"Get on the sidewalk!!"

Brent has a red-hot temper and his trigger lately has been people in cars yelling "Get on the sidewalk!!" Many times these drivers throw in some choice profanities and lay on their horns. In some situations a vehicle pulls right up to his side and tries to push him off the road. Brent comes home livid and recounts the tale and I always ask what his response was. It varies from telling the driver "no" to "share the road!" in the verbal arena. He has also looped back to the vehicle, asking them to roll down their window to tell them they need to share the road and it's illegal* to ride on the side walk. Then there was what he hastened to do tonight, chase the car on his bike.

We have discussions often about what the appropriate retort to a driver should be if we find ourselves in such a situation. I am partial to ignoring them at first and should the belligerent behavior continue, ask them "why?" Yet no one has ever treated me or my children in such a negative or dangerous way. I wonder what it is about him or his bike or the situation that attracts such offense. How many of you encounter such responses from automobiles? How do you handle it?

Brent has gone out of his way, literally, to make his commute less intrusive to automobiles and heavy traffic. The direct route would be to take Hal Greer, he goes in on 20th and home on 10th, adding about two miles to the journey. He rides on the curb side as far as he can until he needs a left turn lane. He uses hand signals. He stops at lights. He pedals as fast as he can to stay with traffic when he can. When he is near the bike trail, he uses it. As far as I know, he's doing the best he can to be a safe and considerate cyclist. As a driver, please tell us, what else could he do?

I reviewed the state law below very carefully and from what I gather, and your perspective is greatly appreciated, it is not illegal to ride on the sidewalk. If a cyclist chooses to ride on the road, they are granted protection of the law if they follow the regulations stated in Chapter 17C.
For your consideration, the following is the West Virginia laws regarding bicycles. I chose to highlight the portions pertaining to the conversation above:

West Virginia State Bicycle Laws 

CHAPTER 17C. TRAFFIC REGULATIONS AND LAWS OF THE ROAD

ARTICLE 1. WORDS AND PHRASES DEFINED.

§17C-1-8. "Bicycle" means every device which does not have a motor attached and which is propelled by human power upon which any person may ride, having two tandem wheels either of which is more than twenty inches in diameter.

ARTICLE 11. OPERATION OF BICYCLES AND PLAY VEHICLES.
Provides rules of the road for the operation of bicycles on public roads in West Virginia.

§17C-11-1. Obedience to article; duty of parents and guardians; applicability of article to bicycles.
(a) It is a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required in this article.
(b) The parent of any child and the guardian of any ward shall not authorize or knowingly permit any such child or ward to violate any of the provisions of this chapter.
(c) These regulations applicable to bicycles shall apply whenever a bicycle is operated upon any highway or upon any path set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles subject to those exceptions stated herein.

§17C-11-2. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles.
Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to those provisions of this chapter which by their nature can have no application.

§17C-11-3. Riding on bicycle seats; carrying more than one person on bicycle.
(a) A person propelling a bicycle shall not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto.
(b) No bicycle shall be used to carry more persons at one time than the number for which it is designed and equipped.

§17C-11-4. Clinging to vehicles.
No person riding upon any bicycle, coaster, roller skates, sled, or toy vehicle shall attach the same or himself to any streetcar or vehicle upon a roadway.

§17C-11-5. Riding on roadways and bicycle paths.
(a) Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction.
(b) Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.
(c) Whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.

§17C-11-6. Carrying articles.
No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle, or article which prevents the driver from keeping at least one hand upon the handle bars.

§17C-11-7. Lamps and other equipment on bicycles.
(a) Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the department which shall be visible from all distances from fifty feet to three hundred feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.
(b) No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least one hundred feet, except that a bicycle shall not be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a bicycle any siren or whistle.
(c) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

My First Yuba Mundo Ride with Our Children

Our bikes at school.

When I got off the plane on Tuesday I was reading Bike Snob and thinking about the new bike in my garage. Brent managed to pick up the Yuba Mundo from Huntington Cycle and Sport on Friday. I contemplated having him wait until I got back, but I also wanted him to show it off at Critical Mass that night, which he did. No modesty here.

