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I don’t know if I’m helping or not by using my found in a garden ratty batavus
Not helping. Dutch bikes are also too ‘Euro’ and ‘elite’. Besides, what do the Dutch know about carrying stuff on bikes?
1. It looks too weird for UK use.
2. Is too posh and trendy.
3. Is too ratty and untrendy
4. Is virtue-signalling
4.5 Is reverse-vitue-signalling
5. Is heavy and doesn't have a motor. Are you a 1930s butcher’s boy?
6. Is too expensive
7. Is too cheap
8. Has roller brakes which do not lock up the wheels so no skiddies with a full load. Everyone likes skiddies with a full load.
9. Hard to justify over car for local trips without virtue-signalling/appearing to be poor/appearing to be middle-class
10. That’s enough of that.
@shedbrewed thnks will take a look. It’s clever how the forks dip backwards behind the steerer, increasing the depth/load. 👍🏼
OH has a cheap bike he picked up at an auction (£20) with a large plastic crate he found somewhere bolted onto the rack on the back. Utility doesn't have to cost much. We have a car again now (we didn't for a few months recently and managed fine, not much difference to be honest as we work from home and usually walk or ride to the post office with the day's post in the panniers on my bike or in a backpack if we walk.)
@thisisnotaspoon
I've an OFO too! Did you get the tool kit to be able to change the bolts at all? My kickstand is loose and i can't tighten it!!
I've also had a Kona Minute, which I replaced with a full size Ute.. I use it all round town... for work..taking kids to school (oldest rides his bike now)..
I Love it!
DrP
This was mine until I got rid about a month ago. Now I'm not riding mini me to school I don't need the basket as its not full of all his stuff and yes that's an OFO basket.
I'm now riding something that is basically a budget this.
I’ve an OFO too! Did you get the tool kit to be able to change the bolts at all? My kickstand is loose and i can’t tighten it!!
Yep, toolstation had a Draper "security bit" set which covers 90% of it, the only thing it doesn't have is the 5 sided wrenches for the hubs. It's £4.99.
I'll double check it has the right bit when I get home (IIRC it's simply a big security torx).
cheers mate... Just seen it... will buy it and pick it up tonight!!
DrP
Good luck getting the Crust forks, from what I recall they only do them in batches and haven't had any for a while. You might get someone to fabricate a set, not sure if @retrodirect does commissions but someone else on Insta may be able to.
To the ofo users - how good are they for tall people (6’4)?
with the stock seatpost, that will be a bit small....
I'm 5'10" and wish the saddle went higher..
DrP
Why does that Cannondale have the basket so high up? Missing the point a bit.
Its part of the bars, these days the main thing I carry from work is paperwork I've printed out, why have a big basket miles away for that?
Ultimate combo today.
First time I've had to take Jnr to nursary since Xmas....and the weather's turned to make it suitable for her to not freeze.
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Fun for the whole family.....
Settled on this bag for the office commute.
https://www.muddyfox.com/muddyfox-courier-bag-937616
Was a bit concerned about the brands reputation for cheap/low quality but it was on offer at evans for £20 so worth a punt. Perfect size, and has a waist strap that could be used to secure around the basket.
One thing I am enjoying about this process is thinking of all the things and ways I could use this bike.
I finish work at 2pm on a friday so always collect my daughter from school that day. She is 7. We normally walk unless the weathers foul. Now i am thinking of ways to pick her up on the bike. Its a toss up between a tag along, or making some sort of seat pad and letting her sit on the rear rack with a tandem style handlebar on my seatpost.
Note I have a seat pad (off eBay) and a nn old stem/cut down bars on the seat post. In fact apart from the freeradical the dynamo and the sturmey archer 3 speed hub....it's all recycled from the parts bin.
Very handy for when we were able to go to the pub.......I wouldn't be concerned about a 7 year old on it - I have footplates though. My daughter's a bit young yet (18months)
Its part of the bars, these days the main thing I carry from work is paperwork I’ve printed out, why have a big basket miles away for that?
Because the whole point of small wheel utility bikes is that the load and by extension centre of gravity is kept low. That just misses the entire point and half your load area is rendered useless for anything other than small light loads.
Never noticed the lefty fork either, must be brilliant trying to find mudguards for that!
I have a small wheeled bike because it's far easier to store and get in and out of the office and I don't carry much, I don't have it to suit your preconceived ideas.
I have a small wheeled bike because it’s far easier to store and get in and out of the office and I don’t carry much, I don’t have it to suit your preconceived ideas.
Lol, no need to get so defensive, I was questioning the design execution rather than your needs. You provided a stock photo of a "utility" bike that has very little utility, mostly to accomodate that pointless lefty fork and I responded. If it works for you great but it's critically hobbled by that fork. Otherwise it would be a decent bike.
Its not a "utility" bike, its a bike that someone has modified to their needs. With the rear rack it can handle more load than my bike with a bigger basket. Just because its not using all of its capacity all of the time doesn't make it any less viable.
Its a toss up between a tag along, or making some sort of seat pad and letting her sit on the rear rack with a tandem style handlebar on my seatpost.
