Custom Bike Friday New World Tourist with Laurie Litman on the name plate. Tackle anyone you see riding it, as long as it's not my dear mother.
An Onguard cable lock. A heavy-duty lock made useless in seconds.
Yesterday, my mom's custom Bike Friday was stolen in broad daylight on a busy street. The lock was cut cleanly within seconds and the bike was gone. Turns out that there have been a rash of Midtown bike thefts. Obviously, this is a well-organized ring and the bikes will probably show up in Chico or Santa Cruz, stripped and/or on Craigslist. It'll be interesting to see what happens to this bike as it is so unique that there's not much someone can do with it. For goodness sakes, it has her name printed on it! Jerks! Please keep a lookout for this sweet, tiny bike.
Of course, it's another sad reminder why you shouldn't get cable locks. I can't tell you how many people come into Practical Cycle and buy the $30 junky cable lock with a safety rating of 2 (yes, really) and won't think of buying the u-lock that's the same cost but rated a 6 or 7. New Sacramento bike blogger Velodious, happened to come out with a handy guide to preventing bike theft. A simple, easy to follow guide to prevent that horrible feeling when you see an empty space where your beloved ride once was. I've had two bikes stolen--one was left at a BART station for too long and one was accidentally left unlocked on my car rack. Not the brightest actions. It's a terrible reminder for me to increase our bikes' security systems. I've gotten lazy thinking that my giant bike is enough of a deterrent but it's not worth the risk. Those heavy, expensive locks are worth it. We're going to be getting enough for each bike to have one.
Of course, it's another sad reminder why you shouldn't get cable locks. I can't tell you how many people come into Practical Cycle and buy the $30 junky cable lock with a safety rating of 2 (yes, really) and won't think of buying the u-lock that's the same cost but rated a 6 or 7. New Sacramento bike blogger Velodious, happened to come out with a handy guide to preventing bike theft. A simple, easy to follow guide to prevent that horrible feeling when you see an empty space where your beloved ride once was. I've had two bikes stolen--one was left at a BART station for too long and one was accidentally left unlocked on my car rack. Not the brightest actions. It's a terrible reminder for me to increase our bikes' security systems. I've gotten lazy thinking that my giant bike is enough of a deterrent but it's not worth the risk. Those heavy, expensive locks are worth it. We're going to be getting enough for each bike to have one.
Hello Dan, Ashlie, and sweet wee one!
On a happier note, this lovely family is now a Mundo family! They popped in last week on their anniversary and were immediately in love with this bike. They realized it was perfect for their growing family. Sure enough, they were back this week and brought it home. I can't wait to see photos of Dan hauling his 20' kayaks on the back! Check out their kayak business, Headwaters Kayak, in Lodi! I'm looking forward to taking a tour on the Mokelumne river!
You, too, can make this cool windshield!
More fun news--our friend, Jarrod, has started blogging on 8 Legs 2 Wheels! He's got some fun day-to-day experiences hauling around his three kiddos on his giant bike and some really cool DIY Mundo-hacks like the windshield in the photo above. Keep an eye on this website!
School bus!
And to wrap up my tuesday evening musings--Cycle Trucks! We've been playing with John's Cycle Truck for the past five days or so. It held up so well on the camping trip, both with the cargo and with the cargo/Big Brother load on the way back. For the past two mornings, I've also used it to bring the boys to daycare. Monday was pretty good even though I had to get Big Brother to grab Little Brother's feet to keep them in the box. Little Brother had a great time with the freedom from the Peanut Shell. He even took the opportunity to read his Rainforests magazine along the way. It was pretty dang cute.
However, today was a bit harder. Both boys were happy to jump aboard again but midway to school, Little Brother had a fit and started trying to stand up while I was riding a busy section. He was pulling on the cables and flopping around like crazy. I was able to placate him with the water bottle but it was pretty nerve-wracking. He is obviously too young to not be restrained on the bike (and CA vehicle code says that children under 4 need to be bucked in on a bike, anyway). I probably won't be using the Cycle Truck to carry him very often anymore, unless I can figure out a way to keep him contained.
Also, for the first time since I picked up the Cycle Truck, I rode my Linus. At first, it was so strange to change bikes that I almost thought my Linus was broken! I was wobbling around and couldn't steady the front wheel. Luckily, I was able to adjust after about a half block or so but it was a pretty funny feeling to be so out-of-control on a bike. I'm still really enjoying the long-john set-up and feel like this is our best option for a second cargo bike. My next test is going to be getting Zorro in for a ride.
However, today was a bit harder. Both boys were happy to jump aboard again but midway to school, Little Brother had a fit and started trying to stand up while I was riding a busy section. He was pulling on the cables and flopping around like crazy. I was able to placate him with the water bottle but it was pretty nerve-wracking. He is obviously too young to not be restrained on the bike (and CA vehicle code says that children under 4 need to be bucked in on a bike, anyway). I probably won't be using the Cycle Truck to carry him very often anymore, unless I can figure out a way to keep him contained.
Also, for the first time since I picked up the Cycle Truck, I rode my Linus. At first, it was so strange to change bikes that I almost thought my Linus was broken! I was wobbling around and couldn't steady the front wheel. Luckily, I was able to adjust after about a half block or so but it was a pretty funny feeling to be so out-of-control on a bike. I'm still really enjoying the long-john set-up and feel like this is our best option for a second cargo bike. My next test is going to be getting Zorro in for a ride.
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