Anyone have experience with these Madsen bikes? I keep seeing this one at the beach but missing its owner. Seems pretty sweet.
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Oh gods no. Alfine di2.
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Never seen one in person but they seem to have a big and happy following
They’re a local company but I don’t recall seeing one yet in my suburb-ish area. A local guy I follow on twitter seems to like his.
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It’s sort of a dedicated kid carrier. Kind of an odd choice for pure cargo.
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lol yeah that seems suboptimal but it is reminding me I need to be more brave about Home Depot trips on my longtail again
Though my current needs are three bundles of shingles and maybe half a dozen 40lb pavers so I think that’s when the car gets fired up
Do you know how many boxes of diapers you can carry on a longtail?
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I met Taylor back when he was a reporter for the Bend paper. Lost track when he moved to SLC but seems to be deep in urbanism Twitter now.
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I think I need an e-cargo bike but idk where to even start looking
I do know driving is a pain in the dick and riding a bike is way better
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He also writes for this site these days which is heavy in urbanism development.
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What’s your use case? Just general cargo? How much cargo and what kind?
IMO this shop is an excellent place to start.
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yeah, what you gonna use it for? budget? what do you want it to ride like?
Yeah just general cargo; groceries, camp stuff, whatever. No kids, no lumber, no yard work needs.
Budget 3-4k, I’d like one versatile or adjustable enough for me at 5’10" to ride and my 5’6" wife to ride. I do want a long range battery or a dual battery option though, I see some bikes, likely cheaper or lower end, with 20-30 mile range and that seems pretty limiting; I want to throw camp stuff on the bike and ride out to the ferry then ride around a place then get back home again.
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shartmo if you are a tinkerer you should look into kits like the TSDZ2
Main drawbacks are the DIY aspect and maybe weatherproofing in a place like Seattle (I don’t know that that’s a problem but I just assume factory e-bikes are better at this)
The plus is that you can get more bang for your buck in battery size and power, as well that you can build the bike any way you want. Like if you want to do a Clydesdale build you can electrify that.
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I’ve got over 60 miles with a single battery and camping load on an xtracycle: it’s about pedaling all the time and coasting downhill. the range estimates are just that.
I have a benno ejoy that with panniers and a dropper could be a good bike. it’s got a front and rear rack and is a step through. I’d sell it for $2000 as is.
otherwise check out g$o, tern xtracycle, and so on. I’d avoid a long john for anything besides commuter and errands use unless you really really want one.
Jim what about home logistics, do you have indoor parking limitations, etc?
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There’s three large secure bike storage rooms in my building, all badge controlled and in the underground garage. I’m not too worried about security and there’s a ton of space in each room (plus quick lock up racks all over the place, both outside and inside). I guess if I had to put the bike in the elevator it would be tricky, but that’s about the only limitation I can think of.
I guess I should figure out if there are any power outlets in those rooms though.
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You can charge most batteries off the bike and that probably wouldn’t be a bad idea in this case regardless