Gift certificates towards the awesome Madsen Bucket Bike are now available.
Free shipping all bikes during December.
Read the full review of the Madsen Cycle.
Madsen Urban Utility Cycle – Review
Overall, this cargo bike does exactly what I wanted it to do. I spent over a year looking for an affordable, ready-to-go bike that could carry kids and their stuff and the Madsen Cycle is it.
If you need to know more than that I’ll try to give you my initial reactions and my responses since then, what it will do I didn’t think it could, what it’s like loaded with kids, and what I wish it did do/have.
I rolled my Madsen out of the box mid – July and have given it a pretty good run in that time. Here’s a shot of it on the dock by the St. Lawrence river.
Setup was a breeze – I adjusted the seat and moved the rapid-fire shifters a little so my hands could reach them better. After a quick turn around the parking area four kids climbed in and we went right up the hill.
One thing that most riders mention is the length of the chain. It is a huge chain, but it’s on par with a tandem of similar size. My concern with the chain is the low clearance caused by the 20″ rear tire.
I spoke with the creator of the cargo bike about this and he assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem in urban settings. Unless you take this off-road it would be fine. So I tested it. I had to make a run to the store for something one night (3 a.m.) and decided to hop some curbs … hard. I rode the lightly loaded bike (and my lightly loaded self) off the tall curbs at the 24 hr supermarket, and up and over the landscape islands as well. At speed. These medians had sloped curbs with mulch or dirt or something in the middle and I was serious about testing the strength of the cargo bike. I did lose a foot off the kick stand, but I think that was later in the ride on another hazard. And Madsen sent me another so all is well. I was inspired to put the bike through some paces after this video of a bike messenger on his Madsen (takes you to youtube). I took it off-road a little too. We got stuck in a cold downpour after soccer practice and decided to take a short cut to my brother’s house that involved some slippery dirt paths and puddles… and a little stone. After coming through a puddle I heard this awful noise coming from the rear wheel. I thought mud had clogged the gears but shifting (and driving through clean puddles) didn’t fix it. When I got a chance to check, a little stone had lodged in the cage that protects the tension pulley on the rear derailer and the noise must have been the chain sliding over the stone instead of the pulley. Ouch. But I definately would not have taken that path if I was hauling the kid trailer. The Madsen pulled through with no permanent damage.
Now that school is in session, I take my three-year-old to playschool three mornings a week. It’s about 4 1/2 miles each way, with one mile of flat. The rest is hills. Of course the steepest hills (about 10% grade) are at each end of the ride so the hardest work is right before it’s over. The longest climb is not really as hard as I thought since it’s not quite as steep.
I haul both younger kids and our gear in the bucket. The kids get the front bench (riding backwards) with lap belts and the gear goes on the floor in my giant gear bag. I’ve learned to carry blankets and pillows because the baby almost always falls asleep somewhere in the ride, and the low back of the bucket makes it a not-so-comfy place to sleep. The “little” guy (all 25 pounds of him) likes to lean out over the edge as we ride, so he’s taken to falling asleep half out of the bucket. I’ll stop and rearrange them both so they can lay in the bottom more comfortably.
It handles the load of 60-70lbs without a creak. If the kids whip around in the back you can certainly feel it, but they haven’t managed to topple me yet. And the kick stand is super sturdy, so I feel comfortable leaving the kids loaded while I step away from the bike. The rear bench will even support me. I know, I’ve done it.
The one thing that would make this bike even more super is a bigger bucket. It’s rated at 30 or 40 gallons volume, but it slopes in toward the bottom so there’s not as much room on the floor as you’d think. There’s only one spot you can fit a full grocery bag easily, and my 7 year-old can’t sit with his feet together. I understand the slimming profile and trendy curves.. no, I don’t. I want a bigger bucket all the way down so I can carry more stuff.
I did cut a shelf out of 1/4 inch plywood I had around. It sits where the benches would go and makes a flat place to carry bigger things while still restrained by the walls. I might go ahead and get the lid option for grocery runs and other kid-free errands.
The owner of Madsen Cycles, Jared Madsen, told me on the phone that he was actively working to ensure the highest quality on his bikes. Every cargo bike frame that came in from the factory was inspected thoroughly to meet his high standards. Some of these frames didn’t quite meet his expectations and he wasn’t willing to send them out to his network of dealers.
