An interesting article from Gizmodo: "Why You Should Be On A Cargo Bike"

Why You Should Be On A Cargo Bike

"I used to care about weight. I'm one of those OCD types who meticulously weighed components out on my gram scale. I'm the jerk with the hollow pin chain and all Dura Ace on his carbon fiber LOOK 595. I stripped my mountain bike down to its frame, and replaced every. single. part. Every one. All in order to shave seconds. I have strong opinions about rotational weight, and when, exactly, you should take on water during a race, if at all.

....

Yet today, my favorite thing to ride is a burly beast of a bike, laden with as much gear as I can load on it. I want to stack as much stuff as I can on there, and then ride it everywhere, all the time. "


Why You Should Be On A Cargo Bike


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Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 25, 2012 at 8:36am

That writer makes good decisions, I'd say

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on April 25, 2012 at 9:01am
I stopped reading Gizmodo because — among other reasons — they were declaring the death of the desktop, laptop, phone, insert favorite item here, etc.; on an almost weekly basis. I'm surprised the author didn't claim that road bikes were dead. 

Duppie said:

That writer makes good decisions, I'd say

Permalink Reply by rb on April 25, 2012 at 9:16am

Nice Bike Duppie! That should be very handy with summer on the way.

Duppie said:

That writer makes good decisions, I'd say

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on April 25, 2012 at 9:24am

Absolutely. You will be invited to my summer barbecues ;)

rb said:

Nice Bike Duppie! That should be very handy with summer on the way.

Duppie said:

That writer makes good decisions, I'd say

Permalink Reply by Ash L. on April 25, 2012 at 9:59am

Well yeah, duh. Cargo bikes are great if you need them. I love my fakefiets for kid hauling but I wouldn't have shelled out for one just for the day to day shopping stuff. Almost any bike can be made a cargo bike with the addition of racks and panniers. One certainly doesn't need to drop two grand to make a weekly grocery run.

I don't want to get to a point where people buy these things just as fashion statements and they languish in garages eternally. I sold my Madsen last fall to a person I know while never ride it more than a couple of times a year. The funds from that sale helped me to upgrade to what I've got now but ultimately, these utilitarian bikes are meant to be ridden hard and put away wet, not for some show piece.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 25, 2012 at 10:13am

I hear what Ash is saying about the cargo bike.  For my needs I'm digging the trailer behind my ordinary moderately heavy Dutch-style city bike with lots of racks and baskets.  Cargo bikes are cool -but I don't think I would want to ride one every day unless I needed to absolutely carry something heavy all the time.   The city bike is a drag enough as it is when it is empty. 

The nice thing about a trailer is I can unhook it and leave it in the garage most of the time.  I only use it about 2 times a month on big grocery runs or getting supplies at Menards.    I rarely carry anything that weighs so much that it stresses even an unmodified common kiddie trailer and if even if I did a heavier-duty trailer would set me back MUCH less than a bakfeit.  

Then again, on the other hand,  I'm child-free and I don't have the precious cargo of a BayBayOnBoard to contend with either which might make the choice of the plywood-boxed kid-hauler perhaps a better option over a trailer in everyday use shuttling it around. 

Permalink Reply by knowbody on April 25, 2012 at 11:04am

Love driving this SUV just so other cars are willing to give me a wide birth.

Permalink Reply by Allen Wrench on April 25, 2012 at 2:54pm

In general I agree with Ash, but the more cargo capable bikes replace 700C x 23 no-fenders carbon plastic the better. Even at 2 or 3 Grand they probably cost less than lots of those Pinarellos out there, and you can use a cargo bike to actually DO something, even in the rain, even if it's only carry your lunch to work. A well balanced cargo bike is just as zippy as James's Raleigh and keeps up with other bikes riding around the city; it's only hills and starts/stops that slow you down. Besides, lots of people supposedly bike to keep in shape, and it's a better workout to push more weight. While it's possible to carry a ton of stuff on a regular bike, I'd be thrilled if we saw a cargo bike for every SUV on our streets.

And if you ARE carrying a 'BayBay' nothing beats being able to see and talk with them as you ride along, rather than just spraying them with slush from your back wheel. 'Nuff said.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 25, 2012 at 3:11pm

+1  I agree whole-heatedly.

