NyoGoat

Continuing from my "Moral Support" thread. I'm ramping up to start my bike commute a few times a week. I recently moved and apparently i've misplaced a few things that i'm finding again, namely my headlight charger, my tail light and the strap for my panniers. Small things but I haven't started yet due to finding them (I had also misplaced my pump and repair kit, but I just bought a new one).

I ride a mountain bike with road slicks, i've watching for a road bike to make my commute easier (12 miles) My mentality has shifted in the last few months. I'd always wanted a road bike to get into road racing but i'm realizing that i'm more interested in (and would get more use out of) a more utility oriented bike. A good race bike won't have brazeons for a rear rack for example. So for now i'm left debating my bike.

I am very interested in an Xtra cycle or a surly big dummy with the family set up. (Wife, 4 kids ages 6, 4, 1.5, 1.5) Trying to convert to a more car lite lifestyle

I'm also interested in getting a better commuting road bike (I dunno, somthing like a surly cross check or long haul trucker or CAADX)

Do I go the route of getting my own commute bike or the route of bringing the whole family into the car lite lifestyle? I think I would use the cargo bike but I don't know if it would be great for a 12 mile commute. If i'm consistently commuting then a road bike would definitely get more ride time.

I think i'm leaning more towards a road bike but I still would love to have the cargo bike. What to do?!

JAG410

Both. I started with an Xtracycle, and then upgraded to a BD like many people do. I love my Big Dummy dearly, however my wife rides it more than I do! So if you get one, be forewarned that it might not be yours forever, so you'll need your own road bike too.

acidfast7

Christiania bike wins hands down ... I moved with one when I left CPH ... great for families as you can actually talk to the passengers compared to those ridiculous tow-behind options!

edit: also it's all IGH (Alfine 11) with hydraulic discs and dynamos for zero-maintenance and the "just leave it outside" life-style.

dynaryder

I would go with a BD over an Xtracycle conversion. I own a BD,and have had a couple Xtracycles come into my clinic,and using a purpose built frame is much better. The one piece design is much stronger,and the one Xtra owner was having front derailleur issues do to the Xtra's mounting location.

fietsbob

Another N+1 solution 1 of each.

DK designed TW produced, Larry vs Harry bullet Larry Vs. Harry | Cargo bike BULLITT, a fast cargo bike designed by Larry vs Harry, Copenhagen, Denmark is the other type .. heat treated aluminum frame load low and in front if you..


hour commute ? each way .. you Ok with that on any bike, now?

acidfast7

They're OK but a little narrow, or?

fietsbob

Ancient Narrow car free streets narrow may be Good

the old Danish Long Johns had a GVW and Max load Badge on the sides of those .. they were haulers the bullits are sprinters .

CETMA bolts together in the middle (saves shipping) , 3 load platform dimensions CARGO BIKES ? CETMA Cargo


The guy is also thinking road Bike The Bulitt is the frequent winner when they had cargo Bike Races ..

Just because the cargo area between the frame tubes is Narrow, no one is stopping anyone from making a wider cargo Box.

acidfast7

My point is, why go narrow at all? The bike I posted is much more usually friendly for a family. Three kids and a dog easy. I saw only a few BULLITTs in Copenhagen. many more in Frankfurt. That about sums it up.

CrankyOne

I'd mostly second the Christiania recommendation. Good cargo bikes and the guy who started the company is a great guy. And, I very strongly agree with having your kids up front rather than staring at your rump. Much more enjoyable for them and you, makes conversation easier, and they can see stuff a lot better. You can also mount a seat on the top tube of a city bike or stick a bobeke on your handlebars.

Of cargo bike options I'd rank them as:

Workcycles Kr8
Bakfiets.nl
Christiania (2 - wheel)
Christiania trike
Larry vs Harry
Big Dummy
Xtra Cycle

Avoid: Babboe

The Workcycles is the best riding of the bunch especially when you have a load. Bakfiets second and Christiania third but all fairly good. I think construction quality on all three is similar (Babboe is quite awful however). My biggest issue with the Larry vs Harry is that it can be really squirrelly. I think people that own them get use to it but I never did. I've not ridden a CETMA so no idea how it compares.

Personally I'd never get a Big Dummy or Xtra-cycle simply because I strongly prefer having kids up front and because the box bikes can carry a lot more stuff a lot easier.

