skijor

Yesterday I was pumped to talk to my somewhat-LBS about the BD. I got my Waterford there and trust their input. After expressing interest in the BD, they asked the right questions that made me realize the BD is a niche within a niche...one that I don't fall into.

1.Too awkward to maneuver where I'd need to (especially through doorways).
2. Too heavy/bulky to transport.
3. Too heavy for light touring (excepting those of you with massive guads)
4. Can do my kind of errands with a great all-arounder bike like a Fargo or maybe a Rock Tour.
5. Can't find one of the damn things in the entire state just to look at, let alone try out. This was huge. I'm not buying any bike I can't see in person.

Other candidates for a commuter/utility/tourer/infrequent mtb are the Troll, Vaya, Ala Carte, Cross Check, convert current mtb (Spec Stumpy Pro), etc.

Have you dismissed the BD too?

jabantik00

i put an xtracycle free radical on my aluminum fisher mtb and it has become my favorite bike. it's a bit heavy, and it's not as fast as my road bike, but it's much faster than it looks. i do a lot of casual road rides, commute, and get groceries on it. i don't find it awkward to maneuver, nor do i think it is too heavy for light touring (i think it's probably lighter than front+back racks+panniers, and certainly lighter than a bob.) the cargo capacity is amazing. my issues are:

1. difficult to lift into workstand
2. doesn't fit bus bike racks
3. difficult to wheelie over curbs/anything

my last 3 short tours have been on it, and i plan to travel on it this summer. i haven't dismissed a bd at all - i want one. my complaint about the bd is it is expensive to me.

jdmitch

IMO, now, Troll + Surly Trailer >> BD

lucienrau

I have a vaya that I bought as my every-day bike and its fantastic, but I'm headed the other way. A big dummy is in my future since carrying a child + cargo is problematic for me a the moment. That being said, you can carry an amazing amount with 2 good racks, big rear panniers and a basket. Of course my kid takes up the rear rack now.

vik 

I have scrawny chicken legs and have toured successfully with my BD. I was worried when I got it that living in a small downtown apartment with a small elevator was going to be a huge pain. It wasn't and I've enjoyed my BD a ton. A BD is far easier to handle than a bike + trailer.



If you can haul everything you need on a touring bike with panniers than I'd agree you don't need a BD, but I didn't realize what I could haul until I got my BD.

skijor

Thanks for the input. Vik, yours especially has been valuable and a joy to read. You writing skills are appreciated, especially on your blog.

If only I could experience a Big Dummy in person perhaps my decision would be swayed back.

AdamDZ

It is big, long and bulky, there is no arguing here, but it's not THAT heavy unless you really load it. My loaded touring bike was 100lbs I was concerned with the BD's size for a long time too. But I decided to take the plunge anyway. I wanted the extra cargo carrying ability and better ride quality. I will keep my current commuter untouched so I have a regular, short bike as a backup that can also carry some cargo, for the errands where the BD might be too long.

Although the BD is shorter than my MTB with a trailer attached.

My current bike is also a pain in the butt to maneuver with a trailer attached. And I broke off one of the rackmount eyelets on my touring bike on my first long tour so I figured that a longtail is the way to go for me. I like to carry stuff, I don't mind the weight but I want a bike that I can trust with the cargo. I've measured the elevators and storage space at work a long time ago, it'll fit!

I'm only a couple of weeks away from finishing it. If it rides like people say it does it'll seal the deal

But I live on a ground floor of a small house, my way in and out is straight through. If I lived in an apartment where I lived before the BD will be simply out of question.

BTW, unless something changes drastically, the Troll is next on my list. I will probably swap the frame on my MTB commuter with it and upgrade it a bit.

AdamDZ

No way Bike + trailer is A LOT more difficult to maneuver. As a dedicated hauling rig the Troll with a trailer would win simply because it can carry a lot more weight. But in as far as convenience and ride quality the BD still wins as a everyday ride, commuter or touring bike. Not to mention that trailer is way to expensive right now.

DX-MAN

I was looking at a BD as well... until I saw the price. Heard about, and checked out, the Kona Ute -- it'd be either the Ute or the Xtracycle add-on for me.

Something else to chew on, as well...www.rockthebike.com/cargo/mundo

AdamDZ

Ute: aluminum and 700cc wheels High center of gravity. Pass... The new Sun Atlas Xtracycle compatible bike might be worth checking out: 26" wheels and CroMo steel for around $750. Although you still need to factor in the cost of the bags, but at least the bike comes with rear rack and deck. I think Kona includes 2 bags now with the 2011 Ute. I was all psyched up about the Sun bike because I thought the BD frame will cost around or over $1k but it was around $775 so I got it.

Mundo is the heaviest out of all of them. It's for people who really need to carry close to 200lbs routinely.

skijor

Regarding the weight, I refer to lifting it onto a recumbent or tandem rooftop tray. Granted I would not be doing that too much even if it weren't heavy. Yet still. Loaded riding weight isn't much of an issue.

