Yesterday was a biking bummer for my hubby, Jose. He was on his way to work, riding up one of the few hills (slopes) in Sacramento, standing on the pedals, when the chain fell off. Down he went! He managed to get back up, ride the rest of the way to work, then ride back home because he was too sore.

He has a graze on his cheek and forehead, sore ribs, and a now-clicking bike. The part that amazes me the most is the scrape on his helmet and the indentation in the foam. Obviously, he's getting a new helmet immediately. He doesn't remember hitting his head but he must have. All I can think of is: at least the bruise is on the helmet and not his brain.

My husband only wears a helmet because we make him but he was sure happy to have it on for the fall. Of course helmets aren't magic and won't save you from very serious injury or even death in a collision, but it can't hurt to wear one and they may help to minimize the damage.

This accident sucks but it was nobody's fault and really couldn't have been avoided. Life bangs you up sometimes--whether in a car, on a bike, or falling down some stairs. You can't protect yourself from everything.

Does this scare me about riding my bike with the kids? Yes. But so does feeding them popcorn, putting them in a bathtub, or laying them down to sleep at night. Life is scary and dangerous but statistically speaking, biking is still significantly safer than driving a car or getting heart disease from inactivity. Choosing to bike with my children is choosing a healthier lifestyle for us all and the planet. That trumps all my fears.

This morning, Jose rode in on the BionX to have a bit of a break. .

Big Brother asked me this morning "are we taking the bike today?" I said "Nah, I think we'll drive. Ok?" "No, I want the Mundo." From the mouth of babes. It's his choice to ride, too.

A beautiful but warm Fall day for our October ride this afternoon. We met at Grant Park in Midtown, a nicely centralized location for many families. Kate rode over in her super cool Pirate Ship Mundo while I had finally given up on trying to decorate my bike. The boys were cute cowboys at least.

The kids loved running around and playing in the playground. They loved the pinata that Kate made even more! After they were all properly hopped up on sugar, we loaded up the bikes and took our parade around the neighborhood.

We ended up blasting up the one hill in Sacramento to get to Sutter's Landing where they were holding a fundraiser to rebuild McKinley Park. The playground was destroyed by a fire a few months ago. SABA had their bike valet booth all ready for us. They actually haul the entire setup with their Bikes At Work trailer! There were local bands rocking out and food trucks galore! Yum!

My boys were properly exhausted after all the excitement and garlic sweet potato fries. I love meeting up for our regular rides and catching up with/meeting so many great biking families! We can learn so much from each other while supporting family cycling safely.

Join us next month!

I see this truck almost every day on my way to work. A billboard truck driving around the Midtown neighborhoods. What a waste of everything. I hate these things almost as much as leaf blowers. Actually, I probably hate them both equally. 

One thing that I love, Kristi's Boda Boda turned Boata Boata. 

I had the best idea for a bike costume--a covered wagon. It was going to be pretty awesome, horse up front, wagon in the back made out of cardboard. Sadly, it turns out that I'm pretty terrible at cutting up cardboard and making it into something awesome. It took me all night to rig up, it was shaky to begin with but then Jose pointed out that it wasn't going to fit through the door. That was a bummer. I was also riding to Carmichael the next day and didn't really want a wagon dragging us down for 13 miles. 

So, I took it down by cutting off the half-roll of duct tape holding it together. Dang. 

We ended up with just the horse and our flannel. Maybe it kind of looks like a covered wagon train. I'm always much better with my imagination than I am for the actual execution of my imagination. 

Our Mundo-mama friend, Jen, and I rode over to our Mommy Group Halloween party. Most of the ride was along the American River Parkway. The last 4-5 miles was zig-zagging through Carmichael. This was a new route for both of us but it worked out quite well. Most of the roads had bike lanes and/or minimal traffic. The last few miles were uphill but that's always a nice change from the flat, flat, flat of Sacramento. We had to take a few breaks to keep the babies happy and keep on the right route. 

