We Updated the Cargobike Page and the Link to Buying a Bike for Your Child

Just so you know, the Cargobike Page has been updated a bit today. The Bakfiets.nl Cargobike's main distributor in the US, Workcycles, will stop shipping it and instead will offer a new modular cargo bike of their own this year.  The Fietsfabriek bikes appear to be unavailable in the US now. Urban Arrow and Bakfiets.nl electric assist bikes are here, and JoeBike's cargo bikes are gone.  There are a few other updates. Have a look.

Buying a bike for a child? Here's our post about it. And look at the other posts about kids in the archives.

Do they ride bikes in Italy?

Our family in Florence chose our first stop - the indoor market. 

Many bicycles both inside and around. And hardly any mopeds this time!

We note that Florentines love an enclosed chain case (to protect those spiffy trouser cuffs?).

We liked the big cargo bikes inside and the fishmongers unlocked bike. 

Most bikes had some way of carrying groceries or work bags or children.

Not as many heavy duty locks as you'd think,
and not always locked to something immobile.
Who would have thought?

mom and kid on his own bike traveling up the Arno

We were very surprised by the number of families riding with their children and new bike lanes we found in Florence compared to our last visit eight years ago. Lots of double kid carrying bikes were parked everywhere, in the city center and in the outer city near the old city walls across the Arno. Outside the city center in the part of town where we were visiting our family we found functional separated bike infrastructure and people using it (even if we didn't get pictures of them).

 

Pee Wee Herman's bike?

Nearly all step through frames.

hilly to ride here but bikes everywhere

  

December roses

al the racks in residential parts of town were full

highbrow graffiti

€1 for the most delicious morning pastry (rice and pastry cream filling) 

and €1 for a cappuccino or latte macchiato  to go with it!

Tief ( -Garagen) in Bayern

We visited in Holland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland this winter for the first time in eight very long years. We got to return to visit old friends. Babies born but never met are now in elementary school, new buildings everywhere. 

We took a pile of pictures we will be publishing in a short series this week. Thank you again to the beloved friends whose houses are in our pictures. 

Today it's all about the tief (deep) garage!

Here are pictures from two of our friends' neighborhoods. Though both friends live in small cities - one a small university city in Germany, the other a small town about 10 minutes from Zurich on the above ground street tram. Both neighborhoods are created with an underground garage for cars for each neighborhood instead of personal driveways, parking pads or garages.

Personal garages are replaced with small yards and front sheds for bicycles. Removing car parking spaces from the front of the houses created beautiful walking and play spaces for residents. Both neighborhoods had bike pathways and generous sidewalks, well separated from traffic, that gave comfortable access to the city centers and shopping on foot or bike.

These first pictures are from Northern Bavaria

Picked up at the train with the brother of our box bike. Here in
the city shopping pedestrian zone with a Christmas tree
carried from Munich catching a ride on the back.

Out of focus but shows
separated bike lane well

Here is a view of the road, curb separated lane and sidewalk in the city center. The deeper grey center path is the bikeway. The grate indicates the area of the walking way.




A hairsbreadth from the center of Zurich each townhouse has its own bike garage outside the front door protected from mountain snow and rain. Car free paths lead to a network of off street foot paths throughout the village to schools and shopping with street crossings mixed in.

Here are more views of the same front gardens and walkway. Below the houses and gardens are the buried garage- "tief garage". Residents' cars are parked down here under the small private backyard gardens adjoining the houses.

Footpaths are marked with signs noting they are for walking only. Below is the path off of the Blumenstrasse. The building just visible on the right is an elementary school. The path can be used by walkers or those on bikes and allows children to travel to school  on foot or bike well separated from car traffic.

We love the small girl and her dapper companion.

YOU On Wheels! This Saturday

We’re keeping an eye on the weather here at Chicargobike because Women Bike Chicago’s second Day of Dialogue and Demos, for women curious about riding bikes for recreation and transportation in Chicago, is coming right up this Saturday at Dvorak Park in the heart of Pilsen.

Fear not, registration is encouraged, but you are welcome to just pop down to the park and spend the day without one.

Last year’s favorites will all make a return with lots of new exciting additions. We have some terrific guests this year.  Dvorak has an on-site Divvy station and Divvy will be on hand with demo bikes and mechanics to help teach everyone how to use the station. The CTA bus rack demo will also be there so you can learn to get your bike up on that rack under the trees in the park. The bike corral is back again with oodles of bikes coming from the many women of the Chicago bike community and even some guest shops.

Great workshops and presentations will be happening all day inside the lovely WPA-era field house. The free child care is in a fieldhouse gym this year with plenty of space to run and play. Be ready for a good old fashioned raffle and check out tips on riding and maintenance from the amazing West Town Bikes and Blue Island Bicycle Club.  The full list of activities is at the WomenBikeChicago blog.

Come on down with a friend or four hankering to learn about how to get up on two wheels with a friendly crowd of Chicago women on hand to help!