It is clever, but seems like a solution looking for a problem. That pivot will be under a lot of stress when it's heavily loaded so I can imagine a lot of them snapping in half. If I really wanted a cargo bike, I'd buy a proper one and a proper commuter bike.
The vid made my teeth itch but I really like the concept. I can see virtue in it, especially if given electric power too. If it can be bad not to be a creaking flexy mess and not weigh a ton remains to be seen.
Nice simple bit of design. Looks good.
No mudguards.
I'm out.
Any weakness with the pivot can be designed out. The idea is good.
I'd want mudguards too.
and not weigh a ton
Doesn't really matter for a city bike or a cargo bike.
No mudguards.
Does though.
Any weakness with the pivot can be designed out.
It can, of course. But will it? Or will the company ship the first batch, have warranty issues, and fold (no pun intended)?
Not watched the vid, but like the concept, it would be far easier to store and transport than a cargo bike for one thing.
Any weakness with the pivot can be designed out.
It can, of course. But will it? Or will the company ship the first batch, have warranty issues, and fold (no pun intended)?
My guess is they will have thought of this.
Any weakness with the pivot can be designed out.
You would think the same would be true of headtubes, steerers, seatposts, etc but people still manage to snap those.
My prediction for the cargo bike is that it will be used to haul beer to a BBQ and then a bunch of drunks will want to see how many people they can haul back to the liquor store to get more beer, and it will snap around three or four drunk fat people.
One of my "one day" projects is to take a folding raleigh twenty and build loads of different options you can put in between the two halves.
Ooh watched the vid and really do like it. Don't think the pivot is by any means insurmountable, but still overall I'd wait a couple of years for other people's ones to fall apart before I bought one.
Quite a nice idea. Solves the storage problem to an extent. One of the drawbacks of a cargo bike is the carrying bit adds lots of weight; folding it up when you're not using it doesn't remove that.
Doesn't seem any more useful than an old-fashioned butcher's bike with a big front basket - doesn't seem to hold any more.
Agree that it shouldn't be difficult to design the pivot to be robust (though not necessarily lightweight).
you dont hear of many Brompton pivots failing. And theyve been doing similar for years. As above, the design is ace. Now its down to the tech spec to makesure it's reliable. I like it. One for Ben@Kinetics to tinker with, electrify, SON lamp... 🙂
I quite like the Concept, hate the kickstarter video but Nevermind.
I don't think it's quite a finished product yet though, I didn't spot a rear brake and although the motor/battery was mentioned it wasn't shown...
Like most industrial design dissertations that morph into a kickstarter scheme, it's probably a lot further from being a finished product than they'd ever let on...
I like the bike, and not the video. I had a look on Kickstarter and the bike in the vid seems to be their first prototype, there is a later version with rear disc and IGH fitted, guess they choose not to make a new film for the fund raiser, which seems a bit strange. I hope the make it a success.
The sub frame sits inside the rear end so the load on the pivot axle is not great and far from taking the full cargo and rider weight. Their plan is to fit the motor at the pivot and battery in the cargo tray, not sure if the motor mount is possible with off the shelf parts and the amount of space available.
That pivot is very clever. Likes
I'd have thought the easiest way to motorise it would either be a hub motor or a drive unit at the BB, battery on the downtube?
Why complicate it by integrating a motor and battery into the load bed/rear sub-frame?
Rather like it. Mudguards will be an issue since the wheel is flipped. I guess just one fixed for normal riding and a short fender for when flipped? The top of the wheel rims when flipped remember. I’d be worried about stresses to be honest if you are really going to load it.
Brompton pivots dont fail with some serious loads so probably not a thing though. A tandem would be of interest to me using the same principle.
Is it just me or does that miss the point of a cargo bike by not actually having much capacity for its wheelbase? compare it to proper cargo bikes. No panniers possible, the load space is small and less than you cam get on a conventional wheelbase cargo bike like this
I think luggage capacity is a refinement that will come. It's very obviously Mark 1.
Its USP is the fact that it compacts down. One of the problems with long bikes like cargo bikes and tandems is their length - which puts many people off having them simply because they have nowhere to put them. How many of the long bikes will fit in the back of a medium to large car with the seats down without being dismantled?
It won't be a substitute for a "proper" cargo bike, but will fill the small niche for a folding one And probably it will end up like many folding bikes - sounded like a good idea at the time, and lives in the back of the shed, but for those who have a real need for it, I don't know of anything else available.
Can't believe folk are still good on about the pivot.
Bikes already have pivots and axles that take huge loads: hub axles, suspension etc...
I like the flipoutness but why not keep the wheelbase fixed, ditch all the chain gubbins, and just have the luggage bit be stowable and flip out the back?
I like the flipoutness but why not keep the wheelbase fixed, ditch all the chain gubbins, and just have the luggage bit be stowable and flip out the back?
Because that would handle like a bag of turd with any weight on it. Cargo Weight rear of the rear axle is bad.
cookeaa
I’d have thought the easiest way to motorise it would either be a hub motor or a drive unit at the BB, battery on the downtube?
Why complicate it by integrating a motor and battery into the load bed/rear sub-frame?
Not sure they have spent much time thinking through the motor plan yet, also Kickstarter pricing, the ebike version only costs 200 Euro more than the standard version.
Clever idea, but the cargo capacity seems very poor for all that complexity. It doesn't look much more than a couple of large panniers.
No mudguards is a major flaw if you are really trying to build a practical town bike, and not just a gimmick to cycle to the park with your beers on a sunny day.
I use a trailer when I need to shift something big these days. I can unhitch it and lock it next to the bike if space is tight, and I can use it with mudguards and panniers on a normal bike.
a gimmick to cycle to the park with your beers on a sunny day.
Summed it up perfectly.
I like the idea but it doesn't really do anything a Bob type trailer doesn't already.
Unless you have some niche use like a train company that still allows bikes at commuter times.
The more I think about it, for delivering beers to your hipster mates in a park... A nice big pizza rack/basket on the front of your fixie would do the job as well and save a good grand or so...
To be of and use its really got to have a capacity like that of the old Bob type trailers? i.e. it can take a big old 80L+ bag of some sort @30-40kg...