I haven’t wanted to admit this, but I can’t fit both balance bikes and a bunch of other stuff in the FreeLoaders. Today I was determined to make it work and went down to the garage alone (it’s way too hard to load the bike any way other than haphazardly with two monkeys running around), but didn’t find the perfect solution. I realized I’m going to need to remove the FlightDeck to slide the middle FreeLoader buckle over. I think once I have better access to that buckle (sometimes I wedge my hand under the Yepp baby seat foot rest and get it buckled, but usually I don’t bother) I’ll be able to secure a balance bike and big bag. Today I used a bungee cord which felt like cheating, but it’s a step towards bigger more exciting loads.

I was glad I brought the balance bikes today because after a preschool potluck near Green Lake, I let the boys loose at the lake. We started at the big hill (Papa Ball Hill, as we call it) by the Bathhouse Theatre where the boys cruised down over and over for a good hour. I thought that was it for balance biking, but they crossed over the bike path to explore closer to the water’s edge. Very close to water’s edge as they rode on a little pier.

Fortunately neither boy got wet, which was more of an issue when they took a biking break to toss rocks in the lake. Despite hundreds of hours of experience throwing rocks into water (second in popularity only to digging in sand), you’d think they’d be better at keeping their feet dry.

My favorite part of the day was riding alongside the boys 3/4 of the way around the lake. I had so much fun when we raced around the vacant UW parking structure with Brad and kids, but I only had one kid to keep safe since my bigger balance biker kept up with the faster half of the group. Today they mostly stuck to the gravel on the side of the path and we didn’t have run-ins with other bikes, pedestrians, or dogs. It was so much easier than I could have imagined. I don’t think we’re ready for six wheels on the Burke-Gilman Trail yet, but perhaps it’s not so far off.

Two miles of flattish riding tired them out, but they still weren’t done! I thought they were ready to let me load them back on the Big Dummy, but they took one last opportunity to fly down a fairly steep grassy hill. They figured out it’s a lot easier to run the balance bikes up the hill on the side and then remount to coast down. I hope this lesson will stick and they’ll walk their bikes on the long hills near home. When Mr. Family Ride escorts the kids down to the water he often ends up carrying two bikes and one “I baby white kitty cat, can’t walk!” kid uphill to return home. It think he could probably figure out a way to carry all three items at once, but he patiently ferries things in half-block increments.

I dropped the Big Dummy on its side for the first (and second) time today. Fortunately there weren’t too many witnesses–just the fifty or so families gathered at the fire station for the open house. I was trying to engage the kickstand while the wheels were on the grass but the bike was centered over a cement plate. I think I would have been fine parking it completely on the grass, but as it was, the bike tipped away from me. Not a stellar moment in demonstrating how fun and safe family biking is. It was surprisingly easy to get the bike upright. The big kid scurried out from under the bike so I only had one kid plus bike to heft, but it was much easier than lifting the city bike (which I dropped a few times). As soon as I got the bike up and tried again to set the center stand, it tipped over towards me. Third time was the charm, though, and I finally got the bike parked and locked and we ate Top Pot Doughnuts and wandered through the remodeled fire station.

Done with the fire station, we killed a couple hours at nearby Cafe Bonjour which has a bike rack right out front, but were later surprised to discover the SAGA School has no bike racks as we arrived for the Kinderfasching costume party. We left with one painted puppy face and two balloons. The boys had the idea to stick the balloons in the holes of the Yepp seat foot straps (better picture here) and they stayed put once I fastened them down. They even made it through two unbucklings and rebucklings as we stopped at Trader Joe’s on the way home (because three stops just isn’t enough when you’re on a cargo bike and full of sugar).

This morning’s ride to Georgetown was our longest non-stop trip. Google maps estimated the trip at 58 minutes, but Google maps neglected to mention the Airport Way South Viaduct closure so with map checking and turning around, it took us an hour and a half door to door. The kids were totally fine with the long ride. It probably helped that we saw lots of trains along the way: streetcar, monorail, Amtrak, light rail, freight.
I was excited to show the boys the SODO Trail I discovered last month. They liked being so close to the light rail train and admired the transport-oriented murals.

Our detour from the closed bridge took us to the 4th Avenue South bridge over the train tracks. Great view of the train yard, but the sidewalk is narrower than 1st Avenue South–or at least feels narrower thanks to the railing on the street side. We met a couple pedestrians on our way over and it made me thankful for my narrow longtail.

