New Seat & Sunshine: It's Time to Ride

Final Details for the Test Run

I decided to put a Yepp seat on the back of my bike. I had an unexpected home repair and that took precedence over a new bike.  I don’t really need a new bike, I want a new bike, a very light weight bike.  What I get is my old bike and a new seat and that is ok.

For the most part I like the Yepp seat. I thought I bought the gray one but the one that came out of the box was orange. That was a nice surprise because not only can you see it better, orange is my favorite color. 

One reader suggested I pull a Weehoo trailer bike.  I like those but in my opinion, my son is a still to small, maybe next year.

We had a test run so that I could gage my center of balance and my strength. My son enjoyed the ride.  One big difference between the front mount seat and the back mounted seat is that..., it is hard to explain. There is a bit more of a disconnect then when he was on the front of my bike. I miss things that my son is telling me about. He misses things that I see.  We do not see the same things.  I have a forward perspective and he has a side view.

My son will say, “What’s that car?” I cannot see where he is pointing and I have already passed by the car. The question gets answered with an, “I do not know." 

Some stuff he says I cannot hear at all. This might get better with time. For me, one of the joys of the bike commute is spending time with my son and that includes the conversations. I hope it is a leaning curve thing. 

To attached the Yepp seat, we took the bike bag and mount off the back of the bike. I considered biking to work this week and it hit me that I no-longer have a way to transport stuff. 

I bought a bike basket and I am happy with it. The day after I attached my bike basket, one reader sent me a link to instructions to attach 5 gallon buckets to a bike. I will say, this is a GREAT idea.  Bike stuff really is not cheap. What I see in stores is well designed and well made and pretty easy to implement, but pricey. I don’t even want to put in print what I spent on the bike basket.

Were Back on the Road.

On the test run, I got my son on the bike. I got on the bike. We had our helmets and sunshine and I pushed-off. It felt great, moving through the fresh air and I was surprised at a little sense of freedom I experienced. Over the winter months I forgot how great it felt to ride. The sensation was such a surprise that I had to check in to make sure I as not missing something. It was like I needed an extra strap or something to restrict me. But no, we were all good to go, I had honestly forgotten the joy of riding a bike. 

Another surprise, this is so naive that I feel dumb even writing about this, the more I attach to my bike, the heaver it is.  Crazy, ah? I had to carry my bike up a few steps and it is heavy, noticeably much heaver than last year. 

With the new seat and the new basket, oh yes I also got a new helmet; I am technically ready to start my bike commute.  After my test run, I have the confidence I can do it. The weather is perfect. My time management and schedule coordination is really lacking. Solving this problem is my goal for the weekend. I am going to come up with a schedule and a plan to ride. I have to get up earlier, budget extra time for the first week (you never know) and it will take a while to figure out a bike-to-work wardrobe, deal with helmet hair but it will be great to get started.

Note: I was going to work from home tomorrow but with it being Bike to Work day and all, I better Bike to Work.  

Another Procreation Technique Detected and Quashed: My Obsession with the Perfect Bike

Another Test Ride: The Beautiful Civia Loring

I have been obsessed with how to get myself one of those cargo bikes.  

It has still been a bit too chilly and rainy for me to ride but there was one nice day and as I left my building, I sure wish I had had my bike with me.  Even if I had my bike, it would not help because at this point, I cannot ride with my son.  I need a proper way to ride with him.  He has outgrown the ibert and I have not gotten anything new for him. 

There are a few reasons why I have not purchased the cargo bike.  First is that they cost a lot.  I figured I would buy a new bike this year but did not plan on spending $3,200 and I still have to add tax and a few accessories.  I also worry that the bike is not very flexible.  It weighs about one-hundred pounds and it is bulky.  It will not fit in or on our car and this is a problem if we want to get out of town and take our bikes.  I wonder how it will handle for the long-term and if it will get to heavy or just to much for me to want to hassle with.  I don’t know.  Honestly, after all that, I still want one.

I have talked to a couple people who are like, “Oh ya, I got a couple bikes that cost over three grand.  It’s all good.”  I was like, really?  People do that?  Once again, I am a bit naive.  They tell me one cargo bike is totally appropriate and a reasonable purchase.  Yet, I still have a hard time spending the cash.

While I am thinking about buying a bike, talking about buying a bike and writing about buying a bike I have noticed, I am not riding a bike.  The weather is getting better, it is lighter out later and any day, we might have a great day and I could have my first spring ride.  It is time for a reality check.

Riding with my son is really what this is about.  The cargo bike is perfect (I think) and I want so much to have my son riding in front.  I have written about how much I have enjoyed the ibert seat and having my son on my handlebars.  With my son in front, we are both engaged in the ride together and it is way to much fun. 

I want perfection but if I am not comfortable spending the money today and buying it today, why do I think I will be ok buying it in a week?  There is also a chance that I cannot get one, seems that people order and wait a long time for these bikes.  

I am also concerned that I am finding ways to foil myself.  Obsessing over a new bike is a way to procrastinate the spring bike commute.  Starting the bike commute is daunting.  I have to leave earlier.  I have to find bike-to-work outfits.  I don’t even want to think about helmet hair.  The benefits of the bike commute outweigh the these "hardships" but it is still kind of hard to get going.   

I decided to outfit my current bike with the Yepp seat for my son on the back.  It’s a good option for my current bike.  That way, if there is a good day, we can ride.  I will still look for a bike to replace my old bike and then I can transfer the seat to the new bike.

Next, I’ll wait for one of those nice weeks and see if I can rent a cargo bike for a few days and give it a real trial.  I am actually pretty excited for that.  I hope it goes well because I really want to buy the cargo bike. 

This ends my obsession about how to get a cargo bike.  I will still do research and I cannot wait for my cargo bike test drive. 

When biking with a child, I think that confident and steady is the way to ride and I will apply the same rules to buying a new bike.  No need to rush or obsess.  I’ll take my time and buy when I feel very confident about the purchase.  I still totally want a cargo bike.