Yuba Mundo cargo bike and Xtracycle Hooptie

I am in the market for a cargo bike.  For one reason, I am interested in transporting my daughter (age 7) on my bike.  From my research, I really like the Xtracycle Hooptie attachment for safely transporting children.

My problem, I do not like the Xtracycle Freeradical attachment.  I really like the Yuba Mundo cargo bike and I would like to attach something like the Xtracycle Hooptie product to a Yuba.

Has anyone done this or know of any other cargo bike owners who attached a Hooptie to a Mundo?

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Permalink Reply by Anika on March 4, 2013 at 3:11pm

The other thing I wish I would have known when we first got our Yuba (we've only had ours since late november) is the necessity of having either bags or some sort of skirt guard on the rear of the bike if kids are riding back there.  There are open spaces that kids' feet tend to get sucked in to - thankfully it only happened a few times and none were serious but it could have ended badly.  Our bag is a recent addition and we'll be installing a second on the other side to help with this.  In the meantime, we do have bike tubes acting as a barrier for heels and toes. 

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on March 4, 2013 at 6:00pm

Probably has something to do with it being a complete bike vs. just a small part of a bike.  Great deal is you already have a suitable bike to modify; not so much if you do not.

Will G - 10mi said:

I'm not David, but it I imagine that his interest in the Freeradical might have to do with the fact that the Radish is an order of magnitude more expensive than the Freeradical?

notoriousDUG said:

Why not just buy the Xtracycle Radish or Edge runner and skip having to install a Freeradical?

Permalink Reply by David 4.0 on March 4, 2013 at 11:22pm

Wow, your knockoff is really cool.  Thank you for sharing.  Do you have any design specs  list of materials?
Anika said:

Here are a few pictures from todays school pickup.  You can see both the tow tray and the knockoff hooptie in action.  And before anyone asks, there is a cover over the hooptie since my 2yo would refuse to go anywhere in the winter without it.  Good news for us is that it is easily collapsible and able to be carried with since the 6yo does not need it.  

Permalink Reply by David 4.0 on March 4, 2013 at 11:31pm

Thanks for sharing.  I have tried the Radish, you are correct it is lighter but it does not feel as well built as the Mundo.

prof.gfr said:

I've never seen a hooptie until mentioned in this posting. Kind of interesting. I own a Yuba Mundo (as Steve knows) and I ride with modified stoker handlebars for my oldest daughter (6yo) while my youngest (3yo) rides in a Yepp Maxi seat.  It works great for us. Our 3yo is on the small side, so she will prob stay in the Yepp until she's 4 or older. But I'd feel safe with a 36-40 lb kid on the stoker bars.  We ride in the city all the time.  That said, as much as I love the Yuba, I've been wanting to try a Freeradish because they are supposed to be lighter.  The Yuba is awesome for HAULING (I've ridden with 300lbs of gravel on the side wings in rubbermaid containers) and great for both kids plus groceries, but it is a roughly 60lb beast.  On the plus side to the Yuba's heaviness and girth (it is a wide bike with the wings): cars give me a wide berth which makes me feel safer with the kids.  

Permalink Reply by prof.gfr on March 5, 2013 at 11:30am

I just re-read your original post -- Your mileage may vary, and every kid is different, but if your daughter is 7yo, I wouldn't be too concerned about needing to use a hooptie. At least that's my personal opinion. My 6yo has been riding the Yuba with rear handlebars since she was 5 and she's never fallen or had an issue holding on. If anything, it makes her more vigilant as a rider.  We talk a LOT about bike safety and she's a very good signaler for turns. On a related note, if I had the cash I would consider a tandem because I wouldn't mind her contributing a little bit to the effort it takes to move her around town on the Yuba! ;-) The hard part is that there's few tandems that can take kid-sized pedal stokers.  I think the Onderwater tandem is such a creature.  The folks at the chicargobike blog have one of those, I think.  Nice people and a great resource.

And thanks for the info on the Radish.  I'm not terribly surprised to hear what you say. I give Steve a lot of credit for building up my Yuba with all the right equipment.  The Fat Frank tires make a world of difference and I highly recommend them on any cargo bike. Cushy, low rolling resistance, excellent puncture protection (I pulled a shark-tooth sized piece of glass out of them and kept on rolling).  Componentry can make a huge difference on any bike, but especially when you are hauling a lot of weight. It's worth investing in nice components.  

Permalink Reply by Anika on March 5, 2013 at 2:54pm
The onderwater is nice but an unusual ride. We've tested out chicargobike's at the cargo bike roll call on the fall. A few families in Logan utilize Bike Friday tandems for their 5/6 year olds. Seems the kids are just barely starting to reach the pedals but they are designed to accommodate small secondary riders. None of the kids seem particularly (my child included when seating is swapped) are really all that helpful just yet.
Permalink Reply by samantha on March 5, 2013 at 5:30pm

Just chiming in here - our 8 yr old has been riding on the back of our Yuba since he was 6 1/2 or so, and he has Cerebral Palsy and has not had a problem holding on to the stoker bars or balancing on the back as we ride through the city. We'll have our Yuba at the Bike Swap this weekend as well. We really like it, for all the reasons everyone else has listed. It's so sturdy, and we prefer the upright riding style of the Yuba. 

