Today, I got a chance to ride with 5 wonderful ladies and one cool exchange student guy (he's so cool that he brought his bike with him from Germany. That's super-duper cool in my book!). We were looking for a place to ride casually and the Davis Loop came up as a fun option. It was convenient for us since we needed to meet somewhere in the middle-ish between Sebastopol and Folsom. I'm not a big fan of driving somewhere to go for a bike ride but this was an important gathering--we also all carpooled. 

I brought three bikes because two of my friends needed to borrow them. I chose my dad's Breezer to fit my taller friend and my mom's Breezer to fit my mom's-sized friend. They both worked out perfectly! I rode the Mobic because there wasn't enough room to fit another full-sized bike in or on the car. 

After we found parking and adjusted the bikes, we set off to find the tell-tale Loop markings. This turned out to be even more fun than I could have imagined! It was like a scavenger hunt! We lost the trail a couple of times and then lost it completely at the end but since Davis is so easy to bike around anyway, we just kept riding until we eventually made our way back to the cars. 

We had lunch and wandered around a bit. The guy in the frozen yogurt shop decided to let us know that biking in downtown Davis was too dangerous because the bikers don't pay attention. It is true that Davis can be a scary place when the college kids show up from non-biking backgrounds and get their first bike because of Davis's reputation. I love Davis's bike infrastructure. There are tons of wide bike lanes, bike signals, and lots of bike corrals outside cafes and shops. Bikes are everywhere! Sadly, there are still way too many cars! Just riding around UC Davis you see hundreds of discarded bikes that have been left to rot after their novelty wore off. 

However, this ride turned out to be a wonderful adventure. I think I'd really enjoy making it one of my stay-cation routes or take out-of-town friends to Davis on Amtrak or the YoloBus to give it a whirl. We probably rode a comfortable 12-15 miles at a wonderfully casual pace. Truthfully, any bike ride with a great group of friends is my favorite way to spend a day! Thanks, ladies (and Matthias)! 

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?) 

It's hot! The first week of unbearable heat is always the hardest. It's when people hide in their air conditioned boxes (whatever they may be) and try not to exert too much energy. Believe me, I want to do the same! However, we don't have a/c at home and no car to duck into and drive to the coast. I had actually forgotten what air conditioning felt like until I popped into a Target yesterday. Then there's the random parking garage with it's obscenely cold air cooling the street around. I hate to admit it but I love it (although I also hate it and believe that maybe it'd be a good thing to stop doing for energy conservation, expenses, and global climate change...). We also like to make detours to ride through sprinklers for a little on-the-go pick-me-up. 

We do leave the house as little as possible on these kinds of days. The air quality is always especially grimy, too. If we don't have to leave, we don't. If we can, we do our errands in the early morning or once the Delta breezes pick up. 

When we do have to leave, it's nice to have the cargo bikes so the boys aren't working, they're just getting the cool air. Biking is never too hot when you're moving, it's when you stop that it becomes suffocating. I try to stop in the shade, finding a tiny patch at stoplights. 

I've been enjoying wearing skirts with shorts under while I pedal. A light top is helpful to minimize the sweating (which tends to pick up about 5 minutes after I stop riding so watch out!). 

Some of my thoughts on riding in summer (and please add your own in the comments below!): 

• Wear summer-appropriate clothes. For me, that's skirts (you men could rock an awesome Utili-kilt!), light tops-usually wicking material or quick drying something. I like shorts under my skirts (there are many great sites dedicated to finding the right skirt and how to wear one on a bike). 
• If you need to bring an extra set of clothes, allow extra time to change so you cool down. Baby wipes or a wet towel can help speed that up. 
• Make sure to cover your exposed skin with sunblock. I like having the kids under the weather-protectors, although I'm still working on putting that together on my bikes. 
• Lots and lots and lots of water. And ice cream. I have about a 4:1 water to ice cream ratio. Our ice cream budget is through the roof. It's worth it. Good thing we're not paying a car payment. 
• Choose when to ride, avoiding the worst of the heat. 
• Remember that driving isn't fun either. It's easy to talk yourself out of riding if you have a car beckoning. Keep in mind that getting into a sizzling car is terrible. What if your a/c cuts out? What if you get stuck in traffic? What if you have to park a mile away and still have to walk to the store? Remember that driving is bad for the Earth and adding extra pollution to an already-highly polluted day is worse (driving in polluted air is just as bad as biking in it). 
• If you do need to drive, do it. I choose the BionX Breezer for hot days when I can. It's great not to work very hard to ride somewhere but it's better than driving around in 2,000 extra pounds, spouting emissions everywhere. It's a great supplemental vehicle for those trips that we would resort to driving to. 
• More ice cream. 
  

