IDLE HANDS

First thing to fix for parental leave is a way to transport myself and the little miss. With a budget of around 10 000 swedish krona I could get a pretty undecent car. However, there are more things to take into account then just what the cost of purchasing. With a car, there is a lot of extras. Gas and insurance just to name two. Other things I’ve been thinking about is environmental impact, and the safety when travelling.

So I went looking for a bike. First I thought about getting a wagon that you attach to the back of your bike, but after looking at other parents transporting their kid like that I thought it looked to insecure and bumpy. And I could not look to see how she was doing while pedalling, not safe at least.

I tried a Christiania bike a while back, the three wheel model. I did not really care for that construction, The microadjusments you make while leaning was impossible, and it was heavy.

Then I found the dutch model, with two wheels. Found a seller close to where I live and went to try it. It was very easy to ride. To bad he only had the electrically assisted version to sell. Long story short, I got one with electrical assist.

After a pretty terrified transportation home via train I am so happy with it. The two older kids live to ride in it and 11year old have driven me around in it.

But to modifications.

* Back mirror: I added a mirror so I can watch traffic trying to pass me.
* Car seat. 7 months is to young to be in the box, and a bike chair is not good enough either. Her neck would get super tired. So I attached a second hand car-seat. And she is facing me so I can see if she is sleeping or if she is bored. I used the straps that came with the seat and baggage fasteners for the other part. I screwed a strip of wood for the chair to lean on and it worked great.
* Sun-block: Just added a bit of sleeping mat as sun blocker.