2 kids, 1 bike

monument

Price may be a problem, but these are Bear bikes are nice, and they are Dublin-based. Besides the wide turning circle, very easy to ride. A bit pricey at €1.690.



Harry vs Larry are also nice looking but expensive and have no Irish dealers.

Piercemeear

I just noticed this Dutch Cargo bike is up on adverts.ie at what looks like a reasonable price compared to something new. I am not affiliated with the sale.

fat bloke

Piercemeear wrote: »

I just noticed this Dutch Cargo bike is up on adverts.ie at what looks like a reasonable price compared to something new. I am not affiliated with the sale.

That's cool alright.

But!

3 speed? - Fine for pancake flat Holland with its impeccable cycle lanes. Personally my kids-to-school commute to school is... ok ish for cycle lanes, but you are up and down off kerbs at least 10 times each way, some of them dished better than others, and it's fairly hilly coming back.

If you didn't already have Schwarnegger calves, you'd certainly have them after 6 months churning that yoke around!

petethedrummer

Piercemeear wrote: »

I just noticed this Dutch Cargo bike is up on adverts.ie at what looks like a reasonable price compared to something new. I am not affiliated with the sale.

I'm moving house soon, is that justification enough to buy a bike I really don't need? For some strange reason, I really want it.

tomasrojo

petethedrummer wrote: »

I'm moving house soon, is that justification enough to buy a bike I really don't need? For some strange reason, I really want it.

Yeah, I want the next house to which I move to have a garage so my cargo bike-to-be will have a good home.

That one at €600 looks like a good price, if it's in good condition.

I guess it's maybe got a small chainring to give you three low gears rather than the three you'd normally have?

tomasrojo

monument wrote: »

Price may be a problem, but these are Bear bikes are nice, and they are Dublin-based. Besides the wide turning circle, very easy to ride. A bit pricey at €1.690.

I think the Christiania comes to about 2.5k or so, taking into account shipping and extras for the kids. I'm guessing it's worth the extra?

tomasrojo

Also, is a spill likely in a two-wheel cargo bike?

I saw a well-dressed lady in the city centre with one of those Bear bikes (or something very like one of them) with a load of parcels wrapped in red ribbons in the cargo area and a business name on the side. Can't remember what business it was now, but the bike seemed to operate very smoothly.

GTDolanator

right i seen this thread and i have to voice my opinion,does no one else think trailer/cargo bikes addapted with seat are utterly dangerous?

petethedrummer

GTDolanator wrote: »

right i seen this thread and i have to voice my opinion,does no one else think trailer/cargo bikes addapted with seat are utterly dangerous?

Are you please thinking about the children?

GTDolanator

i am thinking of child safety,if i had any their commute to and from school would not be in any of the above.

petethedrummer

What would be appropriate a Range Rover? a BMW X5? a Bradley Tank?

monument

GTDolanator wrote: »

i am thinking of child safety,if i had any their commute to and from school would not be in any of the above.

Why not? Do you think they are better off on a bicycle seat?

fat bloke

It's the Range Rovers and X5's that make cycling in general, and transporting children on bikes in particular, potentially dangerous in the first place.

I never use my trailer on the road when the kids are in it because some jackass or bint or both in an X5 would tailgate me, bmw grill inches behind my childrens' heads, beeping.

Or simply drive over the trailer, oblivious..... and beeping.

Cycle sensibly, on an appropriate route, avoid vehicular traffic, and you'll be grand. If your commute to school is down the m50, yeah, this bike is not for you:rolleyes:

Doctor Bob

petethedrummer wrote: »

I'm moving house soon, is that justification enough to buy a bike I really don't need? For some strange reason, I really want it.

You may have to fight me for it!

I really can't justify such a purchase - I don't need it, I have nowhere to keep it, and as it's Collection Only I'd have to cycle it from Lucan to Sandymount if I bought it! - but I still can't get the idea out of my head. Hmmm..

tomasrojo wrote: »

Also, is a spill likely in a two-wheel cargo bike?

I saw a well-dressed lady in the city centre with one of those Bear bikes (or something very like one of them) with a load of parcels wrapped in red ribbons in the cargo area and a business name on the side. Can't remember what business it was now, but the bike seemed to operate very smoothly.

Is this the lady you saw? She'd be very adept with the old bakfiets alright, being a) Dutch and b) one half of the Bear Bicycles team.

I had a test ride of a bakfiets over the summer. Strange for the first couple of minutes, but a breeze in no time at all, and quite a bit more nimble than you'd think. It doesn't feel remotely unstable - in fact, more stable than your average two-wheeler - and the only time you might be worried is in snow. Trikes are obviously more stable in certain conditions (stationary, on snow), but I wonder do they sacrifice manoeuvreability, or speed. Not to mention that they look a good bit wider than a bakfiets. Horses for courses, I supppose.

tomasrojo

I think that's her. The parcels definitely looked like that. Perhaps a poor reflection on me that the parcels caught my eye more than the lady.

tomasrojo

Doctor Bob wrote: »

It doesn't feel remotely unstable - in fact, more stable than your average two-wheeler

Actually, now you mention it, the extremely long base should make it more stable. The same way a touring bike is more stable than a racing bike.

snailsong

Like Dónal said, i just love threads like this. Fair play to everybody with their positive attitudes. The country isn't half as fecked as they make it out to be. I have 3 children, 7,6 and 3 and this has started me thinking how i can get them on the road. my wife runs but won't cycle so I'll have to work on her first. I have access to a good engineering workshop so maybe i should build something....

