Cargo Bikes

Pic?

Got a loaner bakfiet for a while to try out. First ride and we went all the way across Adelaide CBD accompanied by Mrs Pascalo who rarely rides.

Despite being such a juggernaut the bike rolls really well and after some initial wobbles I'm sold on a cargo bike. That said, I'd rather a omnium if I could short out a comfy seating position despite the higher loading area.

1 Attachment

I've popped 26" on mine. Can't remember what width Marathon tyre but definitely more than 1.6

Interesting, notice any difference in BB height? I remember scraping pedals a few times when I first got the bike, so assumed the BB was already pretty low, but that just have been down to the long wheelbase. Might see if I can source a 27.5" wheel somewhere and give that a go.

Big basket spam

For Sells: Wald 157 Giant Delivery Basket | £30 | Pick up only please - Raynes Park

Yeah the bb dropped by just over a cm and in running a 406 on the front, although I'm not having any trouble with scraping pedals.
The Marathon in there is a 2.0 and leaves enough space for a mudguard and plenty of clearance on the inside of the stays.
27.5 is probably the way to go. I only went for the 26 because I had it knocking about.

It's in the workshop waiting on some new brakes. I'll take a pic when I'm with it next.

Get an Omnium, they sell a seat system now check it out on their blog

Wow! That looks way less terrifying than I had pictured.

I can't imagine drops on a cargo bike. Risers are great for manoeuvring at slow speed with loads of weight. I guess it depends what you use it for though. For work I only really ride about 2 miles in a run but can make about 20 stops in that time so comfort over a long distance isn't important at all.

:)

1 Attachment

Did you look at an Urban Arrow already? They're fairly light but not sure if they're still selling them without an e-bike system.

looks like they don't

Tested one recently and was very pleased. It could be the one for us at home due to its impressive size.

Omnium mini-max for sale.

Just saw this.

Lovely thing, but that second R&M was a fucking ballache to work on. The owner didn't service it for ages and literally everything was falling apart. Forks couldn't be serviced. Shock just needed a rebuild. Front wheel had 4 broken spokes, so needed new ones cutting. Motor took physical knocks (no idea how) and had to really convince Busch and Muller to take it in. Customer spliced another light to the existing rear one and it started shorting out the whole system.

The NuVinci was all out of whack and the guy was insistent it wasn't an issue.
Worst of it though was a constant knock when power was put down. Owner was adamant it was the motor. It wasn't. It was the steering linkage with a knuckle joint hanging on by a hair.
No idea why he owned something so complex and expensive but never had it checked or maintained.

...it's got a 5spoke

that's rad.

in other news, i trialled a Douze today and I am pretty sure i'll get it.
Much more nimble and light than a bakfiets. Great turning circle also.
Just need the kids seat, higher rail and a slightly longer seatpost and it'd be perfect.

1 Attachment

What fork is this?

https://crustbikes.com/products/clydesdale-fork/

Good value for money

Pascalo,

Can whole heartedly recommend the Douze. Cable steering is great, super nimble and great for filtering through traffic and also manoeuvring in/out of garage etc. So is the step-through frame, although their standard frame looks better in my opinion. Really wanted a Bullitt, but the wife hated the handling and thought we'd end up with a Bakfiets until she got on the Douze.

Downside is that it was the most expensive option out of all the bikes we looked at! Have a medium front with kids seat (great seat belts etc.) and full canopy which is really useful this time of year, our little man is nice and toasty even when it's -3 degrees.

I have a love/hate relationship with hub gears, just need to stop trying to ride the cargo bike like it's a race bike I guess! :)

Douze do an XL frame so may fit you better. Shout if you have any Douze related questions.

Ta!
Tim

The very same demo model was up for sale with a nice discount. Just paid. Will have the bike very soon, soft bag, bench and tarp will be shipped from Melbourne next week. For now forgoing the full canopy. Might get that when winter strikes.

All that's left is a 400 seat post and I'm good to go. XL might fit me better, like this there's a remote chance to have my wife ride it though.

Cool! Enjoy the Douze. Always makes me smile every time I ride it. Our kid loves it and on occasions I end up giving other kids lifts to/from nursery and is all they do it laugh and giggle as we cruise along.

I'm lucky my wife is the same height as me so the saddle is at a reasonable height and have also fitted dual sided pedals so I can use my mtb shoes to help power along and get up hills easier.

Enjoy!!! :)

Thanks. I am sure I will. The Bakfiets on loan was good already, but the Douze will feel like flying in comparison.

Good call for the dual sided pedals ... Might actually be a reason for me to investigate Crank bros instead of Speedplay frogs, which seem to get more and more difficult to obtain cleats and spares for.

Sorry pascalo, meant to say single sided pedals! :) SPD one side, flat on the other so you can wear either cycling or casual footwear:

They're not great as a flat pedal as the surface isn't very grippy (I ended up filing them to create sharp edges and make more teeth) and they bias the SPD side (good for me!) which is a little annoying at times when in non cycling footwear but means my wife can ride it too as she doesn't do clipless.

I find that this type of pedal is a lot grippier on the flat side. I can barely ride my one-sided pedals in the rain because there's so little grip.

1 Attachment