Weehoo Bicycle Trailer

Thanks to my sister visiting we had time for a grown-up bike date yesterday so where did we go? The bike store of course!

While I was there the saleslady told me about a new child trailer, the Weehoo. Upsides are said to include the enclosed chain, the adjustable seat position, the fact that it *is* a seat (not a saddle) so the Future Cyclist could nod off without falling off, and it even has pockets for water bottles.

She showed me the video on the website and I instantly said "Wow, that looks like Colorado!" I was specifically thinking Lafayette, where my sister lives, but I wasn't surprised at all when I got to their Facebook page and see that they're based just down the road in Golden, CO. Now that Coors doesn't give out unlimited free beer at the end of the tour I don't know many people who go out there (except on a bike ride) but when we're home for another family wedding later this summer I may have to check out a Weehoo - it will be a while before we can use one, but once we can it looks like just the tool to resume our bicycle adventures!

Photo from the Weehoo Facebook page

Family Cycling in Burlington, VT

There were lots of families out cycling in Burlington, but this family, with kiddoes racing around and Dad on the wheelchair bike bringing up the rear, brought a tearful smile to my face. That's the most beautiful bike I think I've ever seen.

Life is Beautiful!

Hello everyone! First off, a HUGE thank you to you all for all the good wishes!

Spending time at home with the baby has been lovely and overwhelming and I'm just now catching up on things. I've got some photos of chic cyclists to share with you, though I'm slower on the draw these days, but first I wanted to share a little about my current favorite project...

Future Cyclist was born four days after those bike date photos were taken. My mother in law said he'd arrive with the full moon, just like his daddy, and he did. This year that day was also the spring equinox, which I think is a nice day to be born.

You can't see it in this photo but his eyes are the same blue as his bicycle hat (printed on the hat is a thought bubble with a bicycle in it!) He had dark hair which is falling out now. He is very strong, he lifted his head up the day he was born, and he has five fingers or toes on each hand or foot. In short, we're thrilled.

My labor was completely drug-free and relatively short - 6 hours of active labor - which I attribute to my mental game. I tried to welcome each contraction as my body doing what it needed to do, and so I wouldn't fight it, just keep moving. Cycling training was invaluable for both overall strength but also for breathing appropriately at each stage. I was just doing what I was supposed to but the hospital staff was impressed with me. It all seemed simple to me based on cycling but perhaps it isn't?

I was impressed with the hospital as well. We delivered with just a midwife and a baby nurse. Most of the time it was just us ladies chatting as I relaxed in a jacuzzi tub. Rather enjoyable, all things considered. But our boy arrived a whopping 8 lbs 13.4 oz (4011 g) with broad shoulders. At one point at the end they urgently called in a SWAT team of highly trained OBs and nurses who averted disaster and then left us to our privacy again. I respect what Giselle Bundchen is trying to do with her homebirth advocacy, but I'm very very grateful we had that SWAT team available to intervene only that one necessary minute.

I've been on the bike once since delivering, but will be riding more and more. I can't wait for the day when I get to bring him along. Until then we're just practicing pedaling his legs (best way to help with tummy gas!).

Oh, to put it into cycling terms, I had thought that labor couldn't be much worse than the Boston Brevet Series 400K (253.5 miles and 14,951' of climbing). In the end my labor was more like a 200K for which I hadn't adequately trained. Doable, but you certainly felt it the next morning! Yet we were walking around town by day three. Hurray for bicycle training!

OK, I blame hormones

But this is kinda cute, right?

Available from hellobanjobaby on Etsy.

Hope you all get to ride today with your Valentine!

love,
  Charlotte, the possibly hormone-addled

More than just Winter Quiet

I apologize for the silence on this blog. I haven't been able to ride and have been finding it just unbearable to think about cycling when I can't get out on my bike.

I thought I could ride yesterday but heard that we were expecting snow in the evening so I reluctantly took the bus. It was warm and puddled all day. Today I waited for the bus for half an hour then gave up in disgust and went home for my bike. If snow was not actually falling from the sky I wasn't going to worry about it. Maybe I still won't be able to ride home. Whatever.

This morning I rode slowly and safely, walked when I was nervous, and have been grinning like a fool with the endorphins from actually getting to ride my bike for the first time in almost a month. I feel so much happier!

I also got to use my new bike accessory:

I am not the only cyclist with big news, and I have been spending a bit of this last bus-bound month reviewing Totcycle archives. I've been lucky that I have been able to ride so much during this pregnancy, with only one other three day obstacle in December. We're 34 weeks today (hurray!) and as a person who has had setbacks, this seems like a nice, safe, good time to finally announce!

My husband thought you would all have guessed our news when my Italian "baby-moon" photos featured more Moms on bikes than sexy Italian bicycles, but I guess it was subtle enough. Now you all now know why I was so obsessed with lights this autumn!

I fear this blog may divert a bit into mom-bike territory, as even the Dawes for my own mother is getting reworked as our family station wagon (for when Future Cyclist is big enough).

In the near term I hope the Future Cyclist and I will be able to snap some good cycling photos for you all when we're out on walks. I'll also be back on my bike ASAP after s/he joins us, which should coincide with the nice weather arriving. I'm trying not to think about missing brevet season (and a PBP year at that!) and focusing instead on perhaps volunteering at checkpoints. We already have a baby-sized cycling cap and are working on cheering... "Allez les cyclists!"

So please bear with me as time rolls along, the seasons change, a focus shifts, and my bicycle transforms to continue to reflect my needs at any given time... aren't bicycles awesome?

