And now, I love that others around me are interested in cargo bikes, as well. First off, I want friends to share in our fun. Secondly, I know that the more cargo bikes that are out on the road, the safer it is for all of us cyclists. So I was thrilled when, out on our bikes yesterday for the first time in over a week (thanks to a big snowstorm), we ran into Matt, the owner of our favorite local bike shop, The Devil's Gear. Matt decided to ride home with us so the six of us chatted as we pedaled along and he shared the news that The Devil's Gear is now a Madsen dealer. Rock on! I am so pumped that a local shop is now stocking cargo bikes. The shop currently has five and plans to use one as a renter. I really believe the time is right in New Haven and there are folks locally who will definitely be interested. I immediately came home and called my friend C, who has been cheering on my cargo bike obsession. She, in turn, has already contacted Matt about taking a Madsen out for a test ride. And now Emily at Wheelsonthebus, has caught the bug. Cargo bikes all around!
Monday, December 28, 2009
I am Sara & I am a Cargo Bike Pusher
I can't help myself. Once I learned about cargo bikes, I became obsessed-- coveting one for months, searching owners down through the web, visiting every site I could find that mentioned cargo bikes and family cycling. Once we got our first one, the Bakfiets, my obsession took on a whole new level, constantly pushing limits to where we could ride and just what we could carry on our bikes. I realize that I may bore some with my talk about our bikes and cycling adventures, but ultimately, I admit-- I don't really care. We own one car so I am not a total car hater and never admonish others for driving. I just love our bikes and love that we can get around quite well through pedal-power.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
I think "trendsetter" or "vanguard" is more apt. You go, Sara!
Ride on.
OMG- when I come to NH this spring ( as I hope to do) I am SO renting a madsen!!!
I'm definitely using my bike more as a result of your adventures-(am bundling up now to make the 2 mile trek to G's place!)
Sweet! Keep the good cargo-bike vibes coming from New Haven!
Wonderful!
You've got my endorsement for bike-guru. We've got two cargo bikes around town (one like yours and another by Trio) but they are a bit more than we can chew off... particularly with no where to store it. We do, however, want family bikes. Our son JUST started riding with his training wheels off and we're looking at more family biking opportunities. Do you have any suggestions on third wheels for kids or other family biking gear?
@coldspaghetti--Hey, there! Thanks for stopping by. I am so not a bike guru, just a simple city cyclist who cannot talk any technical stuff about bikes, but can happily direct you out in the blogosphere to some MUCH more informed bikey folks. With that said,I will tell you that two of my three children can ride their own two-wheelers really well, but we still use the cargo bikes on a number of trips b/c our city/ the routes are not particularly safe for them to cycle themselves. With a slightly older kid & looking at a less-expensive investment, have you investigated an Xtracycle? Maybe you have a bike now that you can just convert with the FreeRadical, throw on a pair of stoker bars & off you go... We never did trail-along bikes since we had twins first (a singleton later) so would have needed two of us out on our bikes to make that work. My seven-year-olds happily fit on the snapdeck of our Xtra. Let me know if you want more details.
You're good at what you do! I so want a bakfiets to cart around my potential future imaginary child :)
As a fellow cargobike nutcase, here is a cargobike flowchart in its infancy. Come on over, all of you, and add your thoughts and comments.
Currently, it is information gathering, but the goal is to create a highly graphic flowchart.
http://wiki.stevevance.net/doku.php?id=cargobike:flowchart
Post a Comment