When we got to the party, I finally realized why I wasn't feeling as in shape as usual--the horse was pushing down on my brake cable and causing me to ride with an engaged rear brake. I wanted my BionX Breezer more than anything during that ride! Dang. 

The ride home was much easier! Mostly downhill and no brakes. Although, literally, I didn't have much brake left. I think I wore down the brake pad by riding on it for 13 miles. Dang. 

So, we missed a few of our fun events this weekend--the new Critical Mass and the Fall Ride. It was disappointing but something to get used to--moderation. 

Tomorrow is going to be the best, however, with October's Kidical Mass! Be there, Grant Park (22nd and C st. in Sacramento) at 1 pm. We're going to have some Halloween-y fun (with decorated bikes, I hope!) and at 2pm, we're riding over to Sutter's Landing (1-1.5 miles, depending on route) for the Rebuild McKinley Park event. There's going to be fun, food trucks, music, and beer. Something for everyone and it all goes to benefit a great cause. 

So, we have the opportunity to add to our fleet (yes, again). We're not spending as much these days without the car to weigh us down so we have to make up for it somehow (spending it at my local, favorite bike shop sounds good). One option: Practical Cycle has a used rental Breezer Uptown, step-through frame WITH BIONX!!! It is a 36v, long-range battery with new warranty. The bike just happens to be my size, too. Kismet? Yes. Another option: buy another cargo bike. Jose would love, love, love a black Mundo. We already know that bike works for our family and it'd be great to cut out the trailer trading we have to do right now for kid pick-ups. However, we do have a cargo trike in mind to help my mom do more kid-runs, made by our favorite local cargo truck maker--John Lucas. 

I took the Breezer home today (perk of knowing the owner) and let the BionX rip. I cruised home at about 17mph. It was pretty amazing to get home so quickly and not be tired. It was still light enough to get Jose on the bike. He's original attitude was "I don't need electric. It's not necessary. I like pedaling. Etc. Etc." My thoughts are: There are going to be days that we are sick/tired/not able to ride as fast or as far as we need to. We might need to get somewhere looking like we didn't just bike there. Jose wouldn't budge. 

I heard him ride off down the driveway. "Woooooah!"

I knew he was sold. 

Sure enough, he came back about 15 minutes later and said "I'm sold."

The next thing to ensure is that we would actually be able to get the trailer attached to the bike. Chariot trailers use a skewer hitch. A BionX hub doesn't work that way. If we can get the ball socket onto the axle, we're good. If it can't carry the trailer, that doesn't help us much. 

Jose's already asked if he can take the bike with him to work tomorrow morning. Tim, I don't think you're getting it back. We might have to start cleaning out our shed now, too. 

We made it through our first rainy day! Luckily, we had a fair amount of warning thanks to the magic of the Internet. Unfortunately, the gear that I ordered from Campmor isn't set to arrive until Wednesday. Big Brother wore his fleece lined jeans, a warm shirt, his rain jacket, mittens. He's usually the one who complains the most about the cold so I wanted to make sure he was bundled well. He also chose to ride in the Peanut Shell this morning and take advantage of the Kelty cover and not having to hold onto the bar. 

Little Brother had on a thermal shirt, a fleece shirt, his "rain" jacket (too small we learned), lightly lined pants (also not really warm enough). They both had double socks and rain boots. Little Brother didn't have gloves (those are in the shipment for Wednesday). He sat up front in the Mini Yepp (with a little distracting with the mirror and music). The windshield was fantastic for the little one. They both stayed pretty dry but really happy. Neither complained. In fact, they were both more pleasant than usual because they were so interested in the rain. 

It was a wet morning but cleared up in the afternoon. Everyone always seems to freak out about the rain forecast, forgetting that it rarely rains all day. As long as you're properly outfitted, it's pretty easy to stay comfortable. Even though we weren't totally prepared, we managed. As long as the boys stay happy, we can keep going. 

