Just wanted to quickly post a picture of the bike - since it is halfway through the challenge and you might be interested in seeing what the bike looks like. So here it is. I'll post an update on what we have been doing in a day or two.
--CFD
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Bike Picture
Just wanted to quickly post a picture of the bike - since it is halfway through the challenge and you might be interested in seeing what the bike looks like. So here it is. I'll post an update on what we have been doing in a day or two.
--CFD
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Half-way there
I think we're just about half-way in this car-free challenge and so far, going car-free hasn't been a problem. We're taking a little more time to plan our trips and getting more acquainted with our public transportation system, but these are not bad things.
We've taken the bike out to take the kids to buy Halloween costumes, go grocery shopping, take the kids to school, take the kids to church and take the kids to see their god parents. Although we haven't ventured more than a few miles from our house with it, we've used it to travel distances that we normally would have driven.
A photographer from the local paper stopped by this morning to take pictures of my husband carting the kids off to school. It would have been nice if it was warmer out so you could actually see the kids, but it's gotten so cold out that we've been riding around with the rain cover on. I haven't seen the photos, but I can't imagine you can see them at all in their little plastic bubble.
We've taken the bike out to take the kids to buy Halloween costumes, go grocery shopping, take the kids to school, take the kids to church and take the kids to see their god parents. Although we haven't ventured more than a few miles from our house with it, we've used it to travel distances that we normally would have driven.
A photographer from the local paper stopped by this morning to take pictures of my husband carting the kids off to school. It would have been nice if it was warmer out so you could actually see the kids, but it's gotten so cold out that we've been riding around with the rain cover on. I haven't seen the photos, but I can't imagine you can see them at all in their little plastic bubble.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Our Bike
So, my husband said something about posting pictures when he got around to taking them. That could take an eternity. It could take me even longer, so I don't promise such things. All I have to offer are my stick figures. Here's a stick figure of our Dutch bike we're riding around town in. My husband pedals in the back and our children sit up in front. I must say, I like the fact that we can keep an eye on the kids while riding. I also like it that they know they're being watched.
The Money Factor
I think we can all agree that we've seen some pretty high gas prices this year. I just did the math and between January and September this year, we averaged just under $85 a month on gas. That even includes June, where we went the whole month without filling up once. This month, we topped off our tank at $12.75 right before the challenge just about two weeks ago and that has been it. Based on our monthly average, we've saved $72.25 this month. Hey, I'll take that any month!
So far, the challenge has been going very well for us. We've been able to transport ourselves with our bike and public transportation for all destinations within a two mile radius and we've lucked out in getting rides to events that were scheduled before the car-free challenge to destinations over 5 miles away.
I don't think going a month without a car is going to be a problem for us, but I do miss the mobility that driving has to offer. Halloween is coming up and I still haven't picked up costumes for my kids. If I could drive, I'd just hop in a car and go right now. I could be back in an hour with something cute. However, it's night-time. It's dark out. It's also raining. I neither feel the inclination to ride my bike some place or look up bus schedules and figure our where I want to go and how to get there. The costumes will just have to wait.
So far, the challenge has been going very well for us. We've been able to transport ourselves with our bike and public transportation for all destinations within a two mile radius and we've lucked out in getting rides to events that were scheduled before the car-free challenge to destinations over 5 miles away.
