To Chinatown by Bike to Welcome Year of the Dragon 4710

(Edited post with pictures of the celebration)
One of our favorite annual celebrations happened this weekend in Chinatown to welcome the Lunar Chinese New Year 4710. The Lunar New Year party always includes copious fireworks, an incredible Dragon dance and parade with marching bands and plenty of delicious food.  2012 is an extremely special celebration for Chicago's Chinatown. This Dragon year is a time of prosperity and power in traditional Chinese culture, and it's the Chicago Chinatown Centennial too, marking a hundred years of Chinese culture and community in Chicago from 1912-2012. It's actually been 4710 for almost a week already but the celebration was this weekend. The parade started at 1:00 on Sunday and other programs started at 11:30.

Here are our favorite tips for riding to Chinatown and enjoying the afternoon with children in tow. There are also some food and bike route suggestions that are good all year at the end. If you are going in summer look at our post about the water taxi from Michigan Avenue. If you have your own favorite tips or suggestions please add a comment - this isn't a complete list by far!

For the New Year celebrations:

• The fireworks are everywhere and they are loud and smoky and smelly so make sure everybody can manage surprises.
• There are zillions of people so plan to lock your bikes very well away from the crowd and dress your kids in something like a Day-Glo suit you can see easily if they slip away.
• It's pretty cold so dress extra super warm - bring an extra layer for once you are off your bike
• Don't try to take the water taxi - it's only in the summer. But the playground at Ping Tom park should be open. It's just north of Chinatown Square Mall in those residential streets west of Wentworth - is it South Tan Ct?
• Everybody at the event thinks they are going to go eat nearby, all at the same time, right after the parade. Bring lots of patience or have a secret plan to avoid the crowds if you don't want to wait. See below for our choices. You could also get back on the bikes and go to the Ed Potsticker House for dumplings (across from the police station at 3139 S Halsted in Bridgeport), for example, or just go for little goodies from a bakery. 

Our food suggestions:

• The Chinatown Square Mall (just north of Archer) is our favorite part of the neighborhood because the kids can run around without getting into traffic, there are lots of shops and restaurants, and the guy who makes noodles at Hing Kee across from Joy Yee always smiles at the kids as he spins a big clod of dough into uniform, delicious noodles with his bare hands. His line went well out the door this weekend.
• Another good bet might be Tao Ran Ju (Tasty House) at 2002 S Wentworth, a hot pot place off the beaten track known for its delicious soup dumplings.
• On the southern end of Wentworth, Evergreen is known for mu shi and similar dishes and the kids love the fish tank (why this one more than others? Don't know.)
• We ended up at Cai, a newish dim sum restaurant on the upper floor of the Chinatown Square mall, at the eastern end -- it was a good place with a huge bright dining room and some really well prepared dishes, and despite the huge crowds everyone was friendly. Since it was upstairs it filled more slowly than the others, but it was a pleasant new discovery for us. We'll definitely go back.
• If you prefer nonchinese food, Lawrence Fisheries on Canal just north of Cermak is famous for its fried fish and shrimp and it's a quick ride or walk. There's a little stand in the odd food court basement of the Richland Center just east of the Chinatown Square that has the only Japanese Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba I've seen in Chicago - cheap but no atmosphere at all. Ba Le on Archer has Vietnamese sandwiches and coffee and there's a Vietnamese place on Cermak too.

Other suggestions:

• Bathrooms haven't been a big problem for us since most places let kids use the bathroom.
• Coffee? Forget it. Unless you like it Vietnamese style with condensed milk at Ba Le. Alternative to coffee: strong Hong Kong milk tea - try the Sweet Station diner but it's not as kid friendly.
• There are a lot of good shops for specialty goods in Chinatown, particularly kitchen tools and housewares and of course groceries. Our best luck looking for unusual teas was at Ten Ren, 2247 S Wentworth. 

Chicago Chinatown Centennial Dragon Parade 2012 / 4710

The dragon parade with its marching bands and homemade floats is the big draw for most people, of course, but later in the afternoon the dragons come through the commercial district and dance in front of and inside businesses to bring luck to the new year.

See the yummy lettuce over the shop door?

There were three or four of them, with a dragon zookeeper with a long pike to keep the crowds safe. Businesses offer lettuce and oranges hung with a red ribbon above the door and a dragon leaps up and snatches the treat. Fireworks accompany the lucky dancing animals.

Older people give younger ones decorated red envelopes with money inside for the New Year - don't look until you get home!