I wore my Keen boots, not totally waterproof but super cool. I put tights under my jeans under my rain pants (that's a piece of duct tape from a camping accident). My work t-shirt was under my fleece under my mom's rain jacket. She might not get that back because it matches my helmet perfectly and my 10-year-old jacket seems to not be as waterproof as it used to. I also wore wool socks and my weatherproof gloves (got those at a Performance clearance a long time ago, they're not totally weatherproof). It didn't actually rain on the way home but it was chilly.

I'm learning a ton from my twitter friends in Portland and other cities who actually need to deal with real rain. I'm looking forward to more rain, this is actually my favorite season to ride. The boys are going to love their new snow suits and maybe we'll even actually get to the snow this year since we'll already be kitted out. 

After work on Friday, Jose brought the kids over to meet me at the Amtrak station so Big Brother and I could ride the bus to Stockton. Turns out, it's a good idea to buy your bus ticket early. When I got to the ticket counter, the attendent told me that it would cost $39 for the two of us! I was shocked because it had said the tickets would cost $19.50 total. He told me that because the bus was almost full, they had to charge more. So ridiculous, they're all the same seats! I complained and said that I hadn't been able to buy the ticket online and he relented and charged me $19. Turns out that they also have to charge you for a train portion because Greyhound sued them awhile back for selling bus tickets. Definitely learned new things about riding with Amtrak. 

We had a fantastic ride! The bus was on time, there was plenty of space under the bus to stow our bike (it was even easier because I had the folder). An hour ride, checking out the scenery and cuddling with my big guy. You can't do that while driving. It was fun to listen to people's conversations with strangers. I didn't have to worry about paying attention to the road or deal with traffic, it was so relaxing. 

We were met at the Stockton Amtrak station by our friends and began our wonderful weekend. 

While looking up tickets for our ride back from Stockton on Sunday, the tickets from the Stockton ACE station had better timing. To my surprise, I was able to buy the tickets from my Amtrak app so I realized they must be for a train ride. Even better and still only $19.50 for the two of us! 

We arrived a little early so my friend picked up some pan dulce from a local shop. A brilliant idea to fill my kiddo full of sugar to prepare for the ride. 

The ACE (Altamont Commuter Express) train is a commuter train that runs between Stockton and San Jose. I assume that the one between Stockton and Sacramento is also considered a commuter train because it has bike space. This is fantastic! Last time we rode Amtrak with bikes up to Eugene, we had to box them. It wasn't as bad as boxing them for airlines but extra work nonetheless and you either have to bring your own box or buy one of theirs. 

However, bringing a cargo bike still isn't allowed on any Amtrak, creating a major hassle for families whose main form of transportation is by cargo bike. Amtrak's excuse is that the bikes won't fit in the (possibly) provided space but they don't want to take responsibility for putting them in a cargo car. A very frustrating experience for many. 

Free wifi on the train was nice, for sure. 

Getting off the train was a bit of a balancing act because we had so much baggage with us (having received two shopping bags full of my friend's son's hand-me-downs (yay!). They were also doing construction at the station so we had to navigate through a maze of corridors to actually get to the station. I was able to use the Mobic as a luggage cart and manage the giant bag while keeping Big Brother close. 

My original plan was to have Jose bungee the trailer to the back of the Mundo to get the extra bag home but I realized that as long as Little Brother sat up front and Big Brother sat in the Peanut Shell, there would still be room to pile on the bags. 

Some gear went into the panniers and the giant Ikea bag bungeed onto the soft spot securely. If we didn't have that bag, we could have all ridden home on the Mundo together. One of these days, we're going to have to try that. Instead, I took the minivan and Jose rode the Mobic. 

It is great to know that we're still able to go fun places without a lot of work and not have to worry about driving. We'll try to take the ACE train from now on, especially since it's more convenient for my friends in Stockton. If we could get our Mundo on the train, that would open even more opportunities for travel and adventure. For now, join the conversation and let's get better fluidity between public transportation and biking. 

