Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Carlton green
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Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Carlton green »

Cargo bikes are not cheap and there’s a lot you can shift with a trailer pulled by an ordinary bike instead. However I’m minded to work towards getting a two wheel cargo bike of either the long tail or the forward box short bakfiets (original) type. I just want a bit more simple and ready facility to carry stuff on the bike rather than have to use the trailer for everything that’s bulky.

The Elephant bike came to my mind and it’s certainly a good solution for many people, but I really want change to something that’s a bit more capable than one of those. I lean towards a long-tail with a wide range of gears - and if ever need be then it can pull a trailer. I have not got fixed ideas, it’s more that: I’m looking for a step up in capability for (ideally) relatively little cash and a modest weight penalty. Building a frame is outside of what I’d consider doing but building a bike up from parts would be OK.

Does anyone know what’s possible? Do members have any suggestions as to ways forward, please?
Last edited by Carlton green on 8 May 2022, 10:13am, edited 1 time in total.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
Jdsk
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Jdsk »

I've just been having a look at Dutchbikes:
http://www.dutchbike.co.uk/Work.htm

Anything that would interest you there in design and cost?

Jonathan
Carlton green
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Carlton green »

Jdsk wrote: 8 May 2022, 10:10am I've just been having a look at Dutchbikes:
http://www.dutchbike.co.uk/Work.htm

Anything that would interest you there in design and cost?

Jonathan
Of what they are offering only the short bakfiets might tick the functional boxes, but my budget is limited and I’d be concerned that the standard supplied gears wouldn’t be sufficiently wide for my local terrain. Nice bike though and a good choice for someone.

Edit.

Let’s try to keep an open mind and be mindful that other folk might have a different list of needs to me. At the current time I’m really not keen on a three wheel box bike: even a narrow wheelbase (some are designed to go through door spaces) compromises my ability to use the narrow shared space lanes around here and a narrow wheel base asks questions about stability. On the other hand I could envisage having a go on a three wheel box bike to see how I got on with one in practise … it might be something stable (?) for my later years and maybe electric assist would support that use too. Some of these trikes appear to have different steering pivot points and that might be important. The three wheeled box bikes come up on eBay; parents sell these bikes once their children get a little bigger.

To my mind the long tails are similarly versatile as load luggers and good for more years of child carriage, you can’t see and manage the tots as easily on a long tail but you can carry children of all ages (tots inc.) and adults on them. A long tail should take a baby / toddler / child seat and once they’re too big for it then a seat on the saddleback deck awaits them, the same wouldn’t be true of a trike or an ordinary bike.

One thing that slipped my mind with long tails is the load on the back wheel and the back tyre in particular. I guess that it’s not likely to be an issue in normal use but if you’re shifting another person’s weight as well as your own and the bulk of that weight is carried by the back wheel then maybe the mechanical effects and sustainability of such extreme loading are somethings to investigate further (rather than have an inconvenient and possibly expensive failure).
Last edited by Carlton green on 28 May 2022, 9:01pm, edited 4 times in total.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
iandusud
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by iandusud »

I went through this a few years ago and ended up getting welding gear and building my own as I couldn't find a reasonably priced solution. However I appreciate you don't want to go down that route. Is a trailer really out of the question?
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geomannie
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by geomannie »

iandusud wrote: 8 May 2022, 11:01am I went through this a few years ago and ended up getting welding gear and building my own as I couldn't find a reasonably priced solution. However I appreciate you don't want to go down that route. Is a trailer really out of the question?
That was my initial thought. I have a trailer & for occasional local use, it is a splendid low cost & flexible solution for transporting bulky loads.

Perhaps the OP can tell us what they hope to get out of owning a cargo bike?
geomannie
hemo
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by hemo »

Suggestions are dependant on the cargo type to be carried.
Bulky is either trailer or a dedicated box type cargo bike, for a lot of folks storage or access might be the issue.
For groceries then a longtail maybe with over size panniers, the old Trek transporter or Kona ute come to mind.

