25 April 2012

What a Weekend: Bicycle Highlights

We had a bustling adventure of a weekend in Tacoma. We biked almost everywhere we needed or wanted to go and never went more than about 3 miles from home. Living in the city has its perks!


Friday: First, another round of the weekly Frost Park Chalk Off. We like to bike there with a picnic lunch. Super T decided we would draw kitty whales, something she created on our kitchen chalkboard earlier in the week.



Much later that night...


MOB RIDE!


If you missed it, watch for posters like this around town (note the MOB logo).


Saturday: Up early so that my little fairy could march in the Junior Daffodil Parade with her pre-school pals.  We biked to this neighborhood like we always do, but driving would have been especially inconvenient since many roads around the parade route were closed to vehicles.


After the parade, we visited the Proctor Farmers Market. (I recommend the spring rolls from the Two Sisters sauce booth.) We also browsed the new Playback Sports shop, which we hadn't been to since they moved. They sell used sporting goods on consignment, including bikes and bike accessories. Tacoma parents should know about this place: spread the word.

Sunday: Wayzgoose! It's a print arts extravaganza hosted by our local independent book store, King's Books.  We biked there with another family. Eight people: four bikes.


The main attraction is the steamroller printing press. RAWR.


Local artists hand carve these sheets of linoleum then print a few very limited edition posters which can only be won through a raffle drawing. There were eight designs, including these two that included bikes.



 TA-DA!





We also brought shirts to take advantage of the free screen-printing booth run by some University of Puget Sound students. And I picked up some cool prints from an artist who also makes records with a vintage record lathe. This one is cut from a plastic pie plate.


A friend from the chalk-off was running the bicycle ice cream trailer for Jeff's Ice Cream. Made in Washington ice cream bars and cookie sandwiches FTW!


 We finished off the day with a Harmon Hub pizza picnic at Wright Park. It was a beautiful day in Tacoma.


Monday: Back to School!


Fin.

11 March 2012

Bike Expo!

Time to play tourist! Jesse and I bussed up north with our bikes for Seattle Bike Expo on Saturday.  [If I'm in the picture, photo credit goes to Jesse.]

It's so scenic!

The Expo was held at a shipping terminal north of downtown and best reached by bicycle.  Bike Works, a local non-profit bike shop, was running a controlled bike parking area right by the main entrance and we were happy to donate a few bucks for convenience and security.

Gratuitous Courage Classic promo shot

We saw tons of cool stuff, but this was the coolest bike there. A Co-Motion 'Divide' built up for the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Drop bar, 14-spd internally geared hub with belt drive (rear sprocket is a prototype for this hub), 29er tires, dynamo hub and front light with plug-ins to power peripherals, and a limited edition Gilles Berthoud shifter. The bike is a showcase of what Co-Motion thinks an off-road touring bike can be.

 WOW.

More WOW.

Later we found my friend Brynnen and her Madsen. Several parents loaned their bicycles for this family cycling display and, to my surprise, they were pretty much the only ones at the show of their kind. No box bikes!

Our rain cover is still going strong!

Jesse took this wood-framed Revolo for a parking lot test ride. He said it is surprisingly stiff and was amazed he was riding a wooden bicycle. Wave of the future?


We caught most of the lunch talk, which featured Elly Blue (among others), offering us new perspective on the cycling gender gap.

@EllyBlue on the mic

 I bought a few of her zines. Can't wait to read 'em!

The World Bike Relief booth was inspirational. Empowering students, health care workers and entrepreneurs in many African countries, these bikes are designed specifically to hold up with little or no maintenance in a rigorous environment. (Those are 13 gauge spokes and that rear rack can hold 250 lbs.) The bike costs a mere $130 if you'd like to donate one.


After seeing the Divide, Revolo, and WBR bikes, my mind started to wander off-road.  This guy from Missoula was more than happy to let me see the world from the seat of his custom quad. I didn't think to ask for a test-ride.

Hmmm...

But then we discovered 'Bigfoot'. That's right! In Seattle!




  



This was my first time EVER riding a recumbent and, yes, those are 3.8" tires (squishy!) As a newbie, it was a little tricky to ride, but I managed to do a lap without crashing. Many thanks to Lightfoot for letting me take it for a spin. Here's the audience they're targeting with this bike:


How does one top riding a Bigfoot? By chatting with a real living legend; local blogger and bicycle guru Kent Peterson. I've been reading Kent's Bike Blog and conversing with him on twitter for a while, but we'd never met in person. I didn't tell him, but he's one of my heroes. I think he's one of my sister's heroes, too.


With our minds jam-packed with bicycle geekery, we rode [nearly] all the way home to Tacoma. It was a fun trip.



27 February 2012

South Sound Sustainability Expo

On March 3, TBR will be teaming up with Tacoma's 2nd Cycle and Defiance Bicycles to host to a "You'll Bike Tacoma" booth at the South Sound Sustainability Expo.  We'll be talking about bicycle transportation, handing out Pierce County bike maps and showing off a cargo bike or two.  The event is free and open to the public.


South Sound Sustainability Expo
Saturday, March 3, 10am-3pm
Free. Open to the Public.

11 February 2012

2nd Cycle: A New Location for Tacoma's Bicycle Co-op


Tacoma's non-profit bicycle co-op 2nd Cycle opened it's doors last Saturday in their new location at 1312 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.  A few friends and I cycled over to check out the new space.

The new shop is cavernous compared to the old space!  They now have plenty of room for their vast collection of used parts, frames, and complete bikes. Customers can spread out as they tune bikes in the stand, search for parts, and share tools. Our kids were literally running around without bothering any one.


The steady stream of customers that came in during their first hour was evidence to me that 2nd Cycle is providing a useful and much needed service to the community.  Stop by and check it out.