We drove all the way up to PDX to test ride this bike. After about a month of back-and-forth emails with our friend, Kidical Mass co-creator, and Haul-a-Day beta tester/consultant, Shane MacRhodes, I had some pretty high hopes that this bike could help fill the gap in transportation needs--a multimodal cargo bike. Being able to take the train or bus with the children and still have a way to get around when we arrive would be incredible. Our big summer adventure is coming up and there's still the issue of getting to our starting location and getting back home at the end. To take the Mundo on Amtrak would mean totally stripping the bike of everything removable so that it would fit in the generously-sized box AND be under 50 pounds. Also, with the local tours I'm planning for my starting business, my trips don't always start in Sacramento. If I could take the train or light rail to begin the trip, I'd be much happier and not feel like a big fake by driving to the starting point. 

So without further ado, the big reveal: 

And the action shots: 

My thoughts: 

This bike is great! It's light and easy to ride. Unloaded if feels like a standard bike, loaded it's even more stable. The little front wheel takes more attention than I'm used to and it felt a bit wiggly. The ride was an upright, comfortable position but that can be adjusted with the OSATA telescoping tube. The blue bike was closer than I would choose. The standard gears are just an 8-speed cassette and although that would be just fine for Sacramento riding, for longer tours, I'd want a double or triple chainring added. I did notice that riding around the shop and the little hills I encountered were fine to pedal through at the highest two gears, even with my little passenger. It was nice to have a low deck that Little Brother could climb up and down off of but the kickstand wasn't stable enough to allow him to sit unattended. 

The standard build up comes with a rear disc brake but only a front v-brake, I'd probably choose to add a front disc as well. The Bike Friday handlebars were very comfortable for upright riding and I noticed a range of widths so they're probably easily customizable. I like that it includes a flag mount for my usual pinwheel flag. The side bags were on the small side on the midtail whereas the longtail would have the Xtracycle freeloader bags. I think if I were to get the bike, I'd have to get another set of Carsick Design slings to fit. Sadly, the Mundo's would be too long. The midtail deck also fits an Xtracycle deck and all the accessories. It would be interesting to see how it would work because the deck would hang a little over the back of the frame. 

To continue the fantasizing, I would probably need to add their half Hooptie design and a Yepp Maxi for Little Brother. I think that I'd be able to fit the seat directly onto the new Xtracycle deck with the optional cutouts. I'd also want to get the stationary front rack since that's been such a bonus with the Mundo. One of the bikes also had a couple of quick releases mounted near the rear axle that turned out to be a new towing mount. They still haven't done much testing but it's possible that it could be a trail-a-bike option to allow for a second bike and pedaler. If it even just tows a bike easily, that would be great because with the Peanut Shell on the back of the Mundo, it keeps me from easily towing regular-sized bikes or adding a trail-a-bike. One final addition that I might consider would be a trailer hitch since my dad has a couple of Bike Fridays and a suitcase trailer. That would solve my one worry that a midtail would be too little space for our touring. We could add soft, bulky gear in the trailer without feeling cramped on the bike. 

This all leaves me with so many things to consider. The bike would fill a great void in our fleet but I would feel a bit excessive having the two big cargo bikes already. I'm not sure if I'm ready to totally give up the Mundo but I'm happy that it's being used and loved at the moment. One option would be to keep both cargo bikes and add the Haul-a-Day but allow for one or two of the cargo bikes to be rented out for the bike tours or borrowed by visitors and friends. The other option would be to sell the Mundo and add the Haul-a-Day so I don't feel so greedy. The other option, of course, is to not get the midtail at the moment and see how often we miss out on bike riding opportunities because we end up having to drive or leave the bikes then decide if it's something we really need. We'll be heading over to Bike Friday tomorrow on our way back home to follow up and chat about options and pricing, hopefully getting an extra test ride or else how will I fit in a day of riding for 30 Days of Biking? 

What would you do? 

I have a plan! Next summer is going to be the first summer in 5 years that we didn't have anything scheduled so I've now made something up--the Tour De Whine And Chocolate. I promise that it will involved lots and lots of whining and chocolate. 

Bike touring is my passion. I haven't had much experience with it, yet, but I dream of pedaling off one day and seeing where I end up a long time later. So far, I've been able to squeeze in an overnight every so often and the longest trip I've taken was when Big Brother was just 10-months-old, 600 miles around Oregon. I decided that this summer was going to involve dragging my children along on an epic bike journey. While trying to figure out where we were going to go, I started thinking about places I've been wanting to visit and people I've been wanting to see. Since I've been doing a few little trips here and there with the kiddos, I've realized that it really helps to have lots of people to help manage them after a long day of riding. After talking (twittering) with some folks, I think we have a general route set up that involves lots of stops at places we want to hang out and meeting other folks who will hopefully join us for sections along the way. 