Now, what do you have to add to the list? 

What's your cut-off point for biking in Summer? 

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? 

The Bullitt just became even more practical! Tim found a rack that had come off one of the Breezer bikes after they had done a BionX conversion and was able to finagle it onto the Bullitt. He had to use some spacers to get it far enough away from the disc brakes and I installed a set collar with rack mounts as the bike didn't come with any. After some brute force, I now have a wonderful and sturdy rear rack to offset the load of kids I frequently have in the box. I gussied the rack up with my mom's old set of Nashbar panniers because they didn't fit the rack on her new Breezer Greenway.

I ran into the fantastic folks behind Carsick Designs yesterday. Monica was riding her locally built Cycle Truck and Brian had his Xtracycle. Both bikes were decked out in their own bags and filled to the brim! They also had E-zee electric assists and zoomed past at the next intersection.

Good thoughts go out to our bikey-friend, Dorie, of Hum Of The City who was rear-ended by a car while riding her Mamachari with her son. Thankfully, her son is okay but shaken up. She, however, is in for her second leg surgery. Please send her lots of healing and kind thoughts for a speedy recovery.

So, as April comes to an end, so does the 30 Days Of Biking. It was easy this year and I didn't even need to give the challenge a second thought. I just rode every day because I had somewhere to go and biking is how we get around. I was in a car about three times this month which is almost as much as I've been in a car all year.

May Is Bike Month starts tomorrow with the Kick-Off event and the mile logging starts! A huge thank you to all our Tiny Helmets teammates! We're going to be contenders this year!

It was, thankfully, a pretty quiet weekend. This week had been exhausting! After my two days at Practical Cycle, I was looking forward to starting my new adventure of working with the Safe Routes To School program in Natomas. This is going to help me finish my LCI training and also get me started putting this training to good use--teaching these youngsters to love bikes and learn how to drive them properly. I am always surprised that people don't always think the way I do when it comes to biking. I watched a family on bikes ride down the wrong side of the road while the kids rode on the sidewalk next to the adults in the street. These were huge, quiet, fully-bike-laned neighborhood streets. I could barely keep myself from catching up to them and telling them that they were teaching their kids improper and DANGEROUS bike use. 

The school that we are working with already has a great base of kiddy bike riders. I was shocked the first time I rode up to see 20+ bikes and scooters locked up in their own dedicated bike parking (I'll have to get a photo when I can get it and not look like i'm taking pictures of the children) AND that was a rainy day where most kids melt if they get caught in a sprinkle. The NNTMA has been working with this school for the past 3 years and helps implement "Walking Wednesdays" for kids to get prizes for walking to school. 

I love watching these kids absorb this bikey knowledge and am amazed at some of the poignant questions they ask. They are open minds and ready to find the freedom of biking. I love to imagine these little people riding bikes and growing up to be more conscientious drivers of both bicycles and cars, making the streets safer for everyone. 

The only difficulty with this new venture is that this school is exactly one BionX battery's worth of miles. It is a 24 mile round-trip, often in windy condition and I'm usually crunched for time (because that's just how I roll--late). I rode on level 3 this week, each direction, for Wednesday and Thursday. I was really excited for Friday but the boys finally got too sick to go to daycare and my sore back went out completely. I had to decide that going another 24 miles that day, BionX or not, was probably not the best idea. I took Friday off, went to the Chiropractor, and nursed my back and two little boys. I was pretty happy to have a quiet weekend after that. I even took a couple of days off riding, just because I had no reason to go anywhere. It was pretty awesome. 

Next week, a few more days at the grind (actually, Practical Cycle is my respite from my crazy home) and then an awesome BONUS day there because Elly Blue is coming to town on Wednesday! I am so excited for the evening of Dinner and Bikes and to finally meet one of my favorite Bikey Heroes! It's not too late to RSVP and join us! 

