[Closed] Talk to me about cargo bikes

I have a Kona Ute & love it. I bought it for commuting on. My firm are moving 3 miles away next year, (currently right on the door step), & I wanted something the kids can ride on as I do the school run also. They do ride their own bikes occasionally, but its a lot less faff with the ute. Whats brilliant is the load capacity. My work gear, all the kids school bags, spare waterproofs etc, it just swallows it all up. Its heavy with the kids on board, but once your rolling it just wafts along nicely.
We had a BBQ in the park some months ago, & friends could not believe how much stuff I brought along, including 4 house bricks for the BBQ!!!
And its carried adults around the park for a laugh, so its certainly up to hauling loads. To be honest, the deck is more of a blank canvass thats ideal for adapting for your needs.

There is a [url= http://forums.mtbr.com/cargo-bikes/ ]Cargo Bikes[/url] forum on MTBR.

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/takisawa2/7558582866/ ]IMAG0774[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/takisawa2/ ]pten2106[/url], on Flickr

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/takisawa2/7717160046/ ]IMAG0797[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/takisawa2/ ]pten2106[/url], on Flickr

I have just built a fat mundo for cruising about locally with the kids, going shopping & adventures to the woods & beach with the wee ones. They are fantastic!!
The mundo is a really stable bike & it handle lots of weight really well.

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I have just fitted a front rack, but I don't have any pics yet.

How about an 8freight?

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Big load bay, but at the back so it rides more normally than the Long John type.

Meta cargo bike? 😉

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Road-train:
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Really depends on what you intend on using it for. If you're after properly carrying cargo, then a rear loading one would be best. However, if you're after a kid orientated bike though, I can heartily recommend this: http://www.cycle-heaven.co.uk/bikes/brands/gazelle/gazelle-cabby-2013/

It's uber stable, dead easy to ride, and your kids will absolutely love it!
I actually carried a pissed mate home in it once 😀

Good point by pinetree - it does really depend on what you want to use the bike for & where it will be ridden. & how much room you have to store it.

Stoner - That is a quality roadtrain pic 8)

The Bakfiets front box bikes are great if you have smaller children as you can see and interact with them easily. The weight and 8 speed hub gearing means I wouldn't want to go any distance with significant hills. The step through is great for stop start journeys, the stand is stable for loading.

The Xtracyle kit works great for an 8 year old + shopping and is light enough to be realistic for commuting / general use. I found adding a second child made it too flexy for me, many just get on with and don't worry about it. There's all sorts of add ons for different loads, now including a sidecar that folds up.

I'm just building up a Yuba as a replacement for my previous Xtracycle to cure the wobbles. The Yuba has a good range of accessories too. I've got the Xtracycle freeloader bags for mine as they're really flexible for loading different size and shape things.

Approx weights before adding cargo;
Bakfiets 90lb
Xtracycle 45-50lb
Big Dummy 50lb
Yuba Mundo 60lb.

There's a new Yuba Boda Boda which might be worth checking out.

We have a couple of Bakfiets trikes at work. They have their benefits, but I prefer 2 wheels once moving.

If you're anywhere near Perthshire (Crieff) you're welcome to try my Yuba once built in a couple of weeks.

Practical Cycles at Lytham near Blackpool have a great range of cargo bikes and it's really worth a visit to try a few to see what might suit.

If you're not interested in carrying living loads then it's worth considering trailer options.

I just this week converted Mr Fabulous in to a people/cargo vehicle using the Xtracycle Free Radical. Inspired by Stoner, I've got this set up:

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Handles better than the other cargo/people carrier in the pic 😉

I actually carried a pissed mate home in it once

Wrecked the toes on a brand new, and very expensive pair of boots.

And carrying some stuff to the recycling centre:

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there is only one:

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6461613239_b49032a5dd.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6461613239_b49032a5dd.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7693620@N05/6461613239/ ]IMAG0894[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7693620@N05/ ]alan cole[/url], on Flickr

Thanks for all the comments. Food for thought. Quite taken by the 8freight 🙂
Andyh2 im in carse of gowrie 🙂

Hmm, 8freights not currently available.

there is only one:

Return of the frankenbike 😀

This do you?

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Yes, just saw that about the 8freight - pity. How about the R&M Load?

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R&M isn't available until March and I'm not too fussed for the electric assist. Storage isn't an issue. The quest goes on 🙂

you might find a trailer more flexible.

but i had a ride on one of these - rode well and you can see the load

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http://www.kemper-velo.de/bicycles/cargo-bikes/filibus/

Aye, the Filibus is great. Cogito cargo recumbent?

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This is me on my V2 Yuba Mundo:

Hmmmm, more food for thought. Thanks, I think 🙂

Cupra, I'll give you a shout once the Yuba is up and running.

Anyone know where you can get Kemper bikes in the UK? Have tried emailing Kemper a few times but no response and google isn't helping me much.