Bike Fun with Girls & Bicycles
Posted on 22 August 2010 by Dottie |11 Comments
On Saturday Mr. Dottie and I had the privilege of spending the whole day with Miss Sarah of Girls & Bicycles and her husband Don. We showed them Chicago, local style. First they came to our place to get fitted on Oma and Sir Raleigh. Despite the height differences, the bikes worked out.
Then we rode a few miles to the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood, where we had brunch at Toast and walked around. While Sarah scored at the BCBG sale and the thrift store, I finally found a good straw hat at Goorin Brothers hat shop. Eventually we ended up at the gem of the neighborhood, Copenhagen Cyclery. Much riding of awesome bikes and talking of sustainable living with owner Brett and manager Phil ensued.
We all had lots of fun with the Velorbis Mobii.
Then we rode the Larry v. Harry Bullitt. That bike got the best of me – I could not even ride it a few yards without bailing, lest I fall over. Something about the steering is very odd, but Don and Greg managed to figure it out.
After the shop, we drank delicious cocktails at The Violet Hour speakeasy. Our drinks: Swingin’ on the Lawn, The Etiquette, Georgia Peach, Tattooed Seaman, Tequila Old Fashioned, and Juliet and Romeo.
Next we bought wine and picnic food from The Goddess and Grocer and rode our bikes to watch To Catch a Thief in the park with bike friends Elizabeth and Dean, before finally returning home 12 hours after we set off. A very good day!
Sadly, Sarah and Don – and their crazy foreign accents – are now heading back to Canada. I’ll have to start planning my trip to Edmonton. :)
You can see more fabulous pictures of the whole day from Sarah at Girls and Bicycles.
Friday Unwinding
Posted on 20 August 2010 by Dottie |14 Comments
This morning I almost took public transit instead of riding my bike, as the news predicted a sweltering 90 degree day with thunderstorms. I decided to ride anyway. By the afternoon, the official thunderstorm watch was the talk of the office, with heavy rain and lightening strikes predicted…any minute… But the rain never happened. So after work I rode my bike a couple of miles as planned to meet up with Sarah, Don and Mr. Dottie at The Publican for dinner.
After a delicious and very interesting meal, we walked the 1.5 miles back to their hotel, stopping to take random photos, of course.
I have no idea what we were talking about in this last photo, but I was obviously amused.
After leaving Sarah and Don at their hotel, we rode the 7 miles home via the Lakefront Trail. The night ride was a perfect way to wind down after a long week of crowded streets and hot sun. TGIF.
I find that switching up my commute at the end of the week is a good way to unwind and usually I have the opportunity to do so after going out with friends. How do you unwind to leave your weekday riding behind?
Meeting Miss Sarah
Posted on 19 August 2010 by Dottie |9 Comments
When I first started riding a bike over two years ago, the internet was my best resource for information: how to pack a pannier, change a tire, signal turns, etc. All very technical and masculine, but I accepted that as the bicycling culture. Then one day I stumbled upon Girls and Bicycles. One girl and one bicycle, to be exact: Miss Sarah and her Pashley. For the first time, I saw the possibility of a different kind of bicycling lifestyle, one in which dresses, heels and nights at the opera fit seamlessly. The rest is history.
Tonight I had the great pleasure of meeting Sarah, although I felt like I already knew her well. She is just as interesting, funny and open as she seems on her blog. And stylish! Killer outfit for her date with me. 
Sarah and her husband Don are vacationing in Chicago this week (lucky for me). Check out Girls and Bicycles for lots of awesome Chicago pictures, and stay tuned for more Miss Sarah (and Don!) on LGRAB. We’ll be hanging out more this weekend – yay!
LGRAB Back from NYC
Posted on 18 August 2010 by Dottie |15 Comments
Trisha and I are back from NYC! I have lots of thoughts about the infrastructure and bikes there, as well as general comparisons with Chicago, but that will have to wait until I have more time to write. In the meantime, here are some pictures of our adventure.
I’ve been posting a lot more pictures of our trip at Dream Camera. More excitement is coming up, as I will be meeting up with a very special guest who is visiting Chicago this week.