He offered to sell me a bike with minor paint scratches at a significant discount. I accepted. Looking over the bike when it first arrived it I found a couple small scratches.
A couple weeks later I noticed a place where the paint job was incomplete. This has left the steel under it exposed and is rusting a little. I rubbed some WD-40 on it to protect the steel a little, but I think it will require a better touch up. I’ll get hold of Madsen and find out.
That offer is now available on the Madsen web store for everyone. You can save enough to cover shipping – and it ships full-assembled and ready to roll.
Ejoy the ride.
Disclaimer: I do own and do recommend this bike. If you make a purchase after following a link from this site, the kind folks over at Madsen will pay me a small comission for helping to sell their bikes. Actually, about 25 commissions will pay for my bike. You too can promote the heck outta Madsen bikes if you love yours as much as I love mine. Check their website for affiliate details.
Joe-bike Cargo bike
Joe-bike up in Portland has the kind of store I’m dreaming of. He offers a variety of unusual and useful bikes for many different people. I might focus just on the kid-carriers, and he offers a couple of those.
Joe’s Unique offering is the Joe bike. 
He takes a short-wheelbase box bike, completely updates the hardware, retrofits a custom rack mounting system to the front, then powdercoats the whole thing.
One of the front-mount accessories is the “tandem” seat.
What a tremendous way to take passengers around. Up in front, riding with you but not earning their keep. It looks like it has a handle and side rails for the tandem, plus a spot for small stuff.
The three-configuration Joe Bike is $2699, including front disc brake with Alfine hub (not shown in the photos), the double-decker racks shown in the photos, rear deck, and the box, along with features such as a Shimano low-resistance dynamo with a superbright front lamp, rear light that also incorporates an automatic brake light, full fenders, full four-point kickstand (not shown in the photos), rear-wheel lock, mirror, and bell. You can also choose your own frame and rack colors at no extra cost.
Nice work Joe, keep it up.
Cetma Cargo Bike – with box
Cetma Cargo bikes offer another twist on hauling stuff.
The “standard” bike has a huge flat cargo area in front of the rider with many possibilities for modification.
Like this heavy-duty box.
This wood box is built from marine grade plywood, which means the glue used to make the plywood
won’t separate in wet climates. Additionally, the entire box is stained and sealed with polyurethane
to protect it. The backside of the bench is hinged to provide extra cargo room if needed.
Bikes are built to order and shipped from Oregon. $3150 complete with shipping.
Madsen Cargo Bike
The Madsen Cargo Bike looks outstanding for carrying children and gear.
Two versions of this bike exist – one with a rack
and one with a bucket
The bucket version comes with a bench and seatbelts – ready for your”precious cargo.”
The prices right now are about $1100 to $1300 (rack or box) and they offer to ship it completely assembled and tuned!
I like the rack lower to the ground for stability and safety. I wonder if there’s a version where you can switch between the rack and bucket?
Yuba Mundo 2009 V2
The latest Yuba Mundo cargo bike is available and looks great! They’ve shaved off a pound or ten, and redesigned the cargo rack to be more child-seat friendly.
I’m looking forward to trying the 18 speed version. I might get just the frame (only a couple left in stock they say) and build it up with the parts from my V1 Mundo.
The 18 Speed is available at $1100, less for the 6 and single speeds.
For about $1000 more they offer an electric-assist motor, but I don’t have much information on that yet. More as it becomes available.
Looks very promising though, I might be able to ditch the car more often on one of these babies!
Yuba Founder Interview
Here’s an interview with the Yuba founder, speaking about the bikes and about the mission to provide cargo bikes to people in developing areas
Mundo V.2 – Child seat friendly
The whole idea of getting a cargo bike with was to carry around my kids and their stuff (or groceries). Box bikes were too expensive (maybe not for long though !!) and the Yuba Mudo seemed like it could do everything. My first Mundo experience wasn’t all I hoped it would be, but with this note from the U.S. distributor my hopes are rising.
Yes the Mundo version v.2 will be taking child seats (the one on the yubaride.com). It will be possible to attach 2 child seats to the carrier. The new carrier will be narrower.
