Thursday, May 19, 2011

How We Ride: Christiania cargo bike

We’ve all admired the chic Copenhagers and carefree Amsterdammers for their casual inclusion of bicycles in everyday life, but what happens when these European cycling paragons have children? Do they pack it all in for a house in a suburban subdivision and buy themselves a station wagon? No! They just invest in the city cycling version of a station wagon—the cargo bike. Whether they’re built on two wheels or three, cargo bikes feature in many a photograph of “Supermums” on Copenhagenize and Amsterdamize. One of the most popular examples of cargo bikes is the Christiania cargo trike. The Christiania is now available in the US for the first time through the efforts of American Will Kearins and his export company, Boxcycles. BicycleSPACE here in DC has secured a coveted spot as a retailer of Christiania’s bikes.

The staff at BicycleSPACE, taking pity on my obvious desperation to ride one of these legendary bikes, generously allowed me to try out the Christiania with my son Baby A. We used the bike on two separate occasions: once on our Tuesday Biketrain from our Washington DC home to Baby A’s daycare in Hyattsville and back, and once on a Kidical Mass ride through Capitol Hill. Together, these rides illustrated both the strengths and weaknesses of the Christiania as an urban family vehicle/car replacement.
The Christiania occupies an important kid-and-dog transportation niche



Full review after the jump >>

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Nex Ride: Saturday, May 21

Location: Near Eastern Market Station. Map.
Time: Gather at 10:00am, ride starts at 11:00am
Destination: Pound Coffee, 621 Pennsylvania Avenue SE

Once again we’ll meet in the park area just across Pennsylvania Avenue SE from Eastern Market Station (between 8th, 9th and D Street and Pennsylvania Avenue). From 10:00am till 11:00am, we’ll drink coffee, eat tasty snacks provided by our friends at Dessert Station, and share our family biking stories. Then we’ll leave for a leisurely ride through Capitol Hill and end with brunch at Pound Coffee. Participants will have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from event partner BicycleSPACE.

Click here to register for the event.

Hope to see you there!