where to get me a cargo bike

I have a bakfiets.nl short, but would recommend the long. I doubt there's much difference in weight, cost etc, but the extra space would allow the kids to spread out, maybe lie down, sleep? One of the great things about the bakfiets is the manoeuvrability, and a trailer may detract from this (I've never used a trailer, so don't know).

An option for the older kids is to ride on the carrier. My wife sometimes rides on the carrier, me on the saddle and the kids in the box: they love it!

My wife has been told that the brakes on the bakfiets are poor and always need fixing.

Has anyone who's used one found the brakes wanting? I am leaning strongly towards the bakfiets, not least because I can just about afford it and it's always come out well in any online discussions or reviews I've seen.

they're internal roller brakes, standard Dutch bike setup. while they might not be more troublesome, they're definitely less effective than disc brakes. which is not ideal if you're carrying precious cargo

one of the reasons I went with the bullitt is the disc brakes. another being that no matter what went wrong with it, I'd be reasonably certain I could get it running again pretty quickly with spares in the garage, or "donations" from one of my other bikes worst case

kenmc wrote: »

they're internal roller brakes, standard Dutch bike setup. while they might not be more troublesome, they're definitely less effective than disc brakes. which is not ideal if you're carrying precious cargo

one of the reasons I went with the bullitt is the disc brakes. another being that no matter what went wrong with it, I'd be reasonably certain I could get it running again pretty quickly with spares in the garage, or "donations" from one of my other bikes worst case

I think the Bullitt is outside my price range. I've been using cantilever brakes on my main bike for five years, so my expectations of brakes may not be as high as most anyway.

I think from what I've read the bakfiets should do me fine. I'll give it a test run anyway.

Thanks, all!

Did a test run a long-base bakfiets. Really enjoyed it, and the two girls loved it. I guess I'll go with that. Got the hang of steering and balance straight away, and the brakes seemed fine.

Not a Bakfiets but I use a Kryptonite M18 with a cable and a Masterlock chain to keep my Big Dummy mine. Normally I use the M18 to lock the front wheel to the frame and the chain to lock the rear wheel and frame to something solid. I just keep the cable in a pannier as an extra incase. It's 6/7kg of locks to carry but it's a cargo bike so...!

Sorry to hijack the thread but can anyone reccommend a tyre for cargo bikes? I am using the Conti Town & Country tyres that the bike came with but have been plagued with punctures on the rear. I carry an extra 30kg sometimes which just drives whatever glass or shards through the breaker. I've seen good reviews of the Big Apple Plus but is there anything else?

I think the Big Apple Plus uses the same puncture protection as the Marathon Plus, but in a 2.3inch. I'm hoping to get some big volume as the going gets harsh when there's weight in the panniers.

The point they make about the rear wheel is very true. Having had to fix punctures on the side of the road with loaded panniers I can attest to the difficulty of removing the wheel. Not the fun times.

My chain is only a 100cm one so a bit limiting but has got me by so far. I would recommend trying to get as much chain into the mini shackle. I usualy manage to figure 8 the chain and get the two end links and the middle of the chain into the shackle and this leaves very little room for prying tools.

I was chatting to a woman in Airfield in Dundrum with one of those Urban Arrows. It looked great.

Thanks all.

CramCycle wrote: »

2) Anyone using triobike cargo - I wasn't able to find any review online of that bike, the one article I've managed to find was from 10yrs ago and it was very negative, however I gather it was regarding different model from triobike.

Never heard of them before

The triobike cargo is similar to bullitt and greenaer has them on offer. I will have a look at it today and at the urban arrow too for that matter.

it would be cheaper but not by much, it's probably cheaper except for the labour as they would be used to it being pre packaged and part assembled. You also have more comback for items that failed, if that is a concern or worry.

If I managed to save €500 from the total cost of the bike I was quoted then I guess its a no-brainer. Guess the biggest unknown are the wheels.

enas wrote: »

Maybe not the most helpful answer, but when I was considering cargo bikes myself, I had eventually settled on the urban arrow. It's quite similar to the Bullitt, but designed specifically for families (rather than cargo). Its box is a bit wider, and is specifically designed for such things as rain canopies or child seats. In spite of those practicalities, it's still rather lively and pleasant to handle (almost as much as the Bullitt, which is as good a cargo bike is ever going to get). Basically, I see it as a perfect compromise between the Bullitt and the traditional Bakfiets.

I will have a look at it today in more detail if they have one on display at greenaer. However with the price tag of €4500 if I'm correct it's I think a bit on a steep side for me. I didn't like bakfiets ride and would prefer more sporty posture that bullit and perhaps triobike cargo offers than the upfront. Plus it's electric - feels bit like cheating

cdaly_ wrote: »

The heavy-duty wheels will be the hard bit. Did the shop have a price for frame etc? You could look at getting wheels hand-built - Dara at BeeCycles in Dolphins Barn would likely help there...