You provided a stock photo of a “utility” bike that has very little utility, mostly to accomodate that pointless lefty fork and I responded. If it works for you great but it’s critically hobbled by that fork. Otherwise it would be a decent bike.
I like the Hooligan. Don’t think it’s marketed as anything other than a compact/radical street-bike? Any bike that is used primarily in a utilitarian fashion is my ‘utility bike’ to my way of thinking.
Its
nota “utility” bike, its a bike that someone has modified to their needs
Fixed 😉
There was an electrified Hooligan with a homebrew sidecar (!) for sale in Cheltenham I think just recently
*edit still is
critically hobbled
some interesting thoughts on mono forks, drum brakes and city/utility bikes from Mike Burrows:
That sidecar setup is awesome.
^ tis a thing of beauty. If I had the cash I’d nip off with that and buy some goggles and a tank helmet. Life could only improve from that moment on.
some interesting thoughts on mono forks, drum brakes and city/utility bikes from Mike Burrows:
alot of compromise there to get monoarms and drum brakes in there - paired with random TT bike brake levers.
Ill stick to my dynohub and ergonomic brakes thanks.
Did somebody say Mike Burrows?
To the ofo users – how good are they for tall people (6’4)?
You sit upright (high bars, slack seat angle) so it doesn't really matter (I'm 'only' 6ft though).
The bit that you'll struggle with is the dropper post, to stop it slipping I have to crank it up tight enough that the dropper doesn't drop anymore. Fine if it's just you, but negates the fact it's useful for other people. Mine lives outside the front door so either of us can just grab it to get to the post office or shops. An ideal solution would be to 3D Print a collar to hold it at a set height without needing such force to clamp it. A bit of pipe or a 2nd seat clamp on the post itself would probably work just as well though.
Ill stick to my dynohub and ergonomic brakes thanks.
Yep, I don’t get his dislike of dynohubs based upon a like of drum brakes
one reason (for town/cargo) I prefer roller-brakes because I get to keep the dynohub yet also the
‘I’m not a dynohub fan,’ he said, ‘because I want a drum brake. It gives you reliable, consistent braking in all weathers. And unlike a disc, it’s not over-powerful.
Roller-brake and dynohub = win-win
I don’t know enough about mono forks to comment, but thought the whole interview interesting
Is overpowerful a thing in utility world ?
Bike plus me plus wife plus Jnr could be in region of 200kg
Or bike plus me plus shopping is also a considerable weight.
Don't get the over powerful thing. I have bigger brakes (200mm)on this than on my mojo Hd(180mm)
Also I forgot that burrows was involved in 8freight.....how you go from 8freight to that carbon mono(strosity) is beyond me. That's not even a logical leap
my roller brake is certainly under-powerful on my cargo bike. Heading down ditchling beacon, the only way to stop was dragging feet as well as pulling both brakes as hard as I could. Sub-optimal.
Or bike plus me plus shopping is also a considerable weight.
As always, define your ‘utility world’? I try not to make the argument that one size fits all.
For me, I’ve been enjoying roller brakes for 8 years on the Batavus, in two geographical locations - always for big weekly shops/carrying tools/eqpt/the odd passenger
First time I’ve used any so only have one experience albeit in a number of scenarios (hence feel free to dismiss)
The bike in question is about 20kg or thereabouts. It’s difficult to lift up steps so I don’t.
I’m the wrong side of 100kg, and my regular long-haul grocery weights with front rack etc are anyone’s guess. 6-8 litres of liquids, many cans, veg etc. Two 50 litre panniers that are hard to lift off when loaded, so I don’t.
For about three years this was my coastal town bike so shops were only three mile round trip max, with one medium hill to climb and one small one going back. The descent from the (top of hill supermarket) was considerable but was tarmac with a long lead out. The rest was flat shared path. No problems except for after a few months the front brake began losing it’s bite and I had to plan ahead a lot more. I got the Shimano service oil and put it the hole marked ‘oil’. It improved things, yet the back brake was still the better of the two. These are Nexus Inter-M brakes. Nothing flash.
Then I moved to the hills and now it’s a plummet-flat-shop-winch sort of journey. The front brakes has continued to lose power slowly ober the years and I suspect (being a used bike) it’s time to replace. They aren’t expensive and I don’t know the service history.
But my take home (!) is I’ve enjoyed using them in rotten weather and fine (more rotten) for over 8 trouble-free years, and they are great for moderating speed when carrying giant loads, pulling up in a measured stop, and emergency stops have ‘natural ABS’. They don’t stop on a dime/lock wheels like with four pot hydraulics, but I’d not want that when carrying a big load on the streets or descending the high street. Neither would I want to have to put my feet down! It’s not ‘either/or’ or else it’s wrong.
If I ever felt I had to put my feet down to stop then I’d replace them as their service life would surely be over? Or I wouldn’t be fast-descending Ditchling Beacon fully-loaded with roller-brakes, whatever their service/efficiency level. I imagine the oil has burned? 🤔
Your milage, servicing intervals, brake health and terrain may vary but for a town bike and ‘easy tourer’ I really like them. Looking forward to rebuilding the bike soon and replacing the old knackered front roller with a new and maybe slightly upgraded roller.
how you go from 8freight to that carbon mono(strosity) is beyond me. That’s not even a logical leap
It’s a different type/purpose of bike altogether. Whether you personally like it or not/whether or not it tickles your engineering skills/knowledge - it’s still comparing apples and oranges (except for they share a monoblade fork and drum brake)?
