Riding in the heat doesn’t have to be brutal, even with your little co-pilots
Well, it’s officially getting warm (and then some), and that can be a big turn-off–believe me, I’ve been there–for people wanting to get more done on their bikes. Living in the valley, we are sometimes dealt the hand of Short Cool Spring/Early Hot Summer. I had to take the kids somewhere in the car yesterday for a brief errand, and our car felt like the 7th Circle of Dante’s Inferno (minus the Minotaur, thankfully).
Considering what to do, regarding our region’s rainy season and long roasting hot season, gave me concern before deciding to buy our Mundo. Not being one who knows how to weld metal or do whatever it is one does to plexiglass to bend it to one’s will, I didn’t know if I could adequately cover my kids from rain and wind and protect them from brutal heat and harmful UV rays without hiring an alchemist with a penchant for two-wheeled vehicles and hope he/she would give me a serious discount.
And, as much as I like to tinker, I wasn’t feeling overly competent in my abilities to make some sort of super-structure for the bike…so I looked around my basement and stumbled upon some really practical, easy and cheap solutions:
* The clip-on canopy to an old umbrella stroller worked just right for clipping onto the handlebars (with some zip ties used for added reinforcement), supplying shade for baby boy’s body when he’s in his Yepp Mini seat (his helmet shades his head, but I may add onto the canopy to extend over his head in the future for rain protection).
* A $3 umbrella from IKEA (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30215711/) provides total coverage to the entire back of the bike (2 Peanut Shell child’s seats in our case, plus the girls’ arms and legs)
* An old piece of 1.5″ wide PVC pipe, (about 1 1/2 feet long), and a bungee cord. The bottom of the pipe sits in the middle hole on top of the rear deck of the bike, while the bungee secures to the Peanut Shell child’s seat. The umbrella slides securely in (and out for easy removal) in seconds–Viola!
All told, it can cost considerably less than an arm and a leg to cover 3 little ones on a cargo bike in the crazy Sacramento heat (or any other place’s crazy heat). The umbrella and pipe cost about $5, and a no-frills umbrella stroller is about $20 (I will also sometimes fold up the stroller and bungee it to one of the running boards on the bike if I need to wheel our little guy around, once we’ve reached our destination).
Happy Summer Cycling to All!
8legs2wheels 