Utility Cycling - favorite features of your utility bike (for a builder)

Hi,

I am a biker who commutes essentially only by bike. I use my XtraCycle for shopping and a Trek 520 for other trips. I love both of my bikes for different reasons.

I am also in a metal working class and have been learning to weld. The instructor has been great and has let me explore "out of the box" projects.

My next class will be a "design and weld" project in which we start with an idea, work through the design, and then weld it together.

I am strongly considering a cargo bike for my next project.

I have been lucky enough to borrow a bakfiets while in the netherlands and I loved it. I am thinking of making a handmade bike similar to the bakfiets.

I have done several google searches and forum searches for photos and ideas. I would be very appreciative if some folks with access to bakfiets would post photos of the bikes, especially the steering linkages. Also, any ideas or suggestions about features that they most liked would be great. The more detailed the photos and responses, the better.

Thanks from a hopeful builder.

http://www.workcycles.com/workbike/bicycles/bakfiets.nl/bakfiets.nl-cargobike-long-child-transport-bike.html

If you do a longtail make the rear wheel small so one can keep the center of gravity low with heavy loads.

I so far like my Yuba Mundo bike.

1. Rock Solid Kickstand
2. Disk Brakes
3. Rack mounts or a rear end that will accept Xtracycle components.

I really like the rain canopy on the bakfiets for keeping my kids warm and dry.
I find the cockpit on the bakfiets cramped and the brakes too unpredictable for hills.
I really like running wide tires on cargo bikes - I would like lots of clearance for them.

For a bakfiets aka: a "Boxbike" design, I would say that the following traits would be nice:

(Agree with coldbike) make the cockpit more roomy, IE make the geomtry a little less cramped and upright, something aimed toward a mountainbike cockpit/geometry, but not too stretched so you have decent slow speed balance/manueverability.

I also agree that more room for bigger volume tires with fender mounts is a good idea, and would add that maybe a "29er" mountain bike wheel in the rear, coupled with a 24" in front would be slick.

Make accomodations for a Stokemonkey (http://cleverchimp.com/products/stokemonkey/) if you're so inclined, it might be a nice addition, and these have been installed on bakfiets bikes.

Disc brakes front & rear, with accommodations for full run housing and thoughtfully placed fender eyelets to work around the disc brakes.

I personally like Eccentric Bottom Brackets with vertical dropouts in back, and that's how I would do one if I was building. It makes for a clean chainline, easy wheel removal for tire repairs and easy set up with no dangling chain tensioners for internal gear hub set-ups.

Lastly, check out what the folks over at CETMA (http://www.cetmaracks.com/CETMAcargo.htm), Metrofiets (http://www.metrofiets.com/), and Bullitt (http://www.larryvsharry.com/english/Bullitt.html) have done while building theirs. They all have nice design ideas to look over.

I am just starting a project exactly like this, and just got a steel 29er mountain bike frame with an Eccentric BB, plenty of tire clearance and nice breezer style vertical dropouts, it's going to be a fun project.

Hi,

I would be very appreciative if some folks with access to bakfiets would post photos of the bikes, especially the steering linkages. Also, any ideas or suggestions about features that they most liked would be great. The more detailed the photos and responses, the better.

Thanks from a hopeful builder.

http://www.workcycles.com/workbike/bicycles/bakfiets.nl/bakfiets.nl-cargobike-long-child-transport-bike.html

Dear Bike Forum folks,

Thanks for your kind replies. I am sketching out my design now. I also had the random good luck that Lane Kagay just posted photos of his great design in the thread...
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=485469

I will post photos as I build next term, though I don't think I can improve much on Lane's design.

He also posted photos at his site
http://www.cetmaracks.com/CETMAcargo.htm

I am in awe and hope to do something barely approaching as good in my class.