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Weather was great at times this weekend, frogs have started getting a little vocal in our garden... this week is another no-go due to half term juggling...

:) if it was me, we’d have a Bullitt, but I’m completely sold on the Douze’s handling and i’m super happy the wife rides it just as much as me! If we didn’t have a kid, i’d Probably be very tempted by an Omnium... choices, choices!!! London Green Cycles should have a Bullitt, Douze and Omnium to test ride so you can see what suits you best.

Cargo is mostly one child (5 years old) all year round so canopy was a must. Wanted him forward facing so he can see more things rather than looking at me grimacing up the hills. Even in freezing weather he can sit inside the canopy and be warm rain or shine. He like to read his books in the bike and eat so again canopy/interior space is duper useful.

We also end up carrying his friends around at times too, especially back from kids parties after they’ve seen we have cycled there rather than driving in a car.

In the summer we sometimes remove the canopy so the wife and nipper can both go in the bike if we wanted to all go to the park/pub/out for meal locally.

Also load it up with tools/building supplies when needed and have also fabricated a bike rack on the back to transport our boys bike so we can say cycle to Richmond Park and then let him ride around with us until he’s tired, then cycle home...

The lack of canopy and reverse seating made the omnium a no-go for us. I see plenty of kids wrapped up like mummies on rear seats in the cold/wet weather...can’t say they ever look happy, whereas my boy just laughs at me as i’m the one getting wet! :)

Not 100% sure to be honest! The Bakfiets rides and handles beautifully but is a very different style of bike, it’s like your pedalling an armchair! We needed a fast bike that both me and the wife could ride and the Douze ticked that box. Omnium ride great too, but again don’t offer the load or child carrying capabilities larger/longer cargo bikes do.

My advice, test ride as many as you can to see what works for you. It’s a good thing that we have quite a lot of choice these days!

Our Douze has cable steering so has super tight turning circle (well as tight as a cargo bike turns!) in both directions whereas steering linkages are generally restricted with the tyre hitting the arm.

Useful for filtering in traffic but also just moving bike around to park up/getting through doorways etc.

The cables offer resistance that kinda feels like a tight headset (but smooth!) when on the stand, but it’s not really noticeable when riding, I think this helps with the neutral handling of the bike.

So far it’s been pretty reliable. On its third winter without any issues...

We have a Douze and love it! I know @Vince has had big reliability problems with his electric assist Douze, but this to my knowledge was solely down to the e-assist element of the bike.

I think Bullitt’s look better and have more kudos, but the Douze rides and handles better and has a superior seat, harness and canopy set up for little un’s.

We tested quite a few bikes and the wife refused to ride the Bullitt due to its handling. I like the Bullitt but have to admit the Douze handles so much better. Either way jump on a cargo bike and they’ll bring and instant smile to your face! :)

Same as @NorthLondonLight

Will be indoors tomorrow night having an unromantic meal for 3! I should really include the dog as well who'll be hounding us for scraps...

Lovely build and great video. Thanks for sharing! Makes me want a TIG welder! :)

:) Mine was bad enough before our boy came along! :)

Wife's working flat-out at the moment so kid & dog duties for me tonight...

Good price and good luck with sale!

Not the quickest, but super relaxed position combined being so easy to ride ride puts a grin on your face on your face every time you get on one... :)

:) There was someone on Retrobike selling them a while back, but think he only had Smokes, but assume they've all gone based on date it was posted, although someone has posted a message recently:
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=257248&start=80

Great to see it being enjoyed/appreciated. Salsa stems do look good. They have re-issued Smokes/Darts. A few places and people have been selling them. For example: https://best-bike-parts.de/tire-26-inch

You might find cheaper, but getting old 2nd hand tyres doesn't always pay which is why if you can get re-issue at a reasonable price I'd get them as they'll last longer as rubber degrades overtime and becomes less supple/cracks, last thing you want when riding :)

Lovely Stumpjumper. Like the old 600 rear mech & Salsa stem. Are those Specialized hubs too? Great to see it being used. Have you owned this since new?

What a bike!!! :)

I'm no structural engineer, but the front end is lacking a massive amount of torsional rigidity which means the lone purple tube in your picture will twist under load/change of direction/cornering. Adding a deck will add some structural integrity, but I suspect the orange lines you show if placed at a different plane/height (from viewing the bike side-on) will add torsionally rigidity, whilst creating improved top-load (in the same way the deep rectangular box section on Bullitt bikes do.

Looks like a great project, jealous of what you're up to, but I have a house to renovate so any bike related projects are on hold...

@user67706akajimmythegrin great project, but my comments would be the same as @AngusMacGyver. Even with the revised frame (unless it's still work in progress...) the front end needs more support under vertical load otherwise it will flex loads and eventually fail. Look how deep the sections are on Bullitt bikes for example and like AngusMacGyver's repurposed Muddy Fox above. Pedal clearance would be a concern if it's still the same as your photo above...
Keep it coming though... :)

Thanks @WimVDD my mind is finally at rest :) all is clear now, forgot about Zadrobilek...

Every January is a Dry January for me :) Don't know what all the fuss is about!

Been busy juggling kid, wife, dog and work so socialising has been sporadic at best... hopefully that'll change soon!

Great image! Tomac, Juarez and Frischknecht... whose the GT rider? Avoiding Googling and trying to rely on my fading brain power. Doesn't look like Grewal, Rogers or Baker...

That looks super-original even down to cables & tyres?

Love the front stem bolt/cable guide detail. A great idea in theory, but in reality not actually that great and you end up with rather big hollow bolt rather than a slim M5 allen bolt :) But it's these details I love on old bikes! :)

We have a Douze and I tweaked the position as the cockpit was too cramped and upright. Couldn’t adjust height much as we have a canopy for the nipper but the 120mm stem made a huge difference without impacting on handling. The original must of been about 20mm long! Just made sure the saddle to bar length was similar to wife’s bike as she rides it too and she commented how much better it felt. Do it! :)

@AngusMacGyver LOVE IT! Like seeing how this bike is progressing/changing. What a beast. Love the bullmoose bars and storage box/seat combo... :)

@Jokke_A Looks amazing! I love to see builds like this. Look forward to see it with a useable platform, otherwise you're just riding around on a bloody l o n g bike! However I bet you're grinning every time you get on it! :) Like the steering linkage up high and nice use of ahead-stems! Great work!!!

Looks like I missed a good gathering. Was in Paris for the day with work and didn't get back until pretty late :( Those pizza's look a lot better than the dubious food we ate at the Parisian curry house our client took us to!