I had hoped today’s route to Georgetown would be a winner. The friends we visited live very close to Oxbow (Hat N Boots) Park so I imagine we’ll take this trip often in the summer. I decided early in the ride I didn’t like the route, having started on Eastlake. Never mind the car congestion, the hill is just too big to be worth it unless I’m going somewhere near the top of the hill, like REI. Google maps might think Eastlake is my fastest route to anywhere south, but my uphill speed must negate any advantage over taking the much more pleasant Westlake.

On the way home we took the 1st Avenue South bridge and discovered even more new construction. As I was waiting at a light on South Horton Street, wondering if the Eliot Bay Trail was really just across the street, I saw a bike go by. Thank goodness! She saw me and we waved at each other and moments later I realized it was Del Rey, local blues singer and frequent cargo bike ride participant. Had it not been so grey out, I would have recognized her sparkly gold helmet. Plus she wasn’t on her familiar Dutch bike, preferring her Brompton these days. I decided she probably hadn’t recognized me on my new bike, either, so I set to chasing her down. This is actually an Xtracycle pedaling towards us in the bike lane! What are the odds?

It is so nice to ride alongside someone familiar with the quirks of a trail. I was tempted to follow along all the way to Fremont (Hub and Bespoke to be exact), but I had promised the boys a visit to the waterfront carousel. I’m not sure what it’s like here on weekends, but it’s a great destination on weekdays. The arcade area is loud, but there’s a long quiet hallway linking the various businesses together.

We came home through the Ballard Locks. The fish ladder was deserted, but the kids didn’t want to get back on the bike after looking for salmon so for the first time ever, I was able to wheel an empty bike across the narrow walkways. Normally, this would be a great thing, but this was the Big Dummy’s inaugural visit to the locks and I wanted to see how easy it was to negotiate the sharp turns and impatient pedestrians.

Although all the photos look awfully wet, it didn’t rain on us until the last ten minutes of the ride–and then it poured. The kids weren’t jazzed about it, but at least they were in rain gear–which I’d luckily put on them for warmth.

The final tally of our day was 27.9 miles–over nine hours with two long and one short stops. Not our usual day, but it was a good one.

I didn’t actually ride three different bikes today, but if I’d bothered to [learn how to and] pump up my road bike’s flat tires, I would have had a triple play. We started the day on the Big Dummy:

In the afternoon we took the Milano with the idea to get the new kickstand put on at Dutch Bike Co and then continue along to the beach. The shop was too busy (call first next time!) but the beach was great. Sunny and over 50 degrees meant flip flops for me!

It wasn’t quite flip flop weather, but it was nice not to come home with sand in my shoes like last beach day. The kids were OK in short sleeves and rolled up pant legs, but I huddled under a blanket.

By the time we left the beach it was getting dark and cold and I tucked a blanket over each kid. We stopped for dinner at the Totem House across from the locks that I just noticed has reopened (in October, apparently). It’s now owned by Red Mill, which Oprah declares “One of the 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die.”

I remembered to bring my headlight along, but forgot to use the downtime at the beach to get it attached. So I quickly stuck it back in its old spot on the fork. Riding home I saw one bike without a light…not well, though, since my miss-aimed light only illuminated the trees far above her head.

On to the third bike…I delivered the kids home to Mr. Family Ride and took the Big Dummy back out solo for the monthly preschool parent meeting. I was feeling mopey about not being able to take the road bike out, but a passing cyclist shouted “I like your bike!” at me and cheered me up. Moments later another cyclist shielded his eyes as we passed each other. The bright dynamo lights certainly are wonderful at night.

Riding around at night is such a change–there’s a different batch of stuff to see. I discovered a house in our neighborhood with several bikes hanging in the living room. I’d love to go back with a better camera (and not accidentally set off the flash with the first shot, doh) some night.

I also used the light on my new clock for the first time. Wow, since when is 8:44pm so late? I left my flip flops on, as you can see. I brought boots and socks along, but left them in the FreeLoaders.

I dropped the Big Dummy off at Ride Bicycles this morning to get a chainguard. For quick projects we hang out in the fish store next door, but this was a bigger job so we walked to nearby Cowen Park. We’ve only visited this park by bike previously and while I left my helmet at the shop, the boys kept theirs on so I arrived at the park on foot with helmeted boys. They ran straight for the zip line so I must have looked like an overprotective mother worried about play structure head injuries.

