there are some underground garages but for cars? we’re in Valencia right by the Nord/Xativa station. the few folckx we know are able to bring their bikes into their flats
Oh I thought you were moving to Barcelona for some reason. I don’t know anything about Valencia besides once being awakened by an old man screaming “Valencia” over and over on a night train from Lisbon lol. You won’t have a courtyard or something when you move into your permanent flat, will you? I just can’t imagine schlepping a cargo bike deep into a building.
Strongly not recommended. So many bikes stolen from places like that. Even if they have a “secure” bike room.
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Europe tho. Underground garages are serious business. Many cutesy old towns and cities have massive lots underneath.
I guess maybe it’s a different situation there. I’ve had many folks local to me have bikes stolen from large underground decks in apartment buildings that have overnight security and locked bike rooms that only residents can access via key card or something. Can’t imagine that a municipal parking deck is going to be much more secure than that.
ATMO, putting it underground just means that someone with power tools in the middle of the night has more time to go at your lock before anyone notices.
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I think he is thinking about NY parking garages that are always staffed so relatively secure.
yes we are specifically looking either for courtyard/garden flats or ones with a larger lift and a spot inside
So I can only speak for myself here, having to lift the front of a >75 lb bike (empty) while maneuvering it into an elevator, and having to do that twice every ride, would be not fun at all and a significant point of friction to that bike getting used. My experience for utility/transportation bikes is that reducing/eliminating as many points of friction as possible makes them easier and more fun to use.
I want to say an e-folder or a smol e-cargo bike + trailer would be a good intermediate step while you’re in that place, then buy a front loader later on. Either kind of bike could also be useful later on if having options is the vibe, or you could sell it and hopefully not be out too much money. Is there a chance you may want a larger front loader than the Carrie when you’re settled somewhere permanent?
Not having a Tern dealer in all of Spain is kind of surprising. Maybe a good side quest for a weekend getaway to France?
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there’s one dealer in Madrid but they don’t appear to carry the quick haul. lots in france though
there’s a chance I guess— I mostly see parents with rear seats and front baskets on city bikes, or the occasional urban arrow size front loader. it’s just a pretty tight city in places so keeping a smaller footprint and familiar handling will make it more pleasant and more likely for sup to ride it also
it’s maybe less of a pressing issue knowing that I can easily use the subway for now
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Usually you are driving in and then taking many stairs or an elevator out. The presence of the lot is only announced by a garage door and a parking sign. They’re pretty inconspicuous. I’ve not heard of theft being a big issue in these.
Also in general, though I think things have gotten worse in the past 10 years, Euroland doesn’t have scattered encampments of dozens or hundreds of folks looking for their next meal or fentanyl hit by pawning your stuff. Yeah you might have your window broken sometimes parking in a sketchy place in some cities (if you can manage to find street parking), but it just isn’t on west coast tech dystopia levels.
I’d probably just get like 3 kryptonite locks and street park it within view of my window. Or ask your building super/manager/landlord about a secure space. It’s hypothetically going to be an ebike, right? Take the battery with you obviously and watch someone struggle to push it away one day? ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Huh, they’re not listed as a dealer on Tern’s site. Benno doesn’t show any dealers in Spain either. What’s going on in Spain.
at least here in Valencia, lots of brands I’ve never heard of plus some more familiar ones like cube, focus, kleta, canyon
Spain in general isn’t great at information access, SEO, web stuff but pretty good at irl spaces, design, materials
No way I’d be doing that every ride, esp if a dog and/or child are in the mix.
We are travelling in big city spain RN (Madrid and just from Barcelona) and the drop in cargo bike #'s vs the 2nd tier french cities we’ve just been through is very noticeable, as was the high prevalence of bromptons in Barcelona.
Seconding those who’ve said to look at folding cargo bikes. If you can get a parking garage to store a bike that seems a good idea but I’ve not seen any cyclists riding into/out of them so IDK if they’re into that.
Folable e-longtails seem to be most realistic and seem to work for everything except the dog. Does the dog come with you often enough to drive the equation?
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we’re transitioning her from running around freely on 3 acres to apartment life so trying to make it easy to get her to a park often… maybe it’s not the primary driver but it’s a factor
Get a pere chair for a brompton and teach the dog to sit on the rear rack. Or maybe if your dog is small it’d fit in the front bag.
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Backstory: I found an Isla bikes enoc 16 in our alleyway on a crackhead trashpile. It had a coaster brake rear. I got a new rear wheel, chain, freewheel etc… and got it rolling, it is great, but the rear brake is an issue… kido can hardly stop with it and is defaulting to front brake only in a disaster waiting to happen.
Its a Kludge to begin with because it doesnt have posts for linear pull guys like almost all kids bikes do, so I have to find some kind of caliper that works.
Problem1: finding a caliper brake that has the right reach… I have a medium and a long reach caliper neither of which are fully in contact with the rim (needs something like a 65mm reach, which exists…)
Like this which claims to fit 55-73 or something.
or a tektro single pivot BMX jawn that is like 50-65..
Problem 2: These are all short pull brakes and I cannot find any short pull kids levers. I have a Tektro BMX lever on there now with the reach adjusted all the way in… but no mater what it is still going to be a harder pull I think than long pull guys.
Question: Should I keep throwing money at this bike that fits good, is light as fuck, that the kid likes to ride… to try to find a caliper/lever combo that stops the bike… or should I just try to find a new kids bike that actually has two functional brakes on it.
As a person who just splashed out or a brand new WOOM, I advise you to splash out for a brand new WOOM. I just can’t imagine a better little kid bike. It’s a much better bike than the Cleary it’s replacing, though it’s not as cool looking to bike-nerd eyes.
It comes with Schwalbe tires!
The 14" that I bought came with a coaster brake in addition to Vs so I bought the freewheel rear wheel and it came with a tire on it even though the website said it didn’t.
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ATMO there’s a reason Cleary went out of business - QC was not great on them even if they were cheaper than Woom
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my kid’s starter Woom has schwalbe g-ones on it bros. little guy doesn’t know how good he has it.
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ok.. I got a lead on a used Norco that would be good too… if that falls through then kiddo gets a brand new woom.