I love it!

Sidney SkatePark

Haven't posted lately- working on the other blog here.

Out to the Sidney the other day with the bakfiets. Here's a pic.

Step Ladder by Bike

Lots of bikey activity of late. Mostly with the kids in the Bakfiets. We have been harvesting wild blackberries from a remote hedgerow. Works great- ride along the trail til you see a good spot. Stop, let the kids play, and pick a few litres of berries. I noticed, however, that there were SO many good berries just out of reach. I think some people thought it a bit odd, but it worked really well to take the step ladder by bike. Actually much more efficient than driving, parking, and carrying the ladder 3 or 4 hundred metres down the trail on foot. Just ride up and pick! As for riding with the ladder- easy.

Success

Well, its been about 2 weeks since the kids first took their Runners Bikes outdoors. Gosh they catch on quick. The other day they "paddled" their balance bikes through about a kilometre of trails in our local park. And they didn't want to stop! I was a little skeptical that children as young as 2 would catch on to the balance bikes- but at 27 months you can't stop them.

Bicycles For Humanity

No time to post lately.....what little extra time I have seems to get consumed by Bicycle For Humanity. "(b4h) Pushing hard with a few events. Quite a few bikes being donated and a bit of cash. Very close to our film evening at the Star Cinema in Sidney, B.C. Remember the motion picture Breaking Away? Check out B4H Victoria.

Xtracycle Freeloader Repair

Picked up a couple of used Xtracycle Bags the other day. Thanks North Park Bike shop!

Seems that any of these big bags can be prone to catching a strap somewhere and breaking a buckle. Fortunately they are easy to repair. I previously posted about repairing Kona Ute Bags here. I have since found an even easier way. The trick with these bags is the tail or running end of the strap is looped back onto the strap itself- a handy feature to keep the loose tail in check and to keep it from getting too long. I repaired the Freeloaders without stitching or loosing any length. Here is how:

Unthread the webbing from the buckle and slide a standard ladder fastener onto the webbing to replace your broken slider. Thread the buckle (or a new buckle) back on. It should look like this:

In the same vein as a "quick attach" buckle, saw a slot into the unused end of the ladder strap.

Work the stitched loop end into the slot you have cut in the slide. While this may not be as strong as original- it works really well and keeps your loose ends in check! Your finished product should look like this.

Using this trick it is very easy to replace all of the plastic buckles and slides on your Freeloaders in the field. I love things that are field repairable!

Bike to School

This is amazing!