A blog about bicycles needs a bike.

At some point you have probably heard that Amsterdam has a lot of bikes, I too had heard this and I'd even perused videos and articles about Amsterdam and it's multitude of bikes, so I thought I had a good idea of what to expect. However, nothing had prepared me for just how many bikes there are, they are literally everywhere you look.

They swarm down the streets, they congregate on the bridges over canals, they have whole parking lots dedicated to them at every train and bus station, they come in all shapes and sizes but are mostly sprayed flat black, they get stolen often and if abandoned they slowly get stripped of their useful parts, they all have bells and most of them have a basket, pannier bags or a baby seat or two, some have all of the above.

If like me, you consider some bikes to be eye candy, then you will love Amsterdam because it's the land of stunning bikes. I have seen bikes that a few months ago would have had me running down the street for a photo opportunity, but now they are completely normal and everyday.

It has taken me about 10 days to stop commenting on each bike as it passes, a habit that couldn't die quick enough for Kyle. There was a point when we were walking down a street in Amsterdam when he turned to me and said "I know, I see them too, they are all lovely, you don't have to keep talking about it!" We had a bit of a chuckle, but I sensed he would have tossed himself in a canal if I hadn't of stopped. 

Of course as I have previously mentioned, we had to sell our bikes to move here. This was somewhat of a tragedy in my mind, especially as I had heard inexpensive bikes are easy to come by here, which they are not. We perused a few bike shops and I began to realize the reasons I loved my Yuba Bikes more and more, I mourned their absence.






About the 7th day of being here we acquired a traditional "Amsterdam" bike- it literally says Amsterdam on it. It had a front mounted bike seat that we squeezed Jack into so we could make it back to the station a little quicker. It's a back pedal brake bike, has a wheel lock like every other bike here and appears to be in decent shape. I like it, but feel like it's very cramped to ride, ultimately not a bike I would be inclined to ride daily.

A few days later I started a little side job to bring in some cash, ironing for an expat family who live in a stunning home facing a canal. I knew they had a nice man's bike for sale (with a toddler seat on the back), but it was out of our price range so I disregarded it, then they messaged me that we could have the bike for free! This experience continues our excellent luck in meeting warm and kind hearted people, even when our other experiences have been less than perfect.



When exploring the streets I had seen a particular bike that I was really drawn to, it looked very sturdy and seemed to more often than not have a few child seats attached to it. We were walking past a bike shop when I noticed a used one for sale, after three attempts at wheeling and dealing we were able to reach an agreement on the price. It's a little beaten up, pretty rusty (like every other bike here), but seems to be in fully functioning condition and will ultimately be a money saver. I got the sense that the shop we purchased it from would have looked at me oddly had I asked to test ride it, they seemed very busy, had happy customers and offered a 3 month warranty covering everything but flats so I just went with it. We bought it, then put Jack in the seat on the back (which they threw in to sweeten the deal), it was kind of bizarre to have my first ride be after the money had traded hands, something I would never have done back in the U.S. or the U.K. We found a street that was a little quieter than the others, I hesitantly mounted the bike, wobbled into the path of a more experienced rider with her two kids on board, apologized profusely whilst she muttered under her breath and then proceeded on for what would become an eye opening bike ride with a sea of other cyclists at rush hour to the Amsterdam central station. I had a few moments of awe, a few of fear, but mostly an overall sense of accomplishment that I was most certainly ticking off a bucket list item.

The bike above is a Batavus Delivery Bike- this is NOT my bike. My bike is green, has a lot of dings, dents and rust, has hand brakes and a child seat, plus a double kickstand. I also paid about 15% of what they go for new! The only changes I need to make- adjust the brakes, toss on some inexpensive panniers (you can buy them for about 10 euro here!) and get a cushy seat because my bum was complaining the whole ride. I also managed to buy the only bell-less bike in Amsterdam, so I will get one of those too. Not having a bike bell here is actually dangerous. What I really love about this bike is I got on it and immediately knew we would be friends, it simply felt like a perfect fit.

