We drove out to the in-law's this weekend, borrowing my parents' car to get us there. Once again, this would have been a trip that we could have happily taken Amtrak for but because of their policy against cargo bikes and the difficulty of lugging car seats around, it's difficult to justify the effort (and the expense because we have mostly free access to a loaner) it takes to go without a car. Luckily, the boys' bikes fit inside but we had to leave our own bikes at home. For Jose, it's just an added relief to not have to go anywhere but for me, I get a little antsy when I don't get to ride for a few days. I packed my roller blades instead.
Safety first!
I got a chance to ride with my boys. We took the kids out to a multi-use trail and they were in heaven! Luckily, we had the grandparents along so when they got distracted by the giant playground, I could continue on my way, looping around the trails.
I'm in the best lane of traffic (101 on the far left).
An illusive Google Bike, out of it's natural habitat.
Check out all the bikes parked at the playground!
Little Brother immediately went to bed after our active afternoon and slept for four hours.
We didn't get the momentum up to ride again on Sunday but the boys found a way to squeeze in some practice with their cousin. Their cousin was riding a Schwinn kid's bike from Toy's R Us that weighed about 34 pounds. The difference in quality between that and the Isla was noticeable. In fact, the Schwinn's pedal had already literally torn in half after only being ridden a couple of times, and it's difficult to find a replacement kid's pedal. Of course, the amount of use your kid's bike is going to get plays a big part in deciding which bike to get them and for us, we're rough on bikes because we use them all the time. It's important to us that we have quality components that will be up to regular riding, allow the kiddos to keep up with us, and help them enjoy biking as they grow.
We didn't get the momentum up to ride again on Sunday but the boys found a way to squeeze in some practice with their cousin. Their cousin was riding a Schwinn kid's bike from Toy's R Us that weighed about 34 pounds. The difference in quality between that and the Isla was noticeable. In fact, the Schwinn's pedal had already literally torn in half after only being ridden a couple of times, and it's difficult to find a replacement kid's pedal. Of course, the amount of use your kid's bike is going to get plays a big part in deciding which bike to get them and for us, we're rough on bikes because we use them all the time. It's important to us that we have quality components that will be up to regular riding, allow the kiddos to keep up with us, and help them enjoy biking as they grow.
Speaking of Isla bikes, our friends came to visit this afternoon. Their son has a 14" CNOC that I've been scheming to trade for BB's 16" so that he can upgrade away from coaster brakes in the near future. LB gave the 14" a try and was able to reach the ground (on tippy toes)! The seat was even up about in inch. He still couldn't really figure out the pedals, he kept trying to push them backward. However, with his birthday coming up next month, I'm seeing a bike in his future somehow. You can hear in his video how badly the Strider is squealing, anyway. After 4 years of Super Users, it's ready for some Practical Cycle care :)
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