Yeah I'll stick to not fitting shit brakes for no good reason
I've got a pair of basic cable deore disks that vastly outperform any roller brake I've ever had the misfortune to use. And require minimal maintenance over the 10 years I've had them in various iterations of town bike.
Yeah I’ll stick to not fitting shit brakes for no good reason
🙄
(Applause)
I fitted a Nexus 7 rear hub roller brake to my sister in law's trundle to work utility bike. Perfect for her needs, just needs rework once a year when she has "had a go" at removing the rear wheel.... Usually find all manner of random carnage in cable, gear and torque arm adjustment 🙂
I presume Mike Burrows just couldn't combine the hub dynamo with his single sided stub axle / drum brake setup - hence the dislike. And old Sturmey dynohubs were never great.
I use a Nexave brake as a drag brake on a roadie tandem. It doesn't do much to stop 150kg all up weight, it just reduces overheating of the 2 rim brakes. A disk brake has more initial bite and doesn't spit out scalding grease when abused. The Nexave deos keep working though, a disk ultiamately boils its fluid or fades to nothing.
^
Seem to remember Sheldon Brown not recommending (low end?) roller brakes for tandems and cargo bikes + hills/drag as it gives diminishing returns as it wrecks the brake
*edit
No Rollerbrake is suitable for use as a drag brake on a cargo bike or tandem. Serious overheating will require replacement of the brake.
Worth checking the article re maintenance. I suspect my front brake was already wrecked by not oiling in a timely fashion 😳. Time to replace. Thankfully inexpensive.
Bike arrived yesterday. Some setup issues around mudguards and disk brake rub but did the first shopping errand on it today to pick up fresh bread and some lunchbox stuff kids.
I will post more info on it when I get more time.
First ever bike with a tray, first with a kickstand and the first time I've had bolts on the axles since the 80's I think. Will have to get used to carrying a spanner around again lol.
The tray is the killer feature for me. No special bags this trip, just ran into Morrisons, grabbed bread etc. Checkout, loaded into a bag for life, out the shop, dropped onto the tray and off. Perfect.
Yep the front box on my bike gets used far more often than the bags out the back. As you say. Nip in throw it in the box
Pizza/beer/fish and chips all go well in the box as well 🙂
Need a box/rack in my life.
Loving the front tray love. Even if you are all weirdos attaching them to the steery bit not the fixed bit 🙂
I've found all manner of fold flat boxes for mine. Wondering if 600x400x200 is getting a bit wide / greedy?....
Ok can anyone answer me this.
On the inside of the right hand fork leg there are two boss mounts. One near the top and one near the bottom. What on earth would they be for?
Great news OP, sounds like you're going to enjoy it a lot!
On the inside of the right hand fork leg there are two boss mounts
These? I see three though?
I have them on my Longitude (although on either side) - they’re for cargo accessories such as cages to carry stuff-sacs, bottles, whatever.
https://bikepacking.com/index/cargo-cages-anything-bags/
Need a box/rack in my life.
Me too, I miss the old basket for small trips/loads. It does indeed beat panniers/rucksack etc for convenience. Thinking when I get Ilse (The Battleship) resprayed and rebuilt I could opt for additional tray as per the delivery version. It would carry the Big Bulky Things easily (xmas trees, replacement microwave ovens etc) and also do the tip/recycling runs. Another regular car-trip hopefully baleeted. Figured out that I could also feasibly carry my entire en plein air painting workshop including 10-15 18x24 student canvases.
1st commute this morning.
Next killer feature, changing gear with the Nexus hub while stood at traffic lights (I now wish all my bikes could do this).
These? I see three though?
No, they are on the INSIDE of the fork leg, and only on the right hand leg.
my Urban Arrow had roller brakes. They were shocking, and i seem to recall there was a warning in the shimano manual that warned that they were only suitable for bikes of something like 100kg including the rider, which didnt leave much slack on a normal bike, let alone a 50kg-dry cargo bike.
I think they are legally on thin ice speccing them at all.
It was ok, as long as you planned your slowing well in advance, and didnt take routes that involved hills, but i had a few ruddy sketchy moments where stamping on the brakes as hard as i could wasnt doing enough to stop me just rolling into the back of a car, so decided to get some disk brake tabs welded on the fork.
problem then was, with no load in the front it didnt have much grip so it was very easy to lock the slick front wheel into a slide.
Solved that by getting a super tacky BMX knobbly (Schwalbe jumping jack).
Then i sold it.
Doh.
No, they are on the INSIDE of the fork leg, and only on the right hand leg.
Apologies, wasn't paying attention, and it’s bugging me now! 😂
Maybe internal cable-routing for a dynohub/front light?
^ Enjoyed that 👍🏼 EAV are doing a great thing in a number of ways. Locally-grown flaxseed composite material is an inspired/inspiring move 🌱