That Cargo Bike Thing (With pics and questions)

[Dual-posted on Mesquite Hugger and 2Wheels Maybe]

Cargo bike obsession - normally, I figure it's just me being an eco-dork. But lately it seems so much bigger than that.

A homebuilt longtail cargo bike

Cargo bikes siren sing to me for a lot of practical and impractical reasons.

The biggest three are

1. I want to do my best to go car-free/petroleum free
2. I want to spread the word (and a cargo bike would invite a lot of questions!)
3. I want to live healthier - both physically and financially.

and a cargo bike should help with all three.

A snippet of the most recent runaway post (by MH standards) post

Number 3 with a bullet! (by MH standards)

Recently, though, a lot of you have been stopping by to check out cargo bike posts. Back in October, I wrote a post about a pretty simple way to build your own cargo bike. Most posts around here have an initial response of twenty to thirty clicks and then quickly die down to a click or two per week or month. And then they fizzle out. But not this one!

A long john / bakfeits / box bike from DIYBiking

 

Nope, that's not the case with this DIY cargo bike post. It's been visited more than 100 times in the last month. For a low-rent blog like this one, that's pretty darned impressive!

A midtail from Benno Bikes

So, what's the deal? Why do you keep looking at cargo bike posts? What's the attraction? No, really - what is it? I would really like to know. And it seems the same for y'all.

A trio of lovely Yuba longtails

So, (Yes, I know - I'm a glutton for punishment.) I put together a little survey so maybe we can a better idea of where this thing is going.

A Schwinn trike from this week's Craigslist

(Not a lot of cargo bike action here in Lubbock)

It's just a few questions on a Google Form. It's nothing personal - no names or emails. I'll leave it open for about 6 moths with a monthly update (on the 2Wheels Maybe blog).

A reverse trike from Urban Tribe (Straight outta Denton, TX)

  

A cycle truck by Virtue Cycle

The Tern (+Xtracycle) Cargo Node folding cargo bike

Turn-key and DIY cargo bikes from Xtracycle

 

So here it is. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts on bikes that haul!

 

The Short Survey about Long Bikes

 

As always, thank you for reading (and for filling out the survey)! May your bike haul you to a better life!

 

PS. Would you like to have your cargo bike stories or photos featured on 2WheelsMaybe? If so, please shoot us an email through the contact box on either blog.



Cyber Monday 2017 Ebikes and Kits - Last Chance and Latecomers

Nope, I've never posted about the Fantic Bikes (did not know they had electric bikes until today) or LEED bike kits (but I have read great things posted by their customers).

 

And then there's the RadWagon that I may have posted about 20 or 30 times...

 

Loving the Fantic Seven Days frame

(even if I'm not a big fan of super-fat tires and I can't afford Italian two-wheelers)

The Fantic Website

 

LEED USA Bike Kits

I'll be glad when this sale is over

(so my RadWagon temptation will greatly diminish!)

 

May you find something that'll get you riding gas-free, snagit!

More 2017 Ebikes on Holiday Sale - RadPower (Minipost)

Yep, the Radwagon of my dreams (and the whole 2017 Rad lineup) is on sale.

 

Rad Power has done some upgrades and redesigns on all of their bikes, so they're discounting the 2017s to make room for the new stuff. Most of the upgrades are small, but the Radwagon gets a new aluminum frame and the RadCity is now available as a step-through.)

 

Below are the sale details:

 

Woohoo!

The new Radwagon in town

 

The Old Model - $300 discount!

(I like the looks of the old one better.)

 

 

The other big news at Rad Power - the RadCity Step-Thru!

(On the right)

 

Yep, these are some tempting prices on very solid bikes from a vendor with a very good reputation. And (if you live in the contiguous 48 or Canada) you get free shipping!

 

Sigh...

 

If you've been looking for a good deal on a ready-built e-bike (especially an e-cargo-bike), now's the time!

 

May the e-bike of your dreams cure your gas-powered headaches!

Fossil Free Fiday: Are you ready to Rumble?!! (Electric scooter-ish)

Before we get started, please remember that I am the guy who likes ugly machines. My dream list reads like a nightmare for most: the Citicar, the Econoline pickup, the Kewet, the Leaf, the 'Lectric Leopard, the Spira, the Boxx, the Corvair, the Kurbwatt, the Otis, the MiEV... Yep, the list goes on and on. So, it's pretty surprising when I look at an oddball machine and think, Oooh, that thing's not so pretty. When I first glanced the Rumble in a Derek Markham article, I was none too excited. I didn't even click on the article. Not at first, anyway.