A week of car-free bliss and nothing has changed. I can honestly say that there were no trips this work-week that I would have taken by car. Jose usually drove in for his early morning shifts on Thursdays and Fridays but he managed without complaint.

The weather is changing next week and we're in for some cold and chance of rain. The boys' warm gear doesn't arrive until Wednesday, too much procrastination on my part. We'll make do with what we have and layer up. Looking forward to some challenges though!

On my way to Stockton with Big Brother tonight for the weekend and we are really excited about our Amtrak bus ride! A fun weekend awaits--this time with WAY less driving, thank goodness!

Jose and I have always loved biking. We bonded over bike rides, long and short. He used his bike as transportation and I used mine for most of my transportation when we lived in Northern California. We liked to challenge ourselves and each other to see what we could accomplish by bike. We would go on a few overnight rides every once in a while. Our car was an old third- or fourth-hand Toyota Tercel, almost as old as we were. We made conscious choices to ride our bikes instead of drive. It kept us sane and happy. We always say that our couples therapy is done by bike. 

By the time I got pregnant, we had a different car, my parents' passed-down Toyota Camry. We were living in Sacramento, chosen because of its proximity to my parents and its comfortable biking system. We dreamed about raising our kid to ride bikes and forgo driving but we hung onto the car because we still had to get around with a baby. 

As the little guy got bigger, I was dying to get back onto my bike regularly. I hated driving, the stress and guilt it brought me. I took to the internet and researched for days. My conclusion was that a trailer was the best option. The main concerns for riding with a baby on a bike, besides the inherent danger of biking (and living), was the amount of vibration a baby would experience and the ability to wear a helmet. At six months, the little guy was holding his head up and sitting perfectly. We talked with our pediatrician who gave us the go ahead to give riding a chance, starting out slowly and riding to his comfort level. 

I chose a Chariot trailer because of the great reviews and suspension, which minimized the vibrations. We found a teeny weeny helmet and started out taking slow, short trips around the neighborhood and American River Parkway. He loved it! Biking became an option again and we'd use the bike-trailer setup to do some errands and fun trips. We even managed to do a 600-mile bike tour around Oregon when our little one was 11 months old. We felt pretty good about our transportation even though we were still using the car for most of our trips. Many of our destinations didn't feel bikeable, especially with a baby, and the trailer setup took time and effort to use. 

Then we had another little guy. Biking became even more difficult because I was home with two kids and we didn't have an option to take the wee one for the first six months. At the same time, our Camry conked out and we made the decision to lease a Toyota Prius for three years. In three years, we decided, we'd have more options to get around and wouldn't need a car. The car payments and insurance became a huge chunk of our monthly bills, over $450. It was rough but we thought that was what we "needed." Again, I felt horrible about driving but justified it by saying "I have kids, what else can I do?"

When Little Brother turned six months old, we found a double Chariot on Craigslist and began riding again. It got easier and easier the more we rode. Our car began to go longer and longer without being moved. We were slowly replacing more and more trips by bike, even with the babies. The idea of going car-free started to look more doable. Jose and I often discussed what it would be like to live without a car and how fantastic we would feel without that burden parked out front. 

I started doing more research and began looking at cargo bikes. The one that really caught my eye was the Xtracycle. It seemed reasonably priced, easy enough to put together on a regular bike, and could haul two kids. Jose and I had seen them a lot up in Northern California. One day we were all out riding along the parkway when an Xtracycle breezed by us. Once again, we started drooling. Jose (who was pulling the trailer) said "go catch him and ask where he got it." Off I went, pedaling and pedaling, not able to catch up. I was confused (and very competitive) so I kept going. This guy was barely working and I was dying! Finally, I was within a few feet, still not able to catch up, but yelled out "where'd you get your bike?" Kindly, this guy turned off his pedal assist(!) and said he'd built it himself, he owns a bike shop in Old Town and we should come by to check it out, Practical Cycle. That was Tim. 