Italian Moms on Bikes

Since my friend is still looking for her replacement "mom's bike", I thought I'd post all the mothers (and fathers!) we captured out cycling in Italy.

 When I saw these bikes waiting outside the bakery I knew there would be a family of cyclists nearby.

 Sure enough, ten minutes later I heard the older child happily chatting with her mother as they safely cycled through the walled city of Orvieto.

 This mother in Florence has both of her children on her way into town on the dedicated bike lane along the river.

 This mother and her daughter were navigating the piazza near the Duomo in Florence.

 This family was parking near the Spanish Steps in Rome.

 Riding as a family in Villa Borghese seems to be the thing to do on Sunday. Bonus points if you bring a picnic lunch!

Some cyclists even appear to get their start on the safe walkways in Villa Borghese.

This little girl was enjoying her lollipop as Dad cycled home along Via del Corso, which was closed to traffic several times while were were visiting.

This little girl was quite relaxed heading off somewhere with her mom and dad. I even caught her yawning!

You're unlikely to see a little girl balancing on a bike like this in Boston!

New Bike for a Friend

I get the fun job of helping a friend shop for a new city bike. She's mother to two, so the bike must carry the 18 month old, and in this case reliability trumps aesthetics. I'd still like to find her something cute, and regular readers know I'm a bit out of my element when it comes to new bike shopping, I'm a vintage bike kind of girl. But as I adjusted my brakes yet again this morning I knew that I should limit this bike search to new bikes. I thought I'd list my thoughts and hope that you, dear readers, could chime in with ideas and suggestions.

My friend is about 5'7", a very fit triathlete, with two young girls (4 years and 18 months) who are also growing up to be cyclists. Her previous city bike was a generic hybrid, which was stolen off her fenced back patio! This bike will have to go in the same spot, but we hope to have it better secured. She has a triathlon bike, this should be her upright kid-hauling city bike.


1) dream bike would, of course, be a custom ANT ($2,700)
Upside would be that it would be perfect for her and her family, now and in the future. Downside would be the price. But look at those lines! The headlight! These lavender rims! And working with Mike is so fun. I love the upgrades he has planned... Sigh... It's fun to dream about the custom colors I would choose.


2) REI offers the Electra Ticino ($800), onto which I imagine we could add a chainguard. This bike looks a lot like mine, which may be why I like it, but it has cantilever brakes, which appeal to me for kid-carrying. She'd also get the REI refund on the purchase.
Downsides include no eyelets for a rear rack (and thus no baby seat). This is a deal-breaker Electra!


3) A new maker, Public, offers a cute Mixte ($750)
My friend would love the color options, it has a chainguard, and internal hubs ($890 if she needs the 8 speed). There are eyelets for the child seat. As people have commented on this blog, the fender line shown on their website bodes poorly for their overall attention to detail, but we can hope that was just the poor work of the bike stylist?

(Photo credit to the excellent blog Lovely Bicycle, who steps in where bike manufacturers fail!)

4) KHS offers the Green bicycle ($350) in black only.
I think the biggest downside to this bike is that certain parts of it do look really cheap. On the other hand they're some of the parts I'm most likely to change anyway. If we got a sprung black Brooks saddle and a pair of black swept-back handlebars I think it would go from "cheap" to "simple little black bike" pretty quickly. I don't believe the included rack is rated to carry a baby seat, so we'd have to switch that out. Also the ladies' bike only comes in 14" and 17" frame sizes. She might fit on a 17" but I know I wouldn't! I do like the idea of an internal hub for her, but while I'm ok with 3 speeds and a rack of groceries, I don't know about three speeds and a rack of toddler. She may need more gearing options. This bike works well for some but definitely has some drawbacks.


5) Trek offers the Belleville WSD ($660)
It has the 3 speed internal hub, includes the chainguard and fenders and racks. The front rack would likely be very useful to my friend, the rear rack would again probably have to be changed for the baby seat rack. Somehow there's something about this bike aesthetically that I don't like - has it got too much going on or something? Maybe it's that saddle.


6) Gary Fisher has the Simple City 3 ($600)
I can't put my finger on it but this bike (and the 8 speed) does not excite me at all, and the women's version is worse.


7) Specialized Globe has a beautiful candy apple red Live 1 Mixte ($580) but I think my friend needs some gearing. Otherwise I think this bike has a lot going for it, particularly for taller ladies.


So readers, are there any new bikes out there that are exciting, and meet my friend's needs? Should I start looking into vintage bikes with new components (à la Renaissance Bicycles?) How can a lady haul toddlers in style?

Family Cyclists

Preparing for my Thanksgiving meal my thoughts are turning to families. Here are some little of my favorite chic cyclists in training:


Here are two mini-Parisians à vélo, the nephew and daughter of my friend. It seems it's completely normal for these two to be out on their bikes. Even still, don't they look delighted?



And here we have my college roommate's husband and daughter on their way to work/school. My friend told me that they're multi-modal, with a stint on the bus followed by a bike ride. At any rate, there is a group of ladies who ride the bus with them and are convinced that this little girl is the cutest thing ever (and she is). One day the bike rack on the bus was difficult and the ladies swooped in to help with the girl while dad took care of the bike. My friend commented on how glorious and humbling it is to feel that sense of community with a child - that it does take a village and even in our difficult world we, as a community, still pull together like that. It is beautiful, really.

I'm feeling sentimental, so I better sign off. Happy Thanksgiving to all your families!