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.
A couple of questions since you’ve tried this and the new, lighter Yuba’s and it looks like you’re still feeling that the Madsen is a better value.
1. Fit & comfort for tall riders: I’m 6’3″ and have heard the Radish isn’t a good fit for folks over 6′. How does the Madsen do on this account (I felt great in the Yuba Mundo I tried at Joe-Bike).
2. Weight going up hills: Right now there’s a bunch of hilly sections on the way to my daughter’s school and Baltimore in general is pretty hilly, so the extra weight of the Madsen over the new Yubas has concerned me. I’m going to try and test drive a used one this week but don’t think there will be any hills I can try out.
3. Comfort for the kids: I’m curious about how the ride feels on those benches. Our streets here in Baltimore could use some work (although the stimulus is helping) and my kids constantly complain about the feel in the cheap trailer I’ve been using to get them around. Any comments from your little ones.
4. Transporting the bike: Does the Madsen fit on traditional auto bike racks or bus bike racks? I know the idea is to ride it everywhere, but there are times (like when buying one from the next state) where it will be important to put it on/in a car and it might break down at some point. Just curious.
Thanks for any more thoughts you have on this. The nicest thing about the Madsen is that it’s everything in a single package, you don’t have to buy a Peapod or BoBike seat, stoker bar, bags, etc. I would be curious about adding a front rack for quick access storage.
Patrick
Patrick, I haven’t tried the V2 Mundo, only the older model. There are a couple good comments from other users though, like this one http://familycycler.com/yuba-mundo-review/comment-page-1/#comment-26
I’ll answer your other questions as best as I can.
1. Size. I’m 6’2″ and can stretch the seatpost way up. I could crank the seat up a little higher, but I like a little flex in my knee at the bottom of a stroke (instead of standing on my tiptoes). With the seat way up like that, the kids facing rear might bump their helmets on the back of my seat from time to time.
2. Weight. Any bike you can throw 50+ pounds of loose gear and kids at without the slightest worry is O.K. in my book. My neighborhood has hills. Of the 4 1/2 miles each way getting my daughter to preschool, 1 is flat. The steepest are at the ends (of course.) The hill by my house is 8-10% grade in parts, and quite the workout getting up. The bike handles it better than I do. At least it’s a short hill. However, the mile-long climb that’s not as steep is easy-peasy-breezy. I usually hit that hill in 3rd or 4th (of 8) gear, even with kids on-board. The only time I ever hit 8th gear is blowing down a long hill. Or empty on the flats, but why ride empty? Jared at Madsen suggests having a bike shop replace the front crank for one with fewer teeth to get more torque, but I haven’t done that.
3. The bench is a lightly padded board with lap belts. I added a piece to the belt to hold the extra belt and keep it tight on their laps. Less than $2 at the local camping store. The 20″ rear tire seems to amplify bumps, but the kids don’t complain as much as when they were in a traditional seat. That’s probably because they usually sit in front of the rear tire on the Madsen, rather than directly over and behind it on a regular bike. Falling asleep is a concern. I usually carry pillows and blankets so I can tuck them into the bucket when toddler narcolepsy sets in.
4. Transporting. I got a Swagman XTC 4 Bike Platform rack that hooks up to my trailer hitch. Free shipping from Amazon. I lucked out because it worked with a slight modification. I turned the baskets that hold the tires upside down on the rack, which extended the reach just enough to load the Madsen (and 3 other bikes) up and hit the road. The bucket comes off easily with a 10mm socket and a flat head screwdriver. The total length of the bike is a little wider than my Saturn Vue, and I’m lucky I didn’t rip it off on some construction barriers on a dark lonely highway.
I do have a little handlebar bag to keep a few things in easy reach while riding. I might get a bigger Wald basket, but I probably won’t need a full front rack. You’re in Baltimore? I’m in State College, PA. If you’re up this way feel free to come test ride it. Seriously.
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Interested to know where you get a helmet small enough for a child that little. Most of the children’s helmets I’ve seen are for 3yrs and older.
The yellow helmet is just a Bell brand. Probably from Walmart. It’s marked 1yr plus, but Tim is a big kid and had good muscle control early.