Thanks - might get in touch once I have all the price lists compiled, perhaps there will be room for some nice wheels in the end.

Browsing the web today I came across this cargo bike which could be another one to consider. Also it has cable based steering - which I'm not sure if its better or worse from what bullitt has?

omri wrote: »

I've been following this thread in last week or so and decided to have a closer look at the idea of replacing my car with a cargo bike. Have to mention big thanks for tomasrojo for all his input in PMs.

Today I had a look at Bullitt down at thinkbike and from what I read on the net I think this might be the one for me as it's more sporty and hopefully stiffer than bakfiets I've tested. I'm not convinced however about the amount of space that the bullitt's canopy offers though. Without the helmet on his head there was maybe 5-10cm clearance from the top of the cover, therefore I'm not sure how many years of use I'd get as my sons already very tall for his age. We also have a 2yr old and in this case theres loads of room.

I've a 3.5 and 1.25 year old, both reasonably tall (oldest is 104cm). I don't bother with helmets in the canopy as they're surrounded by metal cage and strapped in, in my opinion there's no need. On a back bike seat, they wear one. Each to their own of course. There's plenty of clearance currently, but I built my own seat, so perhaps that gives more clearance than the official one, I don't know. The only time I've had a clearance problem is putting her in with a large bobble hat on in winter. I think the limiting factor will actually be the width, as it's already quite tight getting them in there together.

I will be checking out triobike cargo in greenaer tomorrow as well. I was hoping some of you could offer some additional comments to my questions as I've never heard/considered a cargo bike till few weeks ago.

I tried to find info, particularly some "live" pictures of the canopy the offer, but all seemed to be artists impressions. At the cargobike championships last year in phoenix park there was someone there who had bought one, and a carpenter friend had made a box for it. I had a quick ride on it, it was fine, quite like the bullitt, but my reservations on the canopy made me rule it out. by comparison there are many bullitts around with the canopy, and I borrowed one for a day from Thinkbike to trial.

1) Are there any european manufacturers of custom canopies/boxes for bullitt or triobike cargo that would offer bit more head room and maybe be a bit wider ? From reading up I know theres plenty in the US but buying there wouldn't be cost effective.

Not that I know of, but I'm sure if you were to find a half-decent carpenter they could build one for you. The real beauty of the bullitt solution though is how neat it is, with the integrated zips, top etc. It's really very good and doesn't flap around at all compared to say the bakfiets version.

2) Anyone using triobike cargo - I wasn't able to find any review online of that bike, the one article I've managed to find was from 10yrs ago and it was very negative, however I gather it was regarding different model from triobike.

If you talk to Oliver in GreenAer he should be able to put you in touch with that family I mentioned above who had one. They may also be able to tell you where they got the box built and their friend may be willing to build you one for a cost. Bear in mind though it's a plywood box, so will be heavier than the stock bullitt which is steel tubing and fabric.

3) The bullitt I looked at will cost me around €3000, I have brand new deore xt groupset and finishing kit sitting in the boxes, so I asked in the shop would it not be cheaper to get frame and canopy and try to source the wheels - the rest is there so its matter of assembly. I was told its not going to be cheaper. Is it true or was I just told to believe it would be cheaper for me to leave €3000 ?

Well you can go to LvsH website and go to the builder and spec the frameset, dropouts, canopy and it comes in around 1870, add 2 or 300 for shipping i think then, that's what thinkbike added to mine, but then they built it all up. I made the baseboard and seat (circa 400 euro saved)

4) Where could I get a heavy duty 20" and 26" wheels with disc rotor hubs ?
Many thanks

http://shop.larryvsharry.com/shop/wheels-tires-tubes/complete-frontwheel-dm-24-20-incl-180-mm-disc.html
for the front, and any half-decent MTB rear should do it.

My understanding of the urban arrow, mentioned elsewhere in thread is that it only comes in electric version - I may be wrong. I see one around leopardstown occasionally, near the racecourse. Have never seen the wet-weather setup on it though, just the top-down bathtub so can't comment on how effective it is or otherwise. As someone already said it's very family-oriented than cargo, so once the kids don't fit any more I guess you'd have to sell it on as a family carrier, whereas the trio or bullitt can do both cargo and family, so may be a slightly bigger after-sales appeal. I've no idea.

Where abouts are you based? If you PM me I can show you my setup and you can try your oldest in it if you like - I'm in goatstown.

That douze bike seems to have come around in the last year or so, not sure i'd be mad keen on the cable steering lark, if one breaks (i presume there's 2, push/pull) you're in the sh1ts. Might be handy if you need to pack it into car a lot, but otherwise, I don't see the need.

can't see the logic of buying a cargo bike here to ship home to another country, unless by visiting you mean expat to here for work or something. anyway...

btw, if you've got a bit of time before you make your final decision, and can wait till june 12th, the cargo bike championships are on in the phoenix park, and you'll be able to see pretty much any available bike in the flesh and ask their owners questions, as well as have a go on pretty much any of them if you ask the owner. Might even see me there!

well done! I'm sure you won't regret it.