There are a few good ways to get to Chinatown:

Since the 18th street protected bike lane has been put in, coming from Pilsen or South Loop you can just take it and then Wentworth south into the heart of the commercial section. Take the sidewalk over the bridge since they haven't installed metal plates there yet.

Coming from the west loop we might ride on Peoria to UIC then Morgan then east across the Cermak bridge to avoid Halsted, though that does connect too. There's also a nicer connection from Morgan and 18th down on Sangamon all the way to Cermak but you'll have to look at our map. We took the sidewalk on Cermak to Chinatown since the bike lanes are full of ice.

The Red Line El comes right in to Chinatown if it's really cold or otherwise no fun to ride bikes with the kids. You can also take the Blue Line to UIC-Halsted where there is a long ramp for your bikes on the Morgan St exit, then through UIC and Morgan as above.

Don't think about driving to the New Year parade. Park and take your bike or the El.

As the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce says, GUNG HEI FAT CHOI TO ALL!

Yearly Patagonia Winter Sale begins tomorrow morning --January 25th

I know there are plenty of other sales going on out there but if there is a layer at Patagonia you have been hankering for their annual sale begins in the morning tomorrow. Last year we found some of the prices less slashed than previously but hopefully they have plenty to get rid of this season. It usually runs on-line as well.

Also there are Ibex wool underlayers on sale now, http://shop.ibex.com/specials/woolies-sale.html

Bullish on Hyde Park

Today, Saturday, is warm again. This January heatwave might be a great time to take a leisurely ride to one of our favorite places. Hyde Park.  It's almost a suburb, and it's almost part of town.
The smaller museums and cultural centers in Hyde Park are perfect for families to get close to great culture and art in small intimate atmospheres.
Here is a little list of our favorite Hyde Park spots.  It starts with description of today's family day at the Smart museum with more much tucked down afterwards.

On Saturday the Smart  Museum of Art at the University of Chicago is having the first of a winter series of free family days.  Smart family days are amazing. They're always fun and exciting and free with great materials and patient docents leading the way. The museum is small so the tours are always just a little nibble, not too long.
And this winter they will hold one every month.

Family Day: Knot Your Average Art Materials

iCal Event Info

When:	Saturday, January 7, 2012 1:00 pm
Where:	Smart Museum of Art  5550 South Greenwood Avenue, Chicago, IL
Description:	The Smart now offers free family activities on the first Saturday of every month! This Saturday, drop by and get inspired by contemporary artists who use materials like string, chord, and yarn in their work. Learn to weave on a flat loom you can build yourself and create your own cloth. Then, explore unusual art materials during a docent-led tour of the Smart's contemporary gallery. All ages welcome. Activities are designed for children 4–12. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Cost:	Free
Website:	http://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/learn/families/
Contact:	Smart Museum of Art 773-702-0200
	Persons with disabilities who need an accommodation in order to participate in this event should contact the event sponsor for assistance. For events on http://event.uchicago.edu/students/, please contact ORCSA at (773) 702-8787. Information on Assistive Listening Device

To get to Hyde Park we take the Lake Front Path down to Promontory Point since we haven't found a good route on city streets.  We go through the tunnel westward under Lakeshore Drive just before the Museum of Science and Industry, at 56th street. From here you can ride straight across 56th to Greenwood where the museum is just a bit north of you, but it goes against traffic for part of the way. You can take 57th for a good part of the way instead, where there is coffee at Z & H (never at Medici, home of the worst coffee in Chicago, including vending machines). Smart has a cafe with OK coffee and little snacks too.

lots of bikes in Hyde Park - there's still no snow!

Promontory Point, at roughly 55th street, is great for cook outs if you can fit all the things on your bike! They have fire circles so you don't need a grill, just a rack or sticks to hold the food above the fire. OK, not really the right time of year for this information, but a winter fire can be really fun too.

The Skating Rink on the Midway Plaisance is one of our favorites, free if you have your own skates and $6 to rent a pair from them. It's been open despite the lack of snow. They have a terrific warming house and little cafe. 312 745 2470.

Robie House on 58th and Woodlawn is a famous wonderful restored Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece and they offer kids tours based on the book The Wright 3, a mystery solved by kids who live in Hyde Park. They also have a free self guided neighborhod map you can get at the visitor's center of the important places in the book- just ask at the desk. The tour of the house is not cheap but it is special for kids who love the books. The Robie house is a great first visit for a kid learning about FLW.

