Full Weekend

This weekend had a lot going on. As Angie gets more comfortable hauling that baby in the trailer, she's wanting to ride more and more. I'm always really impressed with my wife. She's currently training for a marathon, yet still has a desire to ride. This weekend was a "lighter" weekend for her (her words). It was only a ten mile run.

Everyone wanted to head out on Saturday for a ride to the library. She was awesome to want to come along, with tired legs and all.

Once again, I'll say that her pulling the baby makes a huge difference. It makes my ride so much more enjoyable to only have the two big kids on the Xtracycle. I'm so proud to have such an awesome lady as my wife. This was one of those weekends that made me really appreciate how incredible she is. Those of you that know her are probably reading this and nodding your head.

While she was riding, though, we noticed that the front derailleur needed some adjustment. She couldn't get off of the middle chainring. Fixing it was a nice little bike addition to the already full weekend.

During our regular "weekend slip-n-slide/sprinkler" time that night, I got everything adjusted. It took more time to carry the repair stand and tools to the back yard than it did to fix it. But it's good to know she's got her granny gear back for when she's pulling our over-sized baby.

That closed out our Saturday, but there was more life to be lived.

We woke up Sunday morning, packed up the bikes and headed out again. This time it was a picnic, playground and play-in-the-creek day.

The creek is such an awesome experience with three little ones. We had come here the day before without "creek" shoes and it was torture. We decided it was a great idea to let them come back and have at it.

It was a good idea. They had a fantastic time. And I, once again, fell in love with Angie. She's a cool mom to embrace the idea of her kids going nuts in a creek. She's a cool mom because she thinks these pictures are better than the usual fake woodgrain backdrop you can get at Sears for a family picture. And, once again, she's a cool mom because she'll pull baby Hulk around on a ten mile ride with even more tired legs than the day before.

Great weekend, obviously. And as usual, I've got to make a plug for this awesome bike that does it all. I took it through a little bit of single-track to get it down to the creek. It takes every challenge I throw at it. Very few machines could offer as much versatile service as the Xtracycle.

Get out there.

Dew Run

Just made a Mountain Dew run on Angie's bike. I figure the balance between exercise and drinking poison was a pretty close trade-off.

Gotta indulge the craving sometimes, right?

Get out there.

Morning Treat

I love coffee. I really love it. And there's nothing better than pedaling into work, hitting the shower and grabbing a hot cup of coffee fresh off the bike.

Well, the one thing better than doing that now is doing that during a winter commute. Being a year-round bike commuter means that I spend a lot of time shivering on a bike. It's a beautiful thing to sip a steamy cup when temps are in the single digits and snow is on the ground.

Any other post-ride drinks of choice?

Get out there.

Another Awesome Bike Move

New SnapDeck Kid Seat

Well, my idea for a collapsable SnapDeck seat is almost finished. I'm not really a handyman. I tend to be mechanically inclined. But regular practice with woodworking is what makes perfect... and I'm far from perfect.

I do think that these are going to work exactly as planned, though. I want something that will drop down and fold into itself so that it will effectively work just like the original SnapDeck.

Angie is gone tonight. So it looks like I'll have the time to finish this thing up. All I need to do is throw on the straps and drill for the SnapHooks and I'll be done. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Get out there.

Big Step

Last night I rode home in the triple digit heat index only to arrive in the air conditioning and hear the family request, "Can we go on a bike ride?"

Well, I'm not one to pass up some quality family time on two wheels. But I was a little more pooped than normal from the heat. Angie has been saying for a while that she'd like to try pulling the trailer. The set-up has always been me on the Xtracycle carrying two kids while pulling a trailer carrying one more. It's completely doable. But I didn't really feel up to it yesterday. So I suggested maybe this be her first run with the trailer.

She was nervous to haul such precious cargo. But with a little encouragement and some controlled practice around our little street, she was ready. She immediately felt comfortable. The fear melted away and she was left with nothing more than the lag caused by our giant baby. She loved the experience and I think it even made her love me a little more. She got a better picture of my rides with 100+ pounds of kid slowing me down.

I'm excited to do all of our "around town" action with two kids on the Xtra versus three. It's gonna make my life quite a bit easier. And she is pumped to have the ability to do some rides alone with the baby while the big kids are at school and I'm at work.

We're getting better and better at this family bike thing. I'm looking forward to the future!

Get out there.

In My Office

This poster hangs in my office. I love it. I genuinely believe (and have had lots of discussions about) that Jesus would totally ride a bike if He were around today. Nothing beats the efficiency and stewardship of a bike.

Get out there.