Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)
  • Talk to me about cargo bikes.
  • Singlespeed_Shep
    Free Member

    I’m looking at getting a cargo bike. For hauling 2 kids, a 1 year old and a 3 year old.

    Mainly road and bridleways.

    I’m really liking the Tern/Xtracycle

    Mainly for compactness but also it uses the xtracycle set-up

    But also looking at the Surly/Kona route too

    Any experiences from others? Has anyone managed to fit a Hamax seat to a deck?

    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    I’ve got a big dummy. On the back I have the bags and a Yepp seat. I need to play around with the set up as the foot plates make getting in the bags difficult. My only fear then is that wee nipper will be so close to me that we might as well be on a normal bike and she’ll spend the whole ride staring at my back.

    It’s not that different to a normal bike to ride until you get to a hill or a tight corner. It’s also a total PITA to try and lift the rear wheel over anything.

    Before I was using a stem mounted seat (ibert) and apart from the John Wayne pedalling it was better as a way to share a ride with the little one. Obviously no cargo capacity, but it was much closer to just being on a bike solo.

    T1000
    Free Member

    Yuba mundo is a good option as well 26″ and smaller rear wheels are good for stability

    Hub gears work very well, coming to a halt In the wrong gear and trying to set off with a load of kids on the back

    Recommend trying before you buy Really Useful Bikes are an excellent shop

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    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    ^+1 ReallyUsefulBikes, best advice. Against better advice I purchased a Kona Ute and found it flexy, load-height too high/wheels too big for purpose.

    The Tern looks good in theory but I’d be much happier with a non-folder for something that requires 1. – load hauling/extra stresses 2. The ability to carry arguably the most precious cargo after beer.

    For kids I think I’d be looking more at a bakfiets setup. You can see eveything going on and communicate more easily with the kids. Much more versatile loadspace.

    Have a look at the Urban Arrow?

    If you prefer the longtail/kids behind variety then Yuba do a more compact cargo mid-tail called the Boda Boda but thinking that’s probably too short for your requirements..

    sam_underhill
    Full Member

    Apologies if this appears as a thread hijack. Just adding something else into the mix.
    I’ve been cargo curious for a while. Ideally I’d like something that 2 of us can ride (I’m 5’7″ and the other half is 5’1″). So a short frame with long seatpost could work. I guess a small xtracycle edgerunner could work.

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    To my immense regret, I’ve not had a cargo bike for 2 years. But the Surly Big Dummy was the coolest thing I had going on before I moved to Hong Kong, and the most fun I’ve had out of a bike.

    I don’t have kids, so my experience isn’t a lot of use to you, but as a general point: get one.

    🙂

    shadowfax
    Full Member

    want

    munro
    Free Member

    I’ve had an Xtracycle conversion on a oldish Gary Fisher 29er frame for 7 years – big apples, Alfine 8 speed, deck and panniers and it still is my weekend go to vehicle around town (the kids are 13 & 14, they dismount on longer hills – still a breeze on the towpath).
    Shopping, getting positive comments off Yummy Mummies, it ticks boxes for me.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    xtra cycle conversion bolted to a kona sutra frame.

    with a bafang motor conversion kit and a sturmey archer 3 speed interal hub geared x 9speed deraileur geared set up.

    got rid of my car and have been using it to bob to and from town for shopping and day to day tasks – which let me have a rediculously sized camper van instead of a car.

    it also works well if we are going out for dinner at friends or such as we just 2 up on the xtracycle and we can both have a glass of wine.

    My only issue is i need to build a covered area to store it outside on a as its a big **** to keep in the garage.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    T1000
    Free Member

    Has anyone managed to fit a Hamax seat to a deck? highly recommend Polisport Guppy seats as they fix to the deck with a dial clamp (+ a safety strap)

    They are easy to remove as well

    Singlespeed_Shep
    Free Member

    This is my current setup and wanting to go more compact.

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/TAeeKZ]Untitled[/url] by singlespeed_shep, on Flickr

    I was asking about the Hamax as i have one. I like it and want to try avoid any extra purchases.

    Interesting comment about the UTE, I was favouring the smaller wheels if possible. I have a tandem with 26″ wheel and really like how that feels. I’ve also tried an unloaded Big dummy and really liked that.

    I do like the look of the box type ones, but want to keep to the long tail. Space is also an issue. I’m also trying to stick to a 1 in 1 out policy so the stooge will be going.

    It would be nice to find a good frames but they just don’t seem cost-effective vs a bike.

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    *Edit

    I said Urban Arrow, I meant Gazelle Cabby, sorry. Urban Arrow is electric. Gazelle Cabby costs less than the Tern.

    I also see a Bakfiets demo for sale at RUB. Cargo + kids = any bakfiets vs a longtail is a no-brainer IMO

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    i too wanted a bakfiets ….but they are incompatible with motorcycle gates on the cyclepaths i use.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Ideally I’d like something that 2 of us can ride (I’m 5’7″ and the other half is 5’1″). So a short frame with long seatpost could work.

    im 6ft 3 wifes 5ft 7

    thats a 54cm sutra running on 26 inch wheels with a relaxed sit up and beg position for me – all my wife has to do is drop seat post and jobs a good one.