Permalink Reply by David 4.0 on March 5, 2013 at 7:50pm

Thanks Samantha, I hope to see the bike and meet you on Saturday.

samantha said:

Just chiming in here - our 8 yr old has been riding on the back of our Yuba since he was 6 1/2 or so, and he has Cerebral Palsy and has not had a problem holding on to the stoker bars or balancing on the back as we ride through the city. We'll have our Yuba at the Bike Swap this weekend as well. We really like it, for all the reasons everyone else has listed. It's so sturdy, and we prefer the upright riding style of the Yuba. 

Permalink Reply by David 4.0 on March 5, 2013 at 7:51pm

Thanks for the additional feedback.


prof.gfr said:

I just re-read your original post -- Your mileage may vary, and every kid is different, but if your daughter is 7yo, I wouldn't be too concerned about needing to use a hooptie. At least that's my personal opinion. My 6yo has been riding the Yuba with rear handlebars since she was 5 and she's never fallen or had an issue holding on. If anything, it makes her more vigilant as a rider.  We talk a LOT about bike safety and she's a very good signaler for turns. On a related note, if I had the cash I would consider a tandem because I wouldn't mind her contributing a little bit to the effort it takes to move her around town on the Yuba! ;-) The hard part is that there's few tandems that can take kid-sized pedal stokers.  I think the Onderwater tandem is such a creature.  The folks at the chicargobike blog have one of those, I think.  Nice people and a great resource.

And thanks for the info on the Radish.  I'm not terribly surprised to hear what you say. I give Steve a lot of credit for building up my Yuba with all the right equipment.  The Fat Frank tires make a world of difference and I highly recommend them on any cargo bike. Cushy, low rolling resistance, excellent puncture protection (I pulled a shark-tooth sized piece of glass out of them and kept on rolling).  Componentry can make a huge difference on any bike, but especially when you are hauling a lot of weight. It's worth investing in nice components.  

Permalink Reply by Anika on March 6, 2013 at 4:29pm
I think it really depends on what you are looking for in a bike and how you mostly plan to utilize it. We have 2 very different cargo bikes. The second has the smaller back wheel and overall the bike can haul more weight. But, it is not as nice a ride. Nor is it speedy. Mostly it feels like wading thru muddy water. It was great for hauling very small children but is not great for hauling multiple larger ones (6+). Several families in the area also have xtracycles. One uses it solely for hauling their two kids, another only uses it if necessary. To each his own. It is a good idea to test ride as many different cargo bikes as possible since variances are huge.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on March 6, 2013 at 5:00pm

I missed this before...

First off a step though style frame in no way dictates a bike as a 'girls or guys' frame.  It is a choice the manufacturer made in order to make a loaded bike easier to mount.  

The Edgerunner is more expensive because it is a better bike.  It is made form better materials, had better components and even has nicer tires.  It will be stronger, lighter and more reliable because of that.  It also is designed around a 20" rear wheel which will make it handle better loaded.

David 4.0 said:

I have ridden the Radish and I did not like the ride or quality of that bike.  Plus, it is a girl's bike and I am a guy.  As for the Edge Runner, I feel that is greatly overpriced -- Mundo is $1,200 while an Edge Runner is $2,000. 

 

Xtracycles products are really nice but overpriced in my opinion and I think this is simplely due old fashion supply and demand.  No one makes anything compariable and they know they have the longtail conversion market well in hand. 

 

Ok, enough on my rant about Xtracycle...that's why I am hooked on the Yuba Mundo.


notoriousDUG said:

Why not just buy the Xtracycle Radish or Edge runner and skip having to install a Freeradical?

If you're already planing on buying a cargo bike why not just get one of the ones that the Hooptie is made to fit?

Permalink Reply by David 4.0 on March 7, 2013 at 5:01am


Watch this TED video by the Xtracycle founder and CEO Ross Evans where he states "The Radish is based on a girls bike frame".  I did not make that comment up, it came from the CEO of Xtracycle.  Start watching the video at the 9:00 minute mark where Ross makes this statement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ay7UP4ytLg

I agree with your comment, the Radish is not a girls bike.  My comment should have been it is based on a girls bike frame.  During my test ride on the Radish, it did not ride as well as the Yuba Mundo.  

I am just so torn between the Yuba, Free Radical conversion kit, and the Trek Transport.  So many options.


kiltedcelt said:

Umm... yeah, the Radish is not a girl's bike. If you're saying that because it has a sloped top tube then you clearly have more to learn about cargo bikes. A bike loaded with a couple hundred pounds of cargo is easier to get on and off of if you have a lower top tube to swing your leg over. The Radish was designed to appeal to both men and women but is not specifically a "woman's bike."

As for Xtracycle's products being overpriced, well I can't argue with you too much. The stuff is pricey, but it's all designed for a specific purpose and it all does what it's supposed to very well. I've priced out trying to make my own accessories, and frankly most of it ends up being almost as expensive as just buying the purpose-made accessory. The other factor is quality. We're not talking about department store junk here. These bikes and the accessories are heavy duty equipment, not cheap-ass stuff from a department store built with the lowest tier of no-name groupo Shimano stuff. You want quality, you pay for quality.

David 4.0 said:

I have ridden the Radish and I did not like the ride or quality of that bike.  Plus, it is a girl's bike and I am a guy. 

 

Xtracycles products are really nice but overpriced in my opinion and I think this is simplely due old fashion supply and demand.  No one makes anything compariable and they know they have the longtail conversion market well in hand. 

 

Ok, enough on my rant about Xtracycle...that's why I am hooked on the Yuba Mundo.

 

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