I'm going to make it to another couple of classes at the school, next week, too. I need to practice my teaching skills, especially before we get out onto the bikes! I think I might even try bringing my charger with me so I can top up during class and zip home on level 4...

I love the rain and the colder weather! I especially love biking in the chilly mornings and even more after dark. My mom always says "make sure you're lit up like a Christmas tree!" I take things very literally. 

This week has been so much fun. Although it was quiet at the shop, the bosses were of holding their title of one of the elite top Pedego dealers. I had the store to myself. 

(That was actually my lunch break. I was working really hard, promise, Tim!). The weather finally started clearing up today and the streets dried out again. 

This week, I also tried my hand at a little crafty project I saw online. I'd never used a chain-breaker but now I'm a total pro. It was pretty awesome to get my hands dirty and have these little guys turn out so cool. 

I think I've mentioned it once or twice but I really love biking. This week, most of our mornings looked like this: 

I would then leave the trailer at the boys' daycare provider and Jose would later jog over with the dog and run them back home (the jogging attachment was stored in the back pocket). Jose loves jogging so it's win-win! 

I can't wait for our exciting Christmas tree adventures this weekend but until then, this day-to-day stuff is keeping me blissfully happy. 

Today was a blast! At least, it was after all the craziness ended. I'm glad I didn't post earlier or it might have been a very different attitude. Wednesday is my day off so I had planned on biking some errands, one of which happened to be heading over to Costco to pick up Christmas decorations for Practical Cycle. I was really excited about this adventure. 

It took me awhile to get ready to go, funnier because I don't even have the kiddos to slow me down. By the time I left the house on the Mundo, it was raining. Real rain, too, like Portland. A third of the way, it began dumping. Pouring rain doesn't happen very often in Sacramento. You can tell by the number of people wearing jeans and Uggs. We don't know what to do when it rains! I was luckily wearing a pair of leggings, nylon pants, and rain pants with a rain jacket over my fleece jacket and scarf. Unfortunately, I hadn't planned my shoes very well because I was hoping to get some rain boots as one of my errands. My right sock soaked through first, my left shortly after. My gloves were useless soon, too. I love riding in the rain because eventually, you're as wet as you can get and nothing else matters. Getting off the bike, however, I started to get cold. Thankfully, Costco was nice and warm. I wandered around eating as many samples as I could to help reenergize. 

I ended up getting lots of great Christmas decorations as well as 2 lbs of cheese for my mom and a set of base-layer pants for both Jose and myself. When I got it out to the bike, I suddenly realized I had no idea what I was going to do. 

I was slightly concerned about the rain so I had asked for a sheet of plastic, thinking they could give me some of the stuff off the giant wrapped pallets. Instead, they gave me a few feet of plastic wrap. Not very helpful but there was a little window of clear weather that I was hoping would last. 

This is when I started freaking out. The Peanut Shell was in the way, my panniers weren't big enough, I didn't have enough bungees or tie-downs. The dang wreath was not going to work. It was windy and I getting really worried. I even called Jose (who had taken his parents' car to school this morning) and told him I was giving up. I begged him to come get the wreath. I kept working at the bike and twittering my frustration. Dorie and Kath were cheering me on. So many people were walking by, shaking their heads, asking me if I really was going to do this. I told them no. I was getting picked up. I was done. Jose got out of class to save me. 

Then, I finally wrenched the wreath out of the giant box. 

Woo hooo! I called Jose, twittered my success, and off I went! The wind was gusty but the rain held off. I was navigating around fallen branches and slippery leaves. It was beautiful! 

Amazingly, the wreath made it in one piece! 

You have no idea how happy I was! Poor Jose got yelled at by his teacher for running out to get me, what a sweet guy. I keep wondering what I would have done if he hadn't happened to have been available. My parents weren't even in town for them to come save me. Tim would have ridden out to help. Dorie told me to run back into Costco and buy more bungees. She and Kath were the ones who kept encouraging me to try even though I was giving up. They were the ones sending hints and ideas and general positive thoughts. 

After getting home, changing out of my soaked clothes, and resting a bit, I hopped on the BionX and rode off to do some home visits for my exchange student program. The BionX was a great relief to have a nice, relaxing ride after today's craziness. It also has the best lights. Another crisp, dry night ride--my favorite! The fun light displays made it even better. 

Our first foggy morning! A beautiful day after a full night's sleep sans kids. Refreshing! 

