My new front-wheel stabilizer (Civia Loring Basket Fork Spring) met its match today when I loaded the front basket with my small messenger bag, a pineapple, half a salmon, and six bottles of beer. It didn’t flop all the way to the side and bang the frame, but it wasn’t at all stabilized. The bike doesn’t handle as smoothly with such a heavy front load so I’m not upset about the spring not being stronger. I’ll use it as a gauge for having loaded the basket too full.

This got me thinking about the future front rack of my old bike. My plan is to put the big kid on a pedal bike coupled behind my bike with a FollowMe Tandem and move the little kid to the Bobike maxi rear seat and carry his balance bike on a front rack (because I have a feeling he’ll want his wheels along often). Now I realize a frame-mounted rack is crucial–it will be able to carry more weight and not affect steering. I recently first read about frame-mounted racks when Hum of the city reviewed a Yuba Mundo with bread basket. I want to see if the Azor frame mounting front rack that comes on WorkCycles will fit my frame. Haulin Colin makes heavy duty frame-mounted racks locally, but I’m stuck at the idea of having to repaint my celeste green Bianchi Milano. So that’s plan B.

This afternoon the four of us had a lovely early (4pm!) Valentine’s Day dinner at Ivar’s Salmon House. We’ve never been there before so I was surprised by how fancy it is. The view was great, as was the food. The kids rode their balance bikes down and I locked them at the bike rack outside. Very bike friendly place, easily reached by runnel from the Burke-Gilman Trail (or by normal roads one block away).

I gave Mr. Family Ride the Park Tool PZT-2 Pizza Tool. Since Ride Bicycles has a Park Tool account, they just stuck it on their next order. One can also order a PZT-2 from Amazon and other places, but that’s not nearly as exciting. I’ve put the pizza cutter next to a Playmobil man and toy train for scale. It’s quite big. Big and awesome.