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DIY Cargo Bike Sunshades
Cargo bike are all about fun, adventure and efficiency…but they’re also about kid comfort. If your children aren’t comfortable, your trips will be limited. In the summer, this means sun protection. In this post I’ll cover both DIY and out of the box sunshades for box bikes and longtails. Out of the Box The rain…
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I Just Bought a Longtail Cargo Bike — Now What?
Hooray — at the risk of waxing poetic, you’re entering a world of enormous joy and possibility! I ordered my first cargo bike from Canada in 2018 and had about a 6 week wait before it was delivered. In that time I felt totally panicked. Cargo biking was still relatively rare in Boston, and I worried…
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Carry Bike(s) On Your Bike
Why Tow? When we go on outings; to an extracurricular activity, or for our regular school drop offs and pickups, I have no concerns about my kids bringing their bike along. if they get tired en-route they just hop on my bike. If there’s a particularly dangerous stretch, they join me temporarily and then get…
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Urban Arrow Front Bench Conundrums
There are many things to love about an Urban Arrow Family Cargo Bike — I love the upright riding style, I can haul so many things and people — it’s an all weather, year-round mobility device, and we’ve done over 3,000 happy miles in a year. One thing I don’t love is the Urban Arrow issued…
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Junk In My (Bike) Trunk
I like to keep my bike organized. I generally keep the front box open for kids and try to store bags and supplies on the rear. Of course that’s sometimes wishful thinking…case in point: Over the years I’ve nailed down a few strategies for keeping all riders and passengers as comfortable as I can while…
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Ode to the Cafe Lock
A whole post on a little lock? Why yes. I think something small like a cafe lock likely wouldn’t factor into most people’s decision making on which type of bike to buy, but I do think it should be part of the equation. What’s So Great About Cafe Locks? I had never heard of a…
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Keeping Kids Safe On Their Bikes — Sidewalk Edition
Tips for navigating a bike ride when kids are biking and their caregivers are walking. We live in Boston and while I absolutely want my kids to embrace the bicycle as a tool for joy, adventure and transportation, I’m also very focused on how I keep them safe. Once they transitioned from balance bikes to…
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Kid Comfort on a Cargo Bike
If you’re thinking about carrying your kids by cargo bike, it’s easy to get swept up in the idyllic nature of the whole thing. Joyful rides, sunshine, smiles — what’s not to love? But then you start thinking about the practicalities. What about when it’s cold…freezing cold? Will we be safe on the road? What if…
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Nighttime Cargo Bike Visibility
In celebration of daylight savings returning, how about an (un)timely post on nighttime visibility? In Boston, dusk hits around 4pm in December. It’s dark and gloomy here — but you can still be seen when the (sun)light goes out. Here are the strategies I’ve used to help drivers see me — tips include integrated and added…
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Trike vs. Longtail vs. Bakfiets (Box Bike)
I’ve accumulated over 13,000 miles across the three different styles of cargo bike since I started riding in 2018. I started first with a trike (Babboe Carve), then a longtail (Yuba Spicy Curry) and now I’m onto a bakfiets/box bike (Urban Arrow). You can certainly get lots of opinions on the different types of bikes.…