My Bilenky from birth...to almost here :)

[xcapekey]

Hey all...thought that this might be of interest to this forum...I'm having a Bilenky cargo bike made and it has been fun seeing it slowly come to fruition...I'm a photographer and I get around by bicycle. I've been using an Xtracycle for the last few years, but have decided to give the Bilenky a try...partly because it will make a great head turner and will hopefully also be a great marketing piece...

Anyway..here are the pics...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/2292287864_928599f83f.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2055/2292287964_1d20c794bf.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2168/2340804851_991d1554ab.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2060/2369008956_fe709e058a.jpg

[dwnptrl_777]

Hey all...thought that this might be of interest to this forum...I'm having a Bilenky cargo bike made and it has been fun seeing it slowly come to fruition...I'm a photographer and I get around by bicycle. I've been using an Xtracycle for the last few years, but have decided to give the Bilenky a try...partly because it will make a great head turner and will hopefully also be a great marketing piece...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2060/2369008956_fe709e058a.jpg

Great sign work, let alone that swingin' frame! Keep the pix comin'!

[wallace125]

I am so revved by anything that bilenky builds.
Everytime I get enough money to place an order, suddenly I have to pay for tuition again.
Are you the photographer in Union Square?

[xcapekey]

No...I'm actually on the left coast (Long Beach, CA)...I'm super excited about the cargo bike...did a fair amount of research and in the end the bilenky came out on top...

Bakfiets - 2x heavier, built for internal hubs only, $$$ to ship
Long John - hard to find, internal hubs
CAT Long Haul - good price, good specs, too long of a delivery time, sketchy customer service
Bilenky - moderately priced between everything, good customer service, customizeable paint and components, they ship using amtrak (much cheaper), sign plate

You can read about me here:
http://wholelifetimes.com/2008/01/oor_greenphotog0801.html
http://www.greendaily.com/2008/01/04/eco-friendly-bicycling-photographer/
http://russroca.blogspot.com

[Elkhound]

No...I'm actually on the left coast (Long Beach, CA)...I'm super excited about the cargo bike...did a fair amount of research and in the end the bilenky came out on top...

Bakfiets - 2x heavier, built for internal hubs only, $$$ to ship
Long John - hard to find, internal hubs

What's wrong with internal hubs? The late, great Sheldon Brown (RIP) liked them: http://sheldonbrown.com/internal-gears.html They are certainly neater than derailleurs, with everything tucked away inside, and being able to shift at a standstill is certainly an advantage.

[xcapekey]

Well...there's nothing inherently wrong with them, but for my specific uses they won't work....I'm talking about riding with 100+ lbs of gear, over-long distances as fast as I can....

I think most real longjohns were only single speeds or three speeds...not enough for me..

The Bakfiets has an eight speed, which I think is fine for most, but I specifically want a derailleur set-up because I control the spacing and the gear range better than with an internal hub....

I want something that I can repair or replace easily when I am out and about....for me, atleast, the internal hub (short of a rolhoff) isn't going to cut it...

[AllenG]

Well...there's nothing inherently wrong with them, but for my specific uses they won't work....I'm talking about riding with 100+ lbs of gear, over-long distances as fast as I can....

I think most real longjohns were only single speeds or three speeds...not enough for me..

The Bakfiets has an eight speed, which I think is fine for most, but I specifically want a derailleur set-up because I control the spacing and the gear range better than with an internal hub....

I want something that I can repair or replace easily when I am out and about....for me, atleast, the internal hub (short of a rolhoff) isn't going to cut it...

I'm a photog and use an xtracycle.
The NuVinci hub is more than capable of handling the loads you are carrying and is 1/3 to 1/4 the price of the Rohloff. 250% gear range, about the same as the 5 to 8 speed IGHs and it's continuously variable, so you have absolute control of your gear spacing. I've got several thousand miles on my NuVinci and it has not needed a thing as far as maintenance.
I also have a few Rohloff equipped bicycles, and of all the IGHs I've ridden or owned, the Rohloff and NuVinci are in their own class.

[xcapekey]

Do you use the Xtracycle for gigs? How much do you carry and how far?

Doesn't the NuVinci weight like 11 lbs? I'm already hauling between 50-100lbs on shoots...i know at some point weight doesn't matter, but I'd like to cut some down where I can...how much weight do you regularly put on the Nuvinci hub?

I'm really just not sold on any IGH (except for the Rolhoff but I don't have that kind of $$$ for it) for heavy loads...

Sometimes I'm riding 50 miles a day with 50lbs of gear....I haven't seen anything that talks about the Nuvinci used for touring or even tandem use...

My main problem with internal hubs for what I'm doing...aside from the typically limited gear range (250% isn't enough) is having something go wrong when I'm in the middle of nowhere....chances are I'd be able to find a cheap derailleur replacement before I find a shop that has even heard of a Nuvinci or Rolhoff...

That said, I have an Alfine hub that I'm planning to build a fun city bike with....

But as far as a serious beast of burden that is always carrying weight over distances...I'm going to stick to something that can be serviced by any hole in the wall bike shop...i don't even use index shifters for that reason...if something goes wrong it has to be transparent and fixable, without popping open planetary gears or building a new wheel...

[AllenG]

Not to weddings, but to any other gig within 10-12 miles I'll use it. And I used it for hauling equipment back and forth to the studio when it was downtown. I never weighed my different kits, but if I have a family and kids shoot, I'll usually carry two or three light heads and stands, usually umbrellas and sometimes a softbox, and my camera gear in a pelican case (usually two bodies, two-three lenses), and a tripod.

The rear wheel weighs 12.5 pounds. It is heavy. I don't plan on touring with it, but after several thousand miles I've not had the first issue with it. I think the NuVinci may be the most robust of the hubs I own.