2 kids, 1 bike

kumate_champ07

RoubX wrote: »

Wow! I presume this is a shutter speed thing, but how fast is she going with young kids not strapped in? My lads are about the same age as these, and the youngest would have lept off the bike ages ago, or climbed on my head, or be in the process of smacking the head off his brother.

its just a steady handed photographer tracking/panning, the technique can give the illusion of high speed, its used to display motion which can be hard to do in a flat image (Im a photographer)

cdaly_

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Is this the lady you saw? She'd be very adept with the old bakfiets alright, being a) Dutch and b) one half of the Bear Bicycles team.

Are those SPD heels she's wearing? Come to think of it, you'd put cleats on the sloping bit quite handy and without getting in the way for walking...

Harrybelafonte wrote:

Having 3 gears as someone said is fine if you're on flat or staying within your own area, but if you intend on doing a school run, then on to work, you'll want a lot more gears.

I would have thought it would be handy enough to fit a double chainring up front (along with a tensioner) to give you a hi-lo option. Mind you, that might interfere with a hub brake...

Lumen

LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja_tBjqEzeg

DualFrontDiscs

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I too am tempted by the Christiana on adverts, but will say this. For city traffic the two wheels are a lot more manoverable (sp?) and you won't get caught behind traffic as much, easier to park up etc. Having 3 gears as someone said is fine if you're on flat or staying within your own area, but if you intend on doing a school run, then on to work, you'll want a lot more gears. The Larry Vs Harry's have the best set up for this (and also are the fastest AFAIK) but the biggest advantage the Christiana have is the amount of space and the practicalities it offers, i.e. a rain cover, the box seats etc. For a run to the school or the shops and home it'd be spot on in any weather.

Mmmmmm. I'm not sure that trike is a Christiania. If it is, it's a great price.

As a Christiania rider (driver?) I think the maneuverability argument is flawed. And frankly the only way to compare a Long John and a trike for maneuverability is with an egg and spoon race whilst negotiating cones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cy0UmakZck

My Christiania ('Stephanie') has a 7 speed Nexus hub. Unfortunately, the gear changing is a bit knackered at the moment (last six months). So I ride it as a single speed. Not ideal, but to be honest, it's not that bad. And I transport the kids, do the shopping, spin around with it empty etc. Frankly, you don't ride it like a regular bike anyway.

In my opinion, riding any of these 'utility' bikes is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. Lots of people talk about it, but not many of us are lucky enough to be able to talk with experience

DFD.

Harrybelafonte

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

In my opinion, riding any of these 'utility' bikes is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. Lots of people talk about it, but not many of us are lucky enough to be able to talk with experience

DFD.

I am speaking from experience. I don't think that you can deny that a three wheeler is substantially wider than a long john? I'm saying they both have their merits, depending on what you want to use them for. I do 25km a day on mine, including going to work and there's no way a three wheeler would suit my trip.

I agree though that 600 is an excellent price if it is a Christiana. It may simply be an older model? I don't recognise the little front bumper on it.

DualFrontDiscs

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I am speaking from experience. I don't think that you can deny that a three wheeler is substantially wider than a long john? I'm saying they both have their merits, depending on what you want to use them for. I do 25km a day on mine, including going to work and there's no way a three wheeler would suit my trip.

I agree though that 600 is an excellent price if it is a Christiana. It may simply be an older model? I don't recognise the little front bumper on it.

The trike is wider, though whether you would call it substantially wider is debatable. In both instances the box is about two foot wide, right? So the trike is wider by the width of its two wheels. Let's say another 3"- 4" a side.

The Long John looks thinner because it is longer. The trike wider because it is shorter. At low speeds, the trike has no wobble and with practice you can thread the trike through gaps with very narrow clearances (my back gate for example, fnarr, fnarr)

For 25km everyday, the more streamline Long John, with only two contact points (two wheels vs. three) may well have the advantage.

I've certainly done 25km in a day on the trike (out and back to Dun Laoighaire for lunch on the pier). I assume that's around the 25km mark.

No criticism implied in my previous post, btw.

DFD.

