I blame it on the Radwagon, not on my innate weakness for all things with wheels or my consumerist upbringing. I have had longtail cargo bikes on the brain lately. Maybe it's that stupid eco-hippie belief that if you get the right stuff you don't need as much stuff. Can I blame that one on Annie Leonard? No? I'll blame it on my quest for Personal Carbon Reduction.
Also, there's been a fundamental shift in my thinking since I (sort of) started work on the electropigeon. Now I look to Craigslist instead of Instructables. Yes, I'd much rather build it myself out of stuff lying around, but there's just not that much project time these days, and I'd like to dedicate what little there is to actually finishing that one project.
So I searched Craigslist in all of West Texas plus Dallas and Austin. As often happens when searching Mesquite Huggery type stuff, the only results came back from Austin. Keep Austin wierd, indeed. There were four longtails for sale down in the hill country. We'll start with the one I have always wanted most, and the most expensive. The Yuba Mundo!
The Yuba is not only my fave on the list, it also had the most enjoyable ad to read!
Next is the Mongoose FreeRadical.
It's funny, I finally decided I'd like to try a FreeRadical, but Xtracycle temporarily quit making them while they redesign the product. The FreeRadical is a kit you add to your existing bike to make a longtail bike. This used one looks like a great deal.
Then there's the Kona Ute.
Love the disc brake, not sure about the big 700c wheels; it's a cool bike, though.
Brace yourself for this next one.
Maybe the best of both worlds? Someone built their own Instructables longtail and is now selling it on Craigslist at a bargain basement DIY price. Now that sounds like a Mesquite Hugger dream come true! Then I could add a hubmotor to the front and a 3-speed hub to the rear wheel and...
May your dreams come true, even if you have to look on Craigslist (and add some parts) to find them.
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