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.  

Reflections on My 8-Week Bike Commute: The Car is Sold

After Our First Test Run Ride

The car is sold and I am committed. The bike commute is a good thing. It is great for me to get exercise in my daily routine, I am able to appreciate and enjoy my neighborhood and the bike commute has made me more aware of all the great spots in my neighborhood. South Lake Union and Eastlake are changing so much and so fast and new restaurants and services are popping up all the time. Now that I am on my bike, I see the new restaurants and new services every day and I am more likely to remember the new spots and even old spots and give them a try. I even went to Serious Pie and Banya 5 for the first time ever. (Note to retailers: SLU and/or Eastlake needs a great shoe shop.)

Since our daycare moved my route has changed and I now ride through the Amazon.com campus. This is a busier route and previously it would have been a more intimidating route for me to try. Since my first blog entry, I am a much more confident rider. I am still a very safe and mindful rider, and seeing my son on my handlebars helps keep that in check.

It is great to be part of all the activity in my neighborhood and I love being social with people and I do feel more connected to the community. I even found out about two (count them: two) farmer's markets on my route.  I never would have found these in a car! One is on the Amazon.com campus and the other is on a boat at South Lake Union Park. A farmer's market on a boat is fun.

My son is pretty cute-looking sitting on the handlebars and we get tons of smiles and waves when we ride. It is a very nice way to start the day. I am not big on being a spectacle or attention-seeking and tend to shy away from engaging with strangers -- especially before my second cup of coffee! But I have to admit it is pretty nice to make people smile and that makes me smile and the day starts out pretty good.

I Should Not Have Gone Shopping This Day

My son loves to ride by the construction at the Mercer freeway exit and on-ramps. He has suggested that my next car should be a dump truck and he is hopeful that he can ride the “little bulldozer.” I think he is enjoying cycling too.

I started the bike commute hopeful that I could keep it going but not sure that I could. I am a working mom, I am busy and so many things that I want to do just do not get started, or if they get started they do not get done.

Another challenge with bike commuting is the extra time it takes and the challenge of transporting all of the stuff my toddler needs at daycare and the stuff I need for my job. I was not sure I could get myself, my son and all of our stuff back and forth. Me, I can manage if I forget something, but it is a lot harder to explain to a toddler and his teachers at his daycare if I forget something. That has been a challenge.

For the most part, I have the transportation of the day-to-day stuff figured out and sometimes we have had to drive or take the bus. I try and keep that at a minimum but if I am very tired I do not ride. That is just not safe. Other times, I catch a ride with my husband mostly because I can. I am not a hardcore rider.

Now that the rains have come and the weather is changing I will still ride my bike on dry days.  I bought a bus pass and I have a Zipcar membership. I am committed to alternatives to the car commute but you will not see me riding with my son in the dark in the rain. For my personal comfort level, that is too much.

On Our Way Home We Play in the Park

So far, I am happy with my cycling success. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time and I finally got it started. Initially, I did not want to invest any money into it just in case I could not keep the bike commute going. In the past, my bike has been used for recreation and only occasionally. In other words, I have been leisurely riding my bike about four times a year.

It is easy and fun to go out and invest in new gear. I like that it is called investing -- investing in your health and safety I guess, but really it feels like shopping to me. Years ago, I spent good money after deciding to take up rollerblading and I bought all the gear. I went once, it was scary and then five years later I donated the equipment to Goodwill. But if I keep this commute up, I think I will splurge. This winter, I am going to look into buying a new bike or a new used bike. That will be fun!

Retired Soon: My Son's Handlebar Seat

Riding in the fountain at South Lake Union Park

I love my current bike setup but as my son transitions from toddler to preschool, so must my bike configuration.  My favorite thing about having my son on my handlebars is that I can talk with him and see him.  I know myself well enough to know that I do need this exercise but what really keeps me on my bike is that it can be so much fun!  I hope the next setup is as fun for both of us as this ibert has been.

Get Going with the Go Pro

I am doing testing with a Go-Pro camera.  By testing, I mean I am trying to turn the thing on.  What this means for you is that you can look forward to a virtual bike ride with me and my son.

Dear Bike Thief: Take the Lock Not the Bike

I now own a nice bike lock.  It is super strong and really heavy, possibly heavier than my two-year-old son.  It is orange and black, and I open the lock with a key.

The sales guy at the store asked me where I was planning to lock my bike and recommended a pretty hefty lock, much heftier than I would have bought. I have not been locking my bike so my sense of security is pretty high. On the other hand, he is a salesperson and I might have been shamboozled.
(Shamboozled is bamboozled but by a sales person.)

This bike lock is probably worth more than my bike.  I am guessing the bike lock is easier to sell than a bike.  So, Dear Bike Thieves, I would recommend stealing the lock, not my old bike.