The plan: Jose will help us get up to the Eugene-ish area of Oregon. He only has a few days off so he'll probably just ride a little ways and take the train home. We'll head North, just as we did on our trip with Big Brother, stopping in Portland for a few days. Then, we'll be on our way to Seattle to hang out a couple of days and pick up some other mama-bikers (papas are welcome, too!) and heading North again. I'd like to reach Vancouver, just to say we biked to Canada (and also to explore the area and meet some other folks along the way). I have family in Victoria, BC that I'd love to stay with and get a chance to thoroughly indulge in their biking infrastructure. We'll take the ferry back to Seattle and catch Amtrak home. It sounds like we can fit *most* of the Mundo in an Amtrak bike box. We have about two months to do it all. 

My idea is that we'll keep the number of miles fairly low--30-50 per day so that I can still be a functional parent after we've finished riding. On the trip I did with Big Brother to Chico, we learned that it's not a good idea to push ourselves. No one has fun when we're all exhausted. I'd like the boys to have a good time, too, so playgrounds, campsites, and other great off-the-bike activities will be incorporated each day. Having other people to hang out with after riding will be a big help, as well. Our trips staying with warmshowers hosts have been fantastic experiences. 

I'm really excited about planning and training. Since I'll be lugging around two children as well as our gear, I really want to plan efficiently. We have most of the things we'll need already but I'd like to upgrade our sleeping bags for something smaller and lighter. I need to learn how to prepare wholesome meals on the bike so we don't lose steam. The hills will be the hardest, of course, so I need to start working on my strength and stamina. 

If you have any suggestions on route options or gear, please let me know. I'm glad we have quite some time to get ready! I feel that if we can accomplish an epic adventure like this, we'll be able to do anything! 

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? 

Last night, Practical Cycle was thrilled to host Elly Blue, Joe Biel, and Joshua Ploeg on their Dinner and Bikes tour. Joshua provided the amazingly tasty vegan gourmet dinner. Joe showed the very first public screening of his documentary, Aftermass. Elly contributed with reports of her recent trip to the National Bike Summet. They brought their traveling bookstore, too. I got one of Joe's cargo bike shirts--"One Less Truck" and Elly was so lovely to give me a copy of her book, Childhood, that has some of my favorite folks contributing their personal stories (Kath and Sarah!). I loved that the group stays true to their principles and tour around the country using multi-modal transportation--Amtrak and bikes, of course. Most people arrived to the event by bike, as well. I even got a chance to play chauffeur and take Joshua home on the back of the Mundo while Elly and Joe rode their Bromptons. 

It is aways fantastic to meet members of the greater biking community, especially ones who are really getting out to make a change. One of the things that stuck me from Joe's movie was the parallels between how the Dutch got their bike lanes and the struggles that the Critical Mass riders went through before Portland became the true biking city that it is today. Everyone always assumes that the Neatherlands' bikeways were just always a part of their lives. In reality, after WWII, the Neatherlands took a turn towards an auto-centric transportation mode, making it more and more difficult to walk and bike. The number of deaths skyrocketed, especially among children, so people took to the streets in protest. The bike tracks didn't just magically appear for the Dutch, the public realized that the way the cars were taking over was disastrous and deadly so they put a stop to it. You can learn more from this video below. 

Obviously, even Portland has a long way to go before their bike system can be on par with the Neatherlands but at least they are on their way. It is interesting to me that as the narrator begins to describe the bikeways of yesteryear, he is actually describing Sacramento's current state of bike paths--"narrow, of poor surface, dangerous or even absent at junctions, and not connected." 

What really resonated with me was the realization that things don't change unless people take to the streets to demand action. As Gandhi said, "be the change you want to see in the world." I do see our tiny little biking family as part of the greater shift towards a more sustainable system. While we may not be as visible as Critical Mass, we are still making our peaceful waves in the community. (Speaking of Critical Mass, join our family-friendly Kidical Mass ride this Saturday: https://www.facebook.com/events/341588125941208/ We're going to be a part of the Saint Paddy's Day Parade in Old Town!).

A huge thank you to everyone who came out and stayed up past their bedtimes, to Practical Cycle for donating the space, and to the Dinner And Bikes crew for putting on such a great event! If you find them coming to a location near you, go! 