Really the maneuverability and not seeing it in person is my biggest beef.

FrenchFit 

Are there still people living in Queens? I thought they all moved out to California 10 years ago...

katcorot

I hope for the sake of this photo the winds are light in your area. I could imagine you and the bike taking flight. On the mainland I've had the wind blow just my bike over from having my larger set of pannier bags on.

AdamDZ

Ah yeah, roof racks I saw the older models a few times, but I never rode one either.

Sorry, didn't get it.

coldfeet

The only significant thing I've had with my BD is that it made me think twice about moving to a new apartment where getting the BD in meant a tight turn at the bottom of the stairs.

The size of a BD or other long tails is a factor, but for the most part, it isn't really much of an issue when you start using it. It's no race bike, but it ain't that slow either. At one traffic light junction I deal with, it's faster, because I can hammer for the light confident in being able to manage a hard stop, and if I catch the green, I can corner like I'm on rails.

Fizzaly

I talked my self out of one, after toying with a DIY longtail it turns out I dont need the hauling capacity as often as I had thought. Im now going to just go the trailer route as really the only thing thats a pain to haul with my current bike is boxed frames and a trailer will work great with them.

crackerdog

Xtracycle has a list of owners that are willing to let you try their bike. Check them out for a trial near you.

vik 

My route to the water is a below street level rail trail that is protected from the wind. SUPing sucks in high winds anyways so I'd stay home if it was howling. 1 SUP is no problem...I found 2 to be too much.

jdmitch

I probably should have clarified... If you've got funds / space for more than one bike BD makes for a better cargo solution. However, if one doesn't, adding a the surly cargo trailer (which is way heavy duty and they've addressed many of the downsides of other cargo trailers) to a troll gives you as much or more hauling capability when needed but the ease of use of a "normal" sized bike when you don't want to make big hauls.

qmsdc15

Yes

freediver

Skijor,

What part of the state are you in? If you can make it to Madison there are plenty of bike shops that have cargo bikes in them. So far I've seen Utes, Big Dummys, Radishs, Xtracycles, and the latest Trek Transport bike. Once things warmed up you should be able to do plenty of test rides.

I've had my Xtracycle for quite a while and have found it to be the most useful bike I've ever owned. I used to put it on my roof rack (recumbent tray), but these days I just prefer to put it onto a hitch-mount rear rack. I think you should try one out before you take the advice of your local shop.

Jon

skijor

I'm in Manitowoc (east-central). Which shop(s)? Willybikes? I only checked with (i.e. called) a Wheel & Sprocket in Appleton. They said they showed no inventory in any of their locations. That coming from the biggest bike chain in the state.

Thanks for the tip! I may swing down to Madtown for Canoecopia next month and do double duty. That is assuming this latest snow is melted by then. Supposed to get a foot by tomorrow morn.

LeeG

I had a Kona Ute and although it can carry a lot full grocery cart of stuff with front panniers I decided to sell it and build up a 26"wheeled LHT as the loaded grocery carrier. The Ute can carry a lot more but with 10lbs or 60lbs it still handles weird. The 26" wheeled LHT handles well with 10lbs or 60lbs.

LeeG

26" wheeled LHT is a quantum level above the Cross-Check for heavy loads.

freediver

It doesn't surprise me that Wheel and Sprocket doesn't have them. They're behind the curve on such things. Of course, where their stores are located aren't as bike friendly as Madison is.

I saw the New trek bike, some dutch cargo bike, and something else at Machinery Row- one of the budget stores. I also saw the Yuba and an Xtracycle at the Budget stores on Regent Street. Revolution Cycles has had a UTE hanging around for a while. Willy Bikes, on the east side, used to have some Madsen's.

When I first decided to buy an Xtracycle one of the shop guys at Budget let me try out his bike. I bought my free-radical kit there and had them build it up. I've bumped into other guys around town who have let me try out their Big Dummy's, but I ended up buying a used tandem to haul my kids around the end of last summer. Up until now I've been carting them around on the Xtracycle.

I'm amazed at how useful it is for just tooling around town. If I see something I want at a rummage sale or grocery store I just pop it in back. When the kids are with me i can fit an entire cooler in one side and everything else I need for a day at the beach on the other. I've even loaded up my dive gear on it and gone out spearfishing for the day in some of the local lakes. The bike can carry quite a bit with the right rear wheel. It isn't as hard to steer around things as I thought it might be.

As far as putting it on the roof, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The reason i switched was I put an Old Man mountain rack on the front of my bike and the only way it would work with the disk brake was by mounting it through the quick release. I found it to be too much of a pain to change skewers while trying to balance it on the roof. Without that inconvenience I would still throw it up top without an issue.

Jon