“It’s a lot like driving a car.”
(Photo © Elly Blue)
[This is the second in a series of “My City Bike” interviews with Portlanders who ride bikes intended for urban transportation. This interview is with local graphic designer and bike fashion blogger Patrick Barber. This spring we posted a guest article by Patrick on how to identify a city bike.
BikePortland: What type of rider are you?
Patrick Barber: I’m a transportational cyclist. Well, I should say, I’m not a cyclist — I just ride my bike.
BP: Describe the bike you ride most often.
(Photo © Elly Blue)
PB: It’s a Danish cargo trike, the Christiania. This particular model is designed for carrying kids. It’s not sold in the United States.
When we were living in Oakland there was a guy in the Bay Area who was a cargo bike specialist who bought it from some Danish business students and then sold it to us in 2004. After we had our kid we had it upgraded with an 8 speed hub and [local bike mechanic, inventor, and track stand world champion] Mike Cobb welded on some Dutch bike handlebars, which really made it more viable for everyday transport. In its original configuration it was hard to ride.
It’s got a little bench and a seatbelt, and Mike put in a five-point harness. There’s a winter canopy that came with, and Holly made a summer one to go on the same frame, which has worked magnificently.
BP: What do you use your bike for every day?
(Photo © Elly Blue)
PB: Going where I need to go and carrying stuff that I need to take there and bring back. And carrying my kid. Anastasia just turned one! I ride in about a 5 mile radius every day — average probably 3 or 4 miles a day. Sometimes longer. I live in Irvington, and sometimes we’ll go as far as Woodstock.
BP: What is your dream city bike?
PB: I think it’s this bike. I’m totally hooked on this big box. I don’t have to arrange my cargo, I can just put it in the box. It’s a lot like driving a car, as far as convenience and utility go. It’s always full of stuff. You know, like you always have some bags, a picnic blanket, an extra coat you forgot to take out. It’s got a trunk, essentially, you can just throw stuff in it and forget about it. If you were really worried about how much a bike weighed it wouldn’t be very much fun, but I’m not worried about that, I’m not shaving grams.
precious cargo.
(Photo © J. Maus)
The ability to carry a bunch of stuff is really important. And all bikes should have fenders. This has good fenders. It’s got a really comfortable riding posture, I can wear a suit jacket and sit up and it’s comfortable. That’s one reason I end up riding it over other bikes, because I can wear my own clothes.
One of the coolest things about it is the cargo compartment is entirely waterproof when the rain cover is on. So in the winter every thing you want to keep dry is inside this tent, which is a big difference from other bikes I’ve used.
A bakfiets would have made a lot of sense too — but we hadn’t heard about them at the time. When we had Anastasia we tried out a bakfiets — we thought maybe we’d sell the Christiania and buy one. But I like the Christiania better. I stop at stop signs a lot and go on a lot of short trips with a lot of stops. Starting and stopping is a lot easier with a trike.
Another thing is you don’t need a bike rack. Same with the bakfiets — you can just lock it where it stands. Nobody’s going to pick it up and carry it away. And that’s more convenient than I could ever have imagined.
BP: Tricycles are known for being a bit tippy on turns. Do you have any trouble with this?
trike from tipping the opposite way.
(Photo © Elly Blue)
PB:I love the way it handles. But it’s totally different from riding a bike, because it doesn’t lean into curves. You have to lean inward to keep the bike from flipping over to the outside. It’s really counterintuitive, and you have to learn how to do it, but it’s a total blast once you figure it out.
It feels stable, now that I’m used to it. With the two front wheels, as the road surface varies the bike responds. Again, it’s something you develop a skill for. It helps to be carrying something so there’s weight in the box.
BP: How does it work for carrying a kid?
PB: My daughter likes it a lot. On our other bikes we have a trailer and a front bike seat. She likes the box best because she can sit up and look around and wave to people. She gets really excited when we go down big hills, she likes to scream the whole way. On flat stretches, she kicks her legs up and leans back and regards her public.
She’s going to ride on this thing as long as she can, but I’m building an Xtracycle for when she’s older. But we’ll miss the trike. One of the biggest deals is you can leave her on the bike while you’re stopped and it won’t tip.
BP: What’s essential on an urban transportation bike?
PB: Generator electric is a huge deal, because if you have a generator, especially a hub generator you can leave your lights on the whole time. People always talk about reflective clothing, but if you have a nice bright generator light you don’t need that. That’s the one thing this trike needs. If I had lots of money I would get new front wheels with drum brakes and generator hubs.
Also essential are fenders, and a chain guard. A bell’s good. I like a good rear view mirror. A basket — that’s what I like about my Christiania — it’s got the biggest basket of all. I like big, fat tires because they are more comfortable and absorb more road shock and handle rough roads better. A wheel lock would be nice — right now I use a Kryptonite like a wheel lock.
It also helps to have a nice hat. People give you a lot of room.
This October, framebuilders will compete in the Oregon Manifest Constructor Challenge to design, build, and ride functional city bikes. We hope these interviews can help inspire the builders, as well as all of you out there trying to figure out how to pick up your kids, or groceries, or a case of beer on your bike.