Doctor Bob

tomasrojo wrote: »

Actually, now you mention it, the extremely long base should make it more stable. The same way a touring bike is more stable than a racing bike.

And I suspect it has a lower centre of gravity (or something). The load certainly travels closer to the ground. You should give one a whirl- the sensation is not unlike how I imagine a crane operator works.

Lumen

tomasrojo wrote: »

I think that's her. The parcels definitely looked like that. Perhaps a poor reflection on me that the parcels caught my eye more than the lady.

Yes, it's a gay test. You passed.

Harrybelafonte

Doctor Bob wrote: »

And I suspect it has a lower centre of gravity (or something). The load certainly travels closer to the ground. You should give one a whirl- the sensation is not unlike how I imagine a crane operator works.

I tend to compare the two wheeled cargo bikes to driving a truck. They're set up to carry substantial loads and feel very different between loaded and not loaded. You'll find unloaded that the front wheel has a greater tendency to be influenced by the road surface and find yourself correcting your line every so often. Loaded the whole thing feels a lot more solid and sticks to the road better. THe same goes for your gearing, they have very low gearing obviously so they can still be pushed along with plenty of weight in them.

The handling takes while for most people to get used to, because of the intial disjointed feeling you get. If feels odd turning the handlebars and seeing a wheel about 5ft away move, almost as if there's a time delay. Once you pick up speed it can get a little hairy, I'm talking substantial speed, like downhill. Again the front wheel and the fact that the weight isn't directly over it comes into play here. I tend to compare it to a train, once you get the speed up it's pretty easy to keep it up, but you wanna make sure your brakes are kept in good order, that's a lot of weight to stop the momentum. Once you get your speed up you get used to it you can start leaning into the corners and flying along.

I too am tempted by the Christiana on adverts, but will say this. For city traffic the two wheels are a lot more manoverable (sp?) and you won't get caught behind traffic as much, easier to park up etc. Having 3 gears as someone said is fine if you're on flat or staying within your own area, but if you intend on doing a school run, then on to work, you'll want a lot more gears. The Larry Vs Harry's have the best set up for this (and also are the fastest AFAIK) but the biggest advantage the Christiana have is the amount of space and the practicalities it offers, i.e. a rain cover, the box seats etc. For a run to the school or the shops and home it'd be spot on in any weather.

kumate_champ07

RoubX wrote: »

Wow! I presume this is a shutter speed thing, but how fast is she going with young kids not strapped in? My lads are about the same age as these, and the youngest would have lept off the bike ages ago, or climbed on my head, or be in the process of smacking the head off his brother.

its just a steady handed photographer tracking/panning, the technique can give the illusion of high speed, its used to display motion which can be hard to do in a flat image (Im a photographer)

cdaly_

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Is this the lady you saw? She'd be very adept with the old bakfiets alright, being a) Dutch and b) one half of the Bear Bicycles team.

Are those SPD heels she's wearing? Come to think of it, you'd put cleats on the sloping bit quite handy and without getting in the way for walking...

Harrybelafonte wrote:

Having 3 gears as someone said is fine if you're on flat or staying within your own area, but if you intend on doing a school run, then on to work, you'll want a lot more gears.

I would have thought it would be handy enough to fit a double chainring up front (along with a tensioner) to give you a hi-lo option. Mind you, that might interfere with a hub brake...

Lumen

LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja_tBjqEzeg

DualFrontDiscs

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I too am tempted by the Christiana on adverts, but will say this. For city traffic the two wheels are a lot more manoverable (sp?) and you won't get caught behind traffic as much, easier to park up etc. Having 3 gears as someone said is fine if you're on flat or staying within your own area, but if you intend on doing a school run, then on to work, you'll want a lot more gears. The Larry Vs Harry's have the best set up for this (and also are the fastest AFAIK) but the biggest advantage the Christiana have is the amount of space and the practicalities it offers, i.e. a rain cover, the box seats etc. For a run to the school or the shops and home it'd be spot on in any weather.

Mmmmmm. I'm not sure that trike is a Christiania. If it is, it's a great price.

As a Christiania rider (driver?) I think the maneuverability argument is flawed. And frankly the only way to compare a Long John and a trike for maneuverability is with an egg and spoon race whilst negotiating cones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cy0UmakZck

My Christiania ('Stephanie') has a 7 speed Nexus hub. Unfortunately, the gear changing is a bit knackered at the moment (last six months). So I ride it as a single speed. Not ideal, but to be honest, it's not that bad. And I transport the kids, do the shopping, spin around with it empty etc. Frankly, you don't ride it like a regular bike anyway.

