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
Weight
The mundo is heavy enough that just moving it around can cause tippage and tumbles. It’s shipping weight is about 70 lbs! You cant just grab the handle bars and the seat and move it like you do most bikes. Keeping it balanced isn’t hard, but once it starts going there’s a little more inertia to consider.
On the plus, the weight really helps roll up the next hill with just momentum. For a while at least.
Now, I’m not a weak rider. No yellow jerseys (no jerseys at all for that matter) but I’ll haul the trailer with 2 kids in it and blow past college kids on the uphill. However, I don’t ever remember standing up on my mountain bike in order to finish a climb while pulling the trailer. The mundo makes me stand up on a couple hills even when it’s empty. I actually had to walk once! How embarrassing! this beautiful, blue, monsterbike I was hoping to build an empire around had me WALKING on the first big hill.
If the bike had a lower low-gear it might help. Yuba reccomends an 11-34 tooth mega-range gear (yet the 2008 model didn’t ship with it) for that extra oomf when loaded. They also have a recommendation for a front derailer which would increase the gearing from 6 to 18. But, again, it’s not a factory-shipped option.
Kids
Part of the beauty of a long-tail bike is the option to carry passengers. If you and your child feel comfortable riding without a child seat, or if you’re carrying adults, the standard bike is almost ready for you. You’ll need some kind of deck to keep your passenger’s tush of the rear tire. And you’ll probably want to add a stoker stem and handle bars so they have something to hold on to. Once again, projects not offered on a standard bike.
I have found that a cheapo bike seat worked pretty well if mounted right behind the “driver’s” seat. The one I have from my other bike clamped onto the frame (instead of standard the srew mounts for luggage racks) and with a little pressure would clamp to the Mudo frame as well. I had to by some extra clamps and hooks to attach the front of the seat to the frame as it sat too far back to reach the intended mounts at the saddle quick-release. Which isn’t a quick release on this bike so it wouldn’t have worked any way.
But, anyone can carry one kid on a bike. I wanted both my kids to ride back there so I neede another seat. I tried the BoBike Jr. due to the great reviews and solid construction, and because it will hold my six-year-old. With a little finesse this one WILL mount right behind the saddle with the standard moutain bike mount. The arms that are supposed to mount straight down don’t go straight down, but they clamp to the frame just fine. If you turn the clamps around backward…
With the Bobike mounted on the front of the luggage rack, I tried to mount a second BoBike for my two-year-old. This one would not fit on the back of the rack, and the rig I built for the old seat just wouldn’t secure to my satisfaction. BoBike does have a front-mouted option that I haven’t tried yet, but again, almost anyone can mount one in front and one in back. No special bike needed unless the gear-hauling prowess of the bike proved unsurpassed.
Gear Hauling
There’s a little sticker right on the frame that boasts a “200 kg / 440 lbs” carrying capacity. Wow. That’s me and the kids and still well over 100 pounds of stuff. But there’s no place to put it. The luggage rack is heavy and wide and has low side rails. So if you’re carrying a kayak or lumber or something big and narrow great. But if you have snacks and drinks and 2 bags of groceries and 2 jugs of milk… you have to figure something out.
With one seat mounted in back I strapped a milk crate on the rack and away we went. Fine. It works but is missing a huge potential of the ability of this bike. I’ve tried trash cans and plastic containers so far, but nothing sat comfortably on the frame. Then there’s the mounting aspect. You’ll need 3/4 inch conduit clamps if you’re going to attach anything to the frame. So these would be clamped to the frame then drilled and mounted onto whatever container you find then stress tested and so on.
Yuba does offer a removable pannier bag for about $100. So to be fair, there is a standard option for carrying stuff. Still well shy of capacity, but better than nothing. I just wish they offered a deck.
The rear luggage rack will hold boxy or stiff items just fine, with a little strapping down. But soft things like resuable grocery bags, or passenger butt, tends to sag through the frame and drag on the tire. So you need to build a deck, because guess what? They don’t offer a standard deck.
One last minor annoyance – the standard srew-mounts for water bottles and air pumps and things… not standard on the Mundo. Since there’s no place to mount a bottle cage you’ll have to stick your bottle with the rest of your stuff.
Oh, wait. Right.
Maybe the 2009 model will work a little better for me. I’ll let you know.
If the Mundo was lightweight, it could not carry huge amounts of stuff. If it was set up to do specific things, it could not do almost anything. Hills and human power are difficult any way you look at it. I use cam lock ‘kayak straps’ and bungee cords to mount cooler, milk crate, recycling bin, etc. for different cargo combinations. I LOVE my mundo, and so does my wife. I’m 6’4″ and she’s about 5’7″.