Another kid showed up in a helmet (though he arrived by bike) so they weren’t alone in their fashion statement for long. And they eventually got too hot and removed helmets and jackets, but not before some “dangerous” stunts on the swings.

We returned to the bike shop to bad news–the chainguard wouldn’t fit. They have a bash guard that will work, but it’s smaller than my current big ring so I’d have to swap that out for a smaller one. I left the shop thinking that was a good idea, but Mr. Family Ride later told me he thought I should leave the original ring set as-is to keep the bike running best. I wasn’t convinced, but after reading the chainguard entry in Sheldon Brown’s glossary, I’m thinking about giving up my quest for a chainguard and rather work on my whining about rolling up my pant leg:

Chainwheel discs, unlike the above styles of chainguard, are usable on bicycles with derailer gearing and multiple chainwheels. They are primarily intended to prevent soiled clothing, since the front derailer tends to keep trouser cuffs from being snagged. Unfortunately, many chainwheel discs interfere with obtaining the best possible front derailer adjustment. Should the chain become derailed on a bike with a chainwheel disc, it may become seriously wedged between the disc and the large chainring. Chainwheel discs are rarely found on high-quality bicycles.

It won’t be such a pain when the weather warms up a bit more and I don’t have to wear long pants and maybe a solution will present itself before next winter.

After shoving my pants back into my boots, we headed to Wallingford Playfield for the monthly Spokespeople ride. I’d been warned we’d check out the 41st Street runnel on the way to the rose garden and considered taking a detour to avoid the hassle, but in the end opted to stay with the group and see how bad it is with a heavy bike. The kids walked up the stairs and someone helped carry the back of my bike (as well as his own bike) while I tried to keep my front wheel on track. I think it wouldn’t be quite so hard if there were runnels on both sides of the stairs so we could walk on the left sides of our bikes as we’re used to. Either way, I won’t be back to the runnel.

There were no roses yet, but there will be soon. It was still a beautiful day to be in the garden.

Then we headed downhill to the Theo Chocolate factory where I let the boys eat so many samples they got a bit crazy. I can only imagine how fast they would have pedaled us back uphill if they were sharing the workload. Some day…

I can’t wait to take the Big Dummy to the beach and bring every sand toy we own, but today we went out on the Milano so I could get a new kickstand at Dutch Bike Co before hitting the beach on this first temperate day of the year. We had snacks and played with Don Juan, temporary shop dog, while his uncle Lance installed a Velo Orange Porteur Double Kickstand. I liked my previous Pletscher Two-leg Kickstands, but considering I’ve gone through two of them, it’s probably a good idea to try something new (plus Dutch Bike Co has decided to stop carrying them).

The beach was great. A bit on the cold side–somewhere above 50 degrees with a slight breeze–but very sunny. I downloaded Instagram so I can take postcard-y pictures now:

The slight breeze helped me discover that the new kickstand is not as good as the old kickstand was (before it broke in two, that is). I had to hold the bike upright after unloading one basket and even once I had everything off and thought things were steady, it tipped over. Thank goodness there are millions of trees in this city so I could prop the bike up for safe and easy reloading.

On our way to the beach we noticed a train table through the window of Snoose Junction Pizzeria so we stopped in for dinner. The place is full of bikes and trains! Unfortunately it no longer is also home to the Addams Family pinball machine which I had heard moved here from Sock Monster (where I also didn’t get around to visiting it in time).

It was dark by the time we left Snoose Junction, but Dutch Bike Co was still open so we swung by to have the kick stand taken off while it’s still in resellable shape. When I can get back in, they’ll put a super duper double kickstand on–I think this Hebie one, which comes on the WorkCycles Oma and Opa bikes.

I should have bought a spare front light while I was in the shop, but I didn’t want to pour most of my store credit into something other than the new pricey kickstand. I didn’t think we’d be out past sunset and I have yet to find a way to attach my Planet Bike Blaze effectively. I’ve had it down on the fork, but it aims up in the air, blinding pedestrians. I don’t have any handlebar room thanks to the Bobike windscreen, but there’s a light cut-out in the middle of the skirt so I’ve been meaning to find a way to poke it through there. But for today, we rode home with only a rear light. I was surprised and embarrassed to be the only bike with no light–even the runner we passed sported a headlamp. We took the Burke Gilman Trail, which is well lit between Ballard and Fremont and then up Stone Way’s bike lane, which felt fine with just a rear light since the cars only saw me from the back and there’s little side street traffic. At the top of the hill I switched to the sidewalk. It was probably nicer for the pedestrians I encountered that I didn’t shine a bright light at them. There wasn’t much foot traffic on 45th for a Friday night and we cruise at close to pedestrian speed so it worked well. But lesson learned and I’ll make sure I’m all lit up before taking the Milano out again, no matter the time of day.

