Sooo…. Last time I did “bike babble” I had just test-ridden a Madsen Cargo Bike (inserted a sneaky contest link there, go on, click it!) at the Seattle Bike Expo back in March.

When I wrote about the Expo, I had recently come to realize that I needed to slow down a bit; re-prioritize my goals, if you will. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is that I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot more talking — about Xtracycles, about Madsens, about carrying kids, about biking in general. Specifically I also had the opportunity recently to try out an Xtracycle and a Madsen side by side, which was awesome and I highly recommend. Matt in Tacoma is the man to talk to if you are suffering from a similar dilemma as myself!

Trying both bikes was golden because it confirmed what was already a growing suspicion that the Madsen, which while wonderful in many ways, is not going to fit every niche in which I want to bike with my kids.  Of course I’d like one bike to fit all situations, and although that may not be feasible in reality, I’d like to get as close as possible. The Xtracycle is going to suit us for longer, I think. Here’s why:

• My oldest likes it better, or so he has told me. It’s that stoker bar. He really, really likes that. He is fickle and does change his mind, but I do want him to be on board with this project.
• I’ve got a rather large age gap (3.5 years) with my kids. I don’t quite trust the baby to sit in the Madsen on his own yet, and my oldest is going to get big quickly. He’s not too big by any means, but I do want to plan for the long haul.
• I can take the Xtracycle with me on the car. That’s important to me, although I do see the irony. Can’t see hauling around the bucket!
• The Xtracycle will work better for carrying kid bikes. Not that the Madsen can’t do it, I just think the Xtracycle is a more elegant solution to that particular problem.
• The Xtracycle feels more like a regular bike. There, I said it. This is actually both good and bad — I think the Madsen will have more visibility on the streets because it is unique! Also, I love the step-through design of the Madsen. Fits my legs better than any bike I’ve tried so far.
• Although this doesn’t really have anything to do with length of time we’ll use something, I also think the Madsen makes an excellent car replacement vehicle, which isn’t something I’m looking for right now. Again with the irony, I know. But it does feel slightly like overkill. Right now I’m looking more at recreational use.

As you can probably tell, I did finally make a decision — I need an Xtracycle, not the pretty blue Madsen. (Although if I win one I promise it will get good use!)

The other decision I recently made is that I need a step-through bike for hauling the kids. I actually wasn’t convinced about this until a) I finally got to ride my own mountain bike, which is a diamond frame, and b) I tried Matt’s Xtra.

Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. I know I’m out of shape, but good grief. It’s like I have rocks in my shoes. I need to not to have to haul my leg over the front of a diamond frame bike because there’s someone sitting behind me. So while I could convert my mountain bike, I don’t think I will. I won’t feel secure or stable getting on and off, and I will feel plain silly doing it in public.

What else did I learn?

• I want balloon tires — cushy. So nice.
• I can totally see the value in those pricey Brooks/Velo Orange saddles. Instant comfort, unlike my current saddle, which hurts even through bike short padding, much less in jeans.
• Disk brakes are really good. I hadn’t tried those before.
• Xtracycles are HEAVY. I’m not sure putting one on my roof rack is such a good idea after all.

So a huge thanks to Matt for not only talking me through his cargo bike experiences, adventures and discoveries, but for letting a complete stranger ride his bikes. Sometimes bloggy people are the best!

After thinking about what I learned in talking to Matt, I decided to re-visit Aaron’s Bike Repair, the first place I ever went to ask about Xtracycles, and talk to them more about base bikes. I briefly tried out their basic Xtracycle build, and of course I learned a few things!

• First of all, 8 gears is okay.

I was honestly surprised by that — I’ve only ever had 21 gears so I wasn’t expecting that to be okay. I know it depends on the size of the front gear thingie (such technical terms!) but whatever ABR used seemed to work for me.

• I also learned that the uber-expensive double brake ABR sells may totally be worth the money.

There’s a lever which drops it down when you stop so you don’t have any wobbly problems getting off. Since so far I’ve proven that I’m possibly the least graceful bicyclist on the planet, this may well be a Very Good Idea. Particularly with passengers.

• I also confirmed that step-throughs are not only preferable for getting on the bike, but also stopping in general (like at lights) and getting off. Probably obvious, but there you go.

The plan itself hasn’t really changed, I just have some direction now as opposed to wandering meaninglessly in a sea of bike lust.

At ABR, they highly recommend the Cannondale Comfort bikes, which felt really good, but unfortunately I’m not crazy about how they look. I know that sounds trite, but I have to admit I have this vision, and straight silver lines wasn’t it. The bikes do come in other colors, but they’re just not bold like I was thinking. I was also thinking curves. So if I end up going Cannondale I’ll need some mental re-adjustment to happen first.

Next there are a few more Local Bike Shops I’d like to visit to try out some bikes. Hopefully child free because lordy, they do not like shopping. Hopefully I’ll be able to pick something out, or at least narrow the field to the point where I can make a list of everything I want and how much it will cost. And of course I can also watch craigslist in case something comes up!

It’s good to have a plan. :)

This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 11:05 pm and is filed under Thoughts, Etc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.