Originally Posted by
Roody
That's a messed up analogy. Do you really believe that Americans and Europeans should shun gears on a cargo bike? We have the money to buy them, and repairs and replacements are readily available. I bet if he could afford them and repair them, the average Zimbabwean cargo hauler would LOVE to have some gears.
No I did not mean to imply that. All I was arguing against was the mentality from another poster that a cargo bike without gears was necessarily a poor design. DahonSteve wrote, "How can you ride a 50 lb bike while carrying a heavy load on a single speed?" This is all I was responding to and wanted to point out that in some/many situations a single speed cargo bike might be preferable. In Shanghai for instance, I doubt that every cyclists is riding SS out of economic necessity. You can by a derailleur in China for under 8$ and a whole full suspension, multi-gear bike for well under $50.