OK I fired up a wee doodle.com scheduler thingy so people can vote for a day that suits them. you can find it at: http://doodle.com/pienp7crehxc3wkn
maybe worth a new thread for Spring canal cycle friendly adminy type people?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
Cycling with Children
(117 posts)-
Posted 14 years ago #
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We had a test ride yesterday on the Circe Helios tandem/childcarrier discussed above and elsewhere, and it is very nice indeed to pedal.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Spytfyre - how's the first few weeks of the nursery commute been going? Any words of wisdom? SRD
Posted 14 years ago # -
Posted 14 years ago # -
Brilliant :-)
Posted 14 years ago # -
Posted 14 years ago #
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Thanks to Alex's friends (you know who you are) and both families for giving the bike a spin in Meadows. I'd say it worked pretty well. Some children didn't want to get off!
Crank shortener adaptor for back will improve fit. Extra luggage could be hung in stoker (rear) handlebar. Handy for sweets etc.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Excellent set-up! Now all you need to add is a front pannier rack or a sort of Brompton-style bag, maybe some mudguards, and the machine would be unstoppable.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Thanks. It has a braze on at front that I suspect is for Brompton bag. So need to try out if I can get hold of.
Posted 14 years ago # -
K. wants to know why someone is on 'her bike'!
Posted 14 years ago # -
Posted 14 years ago #
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Update. The Bike Station now has bike seats and trailers which people can borrow and try, but they are not planning on getting in any family-friendly cargo bikes like those discussed in my original post.
Given that there are none in any Edinburgh shops either, I guess we will not be seeing much in the way of new family-cycling conveyances on Edinburgh's roads in the near future.
Posted 14 years ago # -
@SRD Sorry I never responded to your question back there mainly down to the fact I didn't know it was there - maybe I was away on holiday...
Anyhows the seat is great, wee fella loves it
Get something to make it eye blingingly visible from behind (I will post up a pic of mine as it is now later)
Don't buy the reflective tape I bought from chainreactiocycles.com - it doesn't stick very well and I ended up getting a refund@Laidback that bike looks amazing, if we expand family I will need one...
Posted 14 years ago # -
Just to clarify - we do now have trailers and child seats that people can borrow as part of our A better way to work project (www.findabetterwaytowork.org). This is independent of the Bike Station's general services.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Wendy... I'm also happy to demo the Helios tandem as well. Appreciated having chance to show it at Castle St.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Spytfyre, I generally buy reflective tape from Halfords. It comes in rolls of red, white and amber colours and sticks well to mudguards, cranks, lights, etc. EBC sells rolls of foam-backed fluorescent yellow reflective tape that's very, very sticky. Edit: Of course, thoroughly degreasing the surface first will help.
I found A4 sheets of reflective vinyl on eBay for, like, £2 a sheet or something. It's not quite 3M-standard (e.g., the black lights up more orangey-black than whitey-black) but it's a steal nonetheless.
Posted 14 years ago # -
I've had good luck with reflective tape from EBC - used in on bike seat and it has survived two years of rain and spray, and on the backs of my gloves (did actually buy a pair of specialized winter cycling gloves this year when it got cold, but previously just stuck tape on normal ones).
Posted 14 years ago # -
"
carltonreid:Beefed up 'Cycling & the law' article for woman stopped by police for carrying kids on a Christiana. http://bit.ly/9wljLQ
Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/carltonreid/status/76982799155986432
"Posted 12 years ago # -
"woman stopped by police for carrying kids on a Christiana." any explanation forthcoming?
Posted 12 years ago # -
"They did not seem entirely au fait with highway law, as they advised me to walk for a bit and then ride home on the pavement. "
http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/dear-police-officers-this-bike-is-street-legal
Posted 12 years ago # -
Just ordered the islabike (beinn 20 small in purple) - am sure it was the right decision, but boy do the optional extras add up !
Posted 12 years ago # -
We just opted for rack and mudguards for each (+£50) of the three and one pair of Ortlieb Front Roller City.
To be honest I've found Islabikes very reasonable for spares/accessories - rear gear hanger (replaced due to infighting, tailgating, then collision) was about a quarter of the price of exactly the same hanger for my bike from a local shop!
Hope mini-SRD enjoys the new bike!
Robert
Posted 12 years ago # -
yup. we got rack and mudguards (but not ortleibs), and since it is a birthday present, got the name transfer too (9.99!)!
decadent, doting parents, no doubt, but we will be expecting her to carry some bags on that rack!
Posted 12 years ago # -
@SRD - Is that the end for the Helios then? (Shocked).
Posted 12 years ago # -
oh no. she likes riding it with me, and I have an almost 10 month old as well! we'll see how it goes. ideally, if she wants to ride on her own, i'll convert the helios to the model that takes childseat and panniers, instead of stoker and seat/panniers.
Posted 12 years ago # -
SRD, we got the same bike for my daughter last christmas. I got the name transfer done too - definitely worth the money! She loves the bike - said she thought it was "like flying" the first time she rode it. Hope young SRD likes hers too.
Posted 12 years ago # -
After the last couple of days faffing with the car and buses getting the wee one to nursery i've decided to plump for a child seat. I was going to wait till he was a bit bigger and the weather improved before i started him in it but....
In general the Hamax style fixings are ok? No horror stories of frame failure due to the cantilevering? I can get a rack on my mtb but its got funny hoods round the drop outs so its more work than and more expense than normal.
Posted 12 years ago # -
@steveo, I've been using a Hamax Sleepy seat for two years, with children up to 22kg (eg. 4 year old) with no problems. Currently mounted to my wife's 'hybridised' MTB, previously on my Specialized Globe hybrid. It's a great seat, sturdy with its own suspension to save the child's spine. Reclines if they need a wee snooze. Built in LED light on rear too. Easily removed when not required. I really recommend it.
There can sometimes be issues with heel clearance on small (compact) frames, as happened with my hybrid. Easily fixed with the ourchase of a replacement support bar designed for smaller frames.
Posted 12 years ago # -
We fitted a Hamax for the trip to the Highlands. I'd picked it up at a NNS, so its not fancy (no light!) but in good condition (according to seller had mainly been used for holiday trip). Seems fine, but he does not seem as comfy in it as he is in the Copilot, nor as happy as he was in the BoBike seat. At any rate, he certainly protests about being put in it.
That said, we ALWAYS found the a bike ride to nursery better than bus and etc, so matter what age or weather!
Posted 12 years ago # -
At any rate, he certainly protests about being put in it.
Did he protest at the others?
Posted 12 years ago #
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