A New Steed

Yesterday the family went on a special errand. With the girls in the Madsen bucket bike and Sarah on her C-dale, we rode the 2.7 miles to the store. With the girls facing backwards in the bucket, Sarah was able to chat with them face-to-face the whole way there.

The errand involved the purchase of Gwen's first bicycle. It was a surprise, and she was overjoyed to pick it out and take it for a test ride in the store. I bought one in the box (unassembled), thinking it would be easier to haul home, but the box made it too awkward to fit in the bucket with the girls. So we just left the box at the store to be recycled - voila! The seat belts held it in place well enough. A lady walking past said that the Madsen setup looked great, adding that there were "a thousand ways you could use with a bike like that." Agreed.


The ride home was sweet. I didn't have to put a foot down once. Somewhere the bike gods were smiling down upon us, and we were smiling, too.

I pre-assembled the bike that evening so that Gwen could help with the finishing touches today, pumping the tires and adding tassles, pads, and handlebar bag. After some brief instruction on the coaster brake, she was off.