In case you missed the clip from another post, here's the video of Brent's ride with the three boys during Critical Mass. London rode my bike along side. I believe Brent's brother Aaron shot the video for him.


Yuba Mundo Inaugural Ride from delano on Vimeo.


I knew this bike was amazing because I rode it in Columbus last month, but I had never ridden it with any weight or even up a hill. You can't pay for hills in central Ohio. Test riding cargo bikes along our section of the Ohio river is near impossible, but I did make a few attempts to track some down, to no avail. Brent gave me his opinion from his ride on how to stop and handle the balance load and turning radius. I had been reading dozens and dozens of blog entries and watching videos for a couple of months. 

When I got home, I took the Yuba out first thing. I didn't even bring in my bag. I went straight to the garage and road it around the block. It was too dark to see the shifters and I wasn't even sure of the street conditions. I was a bit wobbly and uncertain, but elated. Yesterday I spent time thinking about riding and finishing Bike Snob. Today I set my mind to pick up the children from school with the Yuba Mundo. Brent left one bike at the school for a child to ride home and I set up the new bike with the iBert and stared at it from end to end. There were several parts missing that I had ordered; disc brakes, wheel skirt, and double kick stand, and noted to myself to call the shop to get an ETA.

First attempt with three boys at school.

I loaded Oliver into the rear seat, as that was his preference and I practiced going around the block several times getting used to the weight and handling. I really do not like rear weight. It feels like the front tire is going to lift off the road on every hill. The height of my saddle was suitable, the space between the iBert and my knees was far better than the other bike and the rear child seat looks more comfortable than the front. I planned to ride Avery in the rear seat, Elliot on the deck and Oliver in the iBert, but I knew that London would beg to ride on the deck often.

Circling the parking lot.

Brent came home from work to ride to school with me just in case anything would happen. He's a worrier, but I was happy to have time with him. He decided to hook up the trailer to his bike so we could load the children's back packs, as I still haven't ordered saddle/pannier bags for the Yuba. Every time we ride to the school we argue. We just have a different opinion about which route to take and where to ride on the road. The first tiff took place before the first block was behind us. I like to turn up the first road, he likes to take the second. Because he was behind me and saying "go here" and I didn't know where "here" was, I stopped on a steep uphill and tipped the bike to the right, with Oliver in the back, just about to the ground. Hmmm, this was going to be difficult.

Having learned my first lesson, to put both feet on the ground and hold both brakes when stopping, I took the second turn with Brent, which was indeed less of a climb and easier to ride. It was also slightly more difficult to make the next left at the intersection but not impossible or dangerous. I climbed up Wiltshire without much trouble and we disagreed about which direction on Woodland to ride and whether it was safer to take the lane on Norway or to use the side walk. We compromised with going to the right on Woodland, looping back down Fairfax and taking the lane on Norway.

I was sailing well until the climb on the one way portion of Norway. Brent has been telling me to take the pressure off the chain when I shift gears and I have been practicing, but I am not very good at this task. If I take the pressure off, then I slow down and have to apply more pressure. While climbing Norway I was moving into a lower gear and the chain came off the front chain wheel completely. I wasn't going anywhere. This is why I was glad Brent was there. I was able to hold the bike while he realigned the chain. Had I to do this alone I would have had to remove Oliver on a busy street and figure it out. I couldn't even walk the bike up the hill, the chain was locked up. Lesson two, take pressure off the chain before shifting gears.

Once at the school with all the children retrieved I was feeling really anxious. I didn't do so well getting there and now I was adding two extra children to a bike I was still very uncomfortable on and unfamiliar with. We loaded everyone up and I practiced starting and turning and stopping in the parking lot. I think I did about six loops in different directions to figure it all out. I lectured the boys about moving and tipping, as this would injure us all. With Brent hauling the trailer full of back packs, London on her Junior Viper and me carrying three children on the Yuba, we set off down the hill toward the Bookworm's Attic. It was still Thursday, our bookstore day, and we were not going to get sidelined from our agenda.

Heading down the one way portion of Norway on the sidewalk.

Stopped to return books.

