Now the important question: Kawasaki Green or Carrot Orange?
Doesn't that translate to gears or singlespeed? Or can you choose frame colour independently of gear set up now?
Just finalised what I want on cyclescheme with http://www.practicalcycles.com/, who have been brilliantly fast on email. I seem to have spent £999.99 🙂
Yuba Mundo 6-speed, with mudguards, bipod stand, steering stabiliser, Go Getter Bag (85 litre courier bag/pannier) and a flat bed front rack, plus a couple of innertubes and cam straps.
Yuba Mundo 6-speed, with mudguards, bipod stand, steering stabiliser, Go Getter Bag (85 litre courier bag/pannier) and a flat bed front rack, plus a couple of innertubes and cam straps.
Nice set up. I have been trying to find some decent pictures of the Go Getter Bag actually in use but failed so far, looking forward to seeing yours.
I love a nice Porteur rack on the front of a bike.
This may be the best use of Cyclescheme I've heard of, well done! Post pics when you've got it...
Any thoughts on the Kona Ute in comparison? £635 at Wiggle? (They were cheaper last week)
I really like the look of a Kona Ute, although for me it asks more questions than it answers:
1) How big/versatile are the bags? There is ample photographic evidence of the versatility of the Xtracycle design but not the Kona.
2) Setting the bags aside, how do you carry really heavy or long loads on those rare occasions you need to? Yuba or Xtracycle have wide, low support bars for very heavy loads, where is this on the Ute?
3) Aluminium frame - I think steel is a better material for a cargo bike as it copes with fatigue better and is repairable if/when needed.
4) Why no disc mount on the frame (at least I don't think there's one)? Discs are not essential but I'd like the option, especially as there's one on the front.
5) Why those crap mudguards? Better than nothing maybe, but they are still 4-6 inches too short.
Basically, I'm not convinced the Ute is a true alternative to the Yuba or the Xtracycle/Big Dummy model as it is significantly less versatile. fine if all you intend to do is pick up a weeks groceries or the odd larger load, but not much use for really big/awkward loads.
Post pics when you've got it...
Try and stop me 🙂
See, I am wondering if an old tandem frame would be a good donor cycle....remove rear crank arms and saddle, bodge on old plank of wood and rack....
It seems so much of this kit is expensive - we need an On-one inbred 'estate' version....
Scrub that, the kids outgrow the trailer this year, I could bodge that with some curver boxes...
Trailers are a bit of a pain though.
how/why?
From the [url= http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=1200&category=stuff_reviews ]Dirt Rag review[/url]:
As my time with the bike progressed I started thinking less about how to outdo the last load and more about how this bike is great as a daily commuter, because I was always prepared for whatever came up. I could run all of my errands without shuttling the load home in phases. I didn't need to make a special trip with a car or a trailer, and the ride didn't feel different enough from my commuter bike that I missed anything.
We had a kiddie trailer, that I used for shopping trips as well. It was a pain to have to go home to collect it and make a special trip. I never did shopping trips on the way home from work because of this.
Plus, I can't see random cute girls wanting to ride on a kiddie trailer with some plastic boxes lashed onto it 🙂
Mr Agreeable - MemberI can't entirely hate anything that Cycling News describes as "monstrous". But it strikes me that for a lot of these companies it's more about niche-mining, rather than a serious attempt to change the world.
By the way, is that photograph taken at a confusing angle or does that Dummy have a set of Manitou Dorados on the front? [8O]
Dorados are USD forks - they must be X-Verts
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3337/3299816340_26b53388ef.jp g" target="_blank">
Does that help? With full guards as well. 8)
Matt, I think we may have an ideological problem with trying to persuade you to buy a new thing rather than cunningly modify an existing thing, so not going to overdo it. However, the versatility of the Dummy is really fantastic. It (honestly) just isn't bad at all as a commuter and general pottering bike AND it will effortlessly carry anything. There's just no faffing at all about putting whatever shopping, scavenging etc onto it. I'm sure a trailer is great if you've got one, but unless you're towing it all the time you're probably missing some flexibility that the longtail gives you.
I am still waiting for a random cute girl to want to ride on the back mind. I will report to the forum [b]at once[/b] if it ever happens. My wife is moderately cute, but she doesn't count for these purposes.