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago is amazing, the perfect size for kids and lots of impressive statues and Egyptian, Abyssinian, Mesopotamian, etc things to see. The Museum atmosphere is  magical and mysterious. We find it is easy for the kids to get close to beautiful ancient  objects here without getting overwhelmed. There are small interactive computer kiosks scattered in each exhibit with fun games and information about the collection. Movies about the Middle East and Levant are screened on Sundays.Donation requested.

tut tut.

SHoP- Southside hub of Production, in the house just north of the Unitarian Church on Woodlawn, has ever-changing projects and events and a project room for kids. They are housed in the old Fenn mansion with oodles of room to explore. They have quirky innovative kid programs that are really fun.

Bonjour French Bakery has good sandwiches and little baked things across from DJs Bike Doctor (Raleigh parts) in the Treasure Island mall on Lake Park Avenue just north of 55th st (Lake Park parallels the Metra tracks).

Z and H is the only place with drinkable coffee on 57th st.

Hyde Park Art Center, S Hyde Park Blvd between 55 and 56th, also has a good cafe.

Blackstone Bikes refurbishes bikes and has a youth program.

57th Street bookstore has a great children department. It has a lovely quiet feeling for browsing that is very comfortable. The children's section is hidden away in the back of the shop.We find they have an especially strong selection of children's books and graphic novels for every kid. They have our favorite selection in the city for middle readers about eight to twelve years old. It's probably our favorite store in Hyde Park.

Rajun Cajun is our favorite place to eat in Hyde Park, with a little soul food and lots of fresh Indian dishes in a fast food atmosphere. It's on 53rd near Harper. Try the chai.

In the Winter Pannier and Happy New Year

Winter has been tiptoeing in and out in Chicago this year.  The air has been balmy for a midwestern December, hovering around 40 degrees many days since before school vacation started. The long days of hibernating at home have caught us up and helped get our bike legs back under us. On two wheels to the Art Institute and the Nutcracker we were barely in our heavy coats and gloves. Usually in December we wouldn't leave the house without our snow pants and boots.

Waiting in the wings are the real cold days of this winter, and we are readying our winter pannier that was so disorganized this early winter and late fall. Last year's colder winter posts --Keeping Kids Warm Riding in Fall and Snow are good primers on how we dress the kids depending on if they are riding their own bike or passengers, where we get our favorite layers, and how we care for them so they last.
The Riding in Fall post is very detailed and has most of the information about winter, too, including caring for hands, feet and faces. The Snow post has good pictures of what the kids wear.

Our winter pannier is much about keeping hands, feet and faces comfortable. Having a good selection of supplies makes all the difference -- it lets you get out of the house without missing anything. This is what we keep inside ours--(toilet training toddler version- substitute wipes and diapers for your baby winter rider)

Hats and balaclavas or neck gaiters and extra mittens litter our pannier because they get lost, forgotten inside at school or drenched with snowballs. Windproof mittens can be cheap to find second hand (let's just say the ones in the pannier usually don't match) and we prefer ones with grippy palms. We never use wool gloves. Children's fingers get very cold very fast in them since they are neither wind nor waterproof. Mittens are warmer. We always try to have lip balm to avoid chapping.

Our school commute is about four and a half miles each way so we carry extra warm clothes too.  The early ride is in the coldest part of the morning and the afternoon commute can be with the sun down when we do errands on the way home.  Our small guy does two school runs since he gets picked up and later goes back out to get the big guys. On short trips we carry a few fewer extra layers. After two or three weeks of cold riding you figure out what everyone needs.

On the other hand, we bring extra things on longer trips. Hot drinks come along if we are going to see friends far away or will be out for a long time sledding.

Mostly our guys are used to the cold and are toasty but if not - we go in a coffee shop or bakery and make the most of it while we all warm up, then try again. Once we locked the bike up and took the bus.

Hands and feet really grew at our house this year and our eldest got his first pair of lobster style riding gloves for his birthday. He loves them so far. We couldn't find Smartwool long johns and used Icebreaker wool layers for the middle guy who grew out of the thick German ones.  The Icebreaker layers have lasted well, but it's important to try not to put them in the dryer.

We find that babies' bottoms heat up in all the extra layers and they need to be changed a little sooner than you might think sometimes. Our winter baby kit includes Balmex cream, a plastic ziplock bag for yucky clothes, and wipes (which can get very cold so don't just bring wet ones). A friend of ours kept the wipes in an inside pocket of her coat or under her daughter in the trailer to keep them warm. Toilet training toddlers of course need everything in multiples. Ugh. You can bail out and use a warm bathroom at a coffee shop or museum.