One of my first fist-air-pump moments in the Netherlands came when I realized I would have a bike for the 30 days of biking in April, last year it was literally in my top 5 highlights of the year, I absolutely loved it! In fact I'd go as far as to say it was the catalyst that made me realize I had what it took to move to Europe, to pursue so many dreams. I don't think the 30 Days of Biking will be popular in the Netherlands, it seems like they would wonder what all the fuss was about, why celebrate in one month what you do every month anyway? I imagine them reacting the same way the average British person would if there was a 30 Days of Tea event.

Because I could apparently write forever today, I shall force myself to sign off and I ask that you celebrate with me that once again I can state this is a blog about bicycles and other stuff that is written by someone who actually owns a bike!

-L.

Boda Boda Basket

Before I got the Boda Boda I knew I wanted to add some wicker to it, so when I saw this little laundry hamper for only three pounds I knew I had to grab it! I chopped out the side so it would fit with the Peanut Shell and used some zip ties to attach it. Of course the integrity of the basket is weakened because of the cut, but I think it will last a while. Can't wait to find something else to brighten up the other side too!

I added Jack's rain cover today so he can stay snug and dry when we head out next time.

Kyle took a quick trip late tonight so he can check off day 2 of his 31 day bike challenge.

Tomorrow morning we're off to Clevedon, a small town on the coast, located between Weston Super Mare and Bristol. I know it will be easy to get Jack motivated in the morning when he knows we're taking the bus.

Ask and you will receive!

It has been a few days now since we announced we were getting ready to sell the beloved Mundo. The responses we have received really helped cement a fighting spirit within us, that we do need to keep this journey moving forward completely and not let circumstances force us to part ways with something that has been and will continue to be (if all works out) a huge asset to our family. The outpouring of generosity (or you could call it love, or community spirit too) has been so utterly wonderful, beyond words really. A huge thank you to everyone who has chipped in so far to help keep the Mundo as part of our lives, and therefore this blog. The Mundo is far from being 100% off the chopping block, but we have a few more months so I'm hoping we can keep working towards making the ends meet. If you can or have helped out with a donation to the "Save the Mundo" campaign as it's been called, rest assured that if we end up not raising enough I will return all the funds in the paypal account.

When I'm talking to people about our move they assume that I must have family in England, as why else would we go, when I tell them we actually don't have any relatives that we are in contact with, they ask us if we will be lonely, obviously a totally valid question. I think there will be a lengthy period or readjusting to the British way of life, but I think we'll be too busy finding work and learning our way around to really have time to notice we're on our own, and also, as we travel with bicycles we take our community with us. I now know people all over the world that I feel a kinship with, and that I take with me anywhere I have an internet connection. 

We are so excited to move, it is such an adventure, a little intimidating at times but also it's a huge relief that things like healthcare will be available, and Cornish pasties too of course. Some of the other things I look forward to are far less explainable, like the air and smells of England. It's all very romanticized in my memory of course, images of hedgerows, small windy roads and little pubs whose very bones are permeated with the smell of good beer, but my inner sense also keenly remembers the sheer amount of rubbish/trash I saw at one particular railway station in Birmingham, it was knee deep!

In the spirit of ask and you shall receive, I have another favor to ask of my readers- If you happen to live in the southern part of England (draw an imaginary, fuzzy line between Gloucester and Colchester) or know anyone that does, could you please keep an eye out for the following:

Wanted to rent starting mid to late October:

1-2 bedroom, preferably partial or fully furnished, but not necessary. 
Can be small and compact, preferably economical
2 adults and 1 little boy
Ideally located in a town or easily accessible to town of no less than approximately 80,000 people (more the merrier)
Must have a secure spot to store two larger bikes (no third floor flats, unless they have a lift, etc.)
Non-smoking household, enjoy the greener things in life, pretty low key really (boring).

We can provide 2-3 months rent up front, excellent prior rental references. Currently, as you all know, I'm a stay at home Mum and Kyle is in banking and we both have a steady history of employment and are generally go getter types.

The email for correspondence and the "Save the Mundo" PayPal fund is youaintgotjack(AT)yahoo(DOT)com 

Thank you for your support and friendship!