Yesterday was an epic adventure involving four different kinds of transportation--walking, light rail, Amtrak, and cars. It was pretty exhausting and kind of expensive but it was very fun. I'm not sure if I would try this route again but it was certainly a fun day, especially for the boys. We had a lot of time to talk, play, and just look out the windows. Our trip brought us to the Bay Area where we dropped the boys off for the week (yep, that's right, we just dumped our kids for the WEEK!). It was a last-minute decision so we bought Amtrak tickets--$97 for the four of us (Little Brother is free, Big Brother is 50% off) to go to San Jose. At the last minute, Jose decided to check out Zip Car. Turns out, he gets a membership for just $25/year because of his job. For a day trip like this, that would have actually been a cheaper way to go. It didn't work out for us this time but it's great to know that we have another option for next time. We also now know that if we plan our Amtrak trips earlier, we can get companion fare discounts. We are going to sign up for Amtrak Rewards, too. 

The first leg of the trip involved packing up the boys' carseats and putting them in our Chariot trailer/stroller. The carseats took up all the space inside so I carried Little Brother in the Ergo and Jose carried Big Brother on his shoulders. We walked the 1.5 miles to the Light Rail station. 

Next, we got on the Light Rail. Jose gets on free because he's a student, each adult is allowed two children under the age of five, and I had to pay $2.50. The conductor wasn't pleased that we couldn't fold our "stroller" and took up too much space in the train. It's a bit ridiculous to ask parents to unload their children and cargo just to get on the train but it seems like standard practice. Jose had to sit at the front with the trailer so he could move off/on if needed. It was another three miles to the Amtrak station downtown. 

The Amtrak was perfect. We found space in the first car, parked the trailer in the empty bike hanger and sat ourselves at a downstairs table. There, we stayed happy and comfortable and busy. Big Brother got tired and took an hour-long nap. 

Finally, we got picked up by Jose's dad, installed the carseats and drove to their house 10 miles away. Easy! 

The boys were safely deposited with their Grandfolks. Jose and I rested up for a bit then took their "spare" car until Jose goes back to pick up the boys on Friday. 

This would have been a million times easier with a Zipcar or at least without the carseats. The Grandfolks needed the seats while the boys were there. If we had a second set of carseats for the family, we wouldn't to cart these giant things around. I'd love to try this Amtrak trip with the bikes instead to cut down on the Light Rail and need for getting picked up. Too bad Amtrak won't allow cargo bikes onboard, that would be the easiest and most convenient way. 

It is an empowering feeling knowing that we can go through all this as a family. I would hate to think that our lives would grind to a halt just because things got a little more difficult. It was a long day but it was a great adventure! The boys are so much happier when they are given the freedom to move and explore. Those benefits totally outweigh the effort it took to plan and execute this ordeal. I can't wait until our next trip! 

A bummer in the car-free attempt. Although it is convenient to have my parents' car at pretty easy access, sometimes it's still too easy to fall back into familiar patterns, especially when the going gets a bit tougher. We had a birthday party to go to across town, 10 miles or so away. Jose was going to come along and he had never ridden out that way and was understandably nervous. The weather was wet and there is a section of the route that is not fun to ride along. I had done it before and was confident that it was fine but I wanted to make him comfortable and we instead just rode the three miles to my folks' and picked up their car. 

I was immediately bummed. We ended up being late to the party because we took our time getting ready, thinking that we were driving so we'd get there quickly. We would have actually arrived earlier if we had ridden. Then, we got stuck in traffic on the freeway, crawling along as people weaved in and around at dangerous speeds for the weather conditions. I will admit that it was nice to arrive at the party dry and not sweaty but we also arrived tense from driving and not exhilarated from biking. I just kept thinking "I wish we had biked." Especially on the way home, after eating so much yummy party food and seeing the clouds open up to the most beautiful fall day. 

I guess it's a good reminder of why we decided to go car-free. 

Jose did take the car to his parents' house in the Bay Area to celebrate his mom's birthday. It would have cost us $200 to take the whole family on Amtrak and since we haven't quite bounced back from "selling" the car, that wasn't an available option. The boys and I ended up staying home to avoid the cold that was going around their home. 

This morning, we did get a great ride to church with the BionX Breezer-trailer set up. That was amazing! At level 1, the BionX power basically offsets the weight of the BionX system. At level 2, the BionX was comfortably negating the weight of the trailer. At level 3, I was zipping along at 15 mph as if I wasn't weighed down by the human cargo trailing behind. I didn't actually try out level 4 because I decided I was comfortable with 15 mph as my max with the trailer, especially on city streets. It also drained the battery fairly quickly. I'm estimating a range of about 15 miles with the BionX and trailer. I do think that if the weight was distributed better, maybe sometime like a bakfiets or Mundo, the BionX would perform better, not that I'm complaining at all! 

At church, we ran into our friends who had ridden in as well! It's so fun to see other awesome family riders out and about. We had a great ride together on our way back, getting extra time to chat instead of getting in our cars and going separate ways (even if it's in the same direction). 

I wish I had had more energy to get out one more time today, but instead I was beat. The kids slept for about a half hour in the trailer after we got home. I think we all needed a quiet day in. 

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.