Happy new year and einen guten Rutsch!

Mid Southwest Streets for Cycling Meetings Today, Tuesday and Wednesday

Our Mid Southwest CAG for the Streets for Cycling Campaign will be having a sort of not quite Christmas extravaganza week. We will be meeting tonight the 19th of December at 6.30 at Working Bikes Cooperative, Tomorrow again at Volunteer Night at Working Bikes and then Wednesday the 21st at Blue City Cycles in Bridgeport at 7.15 p.m..
Feel free to stop by and help us mark the maps for our region!
Here again is the basic place to find the information on Streets for Cycling and for our region as well:

http://www.chicagobikes.org/public/SFC.php).
Here is our particular section the "Mid-Southwest Side" (it is a 2MB pdf)
http://www.chicagobikes.org/pdf/MidSW%20Side.pdf

Kids Bike Sale - $5 each!

Working Bikes at 2434 S. Western Ave (312 421 5048) is having had a children's bike sale on Saturday 12-5 pm for kids up to 6 years old - next time they have one you can bring your kid and choose one for $5! Here's the link again.

Go to the new Streets for Cycling meetings!

What destinations do you and other people in your neighborhood want to reach by bike? Where do you like to ride? Where would you want to go by bike if a safe lane were there? Do you ride to school, or would you like to? How about the supermarket?   If you don't ride your bike much, what infrastructure would help you change your mind?  The Chicago Department of Transportation, CDOT, is building new bike lanes all around the city. They are planning to put in safe new protected lanes for bicycles, away from pedestrians and cars, so an 8 year old or a grandma or a parent with a bunch of kids (or YOU!) can ride where she needs to go and still feel safe. This will encourage more widespread use of bikes for most city trips. The lanes should be similar to the ones used in northern Europe and Asia, with some kind of cement or tree barrier between bikes and cars, and with some special bicycle traffic lights, overpasses, or other shortcuts.                                                                            One of these meetings is NOW!, December 15th at 6:30 PM at Rapid Transit. Click the picture to read about two upcoming meetings in our area. There are many other meetings around the city. We'll try to put a calendar here for you to find them soon.

At upcoming meetings around the city you can learn about the options they are considering and put in your own ideas about where these lanes should be and how they should be designed. You get to suggest what is needed! It is still early enough to make a big difference.

A system of safe bike routes gets people out in the air exercising, cuts down on the number of cars since drivers will be on bikes, cuts car parking and gas or maintenance costs, and can make a stressful commute more relaxing and fun.

This is a great chance for families all around the city to share where they ride or wish they felt confident to ride.  Sounds kind of dry but this is really good fun! Find more information about the Streets for Cycling program here: 

http://www.chicagobikes.org/public/SFC.php. 

You can find your particular region in there, though most cyclists ride all over the city, so anywhere you wish to share input will be welcomed heartily. We are working with the Mid Southwest Side Community Advisory Group in our neighborhood to gather information for CDOT 's planners.  Here is the planning map of our particular section, the "Mid-Southwest Side" (it is a 2MB pdf)

http://www.chicagobikes.org/pdf/MidSW%20Side.pdf

Bring your friends. See you there!

Santa Loves Local Bike Stores

One of the best things about Chicago is the amazing local bike stores. We can name five or six we like without even thinking too long. Unlike those big box stores with untrained people selling low quality bikes and other junk, any good local bike store has experienced, skilled employees and a wide inventory. They have better bikes with more options, they can make sure you get the equipment you want and need, and they can keep your bike running well for decades. But (here's the catch) they can only help you if they 
stay 
in 
business.


Have you been wondering what to get someone, maybe yourself, for the holiday season? Well, the season’s commercial enough anyway so we don’t want to add to the clamor much, but please do think hard about doing your shopping at your favorite local bike store. They have all had a terrible year, with odd weather and declining sales, and keeping those employees and inventory isn't easy.


Remember when gas was going up a dollar every week? That was a good time to sell bikes. People were actively trying to stop taking the car everywhere and a bike was a great way to do it.


Remember when people had pretty solid jobs most of the time? That was a good time for bike dealers, too. Look at all the expensive Dutch imports that sold well then, along with the condos to put them in. But a bike just isn’t the first thing to spend money on if you lose your job. 


