Strida Mini adventures

So here’s another post about my outtings with Strida Mini ^^/

Sometimes while I wish I brought a doll out too, but I need to get used to riding Strida Mini a bit more before I carry more stuff with me when I am out and about ^^;

Last week was definitely a “Summer” type week in Vancouver, I was running low on certain colour fabric and materials so I used that as an excuse to make a trip to Fabricana with Strida Mini.

This is the 2nd time I took Strida out on a bus, the first time I did I went to Stanley Park with Mai chan ^o^ When I came home we got a ride back with my husband haha :P

As you can see Strida Mini is folded up, and I try not to take up  too much room… Luckily the bus was not too crowded at the time.

I used the elevator at the skytrain station… It’s quite slow haha later I actually just carried the bike down the stairs when I can.

Inside the skytrain.

Now instead of standing around waiting for the irregular buses, I can actually ride quickly under the shade. I don’t trust my skills nor the drivers in Richmond to ride on the road. ^^;

Took some small street lanes where I can ride on the bike without too much cars around me, and I reached Fabricana in about half the time compared to if I walked or took bus!

I was able to roll the folded bike around with me in the store — I remember people actually push their strollers in Fabricana, so I figure I could do the same with my small bike, the staff did not say much (haha)!  But at the cashier, an elderly customer who was queuing up to pay asked me a little about Strida Mini. :P I told her that it’s kinda wobbly to ride, and she remarked she had an elderly friend who fell off the bike and broke something ^^;

Since I saved some time on transportation, I was able to shop a bit longer :P a bit dangerous to the wallet tho ^^;

If I did not stop and take photos, I probably would have left sooner.

If I didn’t stop for photos, I will probably reach the station in about 15 minutes… If I had waited for bus or walked, it would take me way longer!

On my way home, I was just about to get on a bus — which was about to leave the terminal station, the female bus driver told me I couldn’t bring the folded up bike up the bus… o_o?! I was a bit surprised, so I replied to her, “You want me to get off?” and so I did, didn’t make sense to argue with her :P I was a bit surprised, BUT I was kinda expecting this to happen some point in time — I saw that it happened on a part of a (rather long) youube video about Strida before :P

Lucky for me tho, the next bus came in 10 minutes, and it was not as full, also the bus driver didn’t even care!  It was awesome to be able to ride home quickly after too, I needed to use the washroom lol!

Pros:

  • Way faster than walking whenever I can use it.
  • Some exercise, I feel it especially on my arms ^^;
  • Get to near by places quickly, see more interesting places/things in bike-able distance
  • Can buy small stuff I need without having to bug husband to drive me out to do it…
  • Quite easy to ride the skytrain.
  • Managed to roll my folded bike in places I generally go to, not sure about into small cafes tho…
Cons:
  • Not all bus drivers are tolerant about having a folded bike as small as (or even smaller) than a stroller…
  • Cannot buy anything too big or heavy
  • Too dangerous to ride on the road, too wobbly and may not be visible for traffic.
  • Cannot go uphill due to only single gear ^^;
  • Get sun-burnt if not careful, or get injured if I fall :P
Next little round with Strida, I wanted to check out a farmland area with what seems like purple flowers, walking will probably take me a longer time and the sun/light conditions will have changed by the time I get there ^^;

The Strida Mini has no suspension so riding on a rocky bumpy trail is not fun ^^;

Luckily did not take too long to get there ^^

Beautiful sight ^^

Almost forgot to take a obligatory Strida Mini in the background shot :P

One more shot before heading back.

I was able to find a smoother path to ride back home, and there was minimal traffic — perhaps most people were either having dinner or watching TV? Overall I am very pleased to be the owner of Strida Mini ^^ I look forward to using to expand my adventures :)

 

 

 

5 replies
  1. Tom
    Tom says:

    Nice pictures.

    > The Strida Mini has no suspension so riding on a rocky bumpy trail is not fun

    Not with the standard saddle. :-) Try one with springs.

    > Cannot buy anything too big or heavy

    I use a large saddle bag.

    > Too dangerous to ride on the road,too wobbly and may not be visible for traffic.

    You will get used to it. However your are more visible on the road (or bike lane) then on the sidewalk.

    Have fun.

  2. chun
    chun says:

    Hey thanks for your feedback! Not sure if they have accessories for Strida Mini for a spring saddle ^^;
    I’m looking into a different bag, but I’m not a big person so there’s also a limit to what I can carry lol! Example I won’t be able to buy a carton of canned food for my cats or a sack of rice it it was on sale lol!
    My bike is the mini verson so it’s really small, when I sit on it I’m shorter than when I’m standing LOL and in my area the drivers are not very careful – before I got a bike I was bumped by a car when I was crossing the road– I had the right of way…. so…. I rather ride slowly on the empty sidewalk haha!

  3. yaku
    yaku says:

    Thanks for the info! So it’s a bit wobbly, I should take that into consideration. There are always dickish bus drivers, they’re not happy with their lives so they don’t want you to be happy, I think the ones who respond to politeness with rudeness just wanna pick a fight >_< So sad…

Comments are closed.