I agree with you BD - they are fabulous! I would have one, but to drop the kind of money on them that they cost....Even the Xtra cycle seems a bit on the pricey side...£1800+ for a Big Dummy....ouchy.
I reside in Yorkshire. there are always cheaper ways of doing things...
£1800+ for a Big Dummy
Practical Cycles are doing them for £1500
Where do people store these bikes???
Presumably you need a garage?
And isn't there a problem with leaving a 1.5k bike locked up outside Tescos?
They aren't exactly a thief magnet though, are they? It's not like this sort of bike is common enough to have a strong value on the stolen 2nd hand market. Not yet anyway...
Still going? Crikey!
100
Nice forks BigDummy, haven't seen another pair of Manitou Milleniums for a long time... are yours QR or bolt-through?
Those aren't BigDummy's forks, it's someone else's bike on Flickr. Jon has regular BD steel forks on his.
I have a garage waiting for mine. We used to be able to fit a car in there, so I assume the Mundo will fit.
As for thefts, with a decent lock and sensible locking in a sensible location, I'd be happy to leave any of my bikes outside shops or work. If the worst happens, they're insured. The way thefts round here work, I'd be worried about leaving a full sus bike locked in a garage!
I want a Big Dummy ... I like.
😀
[img] 
[/img]
I'll get a pic or so taken, realised I've been riding it daily for months and never took a pic.
Mine sits almost blocking the hallway and also gets left around Manchester and outside supermarkets and the like, seems okay. Does have a Granit X Plus hung around it though. What's the point if you're too scared to leave it anywhere?
I've reviewed the Kona Ute for the new issue of Singletrack magazine. IMO alluminium makes it lighter and means it won't rust when you leave it out the back of your house because it won't fit in your shed! It's cheap and it's ace.
There's something about the Kona Ute that I don't like. I think it's that it seem to be just a bike with a big rack.
The bags on the Ute look a bit like a mouse's pocket compared to the Xtracycle ones. The price is great though, I reckon you'll see far more of these than Big Dummys once they start to catch on.
Possibly.
But that's how I'd describe a girl I used to know, as well.
Blimey, I didn't realise this had hit 3 pages..!
Mine ... gets left around Manchester
Without, er, wishing to pry, whereabouts in Mcr and can I have a look some time?
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yw602n&outx=800&quality=70 [/img]
there you go...
my favourite bits are the stoppy brakes and the 6 speed hack of the 8 speed XT cassette on the Hope ProII singlespeed hub a'la Jeff :o)
ourmaninthenorth - it's outside the shop most days, you're welcome to take it for a spin. If you can't work out which shop then you need to get to know your Manchester bike shops better!
I quite like the Kona Ute. I don't think its really supposed to be like the BigDummy. Its half way between a normal bike and the BigDummy, making it a bit easier to store. It can still take a passenger and its 1/3 ish of the price.
I had some concerns about the length but in reality it's only half a wheel longer than a 'normal' bike. It's the bloody bars that get in the way in the hallway mostly!
mocha - I don't know, but I'll work it out. Assuming you mean central Manchester, rather than one of its 'burbs?
[url= http://www.surlybikes.com/dealers/pop_INTL.html ]look here :o)[/url]
Thought it probably was (honest, I was going to work it out). I'll pop in next time I'm passing (and you're open).
Ute bags are bigger for 09 IIRC
I leave mine locked up all over the place. They aren't really theif magnets as they aren't fast & stick out like a sore thumb!
serious question for the big dummy and Xtracycle owners
Is a cargo bike loaded up with booze/ a family shop realisticly rideable up a big hill?
I live on such a hill - and am perfectly happy to grind up it on a singlespeed with a loaded up bag with a laptop/ bottle of milk or whatever
Just wondering if its a serious option for me - of if I would find progress up the hill just too slow and it wouldn't get used enough
Is a cargo bike loaded up with booze/ a family shop realisticly rideable up a big hill?
If you can do it on a SS with a small load, you'll be fine on something with gears, even with a big load.
