Gearing up for Bike-to-Work Week

A quick reminder that next week, May 16-21, is Bike-to-Work Week. According to Virginia de Leon’s article about it last month, almost 1,500 people participated last year, avoiding an estimated 64,000 vehicle miles over the course of six days.

At this time, biking isn’t an option for me (um, I don’t own a bike), but I’m planning on taking the city bus instead. That will mean getting my two young daughters ready for preschool a bit earlier than normal, but I don’t think they’ll complain. They love riding the bus.

In the meantime, I’m shopping around for a new (or used) bike. I’m looking for something basic. Something I can use to trek my kids around town with and perhaps some groceries, too. My budget isn’t big, but if the sky were the limit, this is what I would be considering:

The Madsen —Oh, how I would love to throw my kids into one of those big Rubbermaid-looking buckets.

The Paula , by Retrovelo—Tie a scarf around my neck and tuck a loaf of bread under my arm and I’ll think I’m on the island of Capri.

The Pax Max Duo —Look out! Babies on board.

The Gazelle Cabby —Weeeee!

But truly, what I really, really want is one of these . How many years before my kids would die of embarrassment showing up to school in the back of that thing? Just trying to calculate whether it’s worth the investment. Probably not, but a girl can dream.