Reflections on Week Two

Last week I felt I was really getting into this cycling thing.  I was more likely to think of my bike in the morning than my car.  I also managed to keep riding even though my son was sick and that created major schedule changes.

On Friday, I was too tired to ride my bike home and I felt OK with that decision. I did not feel defeated or as if I was cheating. I think with a bike commute you have to be flexible.  Everyone has good days and bad and sometimes I am just tired. I feel good knowing that I can check in with myself and take a bus or call for a ride.

Thank Goodness It Is Friday!

This Friday I hit my stride. I needed to be at work early and I had a long day ahead of me.  It was a gray morning and that didn't even bother me. Even so, I found myself prioritizing the bike commute. I did not consider driving the car a good option.  I am really getting a lot out of riding my bike: the exercise, fun times with my son, and discovering new things in the neighborhood.

There is an annual South Lake Union Block Party and every year I try to go, and every year I forget.  On my ride, I saw volunteers setting up for the block party and this is the first year I made it to the party!

After seeing the volunteers set up for the block party I rode to work and I faced a big project with a tight deadline. I am a video editor and producer. Friday, I had to edit a cooking show on a very tight timeline. I did not take breaks from the computer and I had to smooth out many production problems. I had not slept much Thursday night and on Friday I worked really hard.  My poor brain was done.  I called my husband for a ride home.  This time I did not feel defeated. It was a good decision. I was not in any shape to be sharing the roads with five o'clock traffic especially with the baby on my handlebars.  If my husband couldn't pick me up, I would have taken the bus, with or without my bike.

The lesson here is know your limits, take it easy and take other transportation if you're feeling less than whole. I think that will make for safer cycling; that could be applied to drivers, too.

A Very Sobering and Very Sad Sign: Hit-and-Run

I saw this sign on a telephone pole on my way to work.  The police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who killed a cyclist.  The cyclist's name is Mike Wang and he had two children. It is very sad.

This has made me really think about what I am doing.  This happened one block up from where I ride. I do see a lot of drivers texting; they look one way to make a turn but not the other way to look for cyclists.  On a bike, I am very alert and I am conscious of everything around me.  Maybe driving should be the same experience.

My condolences to Mike Wang's family. Please drive consciously and bike carefully.

Riding Solo: Found a Useful Fact

MOTORE COFFEE

I am sure this information will come in handy.  I am not going to verify it.  I will stop for coffee.  I really need a bike lock.

Riding Solo: Happy Hour?

I love being a mom but riding solo I thought it could be nice to stop and check out a place that looked fun.  I have been riding by the Venik Lounge.  Have never seen it before.  Maybe on my way home.....

Again, To Bike Or No?

This bike commute with a baby is full of choices. I will buckle the sleeping baby in the car seat, and then do I ride my bike home or put the bike in the truck and just go with the family?

Not So Far, Not So Good

The city workers hit a gas line and rather than deal with an evacuation, I took my baby out of daycare. I still need to finish a project for work and I have to do that using my home computer. The project needs to be emailed by the end of the day.  In other words, I need to ride from work to home with my baby and when I am home, I need to get back to work.

I almost took a bus home but thought the ride would be easier. To take the bus I have to load my bike on the front of the bus, which is impossible with a toddler. I am sure a kind stranger would help but that leaves me with the same problem getting off the bus. It seemed easier to ride my bike, but the little man fell asleep.

I did not like to see him looking like a bobble-head on my handle bars. He was still supported only by the chair with no support for his head and neck.  His head bobbed up and down and back and forth with the motion of the bike. It is freaky.  For me, I think he needs to be an active participant in the bike ride and if he is asleep, I need to be even more protective of him. I could feel the mommy protection instinct bubble up. I had to call for a rescue.

It feels like defeat as I wait for my husband to pick me up with a toddler sleeping in a bike helmet on my lap two blocks from work.

To Bike or Not?

It is gray and feels like rain. This is demotivating for a bike ride. My reasons for bike commuting are exercise, getting outside, enjoying the summer and spending time with my baby boy.

On my to-do list I have: touch up a project, work that I have complete on my home computer, buy gifts for a party tonight and be home, dressed and ready with wrapped gifts by six o'clock. All this could be done in a day using a car. Oh yeah, I also have to mail packages.

This day is a hard day to justify a bike ride. Guess I could babble on about air quality and sustainability and how my green ways are more important than blah blah blah. But that is not true for me, and that is not why I am riding. There are many great side effects to bike riding but these are not my primary concern. Bike riding is for me and all this stuff (mailing, projects, gift buying) is for others so you know what? I am going to ride!

At 6 PM we'll see how I feel about this decision.