I don't think going a month without a car is going to be a problem for us, but I do miss the mobility that driving has to offer. Halloween is coming up and I still haven't picked up costumes for my kids. If I could drive, I'd just hop in a car and go right now. I could be back in an hour with something cute. However, it's night-time. It's dark out. It's also raining. I neither feel the inclination to ride my bike some place or look up bus schedules and figure our where I want to go and how to get there. The costumes will just have to wait.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Cold Ride
It's getting harder and harder to get up in the morning thanks to the changing seasons and shorter days. Consequently, twice this week, I have left the house with one child to catch the bus on time and my husband has wheeled the other one to school. Today, I saw my husband wheeling my daughter to school, wrapped up in a blanket, but looking seriously cold. She was sporting pink cheeks and a pink nose. Cute, but very cold. We think it's time to keep the rain hood strapped on. When it's cold outside, the wind is pretty brutal, especially if you're just sitting there as a passenger.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Lunch Date
My husband took me out for another spin on the Dutch bike today. It was only a short 1 mile trip to grab a bite to eat for lunch, but it was a pretty fall day and the ride was nice. It's too bad that my two kids and I can't all fit as passengers. It would be so nice if my husband could wheel all of us together at the same time. Unfortunately, the weight restrictions are such that only two of us can get a ride at any one time. My husband keeps hoping that I'll just get used to riding my bike, but that seems rather unlikely. We'll first have to buy me a new bike because my current one is in rotten shape, but I'm reluctant to buy a bike right before winter. I"d also have to get used to riding in traffic, which is really the part that I don't like. If I was allowed to ride on sidewalks or there were convenient bike paths with no cars, I'd be game. However, our local laws do not allow adults to ride bikes on sidewalks and our bike paths share the road with cars. For now, I think the only bike riding I'll be doing is in the bucket while my husband carts me around.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Musings from a fun weekend
So you heard from CFM (Car-Free Mom) about what happened over the weekend and her feelings about the challenge, but I wanted to add just a few words too.
I thought it was sooo cool to be riding around with my wife in the front of the bike. I felt really strong. As my wife would say about me, I "felt like a manly, man of a man." :) It was a super way to go on a date. I have always been trying to get my wife to go on walks with me or walk to our date especially if it is just a mile away. These walks have been few and far between. I think that with the Dutch bike, they could become much more common. I really liked the ability to talk while we were out getting some fresh air and moving under our (my) own power. It was a real trip.
I realized one small (correctable) gripe about the bike on my first night trip. At night, even though there is a headlight and taillight, I feel like it would be easy for others to miss the bike in the dark, especially from the side. I have a brighter headlight for my normal bike which just snaps on and off of the handle bars. I am thinking about attaching it to the Dutch bike when I take it out at night to try to ensure more visibility for the bike. (Two lights are better than one, right?) If we ever purchase one of these bikes for ourselves, I think another thing that I would probably do would be to add some reflective tape to the bucket as it comprises about 1/4-1/3 of the bike's length. That is a lot of space on which it would be nice to have some sort of reflective surface.
It is nice that there is a 5-gear gear shift though. On my normal bike, I usually stay in the highest gear all the time, which makes startups a little difficult, but I manage. On the Dutch bike, I find myself switching gears all the time. I usually stay in 4th or 5th gear, but I will switch to 2nd or even 1st when I am starting up from a stop or going up a hill. I find that it makes the startup easier and less wobbly and climbing hills (not that there are big ones in Chicago) a lot easier.
Overall, after having the bike for about a week and biking around on it for the same amount of time, I would have to say that this is a really great bike and I really like using it.
--CFD
I thought it was sooo cool to be riding around with my wife in the front of the bike. I felt really strong. As my wife would say about me, I "felt like a manly, man of a man." :) It was a super way to go on a date. I have always been trying to get my wife to go on walks with me or walk to our date especially if it is just a mile away. These walks have been few and far between. I think that with the Dutch bike, they could become much more common. I really liked the ability to talk while we were out getting some fresh air and moving under our (my) own power. It was a real trip.
I realized one small (correctable) gripe about the bike on my first night trip. At night, even though there is a headlight and taillight, I feel like it would be easy for others to miss the bike in the dark, especially from the side. I have a brighter headlight for my normal bike which just snaps on and off of the handle bars. I am thinking about attaching it to the Dutch bike when I take it out at night to try to ensure more visibility for the bike. (Two lights are better than one, right?) If we ever purchase one of these bikes for ourselves, I think another thing that I would probably do would be to add some reflective tape to the bucket as it comprises about 1/4-1/3 of the bike's length. That is a lot of space on which it would be nice to have some sort of reflective surface.
It is nice that there is a 5-gear gear shift though. On my normal bike, I usually stay in the highest gear all the time, which makes startups a little difficult, but I manage. On the Dutch bike, I find myself switching gears all the time. I usually stay in 4th or 5th gear, but I will switch to 2nd or even 1st when I am starting up from a stop or going up a hill. I find that it makes the startup easier and less wobbly and climbing hills (not that there are big ones in Chicago) a lot easier.
Overall, after having the bike for about a week and biking around on it for the same amount of time, I would have to say that this is a really great bike and I really like using it.
--CFD
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