Bob, Thanks for the input. The specific thing I’m trying to get it to do is carry 2 small children plus our stuff on mildly hilly terrain. I’ve heard that the 2009 model will have a slightly resized cargo rack and I’ll have to see how that works for kid carriers. My next project on this bike is to strip the gears off my MTB and try them on the Mundo. If that makes hills more bearable, I’ll be golden. – pb
Hi, I hope you’ve noticed your issues has been solved, atleast in the US (I personally live in Sweden.)
There is a “mundo v2″ out now which is 12 lbs (5-6 kg) lighter but with the same load capacity, the american webshop sells a 18 speed version for 100 dollar more, or an upgrade kit for the 6 speed version for 85 dollars, the also had kid seats as accessories, and both a board to put on the top of the cargo area and a board and straps system for the sides.
I assume fitting it with some boards can be easily done by oneself, and since it’s a steel frame one can even weld extra pins on it if needed.
I hope this helped you with some of your issues. (Btw, if you already own a kids seat I guess you may be able to fit some thing which make it possible to mount that to.)
Oh, and btw, for huge hills you could always add an electrical motor, noone force you to use it all the time but when heavily loaded or up hills .. ;D
Johan, thanks for your ideas. I’ve looked at fitting boards and child seats. The boards are handy, but my six-year old (who should ride his OWN bike) won’t ride with me unless he has a seat belt and seat. I have tried regular child seats, even the expensive Bobike ones. The difficulty there is the rear frame doesn’t have standard mounts (braize?) for most seats, and the rack pipes are in the way for several others. I wasn’t happy with the safety of the rigs I built to make the seats fit.
Since I’m thinking of selling these to parents who want to move kids around, I’m not looking for a “project” bike where parents had to weld or manufacture parts to make it work. Folks who like project bikes will find them all on their own.
You’re right, the V2 solves these issues with a rack available and seats available as well. I’m excited about the new version and can’t wait to try it out!
Hey – It was great to find your site. I just received the 2009 18 speed version of the Mundo. I had a similar experience in which they said that it would come assembled, but I chose the free shipping option (who wouldn’t?) and it came in pieces instead. When I asked, they said it was because I chose free shipping. That was never mentioned, unfortunately. After struggling for days to put it together, it’s relatively functional now. But there is a problem with the child’s seat…
The Yuba folks were sold out of the Kettler bike seat (what they call the Bout’Chou), but then they said they had one left. I paid $169 and they shipped it to me. It was used. It was missing parts. It did not fit on the bike. I tried to work with Yuba, but they just kept telling me that I didn’t need the missing parts (which were screws and spacers along with the spring guard so my daughter’s fingers wouldn’t get chewed up). Like most parents, my child is pretty important to me and the idea of tossing on a seat without all the manufacturer’s required parts is not something I’m about to do.
I contacted Kettler directly and after sending photos of the bike seat, they alerted me that Yuba is not an authorized dealer, and this was a bike seat that had not been released in the US yet. So the seat, which remember was used, came from somewhere else and wasn’t even sold by an authorized dealer.
To Yuba’s credit, they refunded my card and I sent the seat back, but I’m still seatless. Understanding that you have had to build something custom to fit on the Mundo has me convinced that’s the only way to have a child ride on this bike. We, like you, bought the bike for local commuting and since we got it in July it’s been sitting in the back yard unused because there is almost never an occassion when I can ride without my daughter.
So, do you have any specs on what you built or any recommendations? I have a Co-Pilot Limo that I’ve been using on another bike. I’d rather start with that than buy another seat if possible. Looking forward to your help – Melissa
Melissa,
I’m sorry to hear of you’re troubles with the Yuba Mundo. I was really excited to hear that they had a bike seat to offer on their redesigned model, but it sounds like you had some difficulty with that too. I just sold my V1 and haven’t replaced it with a V2 yet. I’ll address some of these issues best I can.
Shipping / build – In order to ship the bike by standard carrier, it does come unassembled. I had a heck of time putting mine together (first bike build) but at least I got to buy some cool new tools! The build instructions came in pretty handy – once I downloaded them. Here are the current assembly instructions for the Yuba Mundo. http://yubaride.com/cargobikes-manuals.html
Most bike shops can assemble the workings for you for $50-$80. The rear frame may be beyond a standard build but that just requires a hex wrench (and finesse and some oomph!)
Seat – INTERESTING. It’s a Kettler seat you say? and you have pictures? I’d LOVE to see these. There’s not a whole lot of info on the Yuba site about the seat. I do know the bikes are built in Germany, so they might purchase the seats there and have them shipped with the bikes. One of their product descriptions (the E-bike I believe) says “most people just want to know it will work but …” I’m one of those “but” people and devour specs and comparisons on projects I’m getting into. If you could send me model numbers, alternate names, pics, anything you’ve got – I’ll post it up and give you the credit for it. Or link to where you’ve already got it posted. As far as existing seats, You’ll have to try out the one you have to see if it fits. The lack of mounting points (braize?) like a standard bike means standard accessories don’t fit. I had that trouble too. Yuba offers the Bobike line and I have the founder’s assurance that they fit. My Bobike Maxi+ and Junior seats didn’t fit the V1 very well (or at all safely) and now that I have my Madsen I’m going to offer them up for sale. Let me know if you’re interested in those.