FWIW, I have a bakfiets and absolutely love it.

spare_wheel

the christiana is fine bike truck but the $3500-4000 price is a bit steep for anyone who is not already living a car-free or car-light lifestyle.

acidfast7

sell the car and put your money where your mouth is.

equipment that lasts a lifetime isn't inexpensive.

CrankyOne

As acidfast7 said, sell a car. Car-lite or car-less may not always be practical though. When you add up the costs of driving for trips that can be done with a bakfiets though there may be enough savings there. For a rough number figure $1/mile. I put about 1200 miles per year on my bakfiets so assuming those would otherwise be in my truck ($1.20 / mile) that's about $1,400 per year savings (Fuel, tires, oil, maintenance, insurance) so I paid for my bakfiets in less than three years.

acidfast7

After living in CPH, I can understand that someone without the proper infrastructure would find a reasonable cargo bike, speaking of that, why has no one mentioned:


quite expensive. it's a big leap just like solar panels and geothermal heating.

pay more now, spend less later.

Darth Lefty 

Didn't you just buy some nasty little hatchback?

Giant Doofus

This part of your post makes me think that if you get a cargo bike, the box bike model isn't the way to go. You don't want to ride something that big back and forth to work 12 miles round trip every day. If the cargo bike is in addition to your commuter, though, it might be worth considering. I have a friend in town who rides all over the place with two kids on her Xtracycle. She can also haul a good amount of stuff even with the kids on the bike. Pretty awesome.

acidfast7

I paid for half of my gf's car! It's quite nice for getting into the countryside on the weekends when I visit her!

In fact, it was about the cost of 3-4 cargobikes.

spare_wheel

i don't need a cargo bike. i've carried home two cases of wine on my shopping bike (thick rhone village and cornas bottles most recently).

the only time i have driven more than a thousand miles in one year was when i moved cross-country. my 14 year old car has 60K on the odometer because i let my better half borrow my car for several years (52 mile commute in seattle). i will probably buy an electric car in a few years since it would allow the better half to stop driving her gas guzzling prius so much (45 mile round trip commute).

NyoGoat

So it seems that most are in favor of a cargo bike over a road bike. My budget limits me to just one, and the cargo bike is the more expensive option. I lean towards the big dummy (or Xtracycle) for the slimness of it, it will fit in my garage easier. Xtracycle makes the Edge runner that is a purpose built frame too right?

I'm very much in favor of the cargo cycle, i'm just wondering if i'll be better off getting the road bike first to bring in the commute. (I had a 5 to 7 mile commute where I lived 3 months ago, and that was no big deal. I'm a solid runner, I expect it will take a week or two to adjust but then a 12 mile commute won't be so bad)

Darth Lefty 

If that's 12 miles each way, my vote goes for the road bike. For 12 miles round trip maybe the truck is possible. If it's 24 round trip on the cargo bike, you're dedicating 2 hours out of every day to riding. I couldn't hack it with my health problems but others probably could.

MichaelW

I use a trailer for hauling cargo, a flat-bed version.
A road style commuter bike is perfectly do-able.
Look for practical features, tyre clearance, gearing, eyelets.
There are plenty of options between a race bike and a heavy-duty tourer.
eg disc CX bike,
light-tourer
clubman road bike.

You have your MTB for serious winter riding

rumrunn6

share with us what you wind up with and how you like it and if you have any buyers remorse. for me I had a fully rigged year round roadified hybrid set up with fenders. so the better months I used lighter road bikes with rear racks. but that's me. you know, if you buy used you can buy more bikes! :-)

acidfast7

good luck moving by bicycle or transporting children/dogs to and from daycare / hunddagis on a regular bike.

spare_wheel

sure...but as a dink i can rent electric cars by the hour so a cargo bike seems wasteful.

tjspiel

Sturdy road bike + trailer. Toss a couple of snacks and books in the trailer and kids will be snoozing before you know it. No conversation necessary. Quality kid trailers fold up nicely and can double as a jogging or standard stroller.

Loose the trailer for the commute.

When the kids out grow the trailer, attach a tag along to your bike instead and let them help out. I've actually seen a train of bike+tag along+trailer.

acidfast7

dogs go to daycare every day! bike is better for them

Hunddagis ? Wikipedia