Utility Cycling - Who needs a car for Xmas errands when I have my Xtracycle?

I took my kids today to get a Christmas tree on our Xtracycle with a trailer attached. Rode great and my kids loved it. Not missing the car at all (It helps that the high was 78 in Austin today less than a week before Christmas!)

More pictures and an article about the experience on my blog: http://austinbikeblog.org/2008/12/20/xmas-xtracycle

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/3123971722_104ff71841.jpg?v=0

The Bakfiets that you reviewed looks awkward and takes up quite a bit of room on the front. So far the only integrated transportation bikes available are Kona's Ute and the Yuba Mundo. There's a market for well-designed sports utility bikes but the major bicycle manufacturers haven't caught on. My favorite interpretation of the SUB is the Velorbis Short John. Cetma manufactures nice utility front racks and David Hembrow also offers Dutch cargo racks for his extra large wicker basket. An industrial strength rack would also be good to have for the rear, like on the Short John - if there was one on the market. For now, the Xtracycle is the main way to go in the utility bike market but this Christmas season, Americans face a poverty of utility bike choices. Your report on bringing a Christmas tree home shows the potential that can be realized with the bicycle. Its too bad the bicycle industry is still for the most part, not aware about both the need and the demand to make bikes more efficient, more versatile and most importantly, more fun to ride!

It just ain't right!!!!!

Bringing home a Christmas tree in short sleeves and pants.....

It's -10F here this morning, with a 2-30 MPH wind, gusts to 45. It's the first day of winter, for sure!

I find myself driving all over the metroplex trying to round up the presents for everyone. There's some good planning involved if you can do it all by bike.

The Bakfiets that you reviewed looks awkward and takes up quite a bit of room on the front. So far the only integrated transportation bikes available are Kona's Ute and the Yuba Mundo.

What about the Rans Hammertruck, the Surley Big Dummy, and the Madsen KG271?

The Bakfiets that you reviewed looks awkward and takes up quite a bit of room on the front. So far the only integrated transportation bikes available are Kona's Ute and the Yuba Mundo.

My comparison of the Xtracycle and Bakfiet (http://austinbikeblog.org/2008/10/15/bakfiet-versus-xtracycle-whats-the-best-way-to-haul-stuff-on-a-bike/)s in the end sided with the Xtracycle as a better do everything bike and more in the way of component choices. I think as a dedicated cargo bike (assuming you have another general purpose bike for regular riding), the Bakfiets is a better choice. It's more versatile for hauling different things. It is not awkward to ride, but loading it definitely improves the ride.

As for the Ute and Yuba, I've not ridden either, so I can't say.

If you look at their cost, they are still very much niche market products. I'm not saying they're bad - in fact I think having more choices is a good thing but you don't see coverage of the utility cycling market in the bike magazines. They're not aware of this just like they missed the mountain bike boom in the 1980s. True - gas is cheap again but all things being equal that won't last forever and people are going to want to free themselves from having to spend their hard-earned dollars on gas as much as they can. And new products will emerge to meet that demand. It is there.

There's also the Dutch Gazelle Cabby. It won the Dutch Design Award and for medium hauls, it may be the ticket.

http://www.gazelle.nl/nl/collectie/2009/stadsfietsen/specials/cabby/

A picture is here:

http://www.gazelle.nl/nl/images/fietsen/2009_specials_cabby_t7_uni_group.jpg

Looks like a fairly interesting front cargo loader utility bike.