Pashley Pride in NYC
Posted on 15 August 2010 by Trisha |28 Comments
Dottie and I took a spin on some bikes from Adeline Adeline this afternoon with our friend Wanda. We took our time looking over their impressive inventory–Linus, Pashley, Batavus, Gazelle and more–and rode a couple of models each, including the Pashley Princess Sovereign and Pashley Poppy pictured above. It was my first Pashley ride and Dottie’s first time on a Pashley Poppy–and the first time riding the streets of New York City for all three of us. The ensuing debriefing covered many topics, including compare and contrast: Pashley Poppy and Azor Oma; is bigger really better when it comes to bells; and the prevalence of bike salmon. More to come on these all-important thoughts and our NYC experiences when we get home!
Gonna ride my bike until I get home
Posted on 13 August 2010 by Trisha |11 Comments
This afternoon I discovered “Bicycle Song,” a little ditty from Mark Ronson that feels perfect for a Friday. I’m digging the kitchy retro sound and the rap at about 2:20: “Don’t you wanna take a joy ride on my tandem?” (Via)
Happy weekend to one and all! Off now to pack to meet up with Dottie in NYC…
“Excessive Heat Warning” Commute
Posted on 13 August 2010 by Dottie |31 Comments
Today there was an excessive heat warning in Chicago, the first since 2006, due to a top heat index of between 100 and 107 degrees. I rode my bike today, as I have every day this week. It wasn’t a big deal, nothing dramatic. I went slowly and sweated and that was that. For the very young, the elderly or the asthmatic, riding a bike probably would not have been a good idea, but I was okay. The worst part was the haze of pollution in the air.
I also walked a couple of miles in the middle of the day. Riding a bike felt much better, since it creates constant airflow.
On my way home I attempted a panda shot in honor of Simply Bike. Turns out I’m really bad at taking pandas and barely got the bike in the frame. I’ll have to practice this some more.
How’s everyone else holding up this fine August?
p.s. By the time you read this, I’ll be on a plane to visit NYC for the first time. Trisha will be there, plus bikes, plus more friends – I’m very excited.
Beautiful Bicycles: Kangaroo Family Bike
Posted on 12 August 2010 by Dottie |35 Comments
Allow me to introduce you to the Kangaroo, the most sophisticated cargo bike I’ve met. The Kangaroo is a Danish bike, designed specifically – and wonderfully – to carry children. Although I was initially skeptical of a bike made of such modern materials and with such a narrow purpose, after my test ride the Kangaroo now ranks near the top of my bike list.
the Kangaroo
The frame is aluminum 6061, the cargo area is impact-resistent and UV-stabalized polyethylene, and the cover is nylon. Good old-fashioned wood and steel is more appealing to me initially, but these materials go together to create a unique and utilitarian set-up that would not be possible without them. The cover, when fully set up, is wind, water and snow proof, although there is an additional tarp for heavy downpours and outside storage. The convertible cover is impressively simple to operate, going from fully-enclosed to open-air in about ten seconds.
ready for action
There is only one frame size, but everything is adjustable to allow more than one member of a family to hop on and drive. In addition to the seat, the handlebar system is highly adjustable, able to go up, down, forward, backward and all around. The position of the bars in these photos is a little further from me than I would have them set up for long-term use. There are also several hand positions for comfort, kinda like cargo bike drop bars. The steering responsiveness is also fully adjustable, so the driver can set it how she or he feels most comfortable.
riding
The amazing part of this bike is the cargo area, designed to hold kids with many different set-ups. The seats look super comfortable and a harness holds the kiddies in. Here is the main set-up with two seats facing the front.
two seats
The seats are held on with these rails and quick-release levers. Adjusting the seats take a little more time than adjusting the cover, but no more than a couple of minutes. The seats can slide back and forth to adjust for necessary leg room or cargo.
seat rails
The seats can be turned around so one or both face the back.
facing backward
One seat can be removed to carry only one child in the center and keep a good balance of weight.
one seat
And the seats can lay totally flat for some nap time.
seat laying down
When turning, the front moves separately from the back and the back leans to the side slightly. The turning radius is amazing for a big trike like this. I was going around and around in tight circles and weaving in and out of parked cars. The bike always felt completely stable. My least-favorite part of riding the De Fietsfabriek trike was feeling a bit topsy turvy over every grade change and pothole, even if it was mostly in my head. With this bike I deliberately went over a lot of uneven pavement (there’s plenty to choose from in Chicago) and never had that feeling.
