where to get me a cargo bike

monument

I've a confession to make: I've never been great with fixing a bike -- taking the wheels off and changing the tires on the Bakfiets is about as far I've got.

This complicates things living in a town in Mayo and not knowing any bike shop locally willing to deal with hub gears etc -- I need to try harder to find a bike shop willing and able in a local town or send it to Dublin or go messing with the bike myself.

Lately the cargo bike has become a less central part of our transport as we've got a car (harder to do without one than in a city!), the cargo bike has become a bit much for cycling with our two boys and one has started to be able to cycle (on footpaths) as we use cycle lanes or low traffic streets. But I'm missing it while it's out of action.

tomasrojo

Changing the tyres on a bakfiets isn't trivial though!

I have yet to even get the chain guard off. I presume you just unscrew any visible screws until it can be pulled off?

'68 Fastback

I recently got a BikeParka XL for the Big Dummy and thought the peeps on this thread might like to know about it. It's replacing a very sub par Oxford cover that dissintegrated in a matter of months. The material seems very robust and stitching is taped well on the inside. The cover tucks under the front wheel and then pulls over the bike and is tucked under the rear. A draw chord pulls any loose excess in tight on the top.

I wasn't sure it was going to fit the length of the bike but I use it every day
now for three months or so and haven't had any issued pulling it over the bike. Not too sure how it would cope with a Bullitt style bike but maybe one to look at if you need to store your beloved mule outside.

halvis

Only had a quick flick through the thread, but didn't see a Bob trailer mentioned - http://www.bobgear.com/bike-trailers

Not a bike obviously, but can be fitted to almost any adult bike and therefore you don't have to buy a new bike.

Actually, check out this trailer too, its a work of art - http://julieracingdesig.canalblog.com/

Alternatively, Pashley make a few load carrying bikes.

macinalli

Hi all, just wondering if anybody has any experience buying in a cargo bike from abroad? I have family in Holland and there's a much bigger market for them there. They seem to have lots of brands that I've never heard of, but the prices for second hand / demo models from bike shops etc are a fraction of what a new bike costs here. Any feedback v welcome!

tomasrojo

68.9% of those surveyed changed their travel behavior after purchasing a cargo bike and the number of auto trips appeared to decline by 1–2 trips per day, half of the auto travel prior to ownership. Two key reasons cited for this change include the ability to get around with children and more gear.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847816303278

kenmc

macinalli wrote: »

Hi all, just wondering if anybody has any experience buying in a cargo bike from abroad? I have family in Holland and there's a much bigger market for them there. They seem to have lots of brands that I've never heard of, but the prices for second hand / demo models from bike shops etc are a fraction of what a new bike costs here. Any feedback v welcome!

Be difficult to transport, so pricy enough I think. You'd pay less than you would here for the bike, but the transport might bring the cost of the bike back up near what you'd pay here - if you can find one here of course is the hardest part

tomasrojo

Someone told me that they bought one in the Netherlands and transported it over for considerably less than they would have paid for it here, but I don't remember how they did it.

I'm not sure whether kenmc is saying that it's hard to find a stockist of cargo bikes here, but in Dublin there are a few (Greenaer, Think Bike and The Dutch Bike Shop, for example). I had no problem finding the one I wanted, and it was about the price I expected, all things considered.

kenmc

I was saying it'd be hard to find second hand ones. Know of all the dealers you've listed, sure I've a bullit myself. But they rarely show up second hand, and when they do it'd most likely be take what you can get

tomasrojo

I've seen them come up second-hand via Dara in Bee Cycles, and via IrishCycle.com on Twitter. Not often though.

tomasrojo

GreenAer were selling a demo model (bakfiets) for about €1300 a while back. Not sure whether they sold it in the end.

macinalli

Thanks for the feedback. I've been looking at marktplaats.nl - it's like a Dutch version of adverts and there are loads of bikes for sale. There are second hand, ex-demo, rebuilt and a lot of different brands. I'm thinking of something like a Babboe city for about €600 - even if the transport was €200, it would still seem a good deal? Am a bit wary of things that seem too good to be true!

kenmc

If you haven't already done so,try out a few different models here at dealers so you know what you're buying. Not all cargo bikes are created equal.

beazee

Looks like a Bullitt for sale in Dublin:
http://www.adverts.ie/hybrid-bikes/bullitt-cargo-bike/11710893

No photos though.

