Family Cycler Bicycles and accessories to help families ride together.

MADSEN Cargo Bikes

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.