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Families Ditch Cars for Cargo Bikes

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Families Ditch Cars for Cargo Bikes

Old 04-26-15, 03:16 AM
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Families Ditch Cars for Cargo Bikes

Families Ditch Cars for Cargo Bikes

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/st...ikes.html?_r=1
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Old 04-26-15, 07:20 AM
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Nice article. I love cargo bikes. I hope they become popular enough to start filtering down the second-hand markets in a few years.
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Old 04-26-15, 07:36 AM
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Originally Posted by tandempower
Nice article. I love cargo bikes. I hope they become popular enough to start filtering down the second-hand markets in a few years.
They should be passed along, especially if people are using them mainly to schlepp their kids around.
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Old 04-26-15, 07:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Roody
They should be passed along, especially if people are using them mainly to schlepp their kids around.
Maybe repurposed after the kids get older.
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Old 04-28-15, 08:09 PM
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I used a cargo bike throughout the '90s. They can be convenient, but once the kids are big enough to sit on a saddle I much prefer putting them on the front of a rear-steer tandem and hauling other items in baskets or a trailer.
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Old 04-29-15, 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by B. Carfree
I used a cargo bike throughout the '90s. They can be convenient, but once the kids are big enough to sit on a saddle I much prefer putting them on the front of a rear-steer tandem and hauling other items in baskets or a trailer.
What did you do with the cargo bike when the kids outgrew it?
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Old 04-29-15, 11:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Roody
What did you do with the cargo bike when the kids outgrew it?
I gave it back to the person who built it. He used it for a while and then moved it along to other people. I did the same with the rear-steer tandem I rode my son around town on for years.

We also had an early incarnation of the trail-a-bike. We "loaned" it to another family because we rarely used it. When we wanted to use it again, they said they weren't done with it yet and we would have to wait. We got a good laugh out of that and were happy it was being used so much. I assume they passed it along in turn. Any family that uses bikes to get their kids around is precious to me, so I am more than happy to donate underutilized tools to help them keep it up.
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Old 04-30-15, 07:51 AM
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Originally Posted by B. Carfree
I gave it back to the person who built it. He used it for a while and then moved it along to other people. I did the same with the rear-steer tandem I rode my son around town on for years. I think this is especially true with kid's equipment, since a family typically only uses it for less than 10 years.

We also had an early incarnation of the trail-a-bike. We "loaned" it to another family because we rarely used it. When we wanted to use it again, they said they weren't done with it yet and we would have to wait. We got a good laugh out of that and were happy it was being used so much. I assume they passed it along in turn. Any family that uses bikes to get their kids around is precious to me, so I am more than happy to donate underutilized tools to help them keep it up.
That is very cool. Most of the time, "what goes around comes around" so it's always a good idea to pass along bikes and bike equipment. I think this is especially true with kid's equipment and bikes, since the typical family only uses it for only a few years until the kids outgrow it.

The other day I went on the next block over, where an old bike guy had about 25 bikes for sale--mostly old Huffys and Mongooses (Mongeese?). I was happy to see an old Giant MTB that I gave to a young guy about 3 years ago. It was marked at $45 and definitely had some issues. I have no idea how it ended up in that bike sale, but it brought back happy memories. I almost wanted to buy it back!
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Old 04-30-15, 01:58 PM
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I'm glad to see more interest in cargo bikes, and things like the DRT races that are springing up across the country help.

I am occasionally seeing used ones on Craigslist, but prices are still high (supply and demand).

Since I built mine, I've been watching a bit. It is rare that I'll see another cargo bike on the road. I have, however, see a lot of small trailers being used for cargo. I don't know if they were always there, and I just didn't notice them. But, almost every day I'll see a small cargo trailer.

I'm not sure about using a cargo bike for family hauling. I suppose there is an advantage of a dual-purpose bike. However, I'd probably throw young kids in a trailer, or use a bike seat on an ordinary bike, both relatively mature technologies. Then migrate to a tandem or afterburner. However, no doubt, the larger the family, the more groceries, so a cargo bike could come in handy.
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