The new bike will land in the US sometimes in early spring. The childseats will be available as well.
Specifically, the cargo rack is redesigned a little narrower to be more “kid seat friendly.” These look like the child seats they’re talking about.
20 to 50lbs, simple fitting system to the carrier, 2 seats can be attached
YAY!! I did manage to get my local bike store to install a mega-range (granny gear) for me so it’s not impossible to get up the hills around my house anymore. However, the 18-speed-plus-2-kid-seats-combo is exactly what I was looking for.
As soon as the retail details get to me, I’ll make this available through the store.
Tell ya what, we’ll even do free shipping on any bike & seat combo (one per customer) for pre-orders with complete payment. Saves you $50-$100 for being an early adopter.
If you don’t need the skinny rack and seats, go check out Joe Bikes in Portland. He has the V.1 in stock and is running a Winter Special
CETMAcargo bike
Here’s an interesting alternative to the Dutch-made cargo bikes we were looking at earlier.
The maker of CETMA racks has developed a prototype of a cargo platform bike.
CETMAcargo logo
From the looks, the final model will
- Weigh less than a full-fledged bakefits
- The frame is “bi-partable.” Which means
The front and rear ends are swappable, so different sized cargo areas can be joinable with
small or large cockpits. Tall riders can have a small cargo area/short wheelbase, or short riders can choose large, extended cargo fronts.
This also means a huge cut in shipping costs.
Another interesting point is that in the event of damage to part of the bike, the entire frame need not be replaced. If either end is recoverable, replace only the damaged section.
I can already imagine fitting the infant carseat to the platform, with my BoBike seat on the back for the 2 year old.
We’ll see how this bike comes together. There may be no choice for me but a trip to Portland and Seatle to try out some of these bikes myself.
Yuba Mundo Review
I ordered my 6-speed Mundo right at the end of summer looking for a way to carry more than one child and some stuff. Like groceries or kid’s gear or … stuff.
The bike came partly assembled, and getting it together was quite the adventure for a non-bike-mechanic type person such as myself. I would reccomend professional assistance in that regards if you get one.
Unfortunately, I dont think the bike will do what I need it to do out-of-the-box, at least on my local hilly terrain for the following reasons:
- It’s heavy. Way heavy. Even unloaded it’s a monster.
- Child seats don’t fit well
- There’s no place for stuff.
The Mundo is a solid, sturdy, comfortable bike that is highly adaptable to hauling large or heavy loads. It’s very affordable and not impossible to assemble with a few special tools.
If the gearing would provide more power, if they offered a factory-approved child seat, and if gear storage was simpler, I’d love this bike. The weight could easily be managed by a strongish adult with proper gearing, but factory direct it’s not quite what I need.
What I need is to carry two or three young children, their associated baggage and groceries to feed everyone; and I need to do it on hilly (not mountainous) terrain with good bike paths. I’d like to do it with a bike that cost less than a used car, too.
Read on for more details
Business Status
I’m going ahead with this business project. Have a new logo, and tax ID and business name are done; still working on resale permits.
As I get products to sell, they’ll be listed on the site with a Google Checkout option. Have to find something that works first.
I’m starting with the Yuba Mundo. It will definitely carry the weight of kids, but out-of-the-box it’s a little intimidating and heavy. OK, a lot heavy. I could barely get the empty bike uphill. The luggage rack weighs as much as my friend’s whole single-speed bike! I’ll make some suggested modifications to the gearing and build a top-deck and see how it goes then.
Also looking at the Kona Ute. It looks a lot lighter and more city friendly, but I’m not sure about how it will handle the load of wiggly kids yet.
I haven’t forgotten about the FR8 or Bakfiets. One thing at a time though.
There’s a local bike store that’s going to handle Xtracycle extensions, so I’ll let them handle that and delete it from my brainstorm list.
My first BoBike seat is on order! Hopefully I can make it fit securely on the Mundo. Neither of the seats I had laying around would fit but I got this notion I might be able to steal the seat of Ruth’s tricycle and bolt it down…
more to come.
Yuba – Mundo Utility Bike
For all-purpose transportation and utility, I’m starting to look at the Yuba Mundo.
