Have you got a Ute or a Yuba Mundo, Big Dummy? Are you using and what for? Do the Ute and yubawork with Xtracycle parts, like the wide loader and other parts. Quite fancy getting one. I would like a big dummy, but for the ammount I would use it I wonder if I would be better getting a complete Ute for less than the BD frame…

to the tip!

and the school run followed by the weekly shop…

-I have a Big Dummy, and previously hasd an Xtracycle conversion.

-I use the Dummy all the time, for commuting, shopping, giving my wife lifts,etc etc.

-The Ute and the Yuba do NOT work with Xtracycle parts. TheYuba doesn’t really need them I don’t think, while it ios definitely a weakness of the current model of Ute that it doesn’t have the same wide-loading capacity.

– The Dummy is definitely expensive. It seems to be considerably more vwersatile and better suited to really big loads than the Ute, but the Ute will clearly take plenty and is very cheap. I’d say be honest wityh yourself. If you’re not actually going to use it a whole lot and have a car available for back-up then the Ute is probably fine. If it’s your main form of transport then the Dummy definitely has advantages.

Flickr set

I have an Ute, mainly for hauling the kids around on at the moment. See here.

Not as good as a yuba for load carrying, but much lighter and better specced. The BigDummy is lovely, but a lot of extra money. Three quite different bikes, depends on where your priorities lie…

Love mine, but if I was hauling really big loads I’d have gone for something different.

I missed Too_Punk’s riding pictures! Those are great! 😀

Ute Flickr Group

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1074280@N25/

The Ute is a good way in to the long bike thing. I just use mine for carrying kids on and enabling family rides. They are relatively cheap and much fun to ride.

I’ve got a Ute. It’s light enough to pick up and hang on the garage wall which is a big bonus. Although Yuba’s can carry more I wouldn’t like to try and pedal with 100kg on the back.

I don’t know what loads by weight I have peddaled with, but with a mountainbike bottom gear it never feels like a problem. A long bike is very, very stable and there’s no way the front wheel is goping to lift, which helps.

Had 2 adults on the back of the dummy the other night. Which was fun. 😀

in terms of carrying loads, are these better than trailers?

I have never used a trailer.

Xtracycle say that the point is to have the cargo carrying ability always available, so that you use it naturally rather than planning.
It’s also very true that you carry people a LOT more than you expect to. It’s a real advantage.

If you’re sure you’re just going to go home – supermarket – home then I reckon the trailer is probably as good. If yu’re happy to ride the bike and see what happens (and you’ve got space to store the longtail) then it really is rather fun. 🙂

You could get a trailer that would do this, but I’m not sure I can see how you’d do it with a BOB, say. Maybe you could. Anyway, it was fine on the Dummy.

Cheers Guys that has helped me with my fetish for the big bikes. I am now thinking a Ute may be the way forward on the cycle to work scheme. Anyone know if you can fit CX knobblies? I take it you can in terms of it being 700c, just want to be sure that you can clearance wise?
Big Dummy I had checked you photo stream on Flickr before. I am very jealous. I quite fancy getting rid of the car and going all out big dummy.

I have a trailer and have also ridden BDs dummy (with him sat on the back). If you want to load carry seriously then get the longtail. Way more stable, capable of carrying more and not such a pain in the ass to park/turn round etc etc

I use my trailer for very big shops, some heavy touring etc. Its great but I would love a longtail cargo bike.

Of course for only £150 extra you could get the trailer as well, and then drag it behind the Ute…

Of course for only £150 extra you could get the trailer as well, and then drag it behind the Ute…

that would be the bike equivalent of a road train! 😯

Anyone know if you can fit CX knobblies? I take it you can in terms of it being 700c, just want to be sure that you can clearance wise?

I’ve had a 29er wheel with big 2.3? WTB Stout in the front. Don’t know about the back, there looks to be plenty of clearance, I guess it’s down to it being rim brake at the back.

Good Shout Handsomedog re the trailer as well. It had crossed my mind, bivvying would never mean the bear necessities again…

Mr O thanks for the shout on the tyres. I was thinking about just being able to bung the tyres from my cyclo cross on it, although the opportunity to run some bigger tyres and set it up as a 29er is very interesting.

I have the Yuba Mundo

It has been great but just set it up with a stoker seat for my 5 year old and another child seat behind …… had to remove the long pannier bag but fitting it now with 2 cheap panniers for helmets wet weather gear shopping etc
I am 5'10 and wife is 5'2 but good for both of us.
On my blog – (ignore the kitesurfing and photography lot it's all lumped in)
http://surfabike.wordpress.com/

cycling only http://surfabike.wordpress.com/category/cycling/

2 child seat © practical cycles