looking to change my wee economic van to something big and in your face to become a camper.

I don’t even want to have to attempt and take it to the shops (future proofing i don’t want to take it on the school run either as the village is a nightmare in anything bigger than a focus 😉 )

Ergo im cargo bike curious.

i tried to buy a freeradical last week but was pipped to the post 🙁 – i have a donor bike. How ever I’m open to the idea of a new frame.

I reckon its the perfect application for an electric assist system as well.

go on – show and tell. What do you have , what would you change , what wouldnt you do without ?

If your planning to do the School run, Consider something with a Hub gear.

Nothing worse than stopping and finding your in the wrong gear with kids on the back, if going down the hubgear route try the Nuvinci hubs as they can handle lots of torque / suitable for converting to an Ebike

other than that a steering stabiliser, big centre stand, 26″ wheels or a smaller rear (low center of gravity)

most of all go and try loads somewhere like Practical cycles or really useful bikes

I wanted a cargo bike a few years ago but in a flat there was no space to keep it. Now im in a house ive just continued to use my tourer with 4 panniers and a basket and not ran out of room yet, even on B&Q or Ikea trips. Id still love a cargo bike but its too hilly on the routes id use it on and I dont think id ever need the capacity 🙁

If you go on to instructables George form gsport has a good one on making a long john bike. He uses a aluminium HT frame and gets so.done to weld on big box section to extend the frame.

yeah i have had that feeling for a few years now stato but when i started running out of space for the shopping on my bike i reverted to using the car…..

ARe there any equivalents to really useful bikes or practical cycles in scotland t1000 ? not seeing much – although probably searchign the wrong thing.

Id love a bakfiets but the cycle paths here are no use for them – the no motorbike gates would prevent me using them 🙁

thebrick …. thats another idea – i have a couple of old steel frames and say cynic al the carbon spoon guys cargo bike…..

but equally i have a decent welder so could probably knock something up – ive seen some nice looking cheapo “mech hanger/disk mount” bolt on drop outs on CRC that could be project friendly….

Dont you have a tandem?

tandem hack

nah no tandems here , if i had a tandem i wouldnt have a wife 😀

We have tried them many times and “i think” because we both ride in our own rights we do the wrong things at the wrong time on a tandem 😀

Laid back bikes in Edinburgh might be a good starting point (there must be others as well)

My mate had a Kona Ute. He didn’t keep it long, he found it so impractical to park in the garage and at work, plus it was “interesting” to turn around, it was quite hard work as well. He now has a 1X1 and an AWOL with lots of panniers, which he prefers……….

the ute does have an utterly terrible reputation for being as flexy as a cooked spaghetti when loaded though i can see why it wouldnt work out for many.

I once saw a race between 2 Ute’s with kids on the back past the UN Building in New York, that was surreal………….

My journey to cargo:

Bought an Xtracycle kit, didn’t fit dropouts/stays (M-Trax hardtail, heavily recessed dropouts). Was disappoint.

Bought an ex-demo Ute. Squirmed like a weasel when loaded, found the load rack/deck to be too high (29er) and it had a fast wobble at speed that I couldn’t seem to address. Loved the geometry/riding position though. V comfortable. Sold it.

Bought a used Dutch bike (Batavus Personal) for about a hundred quid. 3 speed Nexus, 26er, high tensile steel stepthru. Long oversized rear rack, big sidestand, integral locks, dynohub w/stemlight, full guards, puncture-guard tyres. All I changed was the front chainring to something that conquers hills.

Turned out to be a bombproof, reliable load-carrying revelation. I love it so much I find excuses to go shopping. Would pay £500-£600 for a new one if I didn’t have this. Or would buy another used one from Marktplaats or somesuch. I also looked at Yuba Mundos but I’m (currently inescapably) a car-user also so the odd long load goes in the car, a longer bike would be overkill for requirements. The Batavus Personal does all grocery shopping, carrying four pannier loads + a rack-pack without so much as a wobble. Its also ugly as sin. Bonus!

I had a Surly Big Dummy for ages (passed on upon moving to Hong Kong). They are expensive, but surprisingly epic.

A small Flickr album with some loads etc. here:

The centre-stand is REALLY important. You’ll take passengers far more than you expect (and it’s great!) so get a stoker’s bar. It’s well worth collecting bungees, straps etc. Nice big tyres are good news. If I was doing it from scratch I’d put dynamo lights on (never got around to this). The Dummy is brilliant fun off-road – see-saws and steep chutes are surprisingly easy.

It really was the best value and most exciting thing I’ve bought. There remains a substantial hole these days where it isn’t.

🙂

^ Big Dummy w/kayak is a dream I have. Great pic 😀

I bought the bugger on eBay when I was drunk. It was collection only, from Street in Somerset. I lived in Bristol. That was a very hard 25 mile lug home over the Mendips. top day out.

😀

BigDummy – that link doesn’t work.

Have owned a Ute for a few years. It’s good for carrying kids as the deck is so long, you can fit a seat or two, foot pegs and a stoker bar. The kids can tuck in behind you out of the weather. It is undoubtedly flexy if you stomp on the pedals but the design and long wheelbase makes it uber comfy, even on rough tracks. It cruises quite well on the flat and is far lighter than a Yuba Mundo or Surly Big Dummy.

It is fine for shopping, I just throw linked panniers on behind the kids. If you don’t carry children at all, it can carry quite a bit of shopping in the bespoke Ute panniers, which also fit in a supermarket trolley, handy to prevent overloading.

It doesn’t carry anything like as much as a dutch box bike but is far cheaper, narrow as a ‘normal’ bike and, except from a longer chain and rear brake cable, uses bog standard hybrid parts.

