I had a Yuba. Magnificent machine. 2 x 14 stone people on the back no flex at all and completely practical on the flat.
But I found the 67lb weight, including plywood deck and foot boards and mudguards pretty daunting and I let it go and got an electric assist bike which, because the assist drives through the gears, is excellent for load carrying, though not capable of big Dummy / Yuba loads without a trailer.
If the Clevercycles Stokemonkey electric assist had been available for the Yuba at the time I'd probably have gone that route. Exchange rate has of course pushed up prices a lot now.
A Yuba + decent hub motor kit would be about same price as a built Big Dummy and whilst not as ideal as a through the gears motor system it would be a very potent practical load carrier.
But I found the 67lb weight, including plywood deck and foot boards and mudguards
The newer frame/bike is a lot lighter than the older ones, and doesn't have the plywood deck, etc. any more.
Xtracycle Question: How long is your Extracycle from front tyre to the back of the free radical tail?
Im plannng on building a bike "garage" and need to plan for the xtracycle on an inbred frame that's going in it 🙂
That's an interesting Yuba review Mike. I have waaaay too much invested in the Dummy to admit that I could have had a better bike for less wonga, so I'm not going to. 😉
Stoner - I've got an Xtracycle tail in my shed. I'll try and get you a decent measurement on that and the Dummy tomorrow if no-one obliges sooner.
Stoner, IIRC an Xtracycle kit adds about 14" to the length of the bike.
doesnt seem a lot mike.
doesnt seem a lot mike.
Looking at this picture ( 
), the front edge of the rear wheel's rim looks to be two inches to the rear of the dropout. That means the back of the tyre is about 15" further back than normal. The Xtracycle kit looks like it adds another couple of inches too?
cheers mike. So I should allow 1/2 a wheel diameter + 2x3" or so.
thanks
Just got back from Travis Perkins with the wood. I feel a photo story coming on.
The Xtracycle shed, Grand Designs on a smaller scale 🙂
So I should allow 1/2 a wheel diameter + 2x3" or so
Might be better off waiting for BD's measurements - measure twice, cut once and all that...
Ha! He says. Measuring is for girls!
The Xtracycle garage is underway...250cm long, should be long enough...:)
The wood:
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The frame
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The cladding
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and first felt. Need a hand from a mate to finish felt tomorrow. Then build the door.
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Now, what's the ground anchor and motorbike locking chain of choice?
I always use two different chains. Oxford can be had cheap from fleebay, mind you.
The anchor - ask your local motorbike shop, mine weighted a tonne and required hammering bearing balls into bolts once fitted in concrete. You can also get one of those sound alarms - riffle and shock granades they're called.
i dont need it to go off like an armoury alarm 🙂
"Oxfords" is it then?
off to google go I....
cheers hair. Quick eBay trip and that's security sorted.
Stoner...isn't that garage a bit low!? Or you planning on removing the front wheel to make it fit?
Its 120cm clearance.
Plenty for handlbars on inbred & pompino. can drop saddle on QR.
Didnt want it too proud of the wall.
Good...was afraid you'd spent so long measuring the length you'd forgotten the height 🙂
Nice work, though it does look a bit low. Are those bricks not going to be awkward when putting the bike away?
🙂
Ive been running back and forth to t'other shed to check everything several times 🙂
The other problem is since everything in malvern is on the piss, building a level shed always looks odd 🙂
What with this and the plane thread, I should have a couple of entries in the popular threads thing in the newsletter!
Love the lean-to, Stoner!
The slabs are set proud on a concrete deck to allow drainage. The garage section has 15cm of gravel on it. The bricks stop the gravel "draining" under the slabs, but the whole lot drains rain water really well into a storm run off. The bricks are only 2cm proud of the slabs.
All Im going to do is push a bike or two back into it, and maybe store Jrs trailer at the back so I can have the sapce back in my shed. WIll be a doddle to wheel the xtracycle or pomp out without the hassle of getting it up from the big shed now.
I'll tell you waht, tomorrow I'll take a photo with a Pomp in it for all you hightists.
🙂
Manchester-based people interested in cargo bikes, might want to go to Chorlton Green Festival ( http://greenchorlton.org.uk/) this Saturday, where there will be a bunch of cargo bikes in the bike parade, and demo rides available too, with bikes from http://www.practicalcycles.com/
Great shed, Stoner, I like that a lot. I once sketched up plans for a custom shed but it was a little bigger than that!
Personally, I think the Yuba and Xtracycle/Big Dummy are probably aimed at ever-so-slightly different markets. Yuba for serious load haulers where this is the norm and Xtracycle/Big Dummy for people carrying 'normal' day-to-day loads with really heavy loads being occasional.