With a high of 46 and slight chance of rain, today seemed like a good day to bike 8.5 miles to a birthday party at Highland Ice Arena, just off the Interurban Trail in Shoreline. The only hard part of the journey was climbing to Phinney to catch the trail, making the trip take more like an hour fifteen instead of Google maps’ estimated 56 minutes.

Much of the trail is road-based sharrows, but two intersections had nifty no-through-traffic arrows to cut down car use. Unfortunately, cars ignored the arrows and drove straight through the intersections both times.

The trail portions were great and there’s even art on the trail. There are four sets of these flip book panels, which probably look animated to the faster trail users.

A set of bridges carries bike and pedestrians safely over 155th and then Aurora.

The ice skating place was right across the street from the trail. It looks like a wide sidewalk in the photo, but this is the trail. From Google maps, I don’t think it extends too far past this before being broken up by road again, but I’d like to explore it more once the weather warms up and I’m on the lookout for more near-to-trail destinations.

I wasn’t surprised that there’s no bike rack at the ice rink so I made use of a pole right by the front door. Lack of bike racks usually means even more convenient bike parking in my book. It would have been even better if there was a curb cut to get onto the sidewalk, but it was easy enough to walk the bike over the curb once the big kid hopped off.

We left for home at five and it took about an hour. There was a bit of light for the unfamiliar part of the trip home, but there are no lights on the trail so I’m happy we didn’t leave any later. Exploring will be so much more fun when the days stretch longer and get warmer. Also, the four-year old started dozing off close to home. That’s not something I’ve had to worry about before since he’s ensconced in his Bobike maxi on the old bike. I kept him awake by pointing out phantom squirrels and asking train-related questions. I think he’d probably stay sitting up for a short nap (based on a story I heard at the first Kidical Mass we attended), but I’m not ready to test that theory.

One other bit of bikey excitement today: in the morning we went to Ride Bicycles to get my front wheel stabilizer. It’s a very strong Civia Loring Basket Fork Spring 58mm held in place with a Problem Solvers dual cable Backstop 1-1/2″ cable with slots. Apparently this isn’t the usual use for the backstop, but my tube is so big it took some investigating on Edward’s part to find something to clamp around it. So now my wheel and basket won’t automatically flop to the side every time I take my hands off the handlebars. Safer basket cargo and prettier pictures. I also got a blue Jellibell because I apparently have a bell-buying problem of late. I think this one will go on the kid handlebars and I’ll get the black time clock bell. Not sure where the kitty cat will end up. Maybe I can claim it for my beach cruiser…but only after I find it a tiny shower cap to protect it from rain.

Most of my days are incident-free, but today was a double whammy. This morning my loose left pant leg caught on one of my three (yes, three!) empty water bottle cages and bent it. Much better than getting caught up and falling, but grrr. I think I bent it back into shape and these pants won’t be allowed on the Big Dummy again. Then I rode the Milano in the afternoon with the idea to bring it by Dutch Bike Co to see if they could straighten out my kickstand. It’s been getting gradually more sticky and I hoped it just needed a good tightening and not a retirement party.

The kickstand took matters into its own hands (legs?) and broke in half as soon as I wheeled the bike out of the garage. The remaining leg wouldn’t stay up so I zip tied it to the frame and crossed my fingers it would stay. Fitting since I learned the magic of zip ties from Dutch Bike Co. The zip tie held through preschool pick up and ride to the shop where I learned they don’t have a Pletscher two-leg kickstand in stock, but should get one soon. They removed the leftover pieces and politely accepted the fallen-off bits I’d transported in my pocket with the promise to call if it could be put back together. (I’m not expecting a call.) In the meantime, things aren’t too bad with no kickstand. Since I started out with a normal single kickstand, I’m used to leaning the bike against my hip while loading the kids. Granted, it’s not as easy and comfortable as a double kickstand, but it’s safe and effective.

