I traded one of my folders for store credit, sold a bed, sold a vintage reel to reel and have only $290 left to squeeze out of craigslist land before I have the dosh to pick up a Madsen bucket at my LBS. My wife won't let me sell the car...

I have enough for an Xtra conversion on my hybrid, but the seatbelts of the bucket are just going to work better for my daycare drop off day commutes with my 3 and 5 year olds.

Congrats. The bucket Madsen does look like an excellent kid hauler for up to 4 relatively small ones with the additional seat option and the bucket looks like it will be convenient for groceries or acting as a drink cooler. It does look from the photos like the bucket is large enough so that it would be easy to overload it.

Good luck with your purchase. I understand about scrounging up cash to purchase something like that, that's why I'm gathering parts to build my own Madsen style cargo bike ;-) If I could, I'd buy a new one or a newer one, but it just seems like this design is one that could be constructed by a do it yourselfer. I'll find out.

Do write about your experiences when you get it.

I noticed you're from Reno, tatfiend. Without being specific, what part of town, if you don't mind my asking?

I jumped on it today-- my other bike was finished with its wheel truing early, and I was most of the way there. It was a floor model that had been out for some time, so I asked them to give it a thorough once over tomorrow morning before I come to pick it up.

So I'll have it by tomorrow afternoon! I opted for the cream. Not as slick looking as the black, but the bucket will be cooler to the touch and to sit in if it's out in the sun. We live by the beach, so this is key.

Tat fiend-- I get the whole DIY approach. We have a tandem cruiser 7 speed that I worked on making into a kid hauler. But in the end, the weight was further back on the rear wheel, the thing was heavy as heck and just not as solid and safe.

I ride some pretty major distances in traffic with my kids, so the extra bucks for the bucket are worth it for my uses. We already have a trailer for hitting the local beach boardwalk and parks-- we can squeeze them in together, but they're lanky kids.

The bucket should serve us for quite a while-- until our 3 year old is a good bit older. I might sell it on then or just keep it around-- lord knows the boys and the neighborhood kids will have fun with it!