Other solutions – if your existing seat doesn’t fit, there’s the option of letting older kids ride horseback style. Get the plastic deck from Yuba and take your bike to a local shop that sells tandem bikes. You can get a tandem stoker and handle bars that attach to your seat post and let the passenger have something to hang on to. Obviously, this only works for big kids and adults.
My best recommendation, however will come too late for you. It was almost too late for me. I had just decided to order a V2 and some seats when one last Google:Cargo Bike search led me to my Madsen. I was just sitting down to put up some more reviews of the Madsen when I saw your comment, so check back for those reviews later but the short of it is: the Madsen KG271 Bucket bike comes assembled and tuned with seats and belts for up to 4 kids. Actually roll out of the box, adjust the seat and go. Look for the Madsen post for more details.
Good luck getting everything to work for you.
pb
I’ve had my Yuba Mundo 18 speed v2 for about 6 weeks. We purchased it with the intention of turning it into a school bus to get our 6 year old and 3 year old to and from school. With Paul from Rock The Bike’s help, we got a Bobike Maxi installed and have retrofitted some 1/2″ plumbing pipe to create a handle bar for my older daughter behind the Bobike, that is held to the top deck with a plumbing flange.
We’ve been riding the bike almost everyday.
Here’s my take:
- Heavy
-Sturdy
-Slow
- Fun to cruise, especially if you’re not in a rush
- Kids love it
- Turns heads all over the place
- Versitile
- Weight and bulk virtually nulify versitility
- Some serious flaws (could be easily addressed if Yuba wanted to)
Serious flaw #1: The bike is marketed as a Cargo Bike. It might be a great cargo bike if it had a kickstand that worked. The Benie kickstand does not work. Mine fell off while I was riding it. The Standalone kickstand sort of works but you could never let the kids climb up on it without holding on tight. For anyone who has experienced the stability of an Xtracycle kickstand, you would be shocked at the shoddy quality of the current kickstand solutions. It’s hard to believe Yuba would even sell a bike of this size, weight and bulk without a viable kickstand option. In my opinion, this is a very serious flaw. I can’t load my kids without major contortions trying to stabilize the bike. How is a person supposed to load cargo on this thing, let alone people?
Serious flaw #2: the grip shifts suck. As I mentioned, the bike is heavy. You must use the handle bars to get leverage and steady it when mounting and dismounting, I am constantly accidentally shifting the bike. This may be a factor of the shape and size of the stock handle bars. Nevertheless, I am absolutely going to swap out the grip shifts when I have the time.
Serious flaw #3: a buddy of mine purchased the same bike at the same time and discovered the rear wheel hub to be defective. I haven’t personally had this experience but it seems crazy to have a cargo bike rated to carry 450lbs with a defective rear hub. I wonder if this is a known issue or not…
GoGetter Bag: HUGE. Too big, not useful off the bike, heavy, overall design not well thought out. Better to retrofit Xtracycle bag/sling set up- much more useful, much lower profile.
Gripe: bike was delivered to me needing a full break readjustment, and with skipping gears.
Nevertheless, we’re still loving the bike. We love how easy it is to get from point a to point b as a family. It’s especially enjoyable when you’re not in a rush. Super cush ride with the giant tires and spring loaded saddle. For the price, it’s still probably the best deal out there and since it’s steel, it’s pretty easy to drill right into it and not worry if you want to retrofit.
I will say, though, that I’ve found myself questioning Yuba’s integrity. Putting a bike like this on the market with some of the flaws it has without full disclosure borders on dishonesty to me. I hate to say that, but that’s the way it feels.
I really want to love this bike. I really want to support Yuba and the people selling it. I’d love to see a better version of this bike being used in developing countries, but there’s still a bunch more work to be done. Our first few weeks riding around town we were singing its praises, now, though we still encourage people to check it out, it’s not without reservation.
I’m pretty disapointed to have to say all the above, but, in my experience, the bike currently falls far short of its potential.
We’ll keep riding it though.
I looked closely at the Yuba (and several other longtails) before deciding on the Kona Ute. We share many of the same goals, as you have them listed out. Especially the one about hauling “stuff”. Freeform, undefined, sometimes-a-juice-box-sometimes-three-soccer-balls, stuff.
Lots of details and photos of the 2010 version here, along with the eZee electric assist I added. Next goal is to get the kids on the back of the bike. Thinking about the Bobike Junior for the six year old. Or creating something homegrown. Check our blog for the continuing adventures: http://www.optoutenmasse.com.