So for those of you reading this with the money to spend, why not go to the bike store for most of your purchases this season? 

Everyone can use a new seat, or tires, or brake pads and cables, fenders, or a winter tune up package. These are really useful. 

How about a cycling jacket? Or a set of panniers would really make it easier to carry your things on your bike. 

Do you have a heavy duty chain or a good quality U-lock for all your bikes? A cable won't do you any good in the city. 

You could get your bike cleaned, adjusted and lubricated properly, so it’ll last longer. Take in a dusty old "vintage" one from the basement and get it spiffed up properly (keep the old parts if it's really vintage). Get your wheels trued. You won't regret any of that.

Does your child need a new bike, or new components for that used kid's bike you are spiffing up? 

How about a bell or a mirror or a set of generator lights? 

And if you’ve been thinking of getting a new bike, now is a great time to do it. There are a lot of good prices on stock bikes, and many dealers have discounts on special orders, too. And you are doing something helpful for someone, so you don't have to even feel guilty. Get the nice one.

Buy a gift certificate if you don’t know yet what you really want — maybe in summer when things are going better for the shop, you or the recipient can cash it in on something you need. This counts double since the bike store isn't actually giving you anything right now in return.


So we'd like to ask you to go on out to your local independent bike store now, get the cycling stuff you’d like to have, and keep your best bicycle resource in work for another year. 

Another Great Comment on Creating Better Streets and Cities from the NYT

We found another heartening piece- this time in the op-ed of the NYT about the "Death of the Fringe Suburb". It highlights the importance of walkability, cycling and good transit as it relates to real estate values. It's worth a read. Find it here.

Winter Gift Books for the Small Cyclists in Your Life

As we've mentioned often reading about or just meeting pictures of riders in children's books can be a fun way to share bikes with your smallest soon to be riders. We've talked about many of our favorites this year but want to mention them again since the season for sharing books as gifts for special friends and loved ones has begun. Here is a big mix of our reviews from the year.

Always at the top is the terrific Bear's Bicycle.

Christmas Market in Chicago! Kid's Lantern Festival on the 9th!

Hope you got those Pilgrims and turkeys out of your system because the German style christmas market / Weihnachtsmarkt / Christkindlmark(e)t just opened (actually Wednesday night) in Daley Plaza. So if you are riding your Fahrrad on Critical Mass this Friday (today? the 25th) be sure to bring cash and time for a sausage or some sugar glazed almonds and a mulled Glühwein / nonalcoholic Kinderpunsch or hot chocolate. They'll be open until 9 pm Fri and Sat, other days til 8. (For authenticity try to set up your bike to fulfill the German StVZO traffic regulations)

This year there are not only regular Bratwurst and the Nürnberger version that's thinner (and odd chewy rolls, but you can't have everything), but also a major North vs South German conflict with Weißwurst (south) for sale just next to Currywurst (north). Weißwurst is white sausage cooked in hot lemon water (that you don't drink), served with a pretzel and sweet Bavarian mustard and a wheat beer, best as breakfast. You suck the filling out (zuzeln) and throw away the skin, at least in Munich (video explanation in German here). Above the Weißwurst equator, the Prussians prefer Currywurst. Currywurst is a hot-dog-like Bockwurst cut up and drowned with ketchup and curry powder, with fries, eaten with a disposable fork while standing in front of a little shack. ("on my shirt, on my jacket, what kind of crud is this? All full of Currywurst." - Herbert Grönemeyer 1982). Both are perfect meals for your bike riding kid - bring some paper towels.


Beer and wine is for sale in several spots, good but unfortunately not cheap. There are a few vegetarian things to try like potato pancakes and possibly some of the soups and stews, but ask. I found ham in my supposedly vegetarian potato puff thing in Germany once and the lady looked at it and said "Meat? That's not meat! That's ham!"


There is also plenty of kitsch here, including wooden puppets and tree trimmings and, and, and...