Ed is well placed to comment after riding the Ute up some hills, but a loaded cargo bike will give good traction so as long as you have suitably low gearing you can ride it up hills even with a load. You just won't be doing it quickly and they generally aren't condusive to out of the saddle climbing. Sit and spin all the way.
Cyclescheme to me
Dear Mike,
Your voucher request has been submitted.
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Mike, I think you meant 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
miketually = smug git... 😉
Looking forward to the pictures of it lugging suitably preposterous cargo (Cute girls included).
Just +1 on the lugging things up hills. I can haul my wife up Wimbledon Hill and Putney Hill, if that's a useful poit of reference. I sweat, but it's OK. As others have said, traction is excellent, the thing cannot wheelie, and with the bottom end of an mtb gear range you can just get on with grinding away.
Mocha, that looks great, and Mike, looking forward to seeing it!
miketually = smug git...
Invoice arrived on Saturday, so signed the hire agreement today. Our finance guy was impressed that I'd managed to spend £999.99 🙂
Should get the voucher by the end of the week 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Thank you, Mike. Please stop waving it around now....
🙂
ED-O....have you reviewed the 08 or 09 Ute? I ordered the 09 model at the end of November...and am still waiting. The container's due to dock this week so I'm hoping to have it by the end of the month.
I am planning to use the Ute on the school and supermarket shopping run. I will report back when it - finally - arrives.
Looking forward to it coming....looks like a lot of laughs could be had!!!!
I'm hoping to have my Mundo at SSUK in June, if anyone wants to try one out.
Thanks BigDummy.
I've just Alfine'd mine and also ordered some of those big bars some nice chap pointed me in the direction of t'other day. Have yet to try out the Alfine, will do on tomorrows commute. Thought was that I actually only had 18 gears anyway and used few of those so the hubgear made sense. 42:20 at the moment btw.
On a related note, I measured my chain for wear while swopping things around and was surprised that it already needs changing after 4 months. Does anyone using a cargo bike experience similar rapid wear issues? It's the weight of it I guess.
I strongly suspect that my chain is dying a horrible death too, a delicate mixture of limited maintenance and heavy use, plus collossal weight and the ridiculous length. I propose to run the whole lot into the ground then change it. 😉
well, that's the attraction of the alfine a little bit. As long as I don't let it get too far gone it's just a £4 sprocket instead of a £30 cassette.
ED-O....have you reviewed the 08 or 09 Ute?
2008. 2009 looks nice, enjoy it when it arrives.
Is this in the current issue?
Yes the just-coming-out one.
Is this in the current issue?
It's in the issue on my drawers at home.
At the risk of being smug, got this email today:
When I last heard from Yuba the bikes were being finished in Germany last week. This hopefully means we might get them by the end of March....
And of being smugger still, I have a voucher worth £999.99 in my bag 8)
McTimoney - I'm going to get you banned at this rate..!
Ed-O - your review, while praiseworthy, was v short! Anything else to add?
McTimoney - I'm going to get you banned at this rate..!
Just wait 'til it arrives. How many threads and photos do you think I can post? I'll make sure to Tweet and blog about it too, for full web2.0-saturation.
😉
Oh god.... *buries head in sand*
😀
Ed-O - your review, while praiseworthy, was v short! Anything else to add?
What do you want to know?
I have a similar problem with writing about the Dummy. It goes something like "this is the ace-est bike EVER. It can do anything. Yes, of course it's heavy, what on earth did you expect?"
🙂
I was trying to explain the point of the Mundo to some friends and family on my Facebook status comments last night. A friend whose husband is a roadie couldn't understand why I'd be getting a bike with a steel frame (to which I answered that my two current bikes both have steel frames) and am ex-student who is into triathlon was rather shocked at how heavy it was.
When it's got almost double my body weight on the back, I'm not sure the extra 15lbs on the bike is going to make much difference, and I'd not fancy riding a carbon fibre cargo bike.
I read somewhere the extra weight being described as "functional weight". Yes, it's heavy, but it's heavy because it's strong.
There's a whole intriguing world of possibility there though!