The nicest thing about bicycles is that someone can afford to own 3-4 of them at even a fraction of the cost of a good used car with only a tiny sliver of the costs of maintenance.  If one is handy the costs are even lower.

A good road bike,  a good city bike, maybe a heavy hauler/cargo bike and a fancy vintage tweed or Schwinn can round out the stable to account for any occasion or need.  Empty your garage of that wasteful automobile and one can have the room for a whole fleet of bikes and still be money ahead.



Allen Wrench said:

In general I agree with Ash, but the more cargo capable bikes replace 700C x 23 no-fenders carbon plastic the better. Even at 2 or 3 Grand they probably cost less than lots of those Pinarellos out there, and you can use a cargo bike to actually DO something, even in the rain, even if it's only carry your lunch to work. A well balanced cargo bike is just as zippy as James's Raleigh and keeps up with other bikes riding around the city; it's only hills and starts/stops that slow you down. Besides, lots of people supposedly bike to keep in shape, and it's a better workout to push more weight. While it's possible to carry a ton of stuff on a regular bike, I'd be thrilled if we saw a cargo bike for every SUV on our streets.

And if you ARE carrying a 'BayBay' nothing beats being able to see and talk with them as you ride along, rather than just spraying them with slush from your back wheel. 'Nuff said.

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on April 25, 2012 at 4:14pm

Let's see. A single speed for riding around town, 1 light road bike for trainings, races and century rides, 1 touring bike packed with racks and panniers for campings and light around town shopping, and a cargo bike for large shopping around town.

I think that about does it. Did I miss anything?



James BlackHeron said:

+1  I agree whole-heatedly.

The nicest thing about bicycles is that someone can afford to own 3-4 of them at even a fraction of the cost of a good used car with only a tiny sliver of the costs of maintenance.  If one is handy the costs are even lower.

A good road bike,  a good city bike, maybe a heavy hauler/cargo bike and a fancy vintage tweed or Schwinn can round out the stable to account for any occasion or need.  Empty your garage of that wasteful automobile and one can have the room for a whole fleet of bikes and still be money ahead.

Permalink Reply by Jared on April 25, 2012 at 4:24pm

A folding bike to take on trains and buses.

Just Will said:

Let's see. A single speed for riding around town, 1 light road bike for trainings, races and century rides, 1 touring bike packed with racks and panniers for campings and light around town shopping, and a cargo bike for large shopping around town.

I think that about does it. Did I miss anything?



James BlackHeron said:

+1  I agree whole-heatedly.

The nicest thing about bicycles is that someone can afford to own 3-4 of them at even a fraction of the cost of a good used car with only a tiny sliver of the costs of maintenance.  If one is handy the costs are even lower.

A good road bike,  a good city bike, maybe a heavy hauler/cargo bike and a fancy vintage tweed or Schwinn can round out the stable to account for any occasion or need.  Empty your garage of that wasteful automobile and one can have the room for a whole fleet of bikes and still be money ahead.

Permalink Reply by rb on April 26, 2012 at 1:45am

With the way Metra's policies are, having a folder is huge lifesaver- I got my first Dahon on CL for $100 a few years back. Paid for itself very quickly. 

Being a larger person folders are not optimal for me riding distance, but in those short distance multi modal situations- they are very useful.

Jared said:

A folding bike to take on trains and buses.

Just Will said:

Let's see. A single speed for riding around town, 1 light road bike for trainings, races and century rides, 1 touring bike packed with racks and panniers for campings and light around town shopping, and a cargo bike for large shopping around town.

I think that about does it. Did I miss anything?



James BlackHeron said:

+1  I agree whole-heatedly.

The nicest thing about bicycles is that someone can afford to own 3-4 of them at even a fraction of the cost of a good used car with only a tiny sliver of the costs of maintenance.  If one is handy the costs are even lower.

A good road bike,  a good city bike, maybe a heavy hauler/cargo bike and a fancy vintage tweed or Schwinn can round out the stable to account for any occasion or need.  Empty your garage of that wasteful automobile and one can have the room for a whole fleet of bikes and still be money ahead.

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