Runners Bikes

A short time ago, while visiting Nelson, BC, my wife bought a couple of wooden balance bikes for the kids. We knew that they wouldn't be ready for a while, but they had a pink one that we hadn't seen before. Enough said. We tucked them in the basement, intent on bringing them out at Christmas.

At the playground this morning both of these little toddlers surprised me by showing great interest in another little fellas bike- I tried to get them to walk along beside the bike and steer it- nothing doing, they had to try and sit on it.

I have now assembled their bikes and mom and I will have some fun soon.

These wooden bikes seem very popular, and kids sure seem to find their balance with them. This brand came highly recommended to us. http://www.runners-bike.com/

113 kilos of cargo in the summer heat.

Summer is here, the clear blue skies that high pressure systems bring to the west coast. Some would call it a boring sky, not a cloud to be seen for days on end......

Gave me a chance to haul some freight on the Mundo and get out with the kids in the chariot.

Zipped over to the feed distributor yesterday- made it home with 5 sacks of chicken feed and a bag of dog food. 113 kilos (250 pounds) of freight on the wideloaders and rear deck. No problem. I read some posts where people pooo-poohed the Mundo hauling 330 pounds at the San Francisco food bank race- they said it couldn't be done without all of Ben's "handlers". Well, I am here to tell you that if I had a front rack I could have easily taken another 80 pounds on the front. I rode home solo with the 250 without a blink. Of course terrain would be a factor!
On the other front, getting tired of the Chariot, don't like dragging the kids behind. Working on a home-made bakfiets in the shop. Next post, perhaps.

Civia Loring

Had to do a quick trip to the hardware store this morning. For some weird reason I didn't feel like hopping on the Mundo to pickup a small little bit that would fit in your pocket. The Ute had the bike trailer attached so for a change of pace I hopped on my wife's bike. What a sweet ride. The Sram I-Motion 9 has a very wide range of gears and shifts well- some may say a bit clunky- but it never misses a beat. I did notice that the gears are opposite on the twist grip to the external gears on the Mundo. That is if you twist the grip as if you were accelerating a motor bike you end up in a higher gear-whereas on the Mundo you head for a lower gear.

Canada Day

July 1st is the Canada Day holiday. (they used to call it dominion day) What's a Canadian to do to celebrate? First off, go to the parade with the kids. Fun fun. The only thing left to do after that is to pack a replacement woodstove up to a log cabin in the mountains. No biking, no canoeing, but I guess it qualifies as self propelled adventure. I met Dave at the trailhead and we strapped the stove body to a pack frame. Dave slid all of the cast iron baffles, legs, and the door into his pack, and helped me off up the trail with the stove body.

Resting halfway up the trail. This doggone thing is heavy.

Arrived! Warmth for next winter!