement. I have some great ideas and plans that I might just have the time to get started.