Things are back to normal! Well, I’ve still got a bit of a cold, but the kids are 100% and the weather is nice. I had hoped to fit our towels, toys, and snacks into my two baskets and my husband’s big messenger bag, but we had to resort to the Burley trailer, too. The funny thing is, the kids both wanted to ride in the trailer. I think it was more about riding with Papa than riding secluded in the trailer.
I made the mistake of leading the way and immediately heard, “You know what we need to get you? Some pedals and shoes!” Is it possible to change a cyclist into a regular ol’ bike rider? Granted, he’s right to worry about my pedaling style–I have to keep my feet on the outer edges of my pedals and my knees out to the side a bit so I won’t bump the front seat. Not enough to look funny (I think), but enough to draw the attention of my SPD-shod husband. But he also called me fast, so that made up for it.
On the way home I saw two Xtracycles up ahead on the Burke-Gilman Trail in Fremont and insisted we catch up to them. It took us a few minutes during which I pointed out all the wonderful benefits of owning an Xtracycle which resulted in a “You want an Xtracycle, we’ll get you an Xtracycle!” Woo hoo! The pestering has finally paid off. Then the pair of X’s on the trail turned out to be Car Free Days so we said hi and chatted for half a mile before they turned off.
The photo is from my morning excursion to the grocery store. I hadn’t wanted to bring the Pillow Pet along, but in retrospect, a bulky light Pillow Pet that doesn’t leave the basket is a much better tagalong than a tiny backpack filled with heavy pebbles and trains that doesn’t leave the basket. Funnily, at the beach a family with a small child clutching a Mini Pillow Pet was admiring my bike and I heard the mom say, “But we have so much stuff to bring along, like the Pillow Pet.”
Family Ride 
YES! You are getting an Xtracycle!!! We are hoping to get the radish next summer. My hope is to each have a road bike and share the Radish for cargo worthy trips. We’ll see if that can work out. I just can’t stop drooling about the Radish though. It’s too amazing.
Well, at some point I’ll get one. I’m not holding my breath :) When I compared the weight of the Radish and Big Dummy I got a little worried about muscling it up hills. Do you think you could try out both on your hill at home before you commit?
That would be such a good idea. There is NO WAY I can ride the Big Dummy up my hill. Isn’t it over 10 pounds heavier than the radish? But I would love to try the radish up my hill first. Although, I had to walk my road bike up my hill yesterday because it’s so steep and I had to stop for a car and once I stop, it’s too steep to get going again. It’s bad. So maybe that wouldn’t be a good test. Perhaps I should just move. :)
The higher price tag = fancier, lighter frame material. Radish is 45 pounds and while I can’t find the Big Dummy’s weight on their site right now, I recall it being 21 or 24 (one of those figures is Yuba Mundo and one Big Dummy, I think). If you don’t move I think you should treat yourself to electric assist for your hill. You could always start out non-motorized and add it down the line.
I just read this yesterday. The radish is lighter!
http://everydayadventurers.com/2011/04/meet-the-new-radish/
Oh geez, I’m so confused about it all now!
I weighed my Big Dummy once. Loaded it for a normal ride to the park with the kids (snacks, lock, tool kit, diaper bag, etc) and it was about 65 lbs (my cheap bathroom scale is only so accurate). Add a 190 lb driver and nearly 80 lbs of kid and a few pounds either way probably doesn’t make much of a difference. I do notice a difference when I drop one kid (about 40 lbs) at preschool, but it’s not huge. I’m reasonably certain any hill that would stop me at 335 lbs would stop me at 315 lbs.