any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

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foxyrider
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by foxyrider »

Some form of tandem is a possibility - i've got prior with the things and returning to that does have some appeal.
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Elizabethsdad
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by Elizabethsdad »

I have used a Bakfiets Long for about 4 years now for taking my daughter places and doing the shopping. Also good for taking stuff to household waste recycling centre. I got this new for £2,250 delivered from Kids and Family Cycles. It is unassisted so a bit slow going up hills, but otherwise no issues. Bakfiets now do electric assist versions of this bike which are more cost effective than R+M bikes. Another model to consider would be the Urban Arrow. If you like your bikes to be more sporty then it's a Larry vs Harry Bullitt.
Earlier this year I had the flu followed by pneumonia which meant that the hills I could climb on the Bakfiets I could no longer manage for quite a while. Browsing on e-bay I saw a Hercules Cargo bike - very similar to a Bullit - with electric assist and won the auction. It is now my main ride and definitely easier on the hills. Still got the Bakfiets - partly as back up and partly out sentimentality.
For electric assist Iwould say get a bike built around either the Bosch or Shimano Steps crank drive systems, as these add there power to yours and then put it through the bikes gears. for gearing on a cargo bike hub gears are going to be your friend - Shimano Alfine/Nexus 8sp or Nuvinci N380. Both my bikes have the Nuvinci N360 (now phased out in favour of the N380) and I would recommend it.
When looking to buy don't forget to budget for options such as child seats and rain covers. When you get one be prepared to love the way it 'swoops' round corners and for your journies to take a bit longer when people want to stop and ask you about your 'unusual' bike.
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pjclinch
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by pjclinch »

The lady who writes Mummy's Gone a Cycle has plenty of transporteing sproggen by Bakfiets experience, have a look there and maybe drop her a line.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
latequartet
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by latequartet »

We used FollowMe Tandems for about 5 years as a solution, plus sometimes a cycle trailer behind the child's bicycle too. ( https://www.followmetandem.co.uk ).
A towing-daily-road cyclist (without a car) with children and a wife. Cycling close to and on the NCN 6 in Sheffield.
iandusud
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by iandusud »

I've just seen this thread. My wife and I try to cycle as much as possible for local journeys but I was becoming frustrated at need to use our car for local journeys when transport of stuff that can't be carried on our bikes was required. I started to look at cargo bikes but was shocked at the price. So I built one. Not too difficult really. I had to get a mig welder (£200 with accessories) and learn to use it. It was a fun project but more importantly it is fantastic shopping and generally hauling stuff around. I'm not a spring chicken, approaching 60, but can get it up the hills with a good load on board (it's a bit like on the tandem, pick a suitably low gear and winch it up). I am planning to fit electric assist so as to make it as practical an option to the car as possible. I bought a rough old mountain bike for £25 and a BMX front fork for £10. In all it has cost me less than £300 to build including a SA front drum brake/dynamo (fitted since the photo was taken. I don't have grandchildren yet but seats will be added when they arrive.

IMG_20181208_142150.jpg
Last edited by iandusud on 5 Jan 2019, 1:41pm, edited 1 time in total.
latequartet
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by latequartet »

It'd be interesting to see a pic landusud! Good-on-you for welding / building!
A towing-daily-road cyclist (without a car) with children and a wife. Cycling close to and on the NCN 6 in Sheffield.
iandusud
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by iandusud »

I thought I had added an image but it didn't work. I've now edited my post.

Ian
latequartet
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by latequartet »

Fascinating! Really intriguing. So the MTB was steel framed and then you've welded on a piece of steel from the existing bottom bracket to the BMX forks have you, under the box. It looks like a box shaped piece of steel, not tubular ... hard to see?
What's below the stem of the handlebars ... a new piece of steel too?
A towing-daily-road cyclist (without a car) with children and a wife. Cycling close to and on the NCN 6 in Sheffield.
iandusud
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by iandusud »

If you go to this discussion you'll see some more photos.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=126944

Ian
Last edited by iandusud on 8 Jan 2019, 9:19am, edited 1 time in total.
thelawnet
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Re: any experience with cargo style child carrying bikes?

Post by thelawnet »

I've done this in the past.

http://cog.konaworld.com/the-kona-ute-a ... e-pea-pod/

You can also have one child in a seat and one pillion on the rack in front.

Normally it looks like this

Image

The panniers keep feet out of the spokes!

There is an electric version.

http://www.konaworld.com/electric_ute.cfm

IME with two children 50kg or so then you don't want to probably ride more than about 20 miles because it does weigh things down. Also you probably will bust a wheel if you are not careful. I have a 36 spoke rear wheel..
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