Comments | j4: Thinking outside the boxbike

Thinking outside the boxbike

Sep 21, 2011 19:27

A quick update on the bike: I went to look at it last night. There was more rust than was obvious from the photos on the bits of metal holding the box on to the bike; and the brakes weren't very good, though may have just needed tightening somehow -- they were hub brakes, despite what htfb thought from the photo (the thing that looks like a brake is ( Read more... )

baby, cycling

Comments 6

claerwen September 21 2011, 20:39:52 UTC

We're just round the corner from Hope Street - you'll have millions of Cambridge folk who you know better to catch up with, but if you fancy coffee/whatever with YET ANOTHER other mum & baby, let me know (or just an interaction-free parking space, if you're driving).

j4 September 24 2011, 14:07:49 UTC

Thank you! It'd be lovely to see you, so we will try to drop in if we do make it to Cambridge (not sure how we'd be getting there, we don't have a car but could hire one for the w/e or something).

Hope things are going well with you! :)

claerwen September 27 2011, 15:36:21 UTC

Cool. Best way to get in touch is helen@ex-parrot.com/07929 841 860. Stuff is good here - John's getting a bit more interactive now and a bit less, you know, unremitting; hope you and Imogen are well and happy too!

julietk September 22 2011, 09:02:19 UTC

Hm, not *just* a trike (so with steering that you have to steer rather than lean into, I assume, unless the photo is misleading me?) but a trike with a much longer front wheelbase & the two wheels on the front... so even more complicated, I guess.

I had a go on a regular trike a while back and kept steering in the wrong direction. I gather that it takes less time than one might think to get used to it, but I was a bit unconvinced. The recumbent I rode the same day, OTOH, was entirely intuitive despite also having 3 wheels. Possibly because the steering was one hand each side of the seat, so leaning did the correct thing.

Sorry it didn't work out, anyway, & good luck for the ongoing option investigation!

j4 September 24 2011, 14:11:26 UTC

Yes, steering rather than leaning (which made me feel like I was on the point of falling off all the time) and two wheels at the front (which is frankly just WRONG). I think it's just _too_ different from what I'm used to. I can't imagine how a two-wheeler cargo bike would handle, but it's got to be easier than the trike.

Never tried a recumbent -- they look a bit scary but everybody I know who rides 'em seems to think they're brilliant (one of the guys I work with commutes in from Cassington on one, but he is also a bit mad, so hmmm).

Thank you for looking up the legal stuff on twitter, too!

julietk September 26 2011, 10:28:58 UTC

Two-wheeler cargo bikes (IMlimitedE) are just *heavy*/ponderous, more than anything else. I haven't ridden one heavily-loaded, so that might well affect it; but then I remember when I was cycle-touring, every time I switched from riding with front panniers to riding without (and vice versa) there was maybe 30 seconds of "whoa shit the handling has changed" and then I was good. So I imagine the transition would be much easier than the trike, even for a front-loaded cargo bike. A back-loaded cargo bike ought to be even easier ( ... )