As the sun begins to creep over the mountains and spill down into our otherwise gray Pacific Northwest lives, many folks are dusting off their bicycles in hopes of enjoying another of Portland’s fantastic summers –via two wheels.

family+bikes=fun!

If the human-powered call of the road has you thinking about sun-drenched weekend cruises down stumptown’s tree-lined boulevards, you may also be considering how to best take advantage of your bicycle to meet the needs of everyday life. This may include everything from a big trip to the grocery store, or a family outing to a distant park. Whatever the case, Spring often presses many to contemplate the option of parking or ditching their car for two wheels.

Unfortunately, for those new to family and utility cycling, the path to augmenting or replacing automotive transportation with bicycles might not always be clear. Several questions come up:

* How do I safely transport my kids on a bike?
* When do I move my kids to their own bike?
* Can I get a bike that will pack a bunch of groceries and my children effectively?
* What if I need to pack something really heavy or awkwardly shaped?
* Should I use a trailer or get a bike built just for the job?
* Is this going to cost me a fortune?
* Where do I start? who do I call?

If these questions sound familiar and you’d like to map out your own course towards a summer filled with low-car family or utility bicycling, consider taking an hour to join me this Saturday at the Sunnyside School park (SE 34th Ave. and SE Taylor St.) for the Low-Car Diet Clinic.

I’ll be leading a brief presentation and discussion, providing my experience and perspective on a wide array of topics related to utility and family transportation by bike. This clinic is designed to help those new to bicycle-based utility and family transportation. Sponsored by Joe Bike, the clinic is free to anyone:

Low-Car Diet Clinic
Saturday May 2, 2009 / 11:00am – 12:00pm
Sunnyside School Park
SE 34th Ave. and SE Taylor St.
Portland, Oregon 97214
More Details @ Upcoming: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2488740