That is a great review of the Yuba though. One of the commetns notes that Yuba are looking to significantly increase the range of accessories available, which can only be a good thing. I'm looking forward to seeing what's on offer because that is where Xtracyle has things sorted (especially the kickstand).
The xtracycle accesories though are painfully expensive. Once Ive got the free radical kit, I shall look to fashion my own accessories to minimise cost.
Shed completed this evening. Fits the bikes a treat.
I am now sitting here with a well-earned beer in one hand, two balls in the other and a self-satisfied man-smile on my face. 🙂
Just waiting on Fort Knox Supplies to deliver and then I can introduce my little darlings to their new digs.
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Looking good, and taller than it looks in the photos, obviously.
If you fastened the side of a cut-up bin to the inside of the door, it'd look like a bin store - covert bike store 🙂
Cheers
If you fastened the side of a cut-up bin to the inside of the door, it'd look like a bin store
Its for my pompinos and an inbred: it will already look like a dump. Bdum tish! 🙂
Nice one Stoner... that looks the business. I am looking to do the same for my Ute which finally arrived last week after ordering it at the start of Nov. It only took the Mrs two days before moaning that it was blocking access to the tumble drier so a lean-to it is!
This is an AWESOME shed Stoner! I have a strong suspicion I'm going to get rather jealous of that...
Streetdog - Ute pictures please!
🙂
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I think I've got room as well. This is the patch outside my front door. It doesn't get used for anything else, and getting the dummy into the shed out back is a right pain. Hmmm. 😉
the door looks a bit pony to me
the door is using up some off cuts from my paint stirrer collection. Hence ponyness.
When I get a chance Ill pick up some tanalised clapper board instead.
BD - that's a perfect spot for a little lean-to!
Get sawing and screwing BD! You should be able to use the bike to pick up the wood too.
🙂
Chaps, shall we have a new thread next time someone has some cargo bike news?
I quite like that this thread keeps being resurrected 🙂
(ETA of ten days for mine, BTW)
just waiting for SJS to call me back to talk gear hubs for mine 🙂
BTW, since there's a fixed price on the free-radical of £450 from every supplier in the UK (I hate it when distributors do that), who should get my custom? Charliebikemonger? Practical Cycles? Triton Cycles? Any of them inclined to do a deal with accessories or something to make up for the market price fixing?
Big D...I'm for letting this one run and run.
Had hoped to get some pictures of the Ute yesterday but instead spent the day riding with my lad who after nine years on this planet has finally 'got' the cycling bug. Best moment was when he said: "I think I'm going to like this...a A LOT!"
A eureka moment!
Will get on with some pics and a write up this week.
This has to be the most unlike candidate for a 'thread that gets over 100 replies'.
Nice one! Nice litle shed, Stoner.
Really Useful Bikes - [url= http://www.reallyusefulbikes.co.uk ]www.reallyusefulbikes.co.uk[/url] - near Bristol has Yuba Mundo, Kona Ute, Xtracycle and more. Really Useful Bikes' 7-speed Yuba Mundo is only 590 GBP.
200!
Oh, and the post above - You are from REally Useful Bikes and I claim my £5
Is Really Useful Bikes the same as "good things in the dairy" and formerly "loadsbetter"?
Captain, we are grateful to you for convening this meeting of the longbike niche. Can we designate you an honourary niche member? 🙂
Loads Better is a different story 🙁
Over 200! Whoop.
BigDummy, have you built your shed yet?
I haven't Adam. I'm planning...
StonerDummy is happily tucked up in his shed now.
Just got a child seat for it to do the shopping/nursery run with Stoner Jr now (he's still too young to go on the snapdeck)
[i]Just got a child seat for it [/i]
Pics? This is one of the things I will be doing in future and am always interested to see what option people have chosen and (more importantly) how they have attached the seat.
Jon, let me know if you want some help building the shed... 🙂
hang on then. Let me pop out to the shed...
el cheapo (£28) halfords seat.
Normal fitting to seat tube clamp.
The leg channels splay from vertical around the free radical frame/snapdeck - about 1.5" each side. The cheap plastic is flimsy enough to do this without any buggering around.
I have moved the front pair of strap clips down the free radical frame a little bit so that they are not caught up under the seat.
