Show me you pics & tell me what they are like to live with 8)

Am liking mine a lot. not used it too much, been too wet when I’ve needed to get big stuff from shops.

Still needs a bit of finishing too.

IMAG0901.jpg by alan cole, on Flickr

Your bike is excellent Al! Top marks for going DIY, looks ace.

Dad’s taxi / pick up with 2 passenger seats and a pair of panniers

Room for two on the back

Miketually’s too busy eating cake with friends (according to Twitter), but he’s got a Yuba Mundo.

BigDummy off here’s got a… well, guess. And his bro, Handsomedog (occasionally seen round here) has a Kona Ute.

Search against their names for pics etc.

Mine is an Xtracycle jammed in the back of an inbred. Used for the school run now, but was used for shopping when we lived closer to the shops.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtepXA8W_A8&feature=g-upl&context=G2ef8067AUAAAAAAAAAA[/video]

Here’s mine bought through the forum, use it virtually daily for anything local. All bits are security or bolt attached so fairly tea leaf proof, tyres are slimed and it’s a singlespeed.

Taxi mode

Shopping mode

The Ute is top of my shopping list – everything I need at a sensible price & light enough to double a short tourer, but I was looking as a Rock Lobster as a donor bike for xtracycle kit just a few weeks ago.

I need bus mode, so what seats are you using on the Ute’s? How does it ride with a wee one on the back, better that normal bike?

I’ve had a couple and tried a couple more. As ever it’s worth getting clear on intended use, local riding conditions and compromises you’re willing to make……..

Xtracycle add on felt too flexy to me with an adult passenger.

V1 Yuba (originally single speed converted to 18 speed) could carry 2 x 14 stone passengers with no noodliness whatsoever. Weighed 67lbs. Would have been OK in flattish town for short journeys. But not for me in hilly rural location 6 miles from nearest shop. (Current version would be nearer 55lbs with same kit)

Tried a Bakfiets, would be brilliant for kids and again flattish town for short journeys.

Had a spin on a Big Dummy which felt like I’d wanted Xtracycle to feel.

For carrying 1 child up to 6 I got most use out of a Brompton + ITChair, which still had room for some shopping.

The long bikes feel different and it’s worth trying to see if you like that feel.

The Yuba and BD have the foot board / side rail loading capacity absent on the Ute.

I suspect if the Ute was cromo people would like it more, but buy it less. It’s strength seems to be that for the same weight as a fully kitted tourer you can have the added flexibility of carrying more stuff and 1 or 2 kids. And it’s inbetween length means it will ride more ‘normally’ solo. You can always get a trailer for carrying really heavy stuff when required. I’m not sure the Ute would be so good if regularly carrying loads over 100lbs or adult passengers.

If looking to transport 1 or 2 kids (at least 1 under 5) and are not looking for off road capability then the Circe Helios tandem is an option. Ride nice solo and can be either tandem or cargo-bike.

If distance (within UK rather than going the length of South America!) and/or hills are likely to be a regular feature in your cargo biking then it’s worth considering electric assist but that’s a whole other can of worms.

That is really good info, thanks very much.

To summarise my needs –

Does not need to carry massive weight or adults.
Short distance trips to the shops. Bulky, but light most of the time.
Carrying kids around town & family friendly trails & paths
Light bivi touring

This is my thinking behind the Ute at the moment 🙂

The ute sounds fine for your needs. It is surprisingly light and quick for a cargo bike. I use mine for the school run and the only worry is that the two kids sit high and quite far back, which makes starting off an acquired skill. The bike is quite stable once moving. Carrying one child is a skoosh, it is far more stable than having a kiddy seat on a standard mtb. An adult passenger is doable but they need to hold onto the stoker bars and keep their bahookie in line or forward of the rear wheel spindle to prevent wheelies. I generally let the passenger get on first to reinforce this point.

Static loads in the panniers or strapped directly to the frame are also very stable.

The standard riding position is very upright. I fitted a longer stem and zero rise bar to counter this. Stability and wind resistance are both improved.

The big 700c wheels and comfy tyres are great once rolling. Have done some gentle offroad with a passenger but would probably need cx or 29er tyres for more serious stuff.

I’m in the Glasgow area if you want a scoot.

Downshep, what are those footpegs for rear most passenger? are they fitted through the front seat stay that would normally be attached to bike frame.

This is my Ute:

Laden with the wherewithalls to support BigDummy on the 8hr Hit the North the other year. It was ridden 10 miles to and from the event.

And this is the other day sorting out the xmas tree

And this is BigDummy’s self titled bicycle…

Croydon Odyssey, with chair by jon.rollason, on Flickr

Here’s a link to a previous discussion on this subject:

cargo bikes

I have a short wheelbase Bakfiets, seen here after a trip to B and Q to buy shelving with my daughter:

Comfortably handles 2 kids with bags/shopping under their feet and the bench seat flips up for maximum cargo capacity if there are no passengers. It has a full width kickstand which makes parking and loading very easy (stable enough to keep the bike upright even if the kids are climbing all over it). There is a folding hood which fully encloses the passengers for wet weather. It is not light, but the bottom gear is low enough to get up hills OK, and I have ridden up to 50 miles in a day comfortably with the kids. The handling is like a normal bike, just a bit more stately because of the longer wheelbase and weight.

The best thing about it is that it is a lot of fun to ride. The kids love it, and I like being able to chat to them and point stuff out as we are travelling.

Be careful if you are looking at Bakfiets, as there are some Chinese knock-offs selling for around half the price of the Dutch ones. The construction and components of these copies are very poor. The Dutch originals are Clyde-built and designed to survive outside.

I have a Mundo V1 and it gets used as a training bike most of the year with 60kg of weights strapped on the rack.
At this time of year its job is collecting wood for my stove, and hopefully come summer, it will be a touring bike!

And, if you happen to kill your fridge/freezer, you can easily throw it on the back and take it to the dump!

andyh2, the footpegs are alloy BMX pegs bolted through an Aldi bike rack. It’s just a stop gap until the eldest’s legs are longer, then I’ll fit a solid axle to the rear wheel and mount the pegs directly.

Couple more cargo bike threads here.

My Ute get used every day, and is seriously well loved. The only issue has been the centre stand which graqdually bent until it didnt hold the bike up. This has been replaced with a Hebie one from Rose Bikes for 20 odd euros delivered. It fits exactly where the old one went and is much more stable.

I love the yuba mundo’s total and complete refusal to be aesthetically pleasing … but you can do stuff like carry a fridge freezer on it!

Big Dummy here but about to under go surgery and become fat. Looking at 65mm rear and 80mm front rims with hookworms. Will propbaly swap the fork out for the 100mm non offset Pug fork.

You have to love the Dummy though, I know it hugely expensive but its is the nearest think to the prefect cargo bike off the shelf.

Here mine

Heres what it will probably become

And here is what it would look like if I had the balls to cut the frame and stretch the back enough to go properly fat

And if I won the lottery – the Big Dumb Pug form banjo Cycles