It must be right that a full suspension, carbon fibre cargo bike would be [i]better[/i] than a rigid steel and wood one in pure performance terms, we'd just have the same arguments about durability, damage resistance and cost-effectiveness (and possibly looks) as we do with mountain bikes. The black sheep titanium waaaaay back when this thread was young is presumably a tad lighter than a Mundo or a Dummy, and may be more compliant etc etc. And the engineering challenge of doing the suspension would be quite something, nevermind manipulating the carbon fibre to get the strength where it was needed.
🙂
It must be right that a full suspension, carbon fibre cargo bike would be better than a rigid steel and wood one in pure performance terms
Technically, wood [i]is[/i] carbon fibre. The Mundo doesn't come with a deck, but I'm going to make one. Out of carbon fibre.
What do you want to know?
I guess dull stuff, like:
*longevity of components (including wheels)
*gearing (and its overall suitability I note you found it low enough for your hill)
*flexibility of the structure of the bike for carrying awkward (not just child-shaped) loads
*sizing - pic looks like it could be quite flexible on the saddle height front, but less so at the bars
*whether the supplied panniers are the only bags that can be attached to the frame and what their quality and suitability is like
*how much more awkward storage is compared with a regular bike with rack and panniers (it's longer, but I don't have a feel for whether it's much harder to live with at home)
*what you think makes it a better alternative than other cargo bikes on the market (noting that the market is pretty limited)
*what you think it could have done better
Not much to ask, eh?!!!
Thanks
Tom
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yw0f1r&outx=800&quality=70 [/img]
new bars! not as wide as I expected but for £15 it's worth a try.
Alfine's working well too, expected that tho.
one of the parents at my kid's school has a big dummmy
he currently has one child sitting on the back - and has rigged up a tag-a-long thing which attaches to the back of the wooden deck thing for another older child
looks quite clever - next time I see him i'll ask if he minds if I take a photo and put it up here
How much stuff have you got on those bars? 🙂
I did pass by the shop this am, but it was before it was open. Will try to drop by some time for a gander.
just enough 😉
clock - to tell the time, so i don't get to work too early
bell - excuse me can i just sneak past?
horn - get out of my way i'm coming through!
light - please don't squish me
brakes - so i don't squish anyone else
gear shifter - so i don't completely kill my legs pedalling this bloody thing 25 miles a day.
Custom Pereira longtail bike, built to the Xtracycle standard: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54435280@N00/2640135856
*longevity of components (including wheels)
Only had it for a few months and haven't worn anything out so hard to say. It's for use on road (most of the time) and the components are decent Deore-ish level.
*gearing (and its overall suitability I note you found it low enough for your hill)
Granny ring and middle ring sizes 24 / 34 I think. There were times when a big ring would have been fun, but the bash was good on steps.
*flexibility of the structure of the bike for carrying awkward (not just child-shaped) loads
Good I'd say. There are lots of rings to attach bungees to as well as the rails. Just look at a photo of one.
*sizing - pic looks like it could be quite flexible on the saddle height front, but less so at the bars
Bike tested was an 18" and was fine for me at 5'8"
*whether the supplied panniers are the only bags that can be attached to the frame and what their quality and suitability is like
The 2009 bags look bigger and better. The ones I had were good but too small. Also held on at the top by folded, flat plate hooks which can bend under more extreme load. They do come with rain covers. I also fixed a bread crate onto the shelf for bigger loads.
*how much more awkward storage is compared with a regular bike with rack and panniers (it's longer, but I don't have a feel for whether it's much harder to live with at home)
Didn't fit in my shed! Had to take the front wheel off to get in my 6 seater Vito van which you don't have to do with regular bikes. Ideal if you've got a garage.
*what you think makes it a better alternative than other cargo bikes on the market (noting that the market is pretty limited)
Haven't tried any others, but cost is good.
*what you think it could have done better
Disc brake on the back as well as front, just so that you just carry on type of spare pads. Better panniers. Other than that I loved it.
How TF is this thread still going?
Oh...
How TF is this thread still going?
The new forum seems to keep threads going for longer. Which is a good thing.
Customary update on minutiae of buying my bike:
Me: Look how terrible this photo in my passport is
Paul: You look like a sex pest
Steve: But you look better in the photo
Just found a great review of the Mundo (BiGDummy might not want to read it): http://longwalktogreen.blogspot.com/2009/01/yuba-mundo-wow.html