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PS - Im going to get a silly-long stem and move my saddle forwards to give Jr a bit more space
Yes, the fitting of this doesn't use the advantage of the length, to give the passenger a riding experience not wholly dominated by your arse. 🙂
He'll never reach the bars from back there, he's got really short arms...
why would anyone not want to be dominated by my arse?
anyway, as soon as Jr isnt prone to falling off under the wheels of a bus and creating no end of annoying paper work, then he will be promoted to a back rest mounted on the snapdeck, some short stoker bars and feet in the bags as standard.
He'll never reach the bars from back there, he's got really short arms...
I'm not letting the bugger steer. He cant even drive a car safely yet.
Practical Cycles are getting in child seats that will fit to a Mundo; they might work on an xtracycle a well.
mike - how do they attach do you know?
No idea as yet; I just got this in am email from Zaynan at Practical cycles:
we hope to have some Yuba-specific child seats in soon. Two of these can be mounted together on the new 2009 model rear rack.
What does an Xtracycle look like under the deck? Here's what a Mundo rack looks like:
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3645/3451508017_465e061620.jp g" target="_blank">
with the snap deck off (and it really does just clip off in a blink) you just see the two side tubes running from fore to aft. They have no cross members joining them. The tube diameter is c. 2cm. They are held vertical by the lower frame section.
Might work if the seat clips onto the side rails of the Mundo...
What about cutting the 'legs' off that existing kiddy seat and bolting it to the snap deck directly (although you'd probably want to properly bolt the snap deck to the V-racks as well, rather than the Xtracycle clips). Then already use the 'legs in bags' approach that will be used later on anyway.
BigDummy - MemberCaptain, we are grateful to you for convening this meeting of the longbike niche. Can we designate you an honourary niche member?
It would be an honour.
I, however, think I am on the verge of joining the newest and finest urban transport niche out there....
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Singlespeed - Check
Made of pig iron - Check
Back pedal braking - Check
Mudguards - Check
Kickstand - Check
Rack - Check
Dynamo - Check
Chainguard - Check
Women's frame - Check
Cool as **** - Check
Adam - that was going to be my first appraoch, but for Jr (27m) it would still be an uncomfortable sitting position. The snap deck widens towards the front so I would have to remove the whole leg support and in order for him to be able to drop his diddy legs over the side probably attack the side pieces of the seat too.
Also it would be tricky to adapt it to somethig with quick release removal that I was confortable with its robustness in a crash/braking/leaning over etc. I need QR because of the "garage" height.
Its on a quick release so its easy to pull on and off. I will keep it for 6 months and as soon as he's grown some more will make a custom wooden seat for the snapdeck.
CFH, I borrowed a bike like that for a month, they're absolutely brilliant. Mine was made by an anarchist workers' collective, so maybe not your style 🙂
How on earth did it decide which way to steer then? 😉
Bikes as transport, not as fashion items! (Speaks the man just back from the shops on a women's framed Marin hybrid! )
How on earth did it decide which way to steer then?
generally to the left I should think... 🙂
A Marin! You bought an American Dutch bike?
No, the Marin is current town hack, am thinking of an ex-hire MacBike Batavus as a replacement
I just gaffer taped a bit of Karrimat onto the board of the Ute and Greta sits on that, with a foot in each pannier.
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I just gaffer taped a bit of Karrimat onto the board of the Ute and Greta sits on that, with a foot in each pannier.
Sounds like Greta's built of sturdier stuff than Stoner Jr.... 😉 *
Oh, and thanks for the updated review stuff on the Ute that you posted aaaages ago in response to my inane questioning. 🙂
*Disclaimer: other than having been one, I know nothing about children...
did someone mention really useful bikes? Rob here from really useful...good to see stuff written about the Mundo,we have some version ones here with a different spec if your interested...if you want £5 off just ask to claim the voucher mentioned previously....it would be interesting to see a v1 dairy spec mundo and a v2 tested back to back..
bob - how will the mundo seats attach to the rack?
With the version one mundo its difficult to attach child seats to the rack, lots of improvised stuff going on, eventually yuba responded to critism and made the rack slimer for seat to slip right on (apparently), Zaynan from practical is the man for version 2's..
Version 1's is more suited to older kids, loads and general stuff.
This is just my opinion, riding them is what it is all about.....Mundos open up a new way of using a bike thats for sure.
Maiden voyage with Jr today - down to the recycling, then the shops, dropping him off at the nursery after, then on to the Post Office to post three parcels and back via the bookshop. Fully laden out, fully laden back.
He loved it. I think it's fantastic. He even liked his new Thomas the Tank Engine helmet. Sunny day up here too.
Best comment so far while riding the Mundo today; a drunk called me a "stupid f***ing stupid man".
Been looking at tricycles all week, but my head has been turned by the yuba......