Cargo Bikes

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1616617044/the-lift-cargo-bike

Looks decent.

$200 shipping can >>>>>>>>> though.

very clever

I like how they hid the fork mounts behind some plywood, so no one could see how it's mounted. And I like how it can be mounted to most bikes as long as they have hydraulic disc brakes...
And I love the way the whole weight of everything is resting on the chain stays. I mean can you imagine what will happen to the chain stays if you put 160 kg on a narrow peace of metal resting on the chain stays?

I imagine the forks are separate from the cargo because of safety and keeping kids and cargo clean.
Donor Bike Specifications: The LIFT will work with steel, titanium and aluminum bicycles that meet the following standards: 1) 68mm or 73mm English threaded bottom bracket, 2) cable actuated disk or rim brakes (no drum brakes or hydraulic brakes).
It relies on the BB shell and forks to support the weight.

I'll bet you like it even more now.

Then how is it attached to the bottom bracket then? I see that there's a kickstand which is attached to the frame and the cargo thing is attached to the kickstand.
But how is the kickstand attached to the bottom bracket. The typical solution is to clamp the kickstand on the chain stays, so I thought this was the case also.

The forks don't support the weight, it just holds it in place and all the weight is transmitted to the bottom bracket.

Considering how flexible forks are, this cargo should have a lot of sideways swaying, when loaded.

Then how is it attached to the bottom bracket then?

At about 3:40 and on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuaJBlpTBKY

I assumed that this was designed so anyone could install it themselves, but I was wrong.

That lock-ring on the bottom bracket confused me. I've installed many BB's and none of them protruded enough to screw a lock-ring on it. And most cheap BB's have a plastic left cup so...

And they forgot another limitation - only square taper BB is compatible with this, cause there's no space on other types to install this.

I would call this idea - irresponsible design "if it kind of works, it's good enough."

haters always will

was liking this till i saw the bottom bracket fitting. so this only works with a square taper loose bearing cup and cone bottom bracket that has enough thread on the left cup for the width of the fitting and a lockring? surely this negates the convenience of a cartridge bottom bracket, or the freedom of using whatever bottom bracket you might want to use.

It seems they provide either a 68 or 73 BB with the kit.

No old bikes, because no disc brakes.
No modern bikes, because no square taper BB's
So it's only compatible with new shitty bikes.

I think, if instead of a BB, they supplied a shitty bike that is already fitted, that would be more practical. "A cargo bike, that can be converter to an ordinary bicycle"

You didn't see my quote about rim or disc brakes?

The bb attachment seems to be a bit of a stumbling block/mistake.

Surely it limits the appeal to people with square taper cranks and means they'll have to hold stock of a huge number of bbs to accommodate shell size and axle length?

I also can't imagine why a square taper bottom bracket with extended cups and lockrings would exist so I'm presuming they'd have had to have this proprietary part manufactured just for them?

Their target market probably is people with mid-low range hybrids and mtbs and a huge proportion of those kinds of bikes do still run square taper but still...?

I could see that steel bracket that he talks about "living on the bike" fitting in where the spacers would go if you were running a mtb ht2 bb on a 68mm shell (which coupled with square taper probably covers 99.9% of their target market) but no idea how the bracket and the forces going through it would work with the alloy cups on a ht2 bb.

Is it possible they have overlooked axle length and think that stocking 68 and 73mm wide square taper bottom brackets will cover everyone (and ht2/external bearing users can do one)?

I think the part that "lives on the bike" actually sits on the shell, with the lock ring holding it in place.

You think it goes over the bb shell rather than in where a bb spacer would go?

Might make (slightly) more sense but the od of a bb shell must be pretty variable depending on material etc.

From what I can tell, yeah over the shell.
I guess we'll have to see whether @spotter likes his or no.
:)

Don't look at me I want a bullet

aw c'mon, everybody wants to know how badly designed it really is

Reasonable solution to the problem, but bb is a hell of an oversight and can imagine the torsional strength not being so great, at the bb it's attached but not so great and at the fork it's pretty much flex city, with anything weighty in there its going to be a handful as he describes.
I'd rather spend £500 on building my own creation, but can see that as decent value for the few folk who's bikes and needs are compatible

Now let's get back onto the subject of REAL cargo bikes ;)

Spent a good few hours at London Green Cycles on Saturday testing out the Bullitt and Bakfiets Cargo Short. You can see us in action here: https://vimeo.com/175971523

We're looking for a bike we can both happily ride (neither of us have ever ridden a cargo bike before). Both are pretty good to ride with the Bakfiets being more relaxed and easier to manoeuvre. To ride, I preferred the Bullitt and my wife preferred the Bakfiets.

Next step will be to try and do some real world testing around where we live involving real roads, hills and junctions, oh and motorists! Will update on progress and what decision we come to as we may add the Douze to the mix (was out of stock at the time).

Will be using the bike for: Nipper carrying (x1) followed by commute to work (11 miles round trip), local food shopping, transporting film kit (think fragile) to local(ish) shoots, DIY materials and anything else we will think of. Anyone's experience/recommendations are most welcome.

I've had my Bullitt now for a few weeks and am absolutely loving it. Apart from business miles I have not used the car once. The little chap sits on the front to school howling with laughter, I've had packs of roofing tiles on there and ridden it down a flight of stairs. My 12 year old (on an Islabike) has to remind me to slow down so she can keep up (I've not got a speedo on there, but it definitely feels fast).

Only downsides for me are 1) A few rattles over broken road surfaces, getting them dialled out slowly. 2) Forgetting that the Brooks Swallow can be a nut twanger if wearing baggies.

Where I live is not the hilliest of places (Gloucester) but copes with them happily, you really don't have a huge sensation of weight at all.

Hope this helps, any specifics don't hesitate to ask.

I’ve had a two-wheeled Christiania, which is similar to the Bakfiets, for a few years now. It was riding a Bullitt whilst in Denmark that made me want a cargo bike in the first place. I’ve been really pleased with the Christiania. The upright position suits the type of riding I do on that bike, i.e. taking my kids places, shopping etc. Also the box is big enough to squeeze two children in, handy for my sons friends when he was little and now that we have another child.