Utilitarian Adventures

[Pancho]

Does going to a bbq count? If so three bikes and the Burley trailer with team member number four in it did the about mile to mates bbc. Weather took a turn for worse so borrowed mates jacket and squeezed eldest into Burley bee ignored weight limit and appreciated tail wind and downhil.l

Definitely a utility trip.

[Pancho]

15 miles rtn to Aldi. Overcast and windy but still a fair few other cyclists out.

I didn't need to go but am trying to do a supermarket run at least every other day as substitute for my old commute. Having only titchy panniers helps!

[Jakob W]

Run into town for some shopping and to drop library books off. Think I may have to get some panniers for the bakfiets; the toddlers are now big enough that when the rain cover's on you can't get that many bags of shopping in without it squashing up to them (and then they have a tendency to root through and eat stuff!)
Am quite tempted by a pair of the Carradice Royal Mail panniers - any users on here?

[Jakob W]

Yesterday: my usual run over to Sutton Coldfield for the first twins club of the school year. Nice and sunny, but very muggy - was like cycling through soup at times. Despite not having done it for a few months I shaved 10 minutes off my usual time in, though as ever I paid for it a bit on my way back. Today/a quick run into town for groceries.

From next week I will be doing a daily nursery run, so should start clocking up the utility miles again; or will that belong in the commuting thread?

[Pancho]

Jakob, I suppose that sort of trip could qualify for either. But if you do decamp to the hardened commuter thread, I hope you'll still manage to report the occasional utility trip as well. We're thin on the ground on this thread!

Today it was Aldi again for me. And an East European bloke who runs a really good veg stall - where I picked up 5 massive red peppers for a quid. Much better than 85p for three red, yellow, green from the supermarkets.

It would have been great but for whatever is ailing me being particularly ail-full on this run. Had to stop twice for the pain to go away. I've got a doc's appt in a couple of weeks - hoping it's just the pills causing it and that he'll let me stop taking them.

Still, 10 miles is 10 miles. Only 10 as I came the short, A-road route home

And I see there's a Decathlon box outside the front door. Must be my front rack for extra veg carrying capacity.

[Jakob W]

Girls to playgroup in the morning, and (first day at!) nursery in the afternoon. I can do the latter in about 20 minutes if giving it some beans, which gives me potentially 2 hours of free time at home, or 3 if I bum about in the library or cafes next to the nursery. The other option is of course to take a picnic and explore the lanes, but even empty the bakfiets isn't the nimblest of steeds...

[seraphina]

Lots of tootling about over the last week, mainly child related - to and from swimming and dance classes, and the post office. Yesterday's commute included a trip to the blood donors on the way home so I shall file that under utility as well. Am almost a bit disappointed that school is too close to cycle to! (we live a hop, skip and a jump away).

The bike and trailer set up could probably do with a bit of TLC - the Dawes is feeling a bit tired and I am wondering how bad it is to tow the trailer with one of the rubber bushes missing from the thingy where the axle goes....

[Jakob W]

Got to the end of the road and detailed the chain going over a speed bump; on inspection the bolt had disappeared from the drive side chain tug, which may have been the cause. Thankfully, as it had detailed at the back, I was able to get it back running again without having to go back for tools to remove the chaincase. Made it to nursery without further incident, and then tried to find a suitable bolt; neither the hardware shop nor the LBS had stainless, so I stopped at the engineer's merchants on the way home and picked up a couple.

[Cudzoziemiec]

A stupormarket trip earlier this week made me think about lighting. Bright and sunny when I went in, getting dark when I came out. Arguably not a big problem in a well lit city, but it's getting to that time of year when it would be good to have lighting fixed permanently to the bike. Dynamo, I suppose, is the way forward. But £$E plus having decent battery lighting (even if I've left it at home... ) might mean not yet.

[Jakob W]

I think a decent city be-seen setup should only be £40-50; even cheap LED dynamo lights are ok these days, and bottle dynamos are about £25 aren't they? I've been meaning to upgrade the lights on my Dutch bike for a while, but haven't got round to it yet.

[Pingu]

IMG_7515_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

[Ruthie]

Not as unusual as the above, but I took Josette out to the big horriblemarket to get some food to take to the church birthday party tomorrow.  Also, loo roll and dental floss.  Rock 'n' roll.

[Cudzoziemiec]

IMG_7515_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

What colour?

Scrap that, I was thinking it was paint. 

[The Family Cyclist]

Meant to come back and add after wedgeing both kids into Burley the next day went back and managed to fit using bungee cords the eldest monkeys bike into the burley

[Mrs Pingu]

IMG_7515_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

What colour?

Scrap that, I was thinking it was paint. 

It is paint - 'garden paint' in Sage. I would have had lavender but it appeared to be a really dark purple rather than a provençal lavender colour. I don't think I need a deep purple shed door.

[Feanor]

I don't think I need a deep purple shed door.

<Drums fingers waiting for someone to post an image of a shed door with Deep Purple album cover artwork on it>

[seraphina]

I do like that purple handlebar tape, very fetching!

Cycled into Cambridge to pick up new spectacles and reminded myself just how pants the route is for cycles from Trumpington to the too-small bike park at the Grand Arcade. Consoled myself by imagining the running commentary of my bell.

And wasn't it chilly today? Had long sleeves and jacket on and was only mildly too warm.

[Pingu]

I don't think I need a deep purple shed door.

You're more of a Led Zep kinda girl.

[Mrs Pingu]

I don't think I need a deep purple shed door.

<Drums fingers waiting for someone to post an image of a shed door with Deep Purple album cover artwork on it>

<googles>
My word, they're mostly awful!

[sg37409]

I do like that purple handlebar tape, very fetching!

Same here.

[phantasmagoriana]

Purple bar tape is the One True Way.

[Pingu]

Purple bar tape is the One True Way.

And tassles?

[Mrs Pingu]

Purple bar tape everything is the One True Way.

FTFY 

[seraphina]

Running the toddler taxi again; playground and swimming.

[Jakob W]

Second week of nursery runs in the bakfiets is over and I'm shattered! I suppose upping the weekly mileage from $notmuch (albeit some weeks with a 20-25 mile trip) to 50-60 miles is going to make a difference, especially as most of those miles are with toddlers and/or shopping on board.