Negatives? Aside from the flex when accelerating, the foldaway centre stand fouls the chain if you run big/big (the 2016 model appears to have fixed this using a spacer) and care is needed when setting off with kids on board as their weight is quite high up. The steering and wheelbase require some acclimatisation but are easier to master than a tandem. I replaced the short stem and 45 degree sweep porteur bars with a longer stem and fleegles and can now ride comfortably for hours.

I’m just west of Glasgow if you want to try it.

Oh, I bought mine in Cathcart.

Here’s a pic of the Bug-ugly Bisexual Brute-iful Beast Of Burden (spot the cunning cable lock stowed in the main tube, and a wheel-lock for quick stops). I fitted a Freeload/Thule sport deck on the front for extra stowage. May fit a centre-stand one day but so far no probs at all.

BigDummy – that link doesn’t work.

Sorry!

Hopefully that does

I manage a surprising amount of stuff on a normal bike with a Topeak rack

2 panniers and the Topeak folding crate, which has an extendible handle for wheeling it along and just slides into the rack. That combined with a fold up rucksack for emergency extras means I can buy a fair bit. I don’t bother going to the supermarket much in the car (family of 4 here)

Popped to the shop last night and managed loads of stuff – 3 cartons of juice, 2 ltr lemonade, whole chicken, 2 packs of fish cakes, 24 sausages, rack of ribs, about 8 cans, loads of fruit and veg, 9 toilet rolls (quilted natch). Didn’t use the rucksack.

It’s a little wobbly so only ok on the road, but it’s handy being able to use a normal bike. In fact it’s stopped me from justifying a cargo bike

Only downside is I can carry two kids, or 1 kid and lots of shopping. These are the only reasons I have left, and the school run is a walk, would be more hassle in the bike.

I had a Yuba Mundo for a couple of years. Because I stupidly only bought one enormous pannier I had to bodge a recycling box to the other side to do a Big Shop, so it got used for that far less than it should. I didn’t ever realise the kayak dream, but I did carry/tow a couple of bikes and some dustbins.

Eventually, the cheap parts it came with, to get it under the bike to work limit, I think, started to die and as lots of them were non-standard it was going to be an expensive fix. So, I sold it.

I’ve now got an Elephant Bike which is more practical for day to day riding/commuting and can still handle a reasonably big load.

Id love a bakfiets but the cycle paths here are no use for them – the no motorbike gates would prevent me using them

I struggle to even get my Elephant Bike through these. Seriously* considering buying a battery powered angle grinder.

*not seriously

Forgot to say – roller brakes front and rear have also been a surprisingly maintenance/faff free experience. Took a little while to acclimatise so that hairy moments down big hills have reduced with experience. Saying that I wouldn’t wish to career down to Lynmouth with a full load and literally flaming brakes . Or would I … 8)

You can squeeze the motorbike barriers a bit wider with a car jack… So I’ve heard 😈

But don’t go too far or they snap and then the council replace them with a kissing gate and it really makes life awkward.

i was in the garage looking at my stuff last night for a non spending solution at the moment

My donor bike + an old rack i found in the shed + a little creativity to make a front rack + my bob trailer + a box + an ebay motorkit = really useful(versatile) shopping bike (its 15 hilly miles round trip to the shop – and even further to town) for now.

I can investigate cargo bikes again when i have the need to do the school run 😀

One of the couriers in central Manchester uses an electric assist Bullit. Expensive, but very cool. I believe a baking co-op over in Calderfornia use one too and it’s quite hilly there!

I manage a surprising amount of stuff on a normal bike

^ this, unless you’re carrying small humans, or regularly carrying massive odd-shaped objects then a normal bike with front and rear racks is massively practical.

4x pannier + a platform/porteur rack on the front is a heck of a lot of room for things and what I use 90% of the time (well 2 panniers mostly, the second set when needed). For the other 10% I use a trailer, all the benefits of extended cargo bike, but with more flexibility.

I will be going cargo once we have little ones though, but probably a long-john style (Bullit hopefully!) rather than longtail.

Kona Ute here, I’ve had no problems with handling or anything. My wife thought I was crazy when I bought it but now it’s adapted to carry the two kids (4 and 2years old) she uses it all the time. Loaded with the two kids I can still fit a weeks(ish) shopping in the panniers.

I now have to try and sneak out on it to even get a go.. Has stopped the need for a second car..

Elephant bike is a very good shout. I’d love a reason to be able to justify one of those, would be incredibly practical

Also the FR8 and GR8 bikes look good. Strangely expensive, but I tried one with my daughter and she loved it

Xtracycles are awesome. I’ve moved house with one, twice. Have had two adults on the back too.

If I were richer id have a harry vs larry

Elephant bike is a very good shout. I’d love a reason to be able to justify one of those, would be incredibly practical

There’s your reason right there…

I was just looking at Elephant Bikes. £250 for a refurb! I might just do it.

I’ve now got an Elephant Bike which is more practical for day to day riding/commuting and can still handle a reasonably big load.

My wallet is now £300 lighter.

I have a Kona Minute fittted with drop bars. it is my go to bike for everything. It has a hamax on the back for the school run which comes off in seconds to make a fast tourer/commuter. Rides well off road loaded and unloaded and is just great fun. Stiff aluminium frame means no flex but with enough post sticking out to make it really comfortable.

And here is the latest n+1

Electric cargo bike, you say? I just built this:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/GDW3xt]Untitled[/url] by Ben Cooper, on Flickr

Been carrying pallets about on it 😉

8freight + electrickery = fun!

Aye, I built a few with hub motors, by making new conventional forks. But 8Freight want to keep the single-sided drums for their electric option, so I’ve gone for a mid-mounted motor system.

What wattage motor do you go for on a cargo bike like that?

If you want to use it on the road, it has to be within the 200/250W limit.