Regretably Offered For Sale - Yuba Mundo

There will always be things you part with along the way that beat you up, as our journey continues the things I part with that will truly hurt will include this bike. It's been a life changer, a steady reliable friend and I honestly love it, I will cry when we part.

With that being said, I know that I have a new bike arriving in the next few weeks and that it encompasses everything I need and want in a bike, but this steed pictured here, has served me well, it has altered the path of my life and in doing so has made it necessary for us to part. I don't think we'd even be moving right now if I hadn't gotten the boost in confidence this bike has given me.


There are numerous reasons that make it impractical for the Mundo to stay in our family, but in the end it all comes back to finances. We can't afford to keep it because it adds too much to our travel costs, and our budget is literally so tight that I can't justify the extra costs of keeping it and not freeing up a little cash instead, and trust me I have tried, and tried, and tried. It's not even that the money we receive from the sale will provide a cushion for survival, I'm not sure we'd be able to move without selling it, we literally need every penny.

We've decided to sell it as a complete set-up, I'm going to buy another child's seat the other end and recreate the sun-shade / rain cover on the Boda Boda (which will NEVER leave my company). I thought about taking the seat and canopy with me, but I felt like it would be a shame to dismantle such an amazing vehicle for change. I would love nothing more than to see another parent and child/children enjoy this bike and let it take them to new places, I want to share the love of the Yuba Mundo! 

Yuba Mundo
Running Boards (not pictured, brand new, never installed)
Go-Getter Pannier Bag
Stand Alone Kick Stand
Peanut Shell Seat with Sun Shade set-up and Rain Cover
Cateye Computer
Original tires with thorn proof liners
With original saddle (not pictured)


$1250

Contact me at youaintgotjack(at)yahoo(dot)com for more details.
Shipping costs are not covered in this price.

(STOP- read this post to see an update on the Yuba Mundo >> UPDATE)

Clicking my mouse on "publish" for this post is painful.

Day 9 of 30 days of biking

The fine weather continues into day nine and it carries my high spirits with it. The disheveled house looks slightly neater, but honestly I just wanted to get out and have a little more fun today, so packed some snacks and went for a cruise for no set destination. I even managed to snap a little smile for our departure shot. 

After some meandering I thought I'd go to the grocery store, alas I had left my lock at home, so I asked the checker closest to the door if she would keep an eye on the bike for me and she was happy to oblige. I made sure a few employees overheard me asking, and got positive responses. Of course, its hard to relax and buy your groceries if you are constantly worried about your bike being nabbed, so we, or rather I rushed around, whilst Jack followed me at a snails pace with his mini cart.
When we got back to the checkout and I was informed I wasn't allowed to take the mini cart outside, it's not easy to handle a toddler, a huge bag of apples and oranges and about 6 other bags. As the bag guy didn't seem to intent on helping, I was relieved that Jack took the grocery cart back to the coral with no assistance, I was so proud of him. He really is a helpful little guy.

Fresh strawberries snacked on a bench in the sun, before loading up, turned out to be a fun little break.

Usually I would have headed home, but today I felt like I actually had energy to burn,  so we used up some of it with a cruise around town. It was so warm we even shed our long sleeves!

I do believe I'm starting to form a habit and to be honest I can't even remember when I last formed a "good" habit, so really I couldn't be any happier. We filmed the video above while we were out yesterday, another equally beautiful day, let's hope tomorrow is too!

Positively ranting- it's an art form!

It was beautiful, sunny, t-shirt weather here in S.W. Washington yesterday.  We took a ride to the playground so Jack could start working on his new found fear of slides, he did manage to make it down once with lots of persuasion. The ride was really enjoyable but I think I may have pushed my knees a little too far because last night they ached, then this morning I had to retrieve a ball from beneath the bed and my knees felt painful and weak.

Walla Walla sweet onions growing- one of the things I look forward to every year is the smell of onions that permeates the air in fall, it smells wonderful and always leaves me longing for a bag of Sour Cream and Chive potato chips.

Last night I decided to write a post on Bike Forums, this is how it went:

Hi fellow cyclists!