One highlight for kids is the lantern festival (usually on Martinmas, Nov. 11, but in Chicago at 4 pm on Dec. 9), where kids WHO HAVE SIGNED UP AHEAD (this is the info link) (this is the email link) wander through the plaza with lanterns and sing songs. Make your own lantern -- a candle in a decorated jar hanging from a stick on a wire is basic, a papier mache animal is better -- or you can buy a premade beautiful reusable, battery powered German one when you sign up for the festival. They'll have it waiting for you the night of the walk at a booth near the north edge of the market. About half the kids know how to sing the usual songs. "Usual" for Germany - we make do with the little paper they hand out for people who don't know them. There are only a few religious references in the songs, like Xmas itself. It's fun and the participants each get a huge bag of great chocolate to take home. Last year our kids were still eating it a month later.

closing up

You can lock your bike across the street at a loop rack (look out for removable "sucker poles") easier than on the plaza itself. Daley Plaza is easy to find, just east of the City Hall on Washington between Clark and Dearborn, our routes to the Loop here. Bathrooms are portable ones on the west side of the plaza, and there is a great log cabin looking shed to warm up in on the north side if you can find a seat. We like going in the middle of the week when it's not so crazy. It goes from now until Xmas Eve (closes at 4 then). Look at the giant events website for lots more info.


Every little neighborhood in Germany has a little local version of this, with the neighborhood potters and glassblowers and knitters selling their entire year's production in a month and everyone meeting after work for a mug of hot mulled wine. We think they should have a month long one in a neighborhood like Logan Square, with local crafts for sale - they'd make a bundle, and we'd come! (especially to the Kozie Prery booth).






Edit: there will be something kind of similar Dec 3 and 4 at Pulaski Fieldhouse: the renegade craft fair holiday edition.

Guardian Bike Blog On Biking To School Again/CDOT's Streets For Cycling 2020 Planning Begins

Today the Guardian Bike blog covers riding to school  again. In a short piece they talk about a rise in cycling to school published by the charity Sustrans, a sustainable transportation charity in the UK that works with school children and basically supports a UK version of  Safe Routes to Schools. The piece discusses a rise in school ridership at schools in which Sustrans provides educational programming.
This is interesting in Chicago as the Active Transportation Alliance begins to develop in-school programs to grow the number of school riders here in our city.

The author does mention the need for infrastructure in the UK, which is a huge topic in our city as well now that the push is on to create new lanes, which leads me to...

...The Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan being developed this winter and spring by CDOT and you.  Family riders in Chicago have a great chance to share their input and grow lane networks designed for all riders by contributing plenty of input into the new Chicago Streets for Cycling Plan. The link has a detailed fact sheet to read. Please check out the great post by  Walk/ Bike Lincoln Park about how to be a part of the city plan. It's very useful even if you live in a different corner of the city. The Open House for Streets For Cycling will be December 10th from 10 a.m.- 4p.m. at 23 E. Madison. This is a great opportunity to come out and share your amazing ideas with the city for getting your family out to all of your favorite places on better streets. But this is just the beginning.

Each community in the city will have an advisory committee which is made up of basically anyone who has anything to share about how to get places on a bike here. Email streetsforcycling2020@gmail.com to find out about how to find your advisory group and be a part of creating the neighborhood networks that the plan will hopefully be putting into place. The best way to get better streets for children and families in the city is to be a big part of the plan as it is being created.

Bikes for lots of riders

Conference bike (red, looks like an octopus) in the back holds 7, two person 
romance trike (LoveBike) in front, a Gazelle Cabby cargobike and a regular bike. 

People often ask us about multiperson bikes. (I consider that to mean more than just a grownup and a few kids on the same bike, which you can do with many bikes in our About Cargobikes page.) I've seen a few, and brought together a few pictures here. I don't think they've really built the Cargobike Extra Extra Long. Know of any others?


The guy told me that the purple LoveBike in the picture is so hard to control with that long steering rudder that it is a real test of the strength of your romance. Apparently it keeps hitting the riders. I've heard better about the conference bike, though it doesn't look too practical for commuting either. (it's used for team building exercises and tours I think). They make them with variable numbers of riders. (The former importer, DBC City Bikes in Boston, is now concentrating on US made utility bikes instead.)


A kindergarten 8 kid transporter again from our Rolling Orange post:

Here's a link to the pedal pub in Chicago, yet another Dutch idea, but of course in Chicago you can't have an open alcohol container on it in public, like you can in Holland. I can't find my own picture of one but it looks like a San Francisco trolley and a bar at the same time, and everyone pedals from his or her barstool. The bartender steers while the trolley moves around, then serves when it's parked.


I think we're doing well with a maximum of 6 people on our big Bakfiets (only happened twice - you could do 7 in a pinch though, I'm sure of it!) How many can you fit in your car? 


Next step - clown car bike!

Revised balance bike post

We added crank removal pictures to the old post we have about making a balance bike out of a standard toddler bike. Have a look!

Buying a bike for your child

This question seems to keep coming up, so here is our take on it.