 

The Rumble e-Bike

 

But my curiosity got the better of me, so I went back to check it out. And it started to grow on me a little. It grew on me a lot more when I started scoping out the specs:

 

 

As a matter of fact, I've been watching for this combination of speed, range, and price for a while now. And I've always been intrigued by hub-centered steering. And I really like café racers. Yep, the oddball started looking pretty darned good, especially when compared with the other electric two-wheelers available in the states.

 

Go the website and wait - you'll see the video of the Rumble in action.

 

The crew responsible for the Rumble 

Up to a dime to charge it? I could handle that.

 

Rumble Competitors?

 

The GenZe 2.0

 

I recently test rode a GenZe and I loved it, but at $3000, 30mph, and 30 miles of range, I just don't see it being a good solution for suburbanites like me. (I really liked that big trunk!)

The Super Soco (not available here)

 

If we could get the Super Soco in the States, it would be a similar story - $3000/30/30.

 

Well, I guess that's it for today. How about you? Are you ready to Rumble? It looks like the wait time is about a month. If you order one now, you might just get it in time for Christmas. Hmm. Grizz just got a Santa suit. I can sure see him and all the elves Rumbling around delivering toys.

 

Whatever it is, may your ride get you around cleanly, greenly, and grinly!

 

PS. Just for grins I had to throw in one two more two wheelers for comparison. :-)

 

Two Radwagons Shipped (US 48) for $2998
 

No-Weld, DIY Longtail Cargo Bike Frames

You know the Mesquite Hugger approach - always looking for a better way to haul stuff without burning any gas or much money. This one started like oh so many bad ideas around here at MH, with a very cheap Craigslist ad:

Novara is an REI house-brand.

First, the photo went to Photoshop.

Then, the frame pieces went into Powerpoint.

Various revisions came into play.

Then I went back to look at some of my favorite cargo bike designs - the EdgeRunner, the Mundo, and the RadWagon.

Yuba Mundo and Xtracycle EdgeRunner

A slightly revised design rose up.

And here is where it ended up: (with RadWagon for comparison)

But the practical brain kicked in - I remembered all of the unfinished projects I still have lying about, and decided not to go buy the $10 frame.

For those of you who are intrigued:

If you have more time than money and see the beauty in a cargo bike, the No-Weld, DIY Cargo Bike Frame is a pretty legitimate way to go. It's an idea that's been floating around for a while, mostly inspired by the XtraCycle FreeRadical/Leap.

The Original - the Xtracycle FreeRadical

(Ignore the price - it's a VERY old ad.)

There're basically two schools of thought:

1. Split-up a full suspension mountain bike frame and find a way to add some length to the middle (like my little almost-project above).
2. Add the back swingarm portion of a full-suspension mountain bike to another complete bike frame. (See below.)

One of my favorite examples!

(Find it and many others in this MTBR Forum)

Lots more can be found in this Endless-Sphere thread

The Homemade Xtracycle (blog post with lots of good detail)

Feeling inspired? If so, start looking around for a bike that looks like this (and costs very little):

(That rear section is the main ingredient you need for the three bikes above.)

 May we be successful in finding super-low-carbon transport to fit our budgets in both time and money.

Two Years Later Update:

I finally got started!!! (Click here)

Because it's sometimes lonely hugging mesquite - the 2017 MH Survey [Updated 9-6-17]

[Lonely indeed - no responses came in]

 

It's been a good run so far.

Our second post - has it really been four years?

Okay, it's not that lonely, but parts of it are really anonymous. Mesquite Hugger tends to get between 25 and 100 visitors per day, but it's incredibly rare to hear from any readers. The only message I receive comes in the form of how many clicks a particular post receives. This week, a post from last year about Comuta-Cars is getting a lot of attention, but I have no idea why or by whom.

I'd love to know things like:

So, who the heck are you?
 How the heck are you?
What brought you here to this low-rent blog?
Did you find anything helpful?
Is there something you'd like to see more of? Less of?