If you've had a rough day and if you don't want to be depressed by the likes of me then I warn you now to click the "back" button . The truth is I'm feeling a little run down and old right now and thought I'd seek comfort by venting a little and also asking how everyone else copes with the aches and pains of cycling.

Since going car free in January it has been very slow progress. When I'm on my bike I feel like the slowest thing on the road and my pedals feel like they are barely moving. I haven't been cycling daily, maybe about 2-3 times a week...I'd like to get out daily and was thinking that might help? I ride everywhere with my toddler in tow on my cargo bike so my set up with him and the bike and his seat, plus panniers makes for 100lb of "bike" + my weight (which I just can't mention right now)...I feel like I'm barely moving. I've been experimenting with gear use and find I work better with higher RPM's and get less knee pain that way.

Prior to my life as a cyclist I was about as sedentary as a mum of a toddler can be, I keep busy- but not really the same output as cycling. There are times now where my heart feels like its going to beat out my chest.


I've signed myself up for the 30 days of biking event, and therefore have committed to getting on the bike every single day in April- which is scary for me right now.

I guess my questions would be:

Did most of you feel like this when you started but not so much now?
Or, is it going to be this tough all the way through- or at least until a major amount of weight comes off?
Do any of you take supplements for joint pain?
Do you have any words of advice or inspiration for me?
Below is a picture of my awesome bike from my little trip to the park with my family today. Thanks again for letting me vent, I write about my journey in my blog but didn't feel like doing a long blog post tonight- thanks!!!!

Very much appreciated in my time of need! 

As I expected, I received lots of truly helpful advice from people who have been where I am right now.

Most of them mentioned the same thing- seat positioning. I have played around with my seat height since I got the bike and I do actually feel like it's in a good position. I started with it rather low, purposely just so I could reach the ground with both feet while I got used to carrying Jack on the back. Since starting I've adjusted it up twice, till now my legs seem to be at the right angle.

The second thing most commonly mentioned in the replies was cadence.  In the past I admittedly was a gear cruncher- preferring to pedal less repetitions with more push behind them.  I realized rather quickly that this wasn't going to work for my knees and have now been opting for faster pedaling. As was pointed out in the comments at Bike Forums, faster repetitions stress your heart and lungs, whereas harder pedaling places more work on muscles and joints- I thought that was an excellent point for me to remember.

When I consider yesterday's ride I do remember when we left the park I cycled on the grass for about 100 feet in a hard gear and really had to power through it, I now realize this was probably a bad idea. I'm trying to include some of these more mundane details in the blog because if I do manage to inspire someone in a similar situation I would like them to be able to learn from my mistakes. 

I also hurt my hand yesterday and almost dropped the bike twice, once while mounting and once when I was attempting to dismount.  Kyle was with me and got really concerned about my abilities- offering advice I won't repeat. I hope to never let this blog become a depressing rant, but I do want to include the realistic challenges of someone in my position.

I had no intention of even including this topic in a post until this morning when I retrieved the ball that Jack had lost.  The pain reminded me to check my post at Bike Forums and the answers inspired me to go ahead and include this chapter of my journey.

My plan after careful consideration of the excellent advice given is to rest for a few days with some help from ibuprofen.  Maybe take a leisurely stroll in the field opposite our house and be content with that for a few days.  Then as I refuse to be put off from my 30 days of Biking commitment I will map out a simple, stress free route for days when I want to keep it light, and then maybe a few tougher ones for days when I'm really hoping to get some mileage in.

It would be unrealistic to not expect mishaps and bumps in the road to health and a car-free lifestyle and I refuse to let these things get me down.  I still hold fast to my aspirations of becoming a healthy role model for Jack and every day when we enjoy our morning snuggles I feel refreshed and re-inspired!

The kindness of strangers

Reprinted here is a message I received this morning, from a member of my local bike group The Bad Ass Bicycle Ride(rs).  I asked Layne if I could share it on my blog to not only highlight his experiences but also the kindness that can be found within the bicycle community.  Enjoy!


Hello and greetings from a fellow BABRer.
 
