April 2024

About five weeks ago, I took a test ride on a bicycle with a sidecar, which I thought was great fun! I had been riding motorcycles with sidecars for forty years, but this was just as unique. Easy to attach or detach from your own bicycle in less than a minute, lightweight and another thing: I don't have anywhere to store a cargo bike.

After the fun of putting it together according to my personal preferences for colour, lines and accessories, I finally placed the order. The box containing the sidecar and auxiliary frame parts was delivered (large parcel). Then I could start assembling it, with a cloth underneath on the dining room table. It was as simple as assembling a product from that well-known Swedish furniture store. I needed a few extra hands to assemble the windscreen, but otherwise it was easy to do. Mounting the auxiliary frame on the bicycle was quite a puzzle because I wanted it as close to the frame as possible, but it turned out perfectly, and of course I could have just followed the simple instructions in the manual...

To adjust the toe-in, which determines whether the sidecar rides smoothly or pulls/pushes against the bicycle, simply place a long slat or broomstick tightly against the sidecar wheel, then measure the distance to the inside of the front and rear wheels. In my case, it is half a centimetre shorter at the front.

Then we drove around the Walcherse coast with an empty sidecar, attracting many surprised looks. Meanwhile, we have almost covered the first hundred kilometres with our two-year-old granddaughter to the beach, playground and petting zoo. We both wore our bicycle helmets and she was also strapped in. She beams at everything she sees along the way, and I just beam along with her!

Just the experience of travelling together makes our sidecar priceless... And the pedal assistance... it only uses a fraction more than without the sidecar. Perhaps the best purchase I've ever made!