Living Car-free in the US: Elle

Elle, from Tiny Helmets Big Bikes, returns this week to share more of her insights and experiences living car-free in the US with cargo bikes. 

Elle’s story about her blog, her transition to car-free living, and encouraging kids to bike is incredible. So many people use their kids as an excuse not to do things, but Elle actually used her two little ones as motivation to resume cycling. After becoming a regular commuter cyclist, it wasn’t long before her family made the leap to car-free living.

I often wonder how we will maintain our simple, car-free life when we return to the land of excess and eight lane highways. In some ways it is easier to live exactly as we want as expats. You don’t have any family or friends to impress, or pass judgment on you, and you’re too far away to field the unsolicited parenting advice from well-meaning friends, family, and acquaintances. Plus, whether you like it or not, most things you do are weird when you live in a new country. We are happy to hide behind our foreigner status, with respect to our diet, CZ drinking out of a glass cup, not owning a TV, and putting our toddler on push-bikes (as natives refer to them). Honestly, it’s liberating when the expectation is for you to be different because you are from a different place. Ok, off my soapbox, and on to the interview.

How did you start integrating biking into your everyday life?

I had always loved biking, but after having two kids it was harder for me to get the exercise in that I wanted. On the other hand, I always felt really guilty having to drive them everywhere, especially to places that were nearby. We started with a trailer after a lot of research, but we didn’t have access to much cargo bike knowledge.

I started trying to push myself a little more to use the bike and trailer to get them around but it was often such a hassle that we’d end up driving. The trailer worked really well but it was difficult to ride with and always an effort to store, connect, and maneuver. It’s easy to fall into the myth that driving is more convenient and when there’s a car sitting out front, I often resorted to the car out of habit. When I learned about cargo bikes, they sounded like the solution but it was difficult to commit to that much money as an investment.

I had a bit of an epiphany moment after riding with out babies for about three years when I decided I would change my mindset from “I’ll bike if I can” to “If I can bike there, I will.” I started with pushing myself to commit to doing the 2-mile challenge where I would bike or walk to all destinations within a 2-mile radius. It didn’t always work but it helped me shift into a more bike-centric habit. Then, I’d find new routes and connections that would open up new neighborhoods and offer safer, more enjoyable transportation by bike. Once I felt like I could live a biking lifestyle, we decided to make the investment and buy a cargo bike. 

How did you decide to finally let go of one of your cars?

The more we biked places, the easier it became. Getting more exercise made me feel better and want to ride more often. I’d find new routes that would take us to new places and that would open up more destinations to ride to. We started using the car less and less and it became difficult to accept paying $500/month for something we barely used and investing in a cargo bike seemed more reasonable.

What differences did you notice between riding with a trailer versus a cargo bike?

Having a cargo bike was so much easier than riding with the trailer! The same amount of weight felt so much simpler to carry and ride with. We gained about 3-5mph using the cargo bike because the weight distribution was more efficient. It was more fun to ride so I found myself riding a lot more often.

We definitely looked like a circus act so we were stopped all the time with people asking about our bike. It was a great way to meet people and spread our love of riding. If I had to do it over again, I would have started with a cargo bike from the very beginning. After owning our first cargo bike for about 6 months, we decided to go totally car-free and have been for the past 4 years. Having a cargo bike (and for awhile, multiple cargo bikes,) made it feasible because it was fun and easy to get around. 

Your family took a long route to being bike free, and have trialed pretty much every cargo +kids setup imaginable. What are things to think about when choosing bikes for family transport versus leisure rides? What are some of the differences between trailers, bike seats, and cargo bikes?

I feel like the most important thing for a family to consider when using bikes for transportation is what set-up works best for their own needs. A bike seat or trailer is a great way to go without putting in a ton of money and both have their pros and cons. A bike seat can fit on most bikes but can be difficult to balance when loading and unloading the child and doesn’t offer much room for additional cargo or weather protection. A trailer is low to the ground and difficult to tip over, keeps children protected from the weather and sun but you can’t reach your child easily if they need something and the bike’s handling is affected by the towing weight and width of the trailer. 

A cargo bike is a really helpful investment. When looking for the cargo bike that would best fit your family’s needs, it is good to look at budget, comfort for both rider and passengers, and cargo capacity. There isn’t one single cargo bike that will fit everyone’s needs. Being able to test the bikes and talk with other families about what they’re doing. Used cargo bikes can be less expensive and remembering that they have a high resale value can help with the initial sticker shock. 

We love our Radish Xtracycle longtail cargo bike for hauling groceries and one toddler, but I can’t imagine carrying multiple kids on it because of the weight issue. haven’t looked closely at the other options available. Which cargo bikes have you trialed, and which work best for your family?

The first cargo bike we got was a Yuba Mundo because there weren’t many options. We added a Larry vs. Harry Bullitt when we got rid of the car but then replaced both cargo bikes with a Bike Friday HaulaDay which we’ve found to be the most maneuverable and versatile for our needs. The boys ride a bit more on their own now that they’re older but we’ve limited on where we can go based on safe infrastructure when their riding their own bikes (Islabikes).

You participated in 30-day biking challenge, can you tell us more about that?

The 30 Days of Biking, pledging to ride every day in April, was a way to challenge myself to find a way to ride our bike every day for the month of month. As we figured out how to pack for a bike ride, what routes to take, and how long we needed, riding became so much easier. By the end of the 30 days, our driving habit was much easier to break and we got used to heading out the back door with our helmets instead of the front door with the car keys.