For me it is a trailer and or box as well for over sized or bulkier items as I don't want a full time box bike or for groceries over sized panniers, either my Cotic with two 27ltr panniers or the Ute with it's massive bags.
Stradageek
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Stradageek »

Carlton green wrote: 8 May 2022, 9:59am The Elephant bike came to my mind and it’s certainly a good solution for many people, but I really want change to something that’s a bit more capable than one of those.
I have a Pashley Postie (aka Elephant bike) but I find a trailer more useful as you can't get really big items on the Postie.

I have a large Carry Freedom trailer, the principle benefit of which, for me, is that the wheels come off and it stacks inconspicuously against my garage wall - but can be revived in seconds.

In the end it's the size and types of load that would be my main consideration. A large grocery shop drops easily into a cargo bike (but I shop on foot with an 'old lady' trolley) whereas the second hand bikes I often transport (three at a time maximum) are better accommodated by my trailer. :D
PH
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by PH »

Economy route to a longtail style cargo bike could be to convert a tandem. Doesn't need much, some cargo platform or box secured into stockers seat tube and the usual rack fittings. Plenty of sub £200 bikes come up on Ebay, some from well respected makes, finding one with a shortish back might restrict the search. Plenty of examples of people having done this can be found with a google search, some very creative cargo solutions.
Carlton green
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Carlton green »

geomannie wrote: 8 May 2022, 12:28pm
iandusud wrote: 8 May 2022, 11:01am I went through this a few years ago and ended up getting welding gear and building my own as I couldn't find a reasonably priced solution. However I appreciate you don't want to go down that route. Is a trailer really out of the question?
That was my initial thought. I have a trailer & for occasional local use, it is a splendid low cost & flexible solution for transporting bulky loads.

Perhaps the OP can tell us what they hope to get out of owning a cargo bike?
Just picking out my rather vague specification from the OP:
“I just want a bit more simple and ready facility to carry stuff on the bike rather than have to use the trailer for everything that’s bulky.
The Elephant bike came to my mind and it’s certainly a good solution for many people, but I really want to change to something that’s a bit more capable than one of those.“

Let’s maybe expand on where I am with things. My terrier rides in a big box on the back of my bike, the arrangement works but it could be better. The same box takes a couple of large shopping bags, I find that that works better for me than panniers. The box can be replaced by a wide load platform for say carrying a moderate sized hold-all. The exiting bike wouldn’t really take a seat for a Grandchild and the box is only just big enough for the purposes that I’m using it for. I have a large oblong box (beyond tea chest size) that I’d like to transport, it could be done on a large trailer but that extends the length of the ‘bike’ and complicates my route around potholes and drainage grates, etc.Trailers also have a certain degree of drag to them too, better to keep the load on a bike.
PH wrote: 8 May 2022, 2:21pm Economy route to a longtail style cargo bike could be to convert a tandem. Doesn't need much, some cargo platform or box secured into stockers seat tube and the usual rack fittings. Plenty of sub £200 bikes come up on Ebay, some from well respected makes, finding one with a shortish back might restrict the search. Plenty of examples of people having done this can be found with a google search, some very creative cargo solutions.
Good call, it’s certainly something I’d wondered about. On a standard Tandem it would push the cargo deck higher though and I’m hesitant to do that. The small wheel Circe Helios concept is, I think, good but they ain’t cheap. https://www.circecycles.com/products/helios/
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
PH
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by PH »