Parked out front of the Bookworm's Attic

Books and candy purchases, bodies cooled, we strode out again for home. During our ride I observed many things about the differences in riding this long tail verses the old mountain bike. The first was the balance. The second was braking and foot position. Third, chain pressure and shifting. Fourth was the impact of the rear passengers over bumps. They took a huge jolt even over minor surface features. There jostling around had me swerving the front end to keep my balance. I do think I was truly bothered by the terrible roads and sidewalk conditions for the first time since riding. Before they were just annoying, now they were dangerous. The fifth thing of notice was the need for smooth transitions between surfaces. This goes beyond jacked up sidewalks and potholes. This bike really needs those ramps at crosswalks. I couldn't take the curb and just bounce down them like with the other bike, I would loose control. Unfortunately a few spots on our route don't offer these ramps at convenient places, but I found ways around them. In some situations I used drive ways and others I went an extra half block back to use a ramp. While I realize my place should be on the road, if you were a driver on Norway, you would not be expecting a cyclist, especially a slow one with three children. The sidewalk is safer, but not by much. (Sixth) The Yuba also didn't like going through thick gravel where the side walk was covered in some portions. Wobbly conditions at best. I believe this is because all the weight was in the rear and if there were more on the front, it could have been a better scenario. Yet I don't have front racks or bread baskets at this time and this is the best I can do.

Panting up Norway.

Pushing up Fairfax.

This is deceiving, we were actually flying down Wiltshire.

This looks like a long list of complaints. Almost like buyers remorse. I am a complainer but these are just kinks I am working out. I have confidence in this bike and know that with more practice things will be easier. I can't do much about the route conditions (although I am considering filling out one of these forms) but I can keep trying and be patient.

To give the Yuba Mundo the praise it deserves, it was easier to ride up hills than my other bike. It was great to be able to carry three children at once. It was wonderful to sit more upright and my back is appreciative too. The shifting was smooth, except when I managed to thwart it's natural talent. It is certainly a show piece, and a fabulously functional one. I was going to have the children give the bike a name, as they have named our cars and it seems appropriate and a bit ridiculous. Suggestions for names? I will run it by the panel judges and let you know what they decide.

All these miles below are approximate because we haven't keep very accurate records since my departure last week. I hope to get my act together and record them better next week. The two miles on the bus was from Brent taking his entire class on the free downtown bus to get coffee at River and Rail yesterday. I would have loved a professor like this when I was a freshman, but it might have creeped me out as well....

Miles Walked: 0	Biked: 46	Bused: 2	Drove: 44	This week
53.7	358.8	12.6	539.2	Since August 14, 2011

Introducing Kidical Mass-Huntington, WV

Thanks to Full Hands, Shane MacRhodes of KidicalMass.org, and Critical Mass Huntington I am excited to introduce Kidical Mass-Huntington, WV.  This family friendly ride is open to everyone and you can find more information on the page linked in the tab above or as an event on Facebook.

Save the date: Saturday October 29, 3:00PM, Ritter Park fountain plaza. That's plenty of time to dust off your wheels, get your children's gear gussied up and finalize those Halloween costumes! Invite your friends and neighbors. Come out and see different "family rides" even if you don't bike.

Have questions? Please leave them in the comment area below.

Thank you for your support and any promotion and participation. We need you!

Brent's Video: Commuting to Work

My Commute: Huntington, WV from delano on Vimeo.

Brent put together this video to show parts of his commute to work today. He takes a different route home, as mapped below. He certainly goes out of this way to avoid Hal Greer, riding 5 miles to go a crow's distance of 3.


View Larger Map

Test Riding to School: Take 2

We rode to school earlier this week to try to work out the safest route. It yielded a couple of new options for safety, adding length and more climbs. The tips we received on our first run would help us avoid Norway entirely, but add more length and even more steep hills. We thought that adding length and a few hills would be better than being on Norway so we took everyone out this morning to see what we could see.