Harrybelafonte

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

The trike is wider, though whether you would call it substantially wider is debatable. In both instances the box is about two foot wide, right? So the trike is wider by the width of its two wheels. Let's say another 3"- 4" a side.

The Long John looks thinner because it is longer. The trike wider because it is shorter. At low speeds, the trike has no wobble and with practice you can thread the trike through gaps with very narrow clearances (my back gate for example, fnarr, fnarr)

For 25km everyday, the more streamline Long John, with only two contact points (two wheels vs. three) may well have the advantage.

I've certainly done 25km in a day on the trike (out and back to Dun Laoighaire for lunch on the pier). I assume that's around the 25km mark.

No criticism implied in my previous post, btw.

DFD.

No criticism involved, just felt I should clarify my points. I feel that trying to use cycle lanes on cargo bikes can sometimes be a pain. Example is the common enough case of a car being over the line on a lane. With a Long John you can squeeze past because it's frame is high enough off the pavement to let you pass, whereas the front wheels of the trike would inhibit you. It's not a deal breaker but is a bit of a pain for my use.

When I go shopping for stuff I'd rather the trike though to be fair. You can probably understand why, a better shape than the narrowing Long John box and better cover, and a higher box which allows for better stacking. As it stands I'm considering attaching a trailer to my Bullitt to accomadate more items.

Doctor Bob

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

Mmmmmm. I'm not sure that trike is a Christiania. If it is, it's a great price.

I suspect it's not- there's a notable lack of manufacturer specifics in the ad, though it looks well put together from the pics. I know there are cheaper Asian versions of cargo bikes around, which have received mixed reports regarding reliability, but I wonder if that isn't just the usual 'Oh it's Chinese, it can't be as good as a European-made bike' bias.

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

In my opinion, riding any of these 'utility' bikes is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. Lots of people talk about it, but not many of us are lucky enough to be able to talk with experience

So the next time I make love to a beautiful woman, would you recommend I follow it up with pillow talk where I compare the experience to riding a cargo bike?

Harrybelafonte

Doctor Bob wrote: »

I suspect it's not- there's a notable lack of manufacturer specifics in the ad, though it looks well put together from the pics. I know there are cheaper Asian versions of cargo bikes around, which have received mixed reports regarding reliability, but I wonder if that isn't just the usual 'Oh it's Chinese, it can't be as good as a European-made bike' bias.



So the next time I make love to a beautiful woman, would you recommend I follow it up with pillow talk where I compare the experience to riding a cargo bike?

Just don't make any reference to your load.

DualFrontDiscs

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

When I go shopping for stuff I'd rather the trike though to be fair. You can probably understand why, a better shape than the narrowing Long John box and better cover, and a higher box which allows for better stacking. As it stands I'm considering attaching a trailer to my Bullitt to accomadate more items.

I bought a http://www.carryfreedom.com/Y-Frame.html. A large one as it happens, which annoyingly won't quite fit into the trike's box when dismantled. Great trailer all the same. I have a BOB trailer too. The single wheel design would work well with the Bullit.

As ever, all my 'toys' are available for a try, if any one is serious, etc.

DFD.

DualFrontDiscs

Doctor Bob wrote: »

So the next time I make love to a beautiful woman, would you recommend I follow it up with pillow talk where I compare the experience to riding a cargo bike?

Why wait for pillow talk?

Doctor Bob

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

Why wait for pillow talk?

Do you think it'd make a good chat-up line, or are you suggesting saying something during the act? That might make it more like off-road cargo-biking!

"And the trike has unseated its rider!"

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Just don't make any reference to your load.

"You're very beautiful, but I'm not sure you have sufficient capacity for my needs."?

You're probably right.

GTDolanator

petethedrummer wrote: »

What would be appropriate a Range Rover? a BMW X5? a Bradley Tank?

what a f**king moronic reply,of course not i cannot afford one.say your tootling down the road with a big heavy cargo bike with your two kids in it and you loose control???a childs body is alot more fragile than an adults and getting thrown out of one of these bikes is not going to be nice and possibly fatal.They were originally designed for cargo hence the name and adapted by idiots to transport children.This forum is a joke ive just got slated for expressing my views on CHILD SAFETY cop the f*uck on FFS

positron

Great thread!

