To my way of thinking, you really really want lights on a ride-it-every-day kind of bike. Riding around in the dark minus lights is no fun at all. I've done enough of it, thank you very much. So when we got the Mundo, on went a dynamo hub(Shimano DH-3D30) and a set of dynamo lights; a B&M IQ Cyo N plus headlight and a Topline plus rear. The headlight's good; I can see and be seen at night. It's not a bike I ride every day, so not having to think about batteries is good. I don't know much about the rear light; it's hard to see when you're riding.
The standlight (where the light stays on while stationary) is a good thing. You can pay extra for a senor that will turn the light on when it gets dark. I didn't bother; I just leave the light on all the time. LEDs last for ages, so why not? Cabling was easy peasy. B&M provided a cable with the light. Naturally, it was to fit a standard bike, so I had to dig up some figure-8 speaker cable, make a quick trip to Jaycar for some spade connectors and find some heatshrink tubing. There was one little issue, which was that the rear light connectors on the Cyo where just little blades on the ends of short lengths of wire. The connectors bumped together and shorted out until I put heatshrink over the plugs.
Oh, and the bolts on the rear light were too short to fit through the rack on the Mundo. I bought some metal plates with holes drilled in them from the hardware store and that fixed that.
It's early days, but cargo bikes and dyno lights are a good fit. I really can't notice the drag, particular with the kids on the bike, and I really really like the always-there thing.
We got the lights and hub from Starbike; about $200AUD all up. I did the build myself and re-used the original front wheel.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Life with the Chariot Trailer
I'm a fan. We've had our Chariot trailer for, from memory, about 3 1/2 years. We had a lot of fun with it. Maybe it was just me, but the kids' day seemed to start better when I dropped them at daycare on the bike, rather than in the car. It's done plenty of trips to various parks too. It has some other perks too, like the fact that I get to park on the lawn, right out the front of my eldest's kindergarten (I asked and that's where they suggested parking. No worries!). No looking for a park then walking down the street for me!
For rolling around on weekends, it's brilliant. You just pick a trailer-friendly route to the interesting place of your choice. Sorted! It works pretty well for shopping too. Two children and a week's worth of groceries is a bit ambitious, but it'll hold a fair few groceries. Commuting is a bit of a mixed bag. Probably the biggest issue is finding somwhere to park. If there's somewhere suitable (like the front lawn of the kindy :) it can work well. If not, it can be a bit of a drag. Going on to work afterwards towing a trailer? Pass.
The other thing that wasn't great was helmets and little (<2 years) kids. The trailer didn't seem to be designed with helmets in mind. I expect the designers felt that a metal cage and a 5-point harness was enough protection, and I can't say I disagree. It's the law 'round here, though, so there you go. I don't know if it was a head control thing, or the fact that the back wall didn't have enough room for helmets (I suspect a bit of both), or something else, but the helmet thing was pretty unpopular at first. It got better as they got older.
It's very well thought out with built-in waterproof covers and insect screens. Sun protection is pretty good too. We went for the non-jogger version, so plenty of room for stuff in the back. I sometimes kick the back even at a brisk walk, though. I'm easy with the non-jogger thing, though. Jogging isn't my thing at all.
So, it's been pretty good. Yet we have a cargo bike now. Why?
One, we have three kids now, so a two-seat trailer wasn't going to cut it on its own. Two, dropping kids off in the morning and going on to work was time-consuming because I had to go home and drop the trailer off first. It doesn't cope well with narrow paths or cycle-calming measures either. There are a few places around here where it's either difficult or impossible to get a trailer through. It's difficult or impossible to get a double stroller through either, so boo to the council there.
The cargo bike's a pretty new thing, but it looks to be better for day-in, day-out commuting. I can ride it to work afterwards, for example, which never appealed with the trailer. I still think the trailer will earn its keep on the weekends.
For rolling around on weekends, it's brilliant. You just pick a trailer-friendly route to the interesting place of your choice. Sorted! It works pretty well for shopping too. Two children and a week's worth of groceries is a bit ambitious, but it'll hold a fair few groceries. Commuting is a bit of a mixed bag. Probably the biggest issue is finding somwhere to park. If there's somewhere suitable (like the front lawn of the kindy :) it can work well. If not, it can be a bit of a drag. Going on to work afterwards towing a trailer? Pass.
