New Cargo Friends

Besides the fantastic online support from fellow cargo bikers, I am quickly meeting many local friends. Today's Ikea ride was accompanied by John of Cycle Trucks. He showed us a quieter street to ride and passed along some local history. I am always grateful for the new knowledge I gain from riding with new people. John rode his original cycle truck, unfortunately, I didn't get a photo but it is almost identical to his recent build except he had one of the vendors at Cyclefest gussy it up with some awesome pin-striping. When we had finished our free breakfast, we walked out and were immediately met with a Cycle Truck admirer who asked John all sorts of questions about his bike and took down his information. Hopefully another Cycle Truck will be in the making soon! 

We also ran into another Cargo Friend, Seth, and his cute kiddos. They passed by while we were waiting at Practical Cycle for our ride to begin. I was hoping they were joining us, but sadly, they were just on their way to other errands. I did, however, get a chance to check out their rig up-close and loaded up. What a nice ride! They've had their dutch bike for about the same amount of time as I've had my Mundo, since March. Seth uses it for child transport as well as for his work as a sculptor. Both kids and papa were decked out in their safety vests, sunglasses, helmets, and had their stuffed friends along for the ride. They looked quite happy! We passed them again on our way home! What a small world and a fantastic benefit for being on a bike. As Stephen mentions on our FB page, if we had been in SUVs, we would have never met and made this connection. I'm looking forward to Seth and his family joining us on future rides and next time, allowing our kids to get off the bikes and run around together. 

Hello, friends!

Another fun find this weekend was Big Brother's garage sale score bike. I was tabling for our exchange student program at Elmhurst neighborhood's parent group garage sale. I carried my table and supplies over in the fierce wind. Unfortunately, I didn't sign up any host families but I had a great time chatting with the folks that came by, one fellow even asked how much my bike was going for. Sorry, not for sale! We did, however, pick up a 16" Specialized HotRock bike with training wheels in almost perfect condition for just $10! I loaded it up with everything else and surprised the big guy with it. He was thrilled and spent the next hour riding in a tiny circle in my parents' backyard. It's a bit big for him to learn how to ride without the training wheels but it was too amazing to pass up. Our bike fleet is growing uncontrollably!  

Working bike + garage sale finds = happiness!

Love at first sight!

Pedaling along! Cargo rider in training.

Homeward bound!

Another fun experience this weekend was the Cyclefest. Sadly, we couldn't stay long as the wee ones were melting down quickly. I did manage to capture this incredible teeny bike, which was one among many custom hot rod bikes. We talked with many bikers and checked out some amazing rides.  

Hellboy!

I am just in awe of the creativity and craftsmanship these builders display.

It was a great weekend! It is certainly getting hot which poses different difficulties. I am glad that the boys have their shades but I would like to get them water bottle holders to keep them hydrated on our rides. That will be our next project. Until then, you're left with my beautiful boy enjoying his ice cream. It has nothing to do with bikes but it should make you realize that you should join us for our next Ikea ride, July 9th at 9am (the second Monday of the month) we meet at Practical Cycle in Old Town. 

Ikea tradition, ice cream face!!!