After scoring two less-than-road-ready free kid bikes (one by trailer and one by Big Dummy, I might add), I’ve promised Mr. Family Ride I’ll stop claiming freebies. And since we were already in the car for our Wednesday afternoon class (I haven’t figured any other method to get from Lower Queen Anne to Lake City in 30 minutes, unfortunately), I shoved the two bikes in the trunk for our first foray to the Bike Works Bicycle Shop.

I called yesterday to see if they have a 16-inch kid bike in stock and they do, but it’s “a very bright and unnatural shade of pink.” Too bad because we’re looking for “a light blue bike with light blue handlebars and even light blue pedals.” Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to powdercoat my new bike–now the kids think they get to customize their rides, too. But the prospect of a new, working bike was too exciting for the color to matter so we got it anyway. The color is even more garrish than I’d imagined. I love it! And Bike Works is just wonderful. They had tons of adult bikes in great shape for low low prices. The shop is worth a visit, but to get even more bang for your bike buck, their annual warehouse sale is just around the corner:

Bike Works Annual Warehouse Sale
January 29th, 12-4pm
Just east of Rainier on Hudson St
Come one, come all, for the annual Bike Works Warehouse Sale! As usual, the warehouse sale will be jam packed with ridiculously low-priced bikes and bike parts! You might even find a book or two at this year’s sale. To speed up the check out process, we request that purchases be made in cash. We’ll see you there!

According to the Facebook event page, there will be pedicab service between the shop and the warehouse. Fun! If we go we’ll bike to downtown and catch the light rail to the Columbia City station, just a couple blocks from the shop. And I’ll be very clear with my passengers ahead of time that we’re going to Bike Works and not Gas Works Park. I almost had a mutiny on my hands when the littles realized there was no sand pit waiting for them.

In other news, I finally put a one less minivan bumper sticker on the new bike. The back of the Yepp seat isn’t sticker conducive so it’s not quite as visible on this bike as the old one. I’m not opposed to sticking it on my frame, by the way, but was just too hurried to clean off a spot for it. I wanted to have it onboard for a trip to University Village shopping center because the mall is where one takes her minivan or minivan alternative.

I’ve probably biked to U Village half a dozen times and until today hadn’t realized I’m going a half mile out of the way. I guess it’s easier to see the big picture without a toddler and windscreen blocking part of my forward view. I hit the mall by using my old method of staying on the Burke-Gilman Trail until intersecting 25th Ave. NE and then negotiating two busy sidewalk blocks to the busy car ramp that enters the parking lots. Coming home was much better by exiting at the southwest corner and riding 300 feet along the sidewalk to little Pend Oreille Rd to get back to the Burke-Gilman. It’s a steep little road so I may experiment with more sidewalk and pedestrian bridge crossing if there’s no heavy student traffic at the time.