How about one of these dublin taxi style designs (if you can buy them that is)...

Lumen

GTDolanator wrote: »

what a f**king moronic reply,of course not i cannot afford one.say your tootling down the road with a big heavy cargo bike with your two kids in it and you loose control???a childs body is alot more fragile than an adults and getting thrown out of one of these bikes is not going to be nice and possibly fatal.They were originally designed for cargo hence the name and adapted by idiots to transport children.This forum is a joke ive just got slated for expressing my views on CHILD SAFETY cop the f*uck on FFS

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

tomasrojo

GTDolanator wrote: »

what a f**king moronic reply,of course not i cannot afford one.say your tootling down the road with a big heavy cargo bike with your two kids in it and you loose control???a childs body is alot more fragile than an adults and getting thrown out of one of these bikes is not going to be nice and possibly fatal.They were originally designed for cargo hence the name and adapted by idiots to transport children.This forum is a joke ive just got slated for expressing my views on CHILD SAFETY cop the f*uck on FFS

I know some of the replies to your point were a bit sarky, but you might be over-reacting a little.

On the subject of cargo bikes going out of control, the two most discussed here are more stable than a normal bike. The Christiania is a tricycle, so it's really quite hard to overturn. In the bikes under discussion here, children are strapped in with Y-straps, or with modified car seats, so they wouldn't be thrown from the cargo bike.

I've been cycling two-wheeled bikes as a commuter for about twenty five years, and I've never lost control in the manner you describe.

Besides, cargo bikes are used in Denmark and the Netherlands very extensively and have no reputation for posing dangers to anyone, children or otherwise.

If there is a threat to your children in a cargo bike, it's from motorised traffic colliding with you. But they'd be safer than children on a bike seat or a trailer by quite a margin in that scenario.

petethedrummer

GTDolanator wrote: »

what a f**king moronic reply,of course not i cannot afford one.say your tootling down the road with a big heavy cargo bike with your two kids in it and you loose control???a childs body is alot more fragile than an adults and getting thrown out of one of these bikes is not going to be nice and possibly fatal.They were originally designed for cargo hence the name and adapted by idiots to transport children.This forum is a joke ive just got slated for expressing my views on CHILD SAFETY cop the f*uck on FFS

If you can't operate and maintain a bicycle correctly then maybe you shouldn't carry children on one. This is a school run we're talking about, not a descent from the Sally Gap.

Cargo bikes are specifically designed for carrying loads low down which would not greatly affect stability, unlike a child seat on a regular bike. You can also attached seatbelts. And I presume any decent metal fabricator could attach a roll bar if you planned on taking it off any sweet jumps.

thebouldwhacker

What about helmets?
why did you not mention helmets?
Do you not think you should put helmets on the childrens noggins to protect them from the hitting of the head on the doobie doobie dual carrageway when your drunk and crashing the cargo bike into the quarry wall full of bombs and priests...
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tomasrojo

That Savage Eye is surprisingly good. Really nailed how ghoulish Joe Duffy's show can be.

thebouldwhacker

Thats great but how does it make your feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel?

thntp

Hi, I personally have tried tricycle and two wheel cargo bikes.

Two wheeler vs three
My preference would be the two wheeler because more maneuverable. I found the tricycle a bit tricky to maneuver esp going up the designated kerb on to the cycle lane. No problem on the two wheeler cargo bike. Three wheeler is heavier too.

Two wheeler cargo vs trailer. I like the idea the box sits in front of the cyclist so the children could be observed while cycling. easier to chat to them while cycling too. Trailer feels less insecure. However it is substantially cheaper. The two wheeler cargo bike has rain tent and so is the trailer. Both protect children from the rain.

I have been looking around for used box bike on the net for almost a year because the new ones are quite dear. Alas I gave in and bought a new one from this place http://www.bear-bicycles.com/2-bike-shop. its located close to portobello and you could try it there. I ordered mine recently and arrived just last week.The rain tent comes extra.

Keep up the great discussion