Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on August 2, 2010 at 7:37am

A Surly Big Dummy looks like it would do you well too.

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth on August 2, 2010 at 7:43am

They carry the Big Dummy at Johnny Sprockets, and it would indeed work. I've test-driven it. But it is twice the price, and I think the frame of the Radish would be more comfortable for my cruiser-riding self. I don't think we need the heavy-duty cargo capacity of the Big Dummy -- we mostly want to haul two kids, their bikes, and associated supplies.

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on August 2, 2010 at 8:07am

I see.

Elizabeth said:

They carry the Big Dummy at Johnny Sprockets, and it would indeed work. I've test-driven it. But it is twice the price, and I think the frame of the Radish would be more comfortable for my cruiser-riding self. I don't think we need the heavy-duty cargo capacity of the Big Dummy -- we mostly want to haul two kids, their bikes, and associated supplies.

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Permalink Reply by Ace Mann on August 2, 2010 at 9:47am

You might to try that De Fietsfabriek on Wells St I think it's like 1311 N wells.I think they have bikes kinda like that.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on August 4, 2010 at 2:38am

You should consider the Yuba Mundo and the Kona Ute
Both are similar in price to the Radish and have a more relaxed geometry than a Big Dummy.

Rapid Transit on North Ave in the past had a Kona Ute in their store. Not sure they still do.

Also, CL member John Donahue just posted some pictures of his Yuba Mundo. Not sure if he resides in Chicago though.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Lloyd on August 4, 2010 at 3:21am

Blue City Cycles in Bridgeport is a Yuba dealer and has a Yuba Mundo in the store.

Duppie said:

You should consider the Yuba Mundo and the Kona Ute
Both are similar in price to the Radish and have a more relaxed geometry than a Big Dummy.

Rapid Transit on North Ave in the past had a Kona Ute in their store. Not sure they still do.

Also, CL member John Donahue just posted some pictures of his Yuba Mundo. Not sure if he resides in Chicago though.

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Permalink Reply by payton on August 12, 2010 at 5:59pm

I have an Xtracycle that I'm not using -- it's attached to a Specialized Globe cruiser. Let me know if you'd like to take it for a ride (or take it, period), since I'll need to change a flat.

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth on August 13, 2010 at 6:01am

Are you selling, then, Payton? I would be interested in taking it for a test drive, if you're located at all nearby, and might be interested in buying. Are you in the city of chicago?

payton said:

I have an Xtracycle that I'm not using -- it's attached to a Specialized Globe cruiser. Let me know if you'd like to take it for a ride (or take it, period), since I'll need to change a flat.

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Permalink Reply by spacemodular on August 13, 2010 at 12:52pm

Rapid Transit Cycleshops carry the Kona Ute and have both the 18" and the 20" models currently in stock.

The Kona Ute is now being supported by Xtracycle. The initial offering is child seats. Up to 2 child seats can be mounted on a Ute.

The Ute is different than the Surly Big Dummy, the Xtracycle Radish or the Yuba Mundo cargo bikes, in that it is lighter, has 29'er wheels and the ride is the closest to a conventional bike of all of these models. It does sacrifice carrying capacity, but can still haul more groceries than a compact car. The bike has front and back disk brakes and is quite versatile.

As an employee of Rapid Transit, I would encourage you to take a free test ride and also feel free to carry another adult on the test ride to see what it is like under load.

Our location information and hours are listed at:

www.rapidtransitcycles.com

Thanks for reading!

Nick

Duppie said:

You should consider the Yuba Mundo and the Kona Ute
Both are similar in price to the Radish and have a more relaxed geometry than a Big Dummy. Rapid Transit on North Ave in the past had a Kona Ute in their store. Not sure they still do. Also, CL member John Donahue just posted some pictures of his Yuba Mundo. Not sure if he resides in Chicago though.

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth on August 14, 2010 at 7:04pm

Hi Nick!

Thanks for the recommendation; we test drove the Ute over at Rapid Transit today. Do you know if it's possible to do this on the Ute?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dansteeves68/3897840124/
Right now we'd want to do a 3 year old with a stoker bar, with a 1 year old in a Peapod, and also be able to tow the 3 year old's 12" bike and any necessary supplies for a day out with the kids. But soon we'd want to carry that plus a balance bike, and presumably in a few years we'd want to do what the guy's doing in the picture.

I know the Ute can handle the Peapod, but I don't know the pannier options and how they would interact with the Peapod, or what we could rig up for bike towing. I also don't know if we'd start to outstrip the Ute's carrying capacity if we had something like a 4 year old, a 6 year old, a 16" bike and a 20" bike all on the back rack.

What do you think? Think you guys at Rapid Transit could help us make this work? We really liked how the Ute handled, and we like the fact that it's available now rather than in February...

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Permalink Reply by spacemodular on August 14, 2010 at 7:17pm

Hi Elizabeth,

I think we could put a stoker bar on the seat post and get that going with a peapod. The Ute could certainly carry 2 small children with their bikes (weight capacity wise), we would just need to figure out how to make it happen - the kids should fit on fine, we just need to work out how to attach their bikes.

The Xtracycle accessory support is about 2 weeks old. So I have a little bit of research to do on where this is going. I am more than happy to contact our rep and get more information.


Feel free to contact me at this email:

nick@rapidtransitcycles.com

I would be glad to work with you on finding a solution to your families' bicycle needs.

Thanks,

Nick
Elizabeth said:

Hi Nick!

Thanks for the recommendation; we test drove the Ute over at Rapid Transit today. Do you know if it's possible to do this on the Ute?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dansteeves68/3897840124/
Right now we'd want to do a 3 year old with a stoker bar, with a 1 year old in a Peapod, and also be able to tow the 3 year old's 12" bike and any necessary supplies for a day out with the kids. But soon we'd want to carry that plus a balance bike, and presumably in a few years we'd want to do what the guy's doing in the picture.

I know the Ute can handle the Peapod, but I don't know the pannier options and how they would interact with the Peapod, or what we could rig up for bike towing. I also don't know if we'd start to outstrip the Ute's carrying capacity if we had something like a 4 year old, a 6 year old, a 16" bike and a 20" bike all on the back rack.

What do you think? Think you guys at Rapid Transit could help us make this work? We really liked how the Ute handled, and we like the fact that it's available now rather than in February...

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