Bike safety flags can help keep bicycle riders visible The greatest risk for someone riding a bike on roads with automobile traffic is being hit by a car. I strongly support infrastructure improvements that physically protect someone riding a bike. Dedicated bike paths and protected bike lanes can help a lot with this. I don’t like putting the burden of safety on the more vulnerable in general. At the same time, if there’s a low-effort way to improve safety, it’s probably a good thing to do. According to the NHTSA, the 2nd leading factor in bicyclist deaths is “Not visible (dark clothing, no lighting, etc)”. Vehicles are getting bigger, which causes more line of sight problems for other users of the road. Adding a flag is an easy and low-cost way of improving visibility, but it does have a few […]
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A beautiful two-toned Klein Quantum
On the way home after school dropoff a little while ago I saw a sharp-looking two-tone Klein Quantum. I can’t help having a soft spot for now-vintage bikes like these. My heart always beats a little faster when I see nicely-restored (or well-kept!) vintage bikes. The USA-made Kleins were known for having meticulous attention to detail, fantastic paint jobs, and impressive frame stiffness. Or follow along for updates:
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New Bike Bridge! A great first ride on the new Emeryville Pedestrian and Bike Bridge
I took my first ride across the Emeryville bike and pedestrian bridge recently. It just opened on December 3rd. According to the Emeryville Eye, the idea was first officially conceived in the 1980s. It’s amazing that it has taken this long. But it is very nice. The South Bayfront Bike and Pedestrian Bridge Its official name is the “South Bayfront Bridge” and it has been a work in progress since 2002 and cost $21 million. At one point, the city of Emeryville had to sue the state to recover funds for the bridge. The bridge connects the Bay Street shopping area on the west (and even has an entrance to the parking lot from the ramp up the bridge) and Horton Street on the east side, just south of 53rd street. The bridge makes crossing the railroad tracks much much […]
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A replacement Trail-a-bike hitch seatpost shim to help fix your trailer
Trail-a-bikes We use an Adams Trail-a-bike (aka Tag along, as some people call it) to tow our child occasionally. It is kind of like a tandem bike attachment for kids. The steel hitch slides onto a seatpost, and clamps on via 2 bolts and a hex-wrench. The other end of the hitch has a square-shaped key and a hole for adding a retaining pin to hold the trailer in place. There are spacers included that fit in there for different seatpost diameters. We have a Weehoo trailer as well, and this shim should fit that hitch as well. This may also work for other tag along bikes, like the Weeride Co-Pilot and the Kazam Co-pilot. Both of those clamp onto the seatpost of the adult’s bike. We sometimes swap the trailer between bikes. Unfortunately, the bikes have different […]
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Bike gift ideas for kids and others who started biking during the pandemic (2021)
Hi, I’m making a quick list of gifts that I recommend for kids who bike. I also have gift ideas for people who have recently started biking during the pandemic. For some gift guides, bloggers or writers solicit ideas. I’ve compiled this list based 10+ years of bike-commuting experience and daily rides with my child. I’m also finding accessories and other bicycle-related gifts that make riding more fun. My goal is to help make it easier to bike where you need to go. I hope that this gift guide will make it easier for your intended recipient to do so too! Bike accessory gift ideas Lights I recommend lights for anyone who might be riding when it’s starting to get dark. Lights also help when it’s very cloudy or raining. Important factors for me are: size, ease of […]
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Bike navigation for cyclists – what’s important
The topic of bike navigation for cyclists came up recently, especially with the release of some new features for Google Maps Lite: With lite navigation, cyclists can quickly see important details about their route without needing to keep their screen on or enter turn-by-turn navigation. At a glance, you can track your trip progress, see your ETA update in real-time, and even know the elevation of your route so you can keep your focus where it needs to be — on the road. Why is dedicated bike navigation important? And what features do cycles need that are not available in turn-by-turn car map apps? There are a few main factors that affect navigation for people who are traveling by bike. The safety of the road and protection from automotive traffic is probably the primary factor. It’s critical for a bike […]
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Neighborhood Bike Parades That Help Kids Learn to Ride Together
The kids bike parade is a way to let kids play, ride bikes together and learn to ride safely. Children and adults make new friends and build community by bike. How did the bike parade start? Earlier on in the pandemic, we learned that COVID spread mostly through poorly-ventilated air. We tried to think of ways to still foster social interactions between children with a lower risk profile. Our family and a lot of others have gone with their kids biking to spend time outdoors. We started by turning a birthday party into a evening bike ride. Kids had fun biking together and being able to see each other not on a computer screen! Parents got a chance to ride with their kids and others. Neighbors were treated to a lively mini parade. A few parents loved the […]
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Flat tires suck
Flat tires suck. I took my child to get a flu shot the other day (not a great experience!). On the way out, we had to hop a curb because there were no curb cutouts nearby. My child went off the curb and then said “Daddy, there’s a problem.” I looked back, and indeed, the rear wheel was completely flat. That’s some insult-to-injury type stuff right there. It was kind of funny though. Luckily, I usually carry a tool kit with a patch kit and a pump with me, so I was able to fix it pretty quickly. On flats in general I don’t know if it’s just Oakland and Berkeley streets, but two friends have gotten flat tires recently on their cargo e-bikes. I saw one of them on the sidewalk on the way to school pickup. He was […]
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Pannier ridealong on a Surly Big Easy electric cargo bike
When friends ride along on an electric cargo bike We rode our bikes to Strawberry Creek Park in Berkeley for a birthday party. I saw this cute setup on a Surly Big Easy cargo e-bike. It’s a long-tail cargo bike with full-sized wheels. It is great for carrying groceries, kids or other bikes, and it has an electronic assist. The bike is set up with a Thule/Yepp child seat in the back. The panniers are also a perfect place to take a stuffed animal buddy along for a ride. I took one for a test ride once. It felt stable even with an adult on the back rack. Or follow along for updates:
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Making it fun: Gear for biking ourselves and our kid in the rain
Biking in the Rain with a Kid Our family doesn’t own a car, so when it rains we often still ride our bikes. This sometimes can present challenges when riding with a kid. The rain has returned, at least temporarily, in the Bay Area. So we got out our waterproof outerwear for the rides to school and back. Here the gear we use for biking in the rain. Biking Rain Gear (for the adults) I’ve been bike commuting to school/work for nearly 20 years now, and my bikes and gear have evolved considerably. Here is my current setup for biking in the rain: On the Bike Fenders: I have the type that mount to eyelets on the bike and cover a lot of the wheel. Some of the temporary solutions work ok, but it’s nice having more wheel coverage. I […]
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