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    i too wanted a bakfiets ….but they are incompatible with motorcycle gates on the cyclepaths i use.

    That sucks. Dicks win again.
    Although surely a fully-loaded long-tail cargo bike is nearly/at least as wide as a scrote-o-bike?

    amedias
    Free Member

    but they are incompatible with motorcycle gates on the cyclepaths i use.

    You should raise that with the local council, gates like that are only supposed to be a last resort as they cause issues for wheelchair/handbike/tricycle/other adapted cycles access too and unfairly discriminate against legitimate users.

    There’s been some success in getting them removed in some places, especially if you get the local rag involved 😉

    back on topic… I suggest test rides if you can, Practical Cyles are another decent retailer. Think carefully about what configuration you want, ie: longtail, longnose, or trike, they all have their pros and cons and choice will be dictated by your local routes as well as the cargo/sprogs you need to move around. Normally I would suggest seriously considering a trailer instead for flexibility, but if you have two kids to move around on a regular basis that may be less practical.

    Hub gears* really are the saviour of heavy-haulers, the ability to shift while stationary is just so useful for those unexpected stops, and having a less vulnerable drivetrain is good for the knocks that invariably happen.

    *you can mix and match too, Sturmey do a decent 3speed hub that also has a normal HG freehub that allows you to use normal derailleur setup, but also have a bail out option for the ‘oh crap’ moments.

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    Mainly road and bridleways.

    Evidently not Worcestershire bridleways! My MTB balks at many of the narrow, over-grown hoof-cratered mud-baths carrying that designation 😕

    neilc1881
    Free Member

    I’ve got a Kona Ute, used it with our 3 (2 at a time though!). Very adaptable, it’s currently got a Yepp seat out back and a tandem stoker bar/seat pad on the deck. For me the benefit is that it rides more like a normal bike than the Bakfiets style bikes- it’s been round various family trails, and the odd trail centre, it’s a bit narrower than a side-by-side or trailer, thus I feel it’s safer on our narrow roads and canal towpaths etc.

    Once the children get to 4 it starts getting a bit harder to handle. I’ve recently switched to a trailgator and a wee-ride seat for the 2-child carrying rides.

    It’s not for the minimalist bike-packer though…
    [/url]IMAG1084 by neil.d.cox, on Flickr[/img]

    The seat is no-where near this far forward – this was back before #3 arrived and I was using it occasionally to pick up a 7 year old from the school bus – she’d sit behind and just hold on to the Yepp seat. This was stopped after a couple of knee-popping climbs over the canal bridge in the village!

    slowol
    Full Member

    I think (but don’t know) that only the Yepp or Polisport Bilby seats (both pricey) will fit over the enlarged rear ‘rack’ of the xtracycle.

    In different iterations I used an Avenir seat on a spring type an old Limo seat that fits on a Blackburn rack mounted in the usual way with the xtracycle to allow the carrying of child + shopping / beach stuff / rubbish.

    Great bit of kit but I’m now selling mine as we have a kiddyback tandem as the eldest is too big for a child seat. See here:
    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/xtracycle-freeradical

    Photo of 2 year old in Avenir seat + growbags in the xtracycle bags
    [url=https://flic.kr/p/Teq7tY]20160613_105758[/url] by Ol, on Flickr

    Photo of 2 year old in limo seat + 4 and 5 year old in the trailer for a very slow haul to the park.
    [url=https://flic.kr/p/Teq7e9]20150627_162538[/url] by Ol, on Flickr

    Photo of a mainly failed experiment to add a tag bike to the xtracycle.
    [url=https://flic.kr/p/TPv8PV]20150529_142839[/url] by Ol, on Flickr

    Poor photo of a post Christmas tip trip loaded with a childs mattress and rubbish through the woods to the tip
    [url=https://flic.kr/p/TC7anT]20151229_103958[/url] by Ol, on Flickr

    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    Oh, Yepp seats and deck adaptors were waaaay cheaper from Athleteshop than anywhere else.

    Singlespeed_Shep
    Free Member

    Bit of an update.

    So i went down the route of buying Scowl’s Xtracycle. Thanks, really pleased.

    Built it around an one one 456 frame, ogre forks and a load of other parts from my bin.

    [/url]Untitled by singlespeed_shep, on Flickr[/img]

    It really is a joy to ride, and loads of fun. Just waiting on 2x kids seats, Went with T1000’s recommendation of polisport. So expecting them anyway now. The Hamax will go in the shed ready for another bike if needed.

    Cheers all

    slowol
    Full Member

    Looks great. You managed to get that fixed up quickly.

    Enjoy the slow haul of all that extra stuff you can now carry.

    edhornby
    Full Member

    Good work, I’ve got a yepp with a rack mount in the shed doing nothing, if you want it we’ll figure something out

    bencooper
    Free Member

    You need to think bigger 😀

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)

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