Utility Cycling - Chi-Comm Cargo Trike

Had to put these pics in the utility
thread. Sorry for the crappy camera
phone images--

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z149/motelnoir/ComTrike.jpg

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z149/motelnoir/chicomTrikeR.jpg

Looks like a Chinese cycle pickup truck!! Neat!!

I want one. It's the right size for someone to sit in the back with an SKS and shoot down the running dog capitalists.

I want one. It's the right size for someone to sit in the back with an SKS and shoot down the running dog capitalists.

or to fold and cut paper tigers out of one's copy of the redbook

Versatile. :)

I really like that design of utility trike. Some time ago I was faced with the choice of buying either a Chinese trike like that one, or a Thai bicycle sidecar rickshaw. Unfortunately I couldn't afford to buy both :(
I went with buying the rickshaw, but I wish I could have bought that trike too......

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/3439/rickshawoq4.jpg

that side car is awesome ^^ functionality is great--you can
take the bike off and ride it alone when necessary.

It'd be cool to have a pedicab/ bike-rickshaw- but there's one on Ebay right now and it's not going cheap.

It'd be cool to have a pedicab/ bike-rickshaw- but there's one on Ebay right now and it's not going cheap.

I paid just under $NZ300.00 for mine, but some folk do get a bit hungry with pricing. There's an 'antique' shop down in the township that has a Thai rickshaw that's a wee bit more ornate than mine and they want over $NZ1000.00 for it :eek:

Hook a trailer up to the trike and you could haul some serious stuff!

I think in the US, there are a number of cities that have active pedicab businesses, and in those places, they will go for quite a bit of money- they are being compared to new ones, which are $2,000-$3,000 or so for the better ones. The one I was looking at is over $1,000 with several days left to go. For a cool ride, I'd pay a couple of hundred, but not a couple of thousand.

Generally, these things are sold for local pickup only, so it may be a while before I see any in my area.

There is also a pedicab trailer currently in the auctions, but starting bid on it is $1,500 or so.

Kaiju-Velo- is there a story behind your original picture? I assume this was spotted in China somewhere?

^^^
no--the bike was in my LBS--Ken's Bike and Ski in
Davis, CA. Some people call Davis the People's Republic
of Davis--but that's the extent of the similarity--
apparently the owner brought it in to be repaired.

I really like that design of utility trike. Some time ago I was faced with the choice of buying either a Chinese trike like that one, or a Thai bicycle sidecar rickshaw. Unfortunately I couldn't afford to buy both :(
I went with buying the rickshaw, but I wish I could have bought that trike too......

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/3439/rickshawoq4.jpg

wow--Sianelle, I just noticed how much fork rake your bike has--is it a super smooth
ride?

wow--Sianelle, I just noticed how much fork rake your bike has--is it a super smooth
ride?

Yes it's a pretty smooth ride :) The bike is a Chinese 'Phoenix' brand and is pretty much their agricultural heavyweight farm model, though mine seems to have aquired 'Wu Yang' forks and whoever fitted them as replacements for the originals didn't have much of a clue how to set them up to work properly with the spring loaded fork braces. I really do need to give the Phoenix bike a proper going over and a service though; - and somebody in the past has given it a rough handpaint with matt black paint which needs to be improved on.
It's no lightweight and the whole rig has been built with no consideration given to keeping the weight down. The sidecar body is largely constructed of wood with a steel skin and is pretty robust. The folding top and its bows need work due to having being raised and lowered a little too often without releasing the stays properly, but overall it's all in good shape.

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/3439/rickshawoq4.jpg

Sianelle,that is an awesome rig!If I had somerthing like that I'd be using it as a pedicab.Wow,wood covered with metal.No lightweight for sure.Must be signifigantly easier to pedal with the top down.That's a nice colour of green,you should paint the bike to match.Thanks for sharing such a cool ride with us.:beer:

Sianelle,that is an awesome rig!If I had somerthing like that I'd be using it as a pedicab.Wow,wood covered with metal.No lightweight for sure.Must be signifigantly easier to pedal with the top down.That's a nice colour of green,you should paint the bike to match.Thanks for sharing such a cool ride with us.:beer:

Green has always been my favourite colour and you're quite right about suggesting that I paint the bike to match the sidecar. A classic green frame would look very nice indeed. The upholstery is in reasonably good condition, but the sidecar body does need a little touch up work on the paintwork here and there.

These things are all over here in China. However, it is nearly impossible to ship them, or any other bicycles, from China. If there really is an interest, I can check what it would cost to send over a container. I can assure you that the shipping will cost more than the product. I am still looking for a way to ship my bicycle back to the States..