Carlton green wrote: 8 May 2022, 2:28pm
PH wrote: 8 May 2022, 2:21pm Economy route to a longtail style cargo bike could be to convert a tandem. Doesn't need much, some cargo platform or box secured into stockers seat tube and the usual rack fittings. Plenty of sub £200 bikes come up on Ebay, some from well respected makes, finding one with a shortish back might restrict the search. Plenty of examples of people having done this can be found with a google search, some very creative cargo solutions.
Good call, it’s certainly something I’d wondered about. On a standard Tandem it would push the cargo deck higher though and I’m hesitant to do that. The small wheel Circe Helios concept is, I think, good but they ain’t cheap. https://www.circecycles.com/products/helios/
Yes, though looking out for a small back would lessen that, there's a 26" wheel Thorn child back tandem on Ebay at present, currently £300 but with a while to go, I wouldn't want to guess what price it finishes at, though I'm watching with interest.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334425653924 ... SwJ7FibqLP
Dingdong
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Dingdong »

It's got a reserve price on it, so probably round about 500 I would imagine.
Carlton green
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Carlton green »

Stradageek wrote: 8 May 2022, 1:29pm
Carlton green wrote: 8 May 2022, 9:59am The Elephant bike came to my mind and it’s certainly a good solution for many people, but I really want change to something that’s a bit more capable than one of those.
I have a Pashley Postie (aka Elephant bike) but I find a trailer more useful as you can't get really big items on the Postie.

I have a large Carry Freedom trailer, the principle benefit of which, for me, is that the wheels come off and it stacks inconspicuously against my garage wall - but can be revived in seconds.

In the end it's the size and types of load that would be my main consideration. A large grocery shop drops easily into a cargo bike (but I shop on foot with an 'old lady' trolley) whereas the second hand bikes I often transport (three at a time maximum) are better accommodated by my trailer. :D
I’m struggling to picture how anyone can carry / transport bikes on a trailer.

During the lockdown I used to do a weekly shop and carry it all home in a large rucksack (a 15 - 20 minute walk). As and when it’s needed I fully intend to have a wheeled shopping trolley - I care little for what looks cool and much about what makes life easy.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
Carlton green
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Carlton green »

PH wrote: 8 May 2022, 3:52pm
Carlton green wrote: 8 May 2022, 2:28pm
PH wrote: 8 May 2022, 2:21pm Economy route to a longtail style cargo bike could be to convert a tandem. Doesn't need much, some cargo platform or box secured into stockers seat tube and the usual rack fittings. Plenty of sub £200 bikes come up on Ebay, some from well respected makes, finding one with a shortish back might restrict the search. Plenty of examples of people having done this can be found with a google search, some very creative cargo solutions.
Good call, it’s certainly something I’d wondered about. On a standard Tandem it would push the cargo deck higher though and I’m hesitant to do that. The small wheel Circe Helios concept is, I think, good but they ain’t cheap. https://www.circecycles.com/products/helios/
Yes, though looking out for a small back would lessen that, there's a 26" wheel Thorn child back tandem on Ebay at present, currently £300 but with a while to go, I wouldn't want to guess what price it finishes at, though I'm watching with interest.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334425653924 ... SwJ7FibqLP
I’ll mentally set the Tandem route to one side for now, but I think that it could well be a winner - particularly so with the child and Lady back versions which have a chance of allowing a longer load deck of uniform height. What I’m now wondering is what other options there are, what have I either overlooked or aren’t aware of yet.
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
Stradageek
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Joined: 17 Jan 2011, 1:07pm

Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Stradageek »

Carlton green wrote: 8 May 2022, 8:12pm I’m struggling to picture how anyone can carry / transport bikes on a trailer.
I was stretching a point a little. I have a length of angle iron with brackets that bolt it to the trailer V-upwards. One bike sits in the V, toe straps hold the wheels in the V and luggage straps hold the bike upright. Two more bikes can be lashed to the upright bike.

The angle iron is longer than the trailer but extends more backwards than forwards.

It very effective and stable but a bit heavy with three bikes in tow :)
Dingdong
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Re: Cheapest ways to have a Cargo Bike.

Post by Dingdong »

The cheapest way to have a Cargo bike is probably to steal one to order :lol: :lol: :lol:
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