I wasn’t able to leave the shop empty handed once we saw the bells. They now carry kitty cat bells! The Milano’s bells are currently a bunny bell with missing ear and kitty bell with missing kitty (it’s in the house just waiting to be glued back on) so this kitty bell will go on the Big Dummy. I also got an Origin-8 Time Clock Bell. I had assumed the time clock bell would go on my handlebars and the kitty cat on the seat post bars, but the four-year old has other plans. It’ll take me weeks to get around to installing them so hopefully he’ll have forgotten about wanting *my* bell by then.

I took a solo ride on my road bike to meet some friends at the Panama Tea House this morning. I swung by the store for a couple items on the way home, but rather than take either of the cargo-carrying mamabikes, I wore my Tom Bihn Super Ego messenger bag which easily fit toilet paper, kleenex, and cough drops for Mr. Family Ride. I’ve previously only used for airplane carryon because it holds my laptop, many kid clothing changes, toys, and snacks. It wasn’t by design, but I just realized I’ve used four different bikes over the last four days (mountain bike/trailer in heavy snow, Big Dummy in slush, city bike for bus trip, road bike today). I hate to give the impression that it’s necessary to own multiple bikes, but it sure can be convenient.

The only problem with the road bike is that I haven’t taken it out in a while and the tires were very low. I was running late and the kids and Mr. Family Ride were watching me poke at the tires through the front window so I pretended they felt OK and took off, hoping for the best. I have to admit I haven’t pumped up my own tires since college. So there’s my bad-but-good example setting for the day: even someone as clueless and lazy as I can successfully bike with kids all the time. I’ll sooner remember which of Aaron’s cats is Schrader and which is Presta than be diligent in maintaining my tire pressure. If it’s not too late for New Year’s resolutions, I guess I’ve got one. There will still be plenty left for me to learn from the Bike Works Adult Basics Class once I have the time to take it. I can only imagine how fun today’s hilly ride would have been on hard tires.

In the afternoon the two-year old wanted to go for a balance bike ride so we went in search of snow and puddles. Schools have been canceled most of the week so the nearby schoolyard snowfall was undisturbed and made for some good crunching. It was so much easier to keep up with just one kid. Also easier to help push just one kid uphill when he got tired.

Yesterday’s rain washed away most of the snow so I felt safe to take the Milano out for a bike + bus trip 25 miles to Kent. Previously I would have thought a half hour drive with free parking was much better than a two-hour multimodal adventure, but I was so impressed by the ShoWare Center’s Getting There page’s mention of bike parking. Also, Mr. Family Ride had to work all day so adding a few hours of adventurous travel to our day helped get us out of the house for a longer period of time. I was also feeling extra bikey for having been featured on Velo Mom for Family Friday yesterday.

There was still snow to dodge, mostly in the bike lane/door zone. The roads were littered with bits and pieces of broken snow chains, but it was the most rideable it’s been in days. Fortunately no rain fell, but I put rain suits on the boys to shield them from the wind. I chose the University Street transit tunnel as our bike destination because I knew it’d be dry and it’s exciting to watch light rail trains go by. It was a little confusing finding the entrance to tunnel. I asked a pedestrian who looked liked he’d just gotten off a bus and he thought we had to go three blocks north, but we found an elevator inside Benaroya Hall. If there are also stairs to the tunnel, I have no idea where they are.

On the bus I realized I’d left my bike lock at home on the handlebars of my mountain bike. I searched online for sporting goods stores near the venue and the bus passed an REI, but I decided to see if I could talk them into valet parking my bike. I was in luck and the box office directed me around the corner to the group entrance where a staffer let me lean my bike against the wall. She even gave me a claim check for it. She wisely suggested I leave our helmets, too, so I only had to carry twice as much gear (instead of three times as much) as all the car-conveyed families.

When the show (Phineas & Ferb Live, if you were wondering) was over we were greeted with sun!

And we took a peek at the Interurban Trail a block from the ShoWare. I’d love to explore it one day. Preferably one day when it isn’t hugged by snow.

On the way home we took the bus to Convention Place Station to get close to Eastlake and minimize our hill climbing on the way home. I was a bit sad that I didn’t get to experience the full ShoWare bike parking experience, but figured I’d do some research for future shows and take a look at the bike rack closest to the Paramount since we didn’t use it during our visit in November. It’s exposed to the elements and doesn’t seem particularly secure–visible from the street and too far from the buses for their presence to deter theft.