View Larger Map

Another Difficult Crossing
We were turning from the top of Wiltshire, left onto Washington and the road was clear, the moment my bike is in the middle of the street a jeep is coming up the hill behind me and a car is coming down to my left. The children were directly behind and I was yelling at them to keep going, hurry up. I led them up Washington toward Woodland right in the middle of the road. The driver behind us was irritated, but I knew that if we slipped closer to the right side then he and the four cars behind him may not see us as we followed the curve or would speed past us while we were going up hill. The children are not able to ride very straight going at a slower speed, and climbing equates to slower. As soon as we were level and straight, we moved over and turned away from traffic onto Woodland.

Our journey starts with hills, and more hills.

We stopped to drop off blueberry muffins to friends that just returned home from a very long trip.

London felt her energy spent by hill number two.

Hill Strike
There were a lot of tears on this trip. The hills were just too steep to climb for the children. They walked their bikes up a lot of inclines yelling out protests of going up and declaring strikes against hills. I felt my bike tire in the front lifting because I carry my weight, ahem, in my rear. Oliver was in the iBert, but it didn't balance the bike on the climb.

A bit of downhill on Fairfax, but we would be coming back up this way going home.

The dreaded turn onto Roland Park Drive.

We stopped on Roland Park to refresh before the intense climb. These aren't the Rockies, but they are 7 and 9 years old.

Parked on Roland.

We carry a bag with tools, tire pump, sunscreen and first aid in the trailer. We need to create a kit for when we bike solo.

We forgot to sunscreen London and Elliot before we left. The headphones were accessories, she wasn't actually listening to anything.

It has taken me months, but I am finally learning how to use the gears on the bike. Brent would tell me to put it into a lower gear when going up, but I felt like I was spinning my wheels a lot more and I didn't have the endurance to pedal that much. I favored a higher gear and I would put all my weight into the pedals to spin them less often but harder. It turns out that I was spinning the pedal more and that was a good thing. I needed to build my endurance, but now turning the pedal more actually makes the climb feel easier, although slower.

Up up and away. Have you seen enough hills yet?

There was a lot of walking bikes.

A little down, although into a one way, the wrong way.

We chose the sidewalk because of the wrong way on a one way issue, but it must have been trash day.

Took a right onto Allen, this let us skip Norway altogether!

The other end of Allen met us with a brick street, and one that went down first.

The first trial we took this week, Brent had Oliver in the trailer on the way to school. I rode Brent's bike home to see if I could pull him, and it was easier than what I did today. Having Oliver in the front seat on my bike was tough. I still think it's the bike, because the center of gravity was better and the weight was the same, if not less since all the gear was in the trailer.

We made it. I think it took about an hour to cover 2.5miles.

Yeah, that's my family.

What Now?
Given all the challenges of getting up to school it's not looking like we will bike there. We will have to come up with some combination of walking and/or busing. If we can get the children's bikes to school, then biking home would be a different experience. It shouldn't be too much trouble for me to bike up to the school with only Oliver and then we could all bike home, slow and steady, or we will just walk.

We are also very aware of the wonderful weather experiences we've enjoyed. Today was mid 60s at starting and mid 70s upon return. With all these clear skies I am off to look for rain gear online. The tide will turn, as it always does, and I would like to be prepared.

Our Egg Route

An approximation of our egg route.

Another good morning for an errand. Oliver and I went to get four dozen eggs and a pint of raw honey the Four Season Farmer's delivered yesterday downtown. The to route always seems to be the same, then somewhere along the way I remember that crossing 12th Street at the end of Washington to enter the park is not a good idea. There is a tight blind curve on the left and drivers are not expecting a biker to be crossing. There are no fewer than five points of entry for traffic at this intersection. Yet, riding through the park is more pleasant and safer route, if you can cross 12th.

Never fails that we are ready to leave and someone needs a diaper change.

Honey and fresh bread for pick up. These are good farmers to know.

Four dozen eggs loaded into the backpack with the top of the carton toward my back, vertically.

Anyone know what is up with the zebra striped shrub skeleton? There were cut out board zebras there for a while this summer. I am sorry I missed the opportunity to photograph those.

On the way home from the pick up spot we came back 12th Avenue to Huntington Avenue and turned right on Park Street. We road the streets, the traffic was very low and we didn't have any dangerous intersections. I just need to remember to use this path for my to route next time.

We came home to french toast.