I just finished reading your latest blog post and I wanted to take a minute and encourage you as you continue your journey of making your bicycle your primary means of transportation.

About 3 years ago, as I drove home from work my car stopped running. Just stopped. I pushed it to the curb, and called my wife who came and used our other car to push it home.

I know nothing about cars, but I new that I needed to get to work the next day and that my wife needed our working car. So the next morning I became a bicycle commuter. I was out of shape and my work is just under 3 1/2 miles from our house and my shift began at 545am.

It was September, and I had no idea what was wrong with the car. So the next morning I woke up, and bicycled to work.

We did not have a lot of disposable income to pour into fixing the broken car. So I continued bicycling to work. At the time my wife and I worked out a deal where I bicycled 3 to 4 days out of the week, and I used our lone car the other two days.

And Winter approached I wondered how I would get to work. I explored how long it would take me to walk to work. I also went online looking at groups in the Midwest who bicycle all year 'round. These website were helpful, and one person even wrote me back personally and was very helpful in the advice she gave. So I entered Winter as a bicyclist.

And I made it through my first Winter.

As time went on I began biking 5 days a week. It got easier, I felt healthier. --And the broken car sat. I used it as a greenhouse of sorts to try and start plants for my garden. I also used it to dry basil from my garden.

Spring. Summer. Fall. Winter. Spring. Summer. Fall. Winter. Spring. Summer. And then my Mom, who lives in Southern California, called saying she bought a new car and asked if I wanted her old one. So August of last year my son and I flew to Long Beach and picked up the car.

My only regret in getting the car is that I no longer bicycle commute. I know, I know... I could-- oh, but it makes life so much easier (i.e. lazier.)

I never did get the broken car fixed; I ended up giving it to a friend who had a need for it--and new how to fix cars.

Actually I hope to return to the bicycle commute this Spring--I felt better when I was bicycling and loved being on it.
 
My time as a daily bicycle commuter I discovered some things:
-Our weather is not as extreme as some people like to think it is.
-Riding in snow is FUN! It makes me feel like a little kid again.
-I can push myself through life obstacles.
-You see things on a bicycle that you miss while driving a car.
-Bicycling isn't really that inconvenient, it just makes you move a little slower... and that is not such a bad thing.
-I can get to work just as face on a bicycle as I can driving a car. Even faster, if I have to scrape windows.
-The bicycle community is diverse and there are so many fun facets to it.
 
Have fun. You are doing great. And yes, there will still be days where it feels miserable... But don't give up, it gets easier. And you will probably find that on those occasions where you do not bicycle that you miss it.

And as you bicycle commute you will find that there are others getting around that way too, and there is a sense of camaraderie as you wave at each other.

-Layne Schroeder


What can I say?  The bicycle community is in general just a superior bunch of people and the community that we all need can be found within it. I feel encouraged and renewed by the spirit of people that reach out to me.

Thank you! 

Car-free for now & another bike in the kitchen!

So Kyle and I have our two bikes now and the little guy gets to pet them and tell them how much he loves them (yes he actually does both of those things daily), but honestly it seemed like something was possibly missing in his life...

 

Yep, another bike in the kitchen!

Jack couldn't be happier in this picture but as his precarious sitting position demanded constant supervision it wasn't long before I had to separate him from his beloved blue bike...that wasn't pretty.  We picked up this little bike from a local lady for free and I intend on attempting to convert it into a balance bike.  It also needs some repairs to the chain so that should be a good little project for me. I'm so happy for Jack, he's going to love venturing around the field opposite our house on his little bike.

It seems odd to me, but I do believe I forgot to mention that we have been car free for 2 weeks now.  Kyle's been commuting to work and even did all his local business calls on his bike.  The weather has been pretty miserable and I'm not convinced he's enjoying it, but he isn't complaining.  However, we can't remain completely vehicle free and are at this moment shopping for a moped for Kyle, as he needs to be able to get to all his businesses in the surrounding areas a few days a week.  Our last vehicle got about 10 miles to the gallon!  I think we should be able to blow that out of the water with a used moped.