Monday, September 20, 2010

TagaTagaTaga!

Here's a poor-quality phone pic of my new toy:



It's a Taga bike/stroller and it is very cool. My legs, however, unaccustomed to cycling, are finding it tough going.

The pros:

- 3-wheel design makes it very easy for a non-cyclist like me to learn.
- the brakes are very responsive
- Evie is very comfortable in her seat when awake. She loves it and will climb into in the hallway and ask to put her hat (helmet) on!
- I can carry a reasonable amount of shopping underneath if I pack it in carefully. If I purchase it, I'll be investing in the panniers for water bottles etc.
- of course, it converts into a stroller! The conversion is quite easy and Evie can stay in her seat while I do it. This means I can take it into the shops, on the train, or through crowded footpaths where bike riding is not safe.

The cons:

- my giant child. As you can see, the hood won't fit over her helmet. Other people can put their older kids in it, but Alastair (4.5) is much taller than the seat. This would be a problem in bike trailers and other child-carrying devices too. I just don't grow petite children.
- when she's asleep, her head bobs a bit ... but I think most child bike seats/cargo bikes would have this problem too.
- I'm having trouble getting up hills and am not sure if this is due to my lack of fitness or the bike only having three gears (probably a combination of the two).

So far I think it is a really fantastic concept, and well-executed to boot. I'm hoping that in a few weeks I'll really have gotten the hang of it, and that I can justify purchasing it!

*Disclaimer: I am on Taga's ambassador program, which means I am trialling the bike for 4 weeks for a refundable deposit, after which I may purchase it at a reduced price. However, all opinions expressed are my own true opinions.

5 comments:

Karen said...

Love it Georgie... Wish I could get one too... but alas... I don't think I could justify the cost... *sigh*

Georgie said...

Our "babies" aren't getting any smaller, that's for sure, Karen! I figure I have two years ahead of me where Alastair is in school full-time and Evie not yet in school, so I will use it a lot then. Once she's in school, I plan on getting the shopping basket add-on (to sit where the child seat does).

Unknown said...

Hi there Georgie. Just found your blog via LJ and wondering how you got in on this awesome ambassador program? This sounds wonderful!

Georgie said...

Hi Georgia,
I became a fan of Taga Australia on Facebook and they put out a call for ambassadors. I was lucky enough to get accepted. I ended up buying it, but I was a lot more confident in my decision having already ridden it for a month.

Unknown said...

Thanks for letting me know. That's really cool! I am glad to hear that you bought it at the end - it's nice to know you liked it that much!

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