Another fun day of work at Practical Cycle. 

A fun date with Jose going to Tower Cafe followed by Perks Of A Wallflower at Tower Theater. A crisp ride home with the hubby. 

Today started with a drive to the dentist. I went back and forth and back and forth and back again about biking. We had driven there once, decided it was, in fact, bikeable but today I second-guessed myself. It was raining, but about to stop. It was far, but not super far. Big Brother was getting cavities filled, I didn't know how he was going to react afterwards. I had another bike ride trip in the evening as well. I hinged. 

The boys and I rode the Mundo over to my folks, dropped Little Brother off and drove to the dentist. I watched that bike lane the whole trip and vowed never to drive there again. It's fine except for a little sidewalk (actually signed as the "bike route") riding. I don't think I'd try taking the trailer with the kids since the lane is narrow and speed limit is 50 mph. Therefore, BionX without kids, Mundo with. 

Waiting for the dentist, the receptionist casually said "I hope no one has to go on highway 80, they just shut it down on both sides. Massive accident." No. More. Driving... cars are so dangerous! 

By the way, my kid is the most awesome dental patient in the world! No wiggles, no screams, no whining, ended with a smile and a thank you. I love that boy! Three cavities, no pain killer. More brushing, I promise. 

Since I had driven this morning, I promised myself I would make my evening trip a bike ride. To be sure I didn't talk myself out of it, we rode back from my parent's house without the car. I mapped out the route, eight miles even. The BionX Breezer was fully charged, extra set of lights, warm jacket plus extra layers, neon pannier cover, and reflective vest to top it all off. 

The way there was surprisingly easy. I planned for about 45 minutes going about 15-17 mph on level three. I tend to get lost easily so that would give me extra time and not feel rushed or get too sweaty. I had scheduled the visit so that it would at least be light for the way there since I hadn't ridden there before. 

Rode to Sacramento State, onto the American River Parkway. While I was taking an awesome picture of my bike on the bridge, a roadie passed me up wearing full spandex and carrying nothing but a pump in his back jersey pocket. After I got a few photos in, I starting thinking that it would be fun to catch him. I'm competitive. Off I go! Go, go, go! Even with the BionX, it's not easy. I was working hard to keep it up at 19 mph but it was awesome! Flying down the bike path, I caught up to my roadie, drafted off him, even had to coast a bit to stay behind. Once the path was clear, I dropped him! Woot! "On your left!" never sounded so awesome. I watched him fall back through my mirror.

A short while later, I exited the trail at Watt Ave. Up Watt for a bit, the last two blocks riding on the sidewalk as instructed by my common sense and the sign that said "bikes use sidewalk." Another mile in residential neighborhoods and I was there. 

By the time I left, it was pitch black so I donned my stylish reflective vest, turned on all the lights to the obnoxious setting, cranked up my tunes, and backtracked to the trail. The ride down Watt Ave. had been my only concern but by that point, I felt comfortable enough to take it on. Being extra careful, I used the crosswalks to get across, sidewalk where the crazy merges happened, extra caution at the onramps, then it was over and I was back on the ARP. 

I love riding in the dark more than any other time. There is something so empowering about cruising along, little light shining your way, silence, peaceful, beautiful. The bike trail was amazing. There was the occasional Bike Blinder with their highbeams on and a few Bike Ninjas without any lights, wearing black. Other than them, I was perfectly alone. Of course my brain had to interrupt my calm thoughts with zombie meth-addict scenarios. Luckily, my BionX power was a nice comfort. I can outrun anyone, especially chainsaw wielding roadies! No worries for me! 

I love being able to break through my mental barriers of riding alone, in the dark, longer distances, for work... I can do it all, by bike, even! I love this feeling! Thank you BionX night-ride! 

Tomorrow is the Appetite Enhancement Ride, 25th annual! Fill up on Two River's hard cider and let the thankfulness begin! On Saturday, join us for an "unofficial" Kidical Mass ride. Meet at Old Soul on Broadway at 9:30am to ride over to Southside Park, stopping at Doughbot on the way. 

Also, although I am totally against Black Friday, you should still come down to Practical Cycle and spend your money. Support your local bike shop, rent a bike and burn off some of those gravy calories, and find a new bike that you totally love and will use. You don't even have to spend the night in front of the store or get trampled on the way in. Score!