In my opinion, riding any of these 'utility' bikes is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. Lots of people talk about it, but not many of us are lucky enough to be able to talk with experience

DFD.

Harrybelafonte

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

In my opinion, riding any of these 'utility' bikes is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. Lots of people talk about it, but not many of us are lucky enough to be able to talk with experience

DFD.

I am speaking from experience. I don't think that you can deny that a three wheeler is substantially wider than a long john? I'm saying they both have their merits, depending on what you want to use them for. I do 25km a day on mine, including going to work and there's no way a three wheeler would suit my trip.

I agree though that 600 is an excellent price if it is a Christiana. It may simply be an older model? I don't recognise the little front bumper on it.

DualFrontDiscs

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I am speaking from experience. I don't think that you can deny that a three wheeler is substantially wider than a long john? I'm saying they both have their merits, depending on what you want to use them for. I do 25km a day on mine, including going to work and there's no way a three wheeler would suit my trip.

I agree though that 600 is an excellent price if it is a Christiana. It may simply be an older model? I don't recognise the little front bumper on it.

The trike is wider, though whether you would call it substantially wider is debatable. In both instances the box is about two foot wide, right? So the trike is wider by the width of its two wheels. Let's say another 3"- 4" a side.

The Long John looks thinner because it is longer. The trike wider because it is shorter. At low speeds, the trike has no wobble and with practice you can thread the trike through gaps with very narrow clearances (my back gate for example, fnarr, fnarr)

For 25km everyday, the more streamline Long John, with only two contact points (two wheels vs. three) may well have the advantage.

I've certainly done 25km in a day on the trike (out and back to Dun Laoighaire for lunch on the pier). I assume that's around the 25km mark.

No criticism implied in my previous post, btw.

DFD.

Harrybelafonte

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

The trike is wider, though whether you would call it substantially wider is debatable. In both instances the box is about two foot wide, right? So the trike is wider by the width of its two wheels. Let's say another 3"- 4" a side.

The Long John looks thinner because it is longer. The trike wider because it is shorter. At low speeds, the trike has no wobble and with practice you can thread the trike through gaps with very narrow clearances (my back gate for example, fnarr, fnarr)

For 25km everyday, the more streamline Long John, with only two contact points (two wheels vs. three) may well have the advantage.

I've certainly done 25km in a day on the trike (out and back to Dun Laoighaire for lunch on the pier). I assume that's around the 25km mark.

No criticism implied in my previous post, btw.

DFD.

No criticism involved, just felt I should clarify my points. I feel that trying to use cycle lanes on cargo bikes can sometimes be a pain. Example is the common enough case of a car being over the line on a lane. With a Long John you can squeeze past because it's frame is high enough off the pavement to let you pass, whereas the front wheels of the trike would inhibit you. It's not a deal breaker but is a bit of a pain for my use.

When I go shopping for stuff I'd rather the trike though to be fair. You can probably understand why, a better shape than the narrowing Long John box and better cover, and a higher box which allows for better stacking. As it stands I'm considering attaching a trailer to my Bullitt to accomadate more items.

Doctor Bob

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

Mmmmmm. I'm not sure that trike is a Christiania. If it is, it's a great price.

I suspect it's not- there's a notable lack of manufacturer specifics in the ad, though it looks well put together from the pics. I know there are cheaper Asian versions of cargo bikes around, which have received mixed reports regarding reliability, but I wonder if that isn't just the usual 'Oh it's Chinese, it can't be as good as a European-made bike' bias.

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

In my opinion, riding any of these 'utility' bikes is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. Lots of people talk about it, but not many of us are lucky enough to be able to talk with experience

So the next time I make love to a beautiful woman, would you recommend I follow it up with pillow talk where I compare the experience to riding a cargo bike?

Harrybelafonte

Doctor Bob wrote: »

I suspect it's not- there's a notable lack of manufacturer specifics in the ad, though it looks well put together from the pics. I know there are cheaper Asian versions of cargo bikes around, which have received mixed reports regarding reliability, but I wonder if that isn't just the usual 'Oh it's Chinese, it can't be as good as a European-made bike' bias.



So the next time I make love to a beautiful woman, would you recommend I follow it up with pillow talk where I compare the experience to riding a cargo bike?

Just don't make any reference to your load.

DualFrontDiscs

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

When I go shopping for stuff I'd rather the trike though to be fair. You can probably understand why, a better shape than the narrowing Long John box and better cover, and a higher box which allows for better stacking. As it stands I'm considering attaching a trailer to my Bullitt to accomadate more items.

I bought a http://www.carryfreedom.com/Y-Frame.html. A large one as it happens, which annoyingly won't quite fit into the trike's box when dismantled. Great trailer all the same. I have a BOB trailer too. The single wheel design would work well with the Bullit.

As ever, all my 'toys' are available for a try, if any one is serious, etc.

DFD.