Ok - so got the bike today. And managed to complete the maiden voyage from rathmines to dun laoghaire. It took a while to get used the bike, and had few hairy moment where bike veered toward the traffic coming from behind me. Brought my 2yr old with me to collect the bike so this also added few point to the stress level. Once on the road I managed to keep the fairly straight line, my daughter didn't like it at first, then fell asleep and once we picked her brother (4.5yrs old) from the creche they were happily enjoying the free ride, so much that after dinner they requested another spin. There's few hills in DL on my way from the creche to home, so for now I will have to get used to treading on the lightest gear up the hill. With the two kids bike feels pretty heavy so it is a good work out. Even managed to pick up the missus from bus stop and cram her into the canopy for a short ride through the park. She said she'll never do that again - I presume it has more to do with her pride rather than my handling. So we managed to do 1km, 4 of us on the bike, my son standing on the little steps behind the canopy and holding onto the handlebars. Bike did well, but it was a drag, and I'd say that must have been the limit that the wheels or tires can take.

Pretty happy with it so far after 1 day, it was great day to get this bike so it's probably a biased conclusion. Have to wait for wind and rain to really see what I got myself into. Even today a slight breeze did make a difference. There's just about enough room in the cabin for the kids to be somewhat comfy and not squashed too much, I'd say they pretty snug. On the day like today the canopy got pretty hot, but once I removed the cover they got pretty chilled, so need to work out which panels give best ventilation but keep the kids cosy in the same time.

I found steering pretty light even with the load and it is a weird sensation to turn the handlebars not to see the wheel but once you manage to stop focusing on this its much easier. It will take me a good while to switch to clip in pedals though. The position on the bike feels like one you'd have on MTB or hybrid. At the end of the day I managed to ride with one hand only so I could indicate with the other, even turning my head around to check the traffic behind me did knock me bit off balance. But all this will improve with practice. For now I climb sitting, but it's quite efficient and effective for me for now.

I definitely would not recommend anything else now, frame is stiff, the bike even though wobbly feels less wobbly than bakfiets I tried and the frame isn't that high to justify the step through frame. So if anyone reading this is thinking about cargo bike can say Bullitt is a great choice. I've posted the photo in the beauty thread but here it is again in all its glory.



P.S. I should add that it took me 1.5hrs to get from ballsbridge to my home in dun laoghaire including the creche stop...

oooh nice, the belt-drive compatible version of the frame too! Love the paint color.
Yep, takes a while to get comfortable indicating left or right,and checking over the shoulder. it does get easier though. and yeah the front wheel is wierd having it in your field of view too, don't look at it. You'll probably find your normal bike is very twitchy the next few times you use it, but you'll quickly get used to switching between them.

And yeah, watch out for wind gusts, particularly side ones.

Welcome aboard!

yeah all my bikes are "normal", right=front. not sure i could ride bikes with different brakes. It's bad enough switching between cars with indicator stalks on opposite sides of the steering column, but at least that won't send you over the handlebars, just wipe your windscreen when you want to turn.

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Out of interest. Is everyone set up with the "normal" brake system. Mine came continental style and I've left it as such, My impulse is to pull right side and I wanted not not accidentally slam on the front brake at any point.

kenmc wrote: »

yeah all my bikes are "normal", right=front. not sure i could ride bikes with different brakes.

Mine is right - rear, left - front. Same as my road bike I think. I know there was an explanation for why it differs depending on which side traffic is in different country (mainly continental europe - UK/IE) but I don't think it makes any difference for me. I always explained it that if my right shifter does rear gears so I use the right lever for rear brake.

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Also, go clipless as soon as you can. Makes a huge difference, especially for climbing. I regret not doing it sooner.

I don't think I have the nerve for it. But speaking of it - I got some shimano spd pedal with the bike. I don't have shoes to match that, however I have time pedals with mtb shoes (not great for walking as such). So only looking at how easy is it to clip in/out - which one would be more user friendly ?

Another technical question - is it possible to set up front mech so it isn't noisy across the whole range of cassette ?

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Well, I'm on it seven years at this point with no hassles. I'm not actually switching, am still using my right hand for everything. Anyways, obviously I'm the odd one out so if it's not broke, I don't need to fix it.

I meant switching between bikes, all my bikes have right brake = front. Wouldn't fancy having a mix of bikes with some having right=front and others left=front

BTW omri, your PM mailbox seems to be full! Sent you one, but it can't be delivered.

Finally, after nearly eight weeks, I have the bakfiets. I went to get it with the Brompton, so it was handy for getting the Brompton home.


I went around the estate about five times tonight, by popular request. At least I know that, despite some misgivings, I can cycle up the quite steep hill from the bottom of my estate to the top, fully laden.