A few hours later, we did. He showed us the parts needed to build an Xtracycle, discussed our options with the bikes we already used; it was a lot more complicated than I had thought. I tested out his amazing rig, complete with BionX. To my surprise, I didn't really like it. There was a lot of flex and give, I couldn't imagine feeling comfortable putting my babies on it. Tim then sent me out on the Mundo. I was hooked! It felt like riding a regular bike, smooth, comfortable, stable, tank-like. That was it, I had made my decision. 

The price was difficult to swallow but I saw the Mundo as an investment for our future and our ability to go car-free. I made the commitment to use the bike over the car every chance I could. My thinking went from "I'll ride if I can" to "if I can ride, I will." It was a subtle change but exactly what I needed. We were back within the week to claim our bike. 

I still worried about putting my kids ON the bike as opposed to in a trailer, especially after having been very anti-bike seat, pro-trailer. However, I realized I hadn't dropped my bike more than twice in all my years of riding (and even those were because of pretty stupid reasons), so what was the true likelihood of my doing it now. I was back online doing more and more research and reading about amazing families who had gone car-free with the help of these (and other) incredible cargo bikes. 

Little Brother was about 10 months old by then. We decided that a front seat was the best option for him and chose the iBert because of the price. Big Brother got a Peanut Shell in the back. We added the Stand-Alone Kickstand, Deflopilator, deck, and disc brakes. For fun and added comfort, I bought an Acouztic light/mp3 player. The only thing I would have changed from that would have been the disc brakes. They took an incredibly long time to break-in, squealed like a banshee, and didn't really feel like they were worth the cost. 

Other than that, I was very impressed with the components of the Mundo. The gear ratio is perfect for long distances, heavy loads, and hills. The standard pedals were exactly what I would have chosen anyway. I swapped out the stock seat for my favorite Nashbar seat, not because it wasn't comfortable but because I liked my orange one. I used my standard panniers and sometimes added a milk crate for larger loads. 

We did change the iBert pretty quickly. I didn't like the attachment skewer, it was difficult to remove the seat, and interfered with my cables. The Mini Yepp ended up being a 1000 times better, especially after I added the windshield for protection since Little Brother was ending up wind-blown and exhausted from our rides. 

It was so much easier to choose riding the Mundo over the bike-trailer combo. The weight distribution on the Mundo allowed me to ride faster, about 12-14 mph, whereas the trailer slowed me down by about 2-4 mph. The trailer's weight hurt my back when I rode, which was not a problem with the Mundo. I could carry more on the Mundo. It was so much easier to just have one bike to worry about getting out of the shed and locking up. 

As we increased our riding and since summer was coming up, sun (and, to a less extent in Sacramento, rain) protection was needed for both. I put together a great system using Kelty Sun Hoods, a few zip-ties, and holes. Keeping the little ones comfortable meant that we could keep riding happily and regularly. 

After six months of bike riding almost exclusively, and over 2000 miles put on the Mundo, it was still our vehicle of choice. The boys would run to the backdoor without a second thought, asking to ride the bike instead of the car. We gained confidence in roads and destinations that I hadn't thought were "bikeable." We were still caught up in our lease with another year to pay and it was torture. We really didn't need a car at this point. It was easy to get lazy and drive while having the car sitting out front. 

During that time, while we were paying for the car, the insurance, the maintenance, gas, registration, bumper repair, etc (easily $3000), the Mundo had (and still has) only needed a new inner tube and liner, the initial 30-day tune up, the brake cables tightened, and the chain lubed. *UPDATE: We've also gone through the factory grips (they got sticky and I hate sticky grips), moved to blinker light grips which broke when the bike tipped over, so we'll probably be going on our third set in the near future.