The other thing that wasn't great was helmets and little (<2 years) kids. The trailer didn't seem to be designed with helmets in mind. I expect the designers felt that a metal cage and a 5-point harness was enough protection, and I can't say I disagree. It's the law 'round here, though, so there you go. I don't know if it was a head control thing, or the fact that the back wall didn't have enough room for helmets (I suspect a bit of both), or something else, but the helmet thing was pretty unpopular at first. It got better as they got older.
It's very well thought out with built-in waterproof covers and insect screens. Sun protection is pretty good too. We went for the non-jogger version, so plenty of room for stuff in the back. I sometimes kick the back even at a brisk walk, though. I'm easy with the non-jogger thing, though. Jogging isn't my thing at all.
So, it's been pretty good. Yet we have a cargo bike now. Why?
One, we have three kids now, so a two-seat trailer wasn't going to cut it on its own. Two, dropping kids off in the morning and going on to work was time-consuming because I had to go home and drop the trailer off first. It doesn't cope well with narrow paths or cycle-calming measures either. There are a few places around here where it's either difficult or impossible to get a trailer through. It's difficult or impossible to get a double stroller through either, so boo to the council there.
The cargo bike's a pretty new thing, but it looks to be better for day-in, day-out commuting. I can ride it to work afterwards, for example, which never appealed with the trailer. I still think the trailer will earn its keep on the weekends.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
About Us
I'm Peter. I've been a keen cyclist for a while, on and off. I think a bicyle is a wonderful way to see the world (I don't think I'll ever forget the smell of a gum forest I cycled through in Tasmania) and an efficient, enjoyable way to get around day-to-day. When we had kids, it threw up some interesting challenges, and some convenient pretexts to buy new toys :). This blog is about the challenges and the toys. Ahhh, the toys.
When our eldest daughter was a little under one, we bought a child trailer. Luckily, we bought a two-seater one; our son came along a little later. It fetched groceries, it took kids to daycare and it did a lot of trips to the park. The kids have had a succession of trikes, pushbikes (aka balance bikes) and pedal cycles. I love being self-propelled and I love sharing that feeling with my children. Recently, we bought a cargo bike (a Yuba Mundo) - that should be an interesting journey.
I'm Tanya. As a young person I cycled to school, then when I was 19 I took it up again as a mode of transport and to get fit. Sadly by the time I started dating Peter when I was 33 I no longer did any cycling or much other excercise for that matter and it showed in my weight of 120kg. Peters passion however was infectious and he got me out with him. I loved him so I grew to love the sport. We now have 3 childen Rianna turning 5, Daniel turning 3 and Chloe 7months. We are both committed to green transport or calorie buring transport depending on your motivation. Given the sedentary lifestyle so many kids tend to lead these days we are keen to make our family an active family and try to travel by self propelled methods when ever possible, be it it walking or riding.
The challenge is how do you avoid a car when you have a young family. Basically when they are really young your only alternative is walking.
When our eldest daughter was a little under one, we bought a child trailer. Luckily, we bought a two-seater one; our son came along a little later. It fetched groceries, it took kids to daycare and it did a lot of trips to the park. The kids have had a succession of trikes, pushbikes (aka balance bikes) and pedal cycles. I love being self-propelled and I love sharing that feeling with my children. Recently, we bought a cargo bike (a Yuba Mundo) - that should be an interesting journey.
I'm Tanya. As a young person I cycled to school, then when I was 19 I took it up again as a mode of transport and to get fit. Sadly by the time I started dating Peter when I was 33 I no longer did any cycling or much other excercise for that matter and it showed in my weight of 120kg. Peters passion however was infectious and he got me out with him. I loved him so I grew to love the sport. We now have 3 childen Rianna turning 5, Daniel turning 3 and Chloe 7months. We are both committed to green transport or calorie buring transport depending on your motivation. Given the sedentary lifestyle so many kids tend to lead these days we are keen to make our family an active family and try to travel by self propelled methods when ever possible, be it it walking or riding.
The challenge is how do you avoid a car when you have a young family. Basically when they are really young your only alternative is walking.
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