WINNER!
Also, is it just me or does that bottom bracket seem perilously low?
[quote=biekridder]civia halstead kind of blows.
even at cost it’s a rip off.
the brakes, wheels, and levers are super cheap.
kickstand is poorly designed/bike falls over with any sort of load. it rides well, but is slow with a load and doesn’t carry a load that great. can’t ride it no handedly with any sort of load coz handlebars immediately get the death shimmy.[/quote]
[quote=biekridder]civia halstead kind of blows.
even at cost it’s a rip off.
the brakes, wheels, and levers are super cheap.
kickstand is poorly designed/bike falls over with any sort of load. it rides well, but is slow with a load and doesn’t carry a load that great. can’t ride it no handedly with any sort of load coz handlebars immediately get the death shimmy.[/quote]
[quote=miguelaron]oh shit.
just saw this
want so bad[/quote]
That would be my coworker Tom’s “Halstracycle”. Have testridden. Doesn’t feel nearly as cartoonish as it looks.
looks like the freeradical is dropping the BB an inch or so
The Halstead’s geometry is beyond fucked, it’s like they didn’t look at any real cycletrucks or actually test it before diving headfirst into production. Maybe they just assumed that it’s supposed to handle shitty with a front load because all the other bikes they’ve ridden do.
Soma made the same mistake with their prototype but realized it sucked, asked for advice, and fixed it before production.
what are these mistakes and fixes?
what geometry should one look for and avoid on a front loader? gimme some numbers?
and i totally just saw your recommendations on geometry on page 1 just now…
[quote=Face]kona ute is spec’d way better and goes for $1249
yuba has no excuse[/quote]
Except for the part where the Yuba is way more capable. Those things are tanks, but they are super cargo bikes. 48 spoke, 26" wheels as compared to 32 spoke (?) 29" wheels. Way higher cargo load limit. Very stiff with a load, ride just fine, and the components will definitely get the job done even if they don’t set a bike nerd’s heart aflutter.
The newest version of the Yuba is no longer super cheap, but I believe the spec has been improved versus the original 6spd referenced above. But I’m not surprised it’s not as comparably well spec’ed for its price point as a bike from Kona or Trek… Yuba is a tiny fish by comparison and I can’t imagine they command the same wholesale component costs as the competition.
The Ute and Trek Transports are cute ideas, but get the majority of the load distributed in back of the rear axle… due to an unfortunately short wheelbase, I guess, or just clueless designers. Or most likely, they were designing to an overall footprint that would minimize shipping costs, but then had to put the bags way back to avoid heelstrike… probably thinking their customers would never really carry much more than relatively lightweight groceries or similar.
Even with the extra stiffness imparted by the aluminum frame, IMHO they are really nowhere near as capable of a significant load as a Mundo/Xtracycle/Big Dummy. I think the bags have been improved over time, but they’re still too small and put the load too high, and too far back, versus an Xtracycle/Big Dummy or Mundo.
Compare & contrast:
The real low price winner on the cargo bike front is the Sun Atlas, an Xtracycle-compatible rig that I think has a lot of promise (haven’t ridden one yet). Haven’t seen one in person but I hope they are a success.
IMHO, YMMV, ATMO, etc.
I count 36 spokes on the ute, but that’s I’ll I have way of contribution. Can get my friend’s input as he just bought one for living in/teaching in UC San Marcos.
Also, looking at the pics, I don’t see the worry of heel strike with the pedals, but that could be the size of bikes and pics that contribute to that.
[quote=surfcat]The real low price winner on the cargo bike front is the Sun Atlas, an Xtracycle-compatible rig that I think has a lot of promise (haven’t ridden one yet). Haven’t seen one in person but I hope they are a success.
[/quote]
Would like to check this out. My wife is into the idea of a longtail but only if we can both ride it, and I think with what looks like a slacker seat tube it might be possible with this. Plus cheap.
[quote=surfcat]Except for the part where the Yuba is way more capable. Those things are tanks, but they are super cargo bikes. …
Compare & contrast:…
The real low price winner on the cargo bike front is the Sun Atlas, an Xtracycle-compatible rig that I think has a lot of promise (haven’t ridden one yet). Haven’t seen one in person but I hope they are a success[/img]
IMHO, YMMV, ATMO, etc.[/quote]
That one post just condensed the amount of useful info found in some forums. Nice. Saved, and you’ve convinced me what my next bike should be.
Also, FWIW, I’ve seen Yubas up close. The construction on those things is BURLY. They also have something like 12-15 places for water bottle braze-ons throughout the frame, so you can attach all sorts of stuff everywhere, like batteries for lights and those small tent racks from Salsa.
I’ve ridden a couple Yubas and the newer ones really are well put together. My understanding is that the design comes from a guy who used to work at Xtracycle, and his goal was basically to take everything he’d learned from the X and build a no-BS, no-holds-barred cargo bike. I could be wrong but it’s possible the Yuba came out slightly ahead of the Big Dummy - or anyways, at very close to the same time. They are totally kickass.
However - use the online shopping tool and you’ll see that by the time you add the centerstand (mandatory IMHO if you want to carry smaller kids, and definitely way less hassle when loading the bike with cargo versus a kickstand), and one or two of those gigantic bags, you’re basically getting very close to the cost of a Big Dummy complete.
The Big Dummy is slightly lighter and a little more nimble-feeling, a little more aggressive seating position if you go with the stock complete setup, and has a better component spec. But honestly, how important are the components? I put 3 1/2 years and easily thousands of miles on my Xtracycle which still had the original, 20 year old Exage 500 drivetrain and it did just fine (I did have to upgrade to Avid v-brakes and levers, but that’s only because the Xtracycle kit isn’t compatible with cantilevers - no cable hanger). As long as it shifts well and you have enough gear range to get your load up whatever your steepest hill is, who gives a fuck what label is on it?
Anyways, tl; dr: the Yuba is a sweet ride at a pretty nice price point. Definitely worth a test ride.
Rode a Bullitt cargo bike on the weekend. First couple of hundred yards I couldn’t steer it straight at all, kept going 2 feet left and right. Made me feel like a cycling noob. Anyway, got the hang of it a bit after that. Was really sweet! Then I almost stacked it comin’ in hot into the owner’s garage.
Shame they are so expensive.
If you’re stateside: fuck a bullitt, go for the Bilenky.
Bullitt plusses: lower COG, great kickstand.
Bilenky doesn’t have as great of a kickstand, but the steering is tons better, and the COG thing doesn’t come into too big effect until you have a shit ton of weight. I had a long discussion with the Cargo Bike world champion about this just sunday, who got a crack in his bullitt (Larry vs Harry is from the same city, sponsored him with the bike) but can’t warranty it.
The Bilenky cargo bike is awesome:
And Stephen Bilenky is awesome:
(He’s the beard)
Plus the ladies love Bilenky.
He also builds a mean longtail.
http://bikeportland.org/photos/album/72157622663908570/bilenky-chuckwagon.html
IT MOVED.
THEN MOVED SOME MORE.