Celebrating Car-Free Culture at MEC BikeFest & Car-Free Day

Engraving our bike in case of theft.

This weekend is packed with awesome: tomorrow is Car-Free Day & today we cruised down to the Athlete's Village for MEC BikeFest.

There are usually good freebies at BikeFest & today was no exception--MEC gave Linnaeus a front & rear turtle light for his bike, he left the Pedalheads table with a t-shirt, stickers, a water bottle, a magnetic puzzle & sunglasses, plus we all had organic bananas from Whole Foods & Ritter chocolate bars from another table.

The Vancouver Police Department Community Policing Office had a tent as well, with volunteers engraving drivers license numbers onto bikes. This way, if the worst happens & your ride is stolen, the police can easily track you down when they find the bike. We had both bikes engraved, which required some manoevures by the volunteer with the engraving tool because the Yuba couldn't be flipped over onto its seat with the two child seats on the back.

Testing out the Viva Juliett.

Just after getting the bike engraved, we ran into Steph Florian of News 1130 & she did a quick interview with me about bike commuting with kids. Then I discovered a beautiful classic style bike that MEC is now selling--the Viva Juliett--& test rode one briefly.

We capped off the afternoon with some delicious treats at Terra Breads with an old friend from high school & her little family. I wanted to test the Yuba on a serious uphill, so we rode straight up Ontario Street to 10th Avenue. I have to admit, it was a bit of a slog with both kids on the bike. But I cranked it into the lowest granny gear & just kept pedalling. Definitely doable.

Napping on the Mundo.

Can't wait til tomorrow: Car Free Day! I'll be volunteering at the Modo table around 12th Avenue on Main Street. Come by & say hi! If you're a member, bring your Modo fob: you can fob in to win a credit of up to $15 off your next bill!

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