CramCycle

beazee wrote: »

Looks like a Bullitt for sale in Dublin:
http://www.adverts.ie/hybrid-bikes/bullitt-cargo-bike/11710893

No photos though.

Also 3,100? You could buy a complete one with a ton of high end accessories from thinkbike for that.

AltAccount

Is that Omri's bike?

Chuchote

kenmc wrote: »

Be difficult to transport, so pricy enough I think. You'd pay less than you would here for the bike, but the transport might bring the cost of the bike back up near what you'd pay here - if you can find one here of course is the hardest part

A couple of years back I had the chance of bringing over an ordinary but light and nice bike from Amsterdam, and someone here - I forget who - offered to bring it in his regular delivery van that travelled twice a week. It never happened because the bike was stolen outside the house in Amsterdam the day before it was to travel.

By the same token, it might be possible to do a deal with a bike shop that is bringing bikes over anyway that they'd add your cargo bike in with theirs for a fee. Or an importer of anything who'd have room in the truck.

'68 Fastback

Can anyone recommend a bottom bracket specifically for a cargo bike? Does such a thing even exist?

I've had my Big Dummy for just over a year now and I've worn out two bottom brackets, the Surly one that came with the bike and an Ultegra. I carry weight regularly, 75kg of me and up to 40kg of children and stuff. I was wondering if anyone has had the same issue?

Cheers

tomasrojo

Peter Walker in the Guardian writing about the joys of carrying lots of stuff by bike:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/mar/29/cycle-freight-why-the-bike-is-good-for-moving-more-than-people

Chuchote

A question about cargo bikes - do they come in different sizes, or are they adjustable for different size people in a family?

Effects

'68 wrote:

I've had my Big Dummy for just over a year now and I've worn out two bottom brackets, the Surly one that came with the bike and an Ultegra. I carry weight regularly, 75kg of me and up to 40kg of children and stuff.

What causes them to wear out? Extra force/pressure when starting off pushing the heavy load?

tomasrojo

Chuchote wrote: »

A question about cargo bikes - do they come in different sizes, or are they adjustable for different size people in a family?

They come in a big variety, but only a few are all that adjustable, I think. The Bullitt has two different passenger "inserts" (not sure that the right word is), for smaller children and larger children, and then they have inserts for actual cargo, rather than people.

The Bakfiets comes in a shorter option, which still will seat two children, but you can't turn it into a longer one later (or indeed scale down a longer one into a shorter one later).

Chuchote

tomasrojo wrote: »

They come in a big variety, but only a few are all that adjustable, I think. The Bullitt has two different passenger "inserts" (not sure that the right word is), for smaller children and larger children, and then they have inserts for actual cargo, rather than people.

The Bakfiets comes in a shorter option, which still will seat two children, but you can't turn it into a longer one later (or indeed scale down a longer one into a shorter one later).

Well, no, I meant in terms of the engine - the cyclst. Most of the people I've seen cycling them are big sturdy yokes. I'm more on the small-but-perfectly-formed line.
Pity you can't rent them easily and locally; really, my only thought would be to use one to bring an ancient dog past any real walking for enjoyable outings. Probably a silly idea.

mr spuckler

Chuchote wrote: »

Well, no, I meant in terms of the engine - the cyclst. Most of the people I've seen cycling them are big sturdy yokes. I'm more on the small-but-perfectly-formed line.
Pity you can't rent them easily and locally; really, my only thought would be to use one to bring an ancient dog past any real walking for enjoyable outings. Probably a silly idea.

there's a guy on my commute who has his dog up front on his cargo bike. the look on that dogs face every time i see them tells me you should just get a damn cargo bike for carrying your dog and so should everyone else!

Effects

Saw this dude at the recent lunchtime cycle protest.

mr spuckler

that's the same fella!

Effects

I love how dedicated he is to his dog that he bought an expensive bike to carry him around.

beazee

There's a FB group for everything: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1052131678168610/ (Cargo Bike Dogs)

iwillhtfu

Effects wrote: »

I love how dedicated he is to his dog that he bought an expensive bike to carry him around.

I regularly see an auld fella around my way cycling with the dog perched on the crossbar and handlebars. It's a neat trick and he travels a fair distance with him on there

Chuchote

Holy God

http://www.bikeshophub.com/blog/2013/02/12/bike-your-dog-to-work/