From the Yuba website…
Mundo Utility Bike Models
The Mundo Utility Bike is designed to promote affordable, scaleable transportation for cargo and people, particularly for developing parts of the world that rely heavily on human-powered mobility in rugged conditions. Of course, it works just as well carrying tools, sport equipment, running errands around town, or hauling a new piece of furniture home that you just picked up at a garage sale. It’s a bike built for anyone, anywhere.
Key features include:
Large, integrated cargo platforms for easy loading
Room to transport up to 3 passengers safely
Scaleable frame with low top tube for riders of different sizes
Reinforced dropouts for cargo or passenger transport
V-Brakes, gears.
High tensile steel frame
Reinforced rims, axles, cranks, cargo-strength tires.
The U.S. Distributor, Rock The Bike, put together a video to see the bike in action.
Bicyling with children – Trailer not required
I’m not alone in my disapproval of carrying children in trailers behind the bike.
from Rove Arounds
Next, don’t believe the hype. Retailers will encourage you to purchase a trailer for your child, stating it is the safest way to travel. Studies have proven this irrelevant, based on where you live, how you travel etc. The reason they promote trailer travel is that they themselves have nothing else to offer. Look at this objectively, the rest of the “free world” has & does travel with their children on their bicycles. Take the Netherlands for example, is there a more pro-family country in Europe?! Would they allow their children to travel unsafely?
Once in a while, the trailer comes in handy. If I’ve only got one kid and need to store a little more stuff than fits in my backpack, or I’m not wearing a backpack, or it’s raining.
Most of the time the trailer is less than ideal. It bounces off curbs, changes the balance of the ride and seems to weigh a ton and a half heading up hills.
I’ve tried the cheapo seat available at box-stores with some success, but 2 solidly-built BoBike seats strapped to the back of a longtail bike would be super cool and practical.
Here comes the city bike
Telling yourself that you’ll drive less and bike more is the easy part.
It often involves taking the time to:
- Load the kids into the trailer
- Hook it up to the bike
- Secure the cargo-carrying device (mine is a milkcrate zip-tied to my luggage rack)
- And then the actual work begins…
On a cruise across town and back (17 miles or so and more than a few hills) just to see if I could make it I realized that even with my new street tires, I was still riding a mountain bike. My hands tingled, my back ached, my neck strained to see ahead (and to check the kids nodding uncomfortably back there) and I wasn’t really comfortable.
Turns out there might be a better way. I have yet to actually try one, but these “cruisers” look pretty comfortable. I call them cruisers, apparantly the trendy name is “City Bike.” NPR‘s Bryant Park Project even speaks highly about city bikes.
OMG.
I’ve lived in Holland for 7 years. While the bike in the picture has the same form as the bikes here, they don’t look authentic. Please modify bike in the following ways:
* Remove breaks – at most only reverse pedal breaks should be installed
* Gears?!?!?!? Bwahahahahahahahaha. No.
* Generator on front wheel for front and rear lights (it’s the law here)
* Child seat on handlebar, single/double child seat behind the saddle
* saddlebags over the rear wheel for groceries
* at LEAST two locks
* lots and lots of rustNow you have what we call a “grandma bike” or “hallelujah bike” or in certain circles a “dutch SUV.”
And you know if it’s on NPR it’s either leftist propaganda or about to be mainstream.
I’ve looked around the ‘net and found a couple I’d like to try.
Of course, these are hand-built in Amsterdam and only ships to bicycle dealers and the top one is still in “limited production.” I’ll add them to the wish-list. Maybe I’ll get these as demo models for my dream store.
Business Idea
Brief Summary
As gasoline prices in the U.S. rise and start to match prices in Europe, more and more people will look for ways to reduce their family’s dependence on oil and gasoline. European’s have long relied on bicycles for personal transportation due to fuel and space limitations In the years ahead, we believe Americans will re-discover the ease and practicality that well-designed bicycles offer for personal and family transportation.
Our goal is to tap in to the niche market of families who want to spend more time together and spend less money at the gas pump. These families spend money on quality goods and foods, may shop at local farmer’s markets and co-ops, and actively seek methods to slow their life down and appreciate time together. The commuters in these families do not travel long distances to and from work, and prefer a quality, comfortable ride which does not require a change of clothes once they get to work.
