Due to an overwhelming number of entries from Australia, we decided to expand our Essay Contest! A few entries were of particular hilarity. One contestant rewrote Zigo’s history to include an anecdote of our designers playing with Transformers whilst drinking cold coffee in a dark warehouse, and another spoke of a leisurely family bike ride interrupted by exploding poo. Australia, we thank you for your incredible interest in Zigo! Our second essay winner is Margie of Yarraville.

Her entry is titled “A very special boy deserves a very special bike.”

Every child deserves to feel the wind in his face, smell the sea air and fly along with the sea gulls. I long to see my golden haired son race his big brother along the sea wall path into Point Lonsdale. I dream of the day he can ride the hill with his father to the light house lookout and gaze down at the people fishing on the pier, or the cargo ships sailing out through the heads to the ocean beyond.

We who adore him will willingly lend him our legs to peddle, our arms to steer and our hearts to pump; just to see a moment of a smile. We will give him a life time of care, a window to the world and our last breath to enjoy it all. Will you provide a magic chariot that will give him wings to soar?

Thank you Margie, we hope you enjoy your Zigo Leader! If you live in Australia, please contact Zigo-Australia for more information.

Congratulations to Pat in New York City! He is our first annual Zigo New Year’s Essay Winner. We’ve shipped his Zigo Leader to Al’s Cycle Solutions on the West Side in Manhattan for assembly. As always, if you’d like to try a Leader, check our Dealer List to locate a dealer near you.

“The Zigo as Therapist”

I have come to the conclusion that the Zigo Leader is the key to my marriage, my career, and my mental health. Let me explain. My wife recently took a job which she loves, but which has her traveling almost half time. When she departs, she leaves me in the middle of New York City with my son (3 years
old), my daughter (1 year old), and our dog (5 years old). This would be fine, except for one major problem. My son’s preschool is about a 25 minute walk southeast of our apartment, my daughter’s daycare is about a 20 minute walk west of his preschool, and my office is about a 25 minute walk
northeast of her daycare. In other words, I spend about 70 minutes each morning walking in an enormous triangle, with kids who are willing to sit in a slowly-moving stroller for about 10 minutes before they get restless. And then the triangle walk is repeated at the end of the day. The results are
predictable: screaming kids doing everything they can to unbuckle their stroller straps, short, unproductive days at work, and growing resentment toward my otherwise wonderful wife. My rough calculations suggest that the Zigo bike would cut the triangle commute to about 20 minutes, would eliminate the kids’ grumpiness (they LOVE riding in bikes), would increase my productivity at
work, and would reduce my resentment toward my wife almost completely (the Zigo can’t help with the kids once we get home, unfortunately).

Many people have called and asked about where to find a Zigo Leader, how can I try one out, etc etc. We do our best to direct these inquiries into the hands of an Authorized Zigo Dealer. Other times we use these inquiries to reach out and bring new dealers into the Zigo family. Yet in the rare occasion that these strategies fail us, Marc, our North American Sales Director, steps up to the plate to ensure customer satisfaction.

In one instance this past summer, we received an inquiry from Kaori in Philadelphia. After following through our standard procedures, Marc and Kaori made plans to meet for a demo ride. Their meeting occurred halfway between Philadelphia and Zigo HQ in Orange, NJ, which is 20 miles directly west of New York City.

From the get go, Kaori was more than enthusiastic. Enthusiastic enough to drive an hour for a demo, enthusiastic enough to drive another two hours to pick up a fresh Leader from Zigo HQ, enthusiastic enough to become our very first Zigo Rider of the Month!

I met Kaori and her family very briefly at Zigo HQ, and I would describe her as savvy. As I taught her how to use her new Zigo Leader, I noticed that she was unintimidated by Zigo’s mechanics and very quick to learn. She also told me she introduced Bugaboo to her circle of friends three years ago. Today, she has introduced another first not only to her friends, but to the city of Philadelphia!

As such, we are kicking off our Zigo Rider of the Month program with words from our first Rider of the Month, Kaori!

“My husband and I live in Center City, Philadelphia with our two children, a three year old boy and a one year old girl. I’ve been living in the States most of my adult life but I am originally from Tokyo where bicycles are an essential part of a family’s life with young children.

I load up both of my kids on Zigo in the morning to take my son to school. I enjoy getting positive comments en route from fellow bike riders, stroller pushing moms and even drivers, too. There’s always a new discovery on our way back along the Schuylkill River trail. It is nice to be able to talk with my son about what we see ahead i.e. trees, boats, trains through the peek window.

Strapping down two active kids in car seats was not a favorite part of the morning routine and traffic used to drive me crazy but now I can zoom by car commuters in the bike lane with my Zigo. It feels right and it feels great.

I can even leave a sleepy baby in the stroller with her grandma and take the bike to work across town. I just cannot say enough good things about Zigo. I hope more and more people discover Zigo and the joy of bike riding through the city with kids.”




Photo credit: Vincent Feldman

To be a Zigo Rider of the Month, please email mu@myzigo.com with photographs and a testimonial on how Zigo has impacted your life.