Monday, November 26, 2012

Another Year Cycling With My Daughter

Bea and I celebrated another year of cycling together--well, at least with her as my passenger. Hehe.
Around this time last year, we biked for the first time outside our neighborhood. We joined my FBP friends on an evening bike ride around Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, and she enjoyed the experience.
After that, our father-daughter bike rides became more frequent. Bea would accompany me to buy the newspaper and pandesal in the morning. What's heartwarming was each time I'd invite her to come bike with me she never turned me down.
It was during our bike rides that I got to teach her her first words. I taught her "house" after pointing at all the houses on our street. She also learned "cat," "dog," "tricycle," "car," "mailbox," and "tree" while on the bike.
Bea likes to play with the handlebars. She rings the bell, presses on the cyclometer, and even tries to steer the bike. I swear, if she didn't have puny arms, she'd be the one taking control of the Brompton. 
We've experimented with different ways of riding together. First with the iBert seat on the Allant. Then using the Bromp-upuan with the Brompton. And then we also tried the InStep Bike Trailer. Our favorite would have to be the Bromp-upuan because she's in front of me, I can see her, and we get to talk.
Last week we joined the Tour of the Fireflies. I had no trouble waking her up at 5:30 in the morning. I whispered, "Bea, let's go biking na" to her ear and she opened her eyes and said, "Biking?!" No complaints. No crying. She stood up and got ready. At the Tour, when we were on the road with the rest of the participants, Bea did not hesitate to salute and hi-5 (or wave) to all those who greeted her. 
I sincerely believe my daughter enjoys riding. And I am thankful for that.
I fear, however, that she may outgrow this fondness with biking. I hope I'm wrong. I wish she continues to enjoy biking. Next year, I want her to learn how to pedal. Start with a tricycle. Then the following year learn to balance herself on two wheels. And hopefully, by 2014 when we join the Tour of the Fireflies, Bea's no longer just a passenger, but a cyclist herself as well.
But I get ahead of myself. For now I am extremely happy that my daughter and I cycle together.

7 comments:

  1. Hi Kris, exposing your child to biking early is really nice :) it was my first time to join the Tour of the Fireflies this year and I really enjoyed it :) Hopefully, more participants next year :)

    I have some questions for you, I am currently using a mountain bike for exploring manila (e.g. naia - bay area - rizal park - manila post office) as well as occasional rides in Bugarin - Tanay Rizal (with an 8 km uphill climb). When I was in the tour of the fireflies, I was impressed with the Brompton bike and I am considering to own one and would like to use it on the routes mentioned above + considering to use it as part of my daily commute going to work :)

    What Brommie would you suggest? I am thinking of M6L, but do you have other options in mind? Can a M3L do the trick in most road conditions in Manila. The S3L / S6L would look awesome but I am afraid that luggage space in front would be an issue? What made you decide to use M6L?

    Also there is no Brompton retailer / distributor here so I am considering ordering from US via nycewheels, the M6L costs $1427 and shipping is $163.02. However I am concerned that the bike may end up in Customs and I will pay ** a lot ** for customs and duties (I have previous experiences with those). It is ok to pay the taxes but sometimes it is too high and resulting to paying almost 50% of the merchandise cost!!!
    Do you suggest that I order that in US?

    Thanks and any info from you would be appreciated :)

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    1. Hi, JP! I've commuted the NAIA-Manila Bay-Rizal Park-Post Office route, but not the Bugarin-Tanay route so I can only comment on the former.

      For Manila commute, you don't need the 6. Okay na yung 3. My other Brompton friends would even go further by saying that 2 is fine, but I prefer 3 gears.

      You're correct, the S has limited front bag options. Pero gano ba kadami dadalhin mo? Baka kasya naman sa S-bag.

      I chose the 6 because I am a weak rider and I prefer to have the most number of gears for uphill climbs (i even converted from 50T to 44T chainring to make pedaling easier). I chose the M because it could accommodate the bigger front bags like the T bag. I tour on my Brompton so I use all the space in my T bag.

      Your suspicions are correct. They WILL charge you duties for the Brompton. Laki ng binayaran ng friend ko when he had it shipped from Singapore via FedEx. I strongly advise against this. It would be better if you can find a friend who can bring it in for you. No taxes there. OR, you can go to Hongkong and buy from Flying Ball and bring it home yourself. It's going to be cheaper.

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  2. Thank you for your reply... Appreciate it. Where do you utilize your 6 gears? Where do you go uphill? Just want to know if I will get the 6 or 3 gears. I am big (around 185 lbs) and when I go uphill on the Bugarin route, I even use my granny gears when i am tired :)

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    Replies
    1. No problem. When the road is flat and I want to go fast I use gears 5 and 6. When its a bit hilly, I switch between gears 3 and 4. If the incline is steep, I utilize the granny gears. Pinaka-uphill for my bike commutes in metro manila would be along Lawton Ave. in Fort Bonifacio. But I don't use the granny gears there as the incline is not that steep. Kaya ko siya sa 3 and 4.

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  3. Kris:
    I wish you many more happy years of cycling with your daughter.
    It is a wonderful opportunity and I am sure you both will remember and cherish it for years to come.
    Happy Riding!
    Chandra

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  4. Hi Kris,every time i read your blog regarding biking with your daughter i got so inspired. Me and my son always do biking in the afternoon in our village using his chair made of wood attache on my bike (coz im still waiting for your iBert seat :) )I wish we can join some of biking activities with son. Keep on posting!

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