My own four wheels
Jim and I are thinking about getting one of these.
I've been daydreaming about what it'd be like to live in a place where this is the main mode of transportation, instead of the automobile.
Obviously, it wouldn't fly around here -- it doesn't look like a winter-friendly vehicle.
But if we bought a house in Ohio City that was *just* a bit farther than we wanted to haul our melons and potatoes and fifteen pounds of Slovenian sausage back from the West Side Market, I think this would be an excellent alternative to walking, at least in the summer.
I've seen a guy riding an adult tricycle around the neighborhood, and I saw a girl in Tremont riding one to the farmers market. But I tried to ride one of those suckers once and it was pretty hard to steer. I felt like I was going to tip over at any moment.
Why not just get a bicycle, you ask? This isn't much of a secret because I've revealed it before, but I can't ride a bicycle. I never learned how, because as a kid I had a mortal fear of falling, skinning, breaking, and/or bruising something. (I also had a mortal fear of dirt, food with "spots" in it, volcanoes suddenly erupting from beneath my feet, ET, and -- inexplicably -- shoes. Yeah, I was like baby girl Monk.)
In fact, I remember that on one of our family vacations (probably in Michigan or Canada -- we didn't really go anyplace else), we stayed at a campground where you could rent one of these. And they were great fun.
posted by Christine at 7:50 AM
6 Comments:
Surreys are *really* hard to control. At least the rental ones along the beach at Santa Barbara are. I can ride a bike just fine, but I still shudder at the memories of that surrey ride - it really did feel like a death-defying act.
Heh, baby girl Monk. I was one too, except for the bicycle part. I never did learn how to swim, though, and remain terrified of water to this day.
Yeah, I've been wondering if I could find one with a better design - bigger wheels, or something. There's got to be some way to make them easier to control. I don't remember the one I'd ridden as a kid being particularly tippy or anything, but then again, I was 8.
I was also late to swimming - I was essentially forced to learn in gym class in 7th grade. (shudder)
PS - long time no see, chez shoes!
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You need to get an Electra Townie -- they are made with "flat feet technology" where you can actually touch the ground when you stop (unlike a traditional bike where the seat is so high that you cannot touch the ground):
http://www.electrabike.com/04/bikes/townie/
I saw many of these at Virginia Beach yesterday, and they looked ripe for a story of "Remember when we rented that crazy bike thing and we almost all fell out on the boardwalk?" It looks like fun, but a very teamwork oriented kind of fun!
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