turning
tight turning radius
The front has hydraulic disc brakes for serious stopping power, although I cannot say how they feel stopping from high speeds, carrying a heavy load or while going downhill.
hydraulic disc brakes
The rear has a coaster brake, which by itself was suitable for my stopping purposes during the test ride. There is a seven speed internal hub – more than enough for Chicago. Again, I cannot say how this bike would feel up hill. I imagine it would be a hard slog, as it would with any cargo bike.
coaster brake, chain guard, 7-speed internal hub
Need even more carrying capacity? There’s a sturdy rack on the back. For keeping your clothes clean, there are fenders and a chain guard. LED lights in the front and rear are built-in. I prefer dynamo lights that automatically work without batteries when I pedal, but at least LED batteries last a long time.
rack, fenders, LED lights
There is a short-term parking brake on the handlebars. For long-term parking, the front kickstand is sturdy. The number you see on the front is also on the frame and serves as a theft deterrent or at least a way maybe to get the bike back if a thief tries to sell it.
ID number for theft, front kickstand
Overall, I’m highly impressed by this bike. The design is ingenious for kid-carrying, the ride is smooth and the handling is superb. The limitations of my short test ride without kids in the front means I cannot give complete information about using the bike, but I know that when the time comes for me to buy a family bike, I will be going back to test ride the Kangaroo again.
better than a Subaru
For more info, check out this Danish article via Copenhaganize that test rode several family bikes and ranked the Kangaroo as the best, giving it a 5 out of 5 rating. The article also calls it the Volvo of bikes and says it has a suburban look to it. Certainly, the Kangaroo is not sexy like the wood and steel Bakfiets, but that would be the least of my concerns while toting a kid around the city.
The company has another version, the Wallaroo, that is shaped like a two-wheeled bakfiets, but has a similar child compartment on the front. I’d be interested to try that version, as well.
As far as I know, the Kangaroo is carried by only one store in the USA and, lucky me, it’s in Chicago. The store is De Fietsfabriek, which is now called J.C. Lind Bikes. The store is branching out to carry different kinds of cool bikes, now that the Dutch De Fietsfabriek company filed for bankruptcy, but that is a whole different post.
{As always, we at LGRAB receive nothing for our reviews except the joy of spreading beautiful bike love.}
A Hot Ride
Posted on 10 August 2010 by Dottie |24 Comments
The heat wave continues in Chicago and around the country. In the 90 degree temperatures, this dress helps me look put together while sweating bullets. Although the black material attracts the beating sun, sweat marks are completely concealed.
I love this Diane von Furstenberg dress because I bought it from the Salvation Army for $3.99 last week! Unfortunately the details don’t show up in the photo from my point-and-shoot camera, but it’s a button down with a big collar and a sash at the waist.
This is the beautiful garden where I sat during my lunch hour, eating a cupcake and reading Bust magazine. A guy walking by looked at my bike and commented, “Must be tricky in those heel.” Nope, not really, with some practice.
Oh, I love getting out of the office for a bike ride, although the resulting sun and sugar high makes it a bit hard to focus for the rest of the afternoon.
Bank Cashes in on Bicycling Lifestyle
Posted on 9 August 2010 by Trisha |17 Comments
Trish! Have you seen the new Regions commercial with the family bike? They are in a shop making bikes, and they are talking about the simple elements of good banking and bike building. It is very neat! At the end they give a little family a two-seater bike and a kid seat on the back.
Last week my friend Jennie reminded me of an ad campaign featuring bicycles that Regions Bank has been running. It must be a success: it has been around for about two years and includes several different TV spots. A Birmingham-based ad agency, Luckie & Company, produced the spots.
While I haven’t seen the spot she mentions, and couldn’t find it on YouTube, I’m definitely a fan of these ads. My favorite is this one, which associates all the things we love about bicycles with Regions Bank. What I love most is that it flat out says cycling is a better way to get where you want to go.
This one features a woman riding in a dress.
Do you think Regions’ CEO really bike commutes?
Of course, for every positive portrayal of bicycles in the media, there’s an ad for car insurance that shows a wistful cyclist wanting to trade in his helmet for a set of SUV keys (everyone would rather be driving, right?). And everyone knows the “green” bandwagon is the place to be right now. Still, seeing cycling portrayed as a normal, sensible activity—even if it’s just in a 20-second commercial—is always a good thing, right?
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