Utility Cycling - My Long John cargo bike

I got my Long John last weekend.
It rides great, but the one gear is quite low. That's great when climbing up hills, but quite limiting if you're trying to go faster than 10 mph. A Nexus 8-speed hub would probably be a great improvement so that's first on my list of possible upgrades.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1089/nimitzoy1.jpg

The first trip was just five miles to the store to get a few things. These bikes are rated for 220 lbs of cargo so this wasn't even beginning to get close to the limit. :)

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4466/nimitz2qp4.jpg

It's slow, heavy and very practical for hauling heavy stuff. I'll probably upgrade it to a geared hub, put a drum brake in the front, and switch the saddle to a Brooks B66.

/s-o

And there's also a paint job scheduled yes?:eek:

Wow! This is incredible. I never thought I'd see another one of these for a long time, let alone about two weeks....
A customer came by the shop recently with one, he was looking for tires as his were wearing out and cracking. The weird part was his tire size. He had something super strange, like a 23" or something bizarre.
He said he liked his a lot other then the obscurities. One of his complaints was the gearing too. Both of yours have the clearance for a more common 24" rim. Most shops can't cut those over sized spokes or drill out nexus 8 hubs for the over sized spokes you've got on the wheels....
We spent a lot of time mulling (drooling) over his weird bike.
Can I ask where you got it? The guy that stopped by had gotten his on craigslist--somewhat on a whim.
A cool ride for sure. Have fun!
-Dylan

I was thinking that front tire looks more like a motorcycle tire or something. But very cool ride. Know who made these or when?

awesome...I am in awe.

@Nightshade:
Paintjob? Why would I do something like that? :-p
On the other hand I have named this bike "Nimitz", so battle ship gray would probably be a good idea :-)

@Diggidy_Dylan (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=82955):
I got this in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The wheels are moped/motorcycle wheels, so the rear tire is indeed a 23 x 2". Quite the contrast to the skinny ProRace3-tires on my long distance bike.

@StephenH (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=101467):
This one is built by SCO in Denmark in the eighties, and I believe the same model is still made by Monark here in Sweden. There's a FAQ at http://www.longjohn.org/ .

/s-o

@Nightshade:
Paintjob? Why would I do something like that? :-p
On the other hand I have named this bike "Nimitz", so battle ship gray would probably be a good idea :-)

@Diggidy_Dylan (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=82955):
I got this in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The wheels are moped/motorcycle wheels, so the rear tire is indeed a 23 x 2". Quite the contrast to the skinny ProRace3-tires on my long distance bike.

@StephenH (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=101467):
This one is built by SCO in Denmark in the eighties, and I believe the same model is still made by Monark here in Sweden. There's a FAQ at http://www.longjohn.org/ .

/s-o

+1 On battleship gray; however, I think Hiviz Yellow or Blaze Orange would be more practical

+1 On battleship gray; however, I think Hiviz Yellow or Blaze Orange would be more practical

and a whole lot safer