The only real changes we've made to the bike have been the seating arrangements. I felt like we were wasting the space behind the Peanut Shell, missing out on the Mundo's ability to carry a larger human (like myself on the rare occasions that I get to be cargo!). At about 3.5 years old, Big Brother took to the Soft Spot and Stoker Bars quicker than we had thought. He felt right at ease holding on, especially once I swapped out the standard handlebars for longer ones. Little Brother now likes to sit in the Peanut Shell and bug his brother but we still have the option to rotate around and buckle in the big guy if he gets tired. 

Having the Peanut Shell in the very back does prevent the Mundo from hauling bikes (something I LOVE about the bike) but I can remove the seat pretty quickly with a socket wrench, it just requires some planning now. With both of the boys on the back, I'm also more limited in my carrying capacity so a Bread Basket might be in my near future, especially since Little Brother has basically chosen to stay in the back and isn't using the Yepp Mini much. 

So finally, we ended up deciding that it was worth taking a hit and getting rid of the Prius early. We settled on selling the car to Carmax and paying the remaining $1000. We mainly ride our bikes but have the option of using my parents' Prius, if necessary, since they also rarely drive. We've found other car-sharing options like Zipcar and private car share programs like Relay Rides. There are so many local resources out there and it's fantastic to have a wonderful community of car-free and car-lite families to support us and lead the way. 

At the beginning of this year, I would have never imagined going car-free so quickly and effortlessly. The community network we've found and the Mundo have made it all possible. I hope that we are able to show others that using cars less often is much easier than they think. We still have conflicts and challenges every so often, like today when the boys are having a difficult day and we had wanted to meet a biking blog friend, Hum Of The City, in Davis. It's close enough to feel annoyed that it's too far to get to conveniently without a car. Even with a car, I still would have had un-napped children, traffic, parking, and driving to deal with--just as frustrating, if not more so. It's not always easier or safer with a car, we're just trained to think it is. 

It's going to take a bit more planning to get around sometimes, we'll be more exposed to the weather, and many people are going to think we're nuts. However, the boys are happier and I like that they are being raised with values that are important to us. I don't want them to think that everyone should have a car and that driving is something to be taken lightly. I want them to understand that they won't melt or get sick in cold weather. I want them to see biking as a valid form of transportation and to know that physical activity should be an everyday part of life. 

It is the right choice for our family to be car-free and I am thrilled to be here. And, with the money we're saving, I finally get to have someone come in and clean my house once a month. Life is grand! 

I realized I dont carry enough weird loads on my Mundo these days. Today, it was an entire Pedego box. Those things come almost fully assembled, they're pretty big. A few tie-downs and help from Tim made for a solid load and easy riding. It was even nice to have a backrest on the trip home.

I need to do this more often!

With me luck with our bikey costume!

We celebrated the loss of our car by driving 400 miles this weekend in my parents' car. Seems a bit like a failure because we have easy access to my parents' car but instead, I see it as the way things should be. Cars do have a place, just not as an everyday necessity.

Because we drove, we were able to go to the Renaissance Faire, something I hadn't done in my adult life, and I got to share it with my family and our friends. On our way back, we made a side trip to Jose's family's house. We hadn't seen them for quite some time and without a car, it's going to be harder to get over there. I don't regret a single mile.

I am, however, incredibly happy that we won't be doing that again anytime soon (all the driving, not all the fun).

I just cancelled our car insurance and took Toyota off our automatic payments. Although we ended up paying more than we should have (registration and late payments, extra insurance month, smashed bumper, etc) these are all hidden costs of owning a car. We can finally move on with our lives and our bank accounts and not have this worry of "what's going to cost us next?"

This weekend, I have another big trip planned to visit a friend in Stockton. I'm not going to even attempt to try to bike it on my own but instead of assuming I need a car, Big Brother and I are going on an Amtrak bus adventure! I might even bring the Mobic for side trips while we're there.

So much fun awaits!