If you'll click on the link below, you'll go to a quick (or not-so-quick) survey. No, I'm not trying to be creepy and get all up in your grill by collecting personal info and email addies(I always use the hippest lingo!), please just leave a first name or nickname and tell me roughly where you live - town, state, country, etc., and then answer any (or all) questions that tickle your fancy.

The Big, Honking 2017 Mesquite Hugger Survey (Click here to start)

The survey will be open for seven days. Shortly after that I'll publish a summary of the responses that are socially presentable.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and thank you for answering the survey. May you know peace and mirth today!

Rad Wagon or Euro Wagon? Another Saturday Ramble

The post is colored bittersweet green. It's because I have green-car envy.

It doesn't help that I keep parking the Vespa at work, looking around, and noticing all kinds of green cars parked around me. (Woohoo! More green cars around!)

Since the truck broke down (and went away), I've been two-wheeling it on the scooter and the bicycle. The electric bike broke down too. And I've been fighting bronchitis. So, it's mostly been scootering and catching rides.

I'm missing having weather protection, and I'm missing being able to haul stuff about. So, even worse than usual, I've been dreaming about a new ride.

Look what popped up on Craigslist this week:

How that for some serious Euro-Dork street cred?

I have a weakness for wagons - they make sense to me and it's a little easier to dream that I'm buzzing about in a space shuttle. And this one could easily shuttle my people about and haul a kayak and dogs and bikes and all kinds of groovy stuff. It could even haul the little guy to school in all weather. But this one has some serious drawbacks - it's old, it'd be expensive to maintain/register/operate, and it's definitely not green.

(Also, the good doctor's latest climate study hit the presses this week, and let me tell you, we need to be taking green action now - not later.)

The other wagon in the same price range (not on Craigslist) is the $1599 (with free shipping) RadWagon electric cargo bike. Instead of a space shuttle, this one'd help me feel like I was buzzing through the trees of Endor on a speeder bike. And it'd haul many of the same things (less conveniently and less far). It'd even take the little guy to school - weather permitting. And it would be very green (and orange) and would be super cheap to maintain, (not) register, and operate. Weather protection, though, is sold separately.

And both are a little beyond this lower-middle class income at this point. So, it looks like it's time to fix the electric bike, tackle a DIY cargo bike frame, and keep pinching the pennies.

But it sure is fun to dream about all these sexy wagons cruising about.

May we find greener ways (both big and small) and make healthier choices, no matter how tough.

Fossil Free Friday: E-Bikes &Cargo Bike Updates Summer 2017

Yep, it's summer time and there's a lot of bike activity from some of the Mesquite-Hugger-favorite electric and cargo bike builders. Enjoy!

Just an appetizer image

Juiced Bikes

You got it, there's another (mostly) new Juiced - the CrossCurrent S. This one is the standard CrossCurrent with some nifty upgrades, so now there're three Crosscurrents to drool over. (Me, I'd be happy with the $1100 CrossCurrent Air for my daily commute.)

Karmic Bikes

Koben V2 with fatter tires

Karmic hasn't really put out new bikes - but they do have significantly updated versions of the Koben and Koben S on the way. The Version 2 models see some distinct changes. The most noticeable on the $2000 Koben is fatter tires. The most noticeable on the $2500 Koben S is the Gates belt drive. Much like the CrossCurrents, these two bikes offer a whole lot for the money. I want a Koben S, snagit!

Xtracycle Cargo Bikes

Ross Evans and the crew continue to expand and evolve their cargo bike offerings.

Find the EdgeRunners here

The EdgeRunner Swoop is a new evolution of the EdgeRunner, and I like it! Be sure to check out their $1800 folding cargo bike and their $600 DIY cargo bike!

Yuba Cargo Bikes

Interesting things are happening over at Yuba. With the recent introduction of the front-loader Supermarché you can see cargo-hauling wheels in motion. They've put out a more impressive version of the Spicy Curry (Bosch motor) and just introduced a non-electric (Sweet Curry) version too. I can't help but think that the writing is on the wall for the Yuba Mundo, especially the bottom of the line Mundo V7 Classic that stays high on the MH list of desirable and attainable cargo bikes. (Where else are you gonna find a $1000 bike with a 400 pound hauling capacity?)

Sondors Electric Bikes

Since our most-recent Sondors posts, Sondors hasn't announced any new products, but I have to give them a high five for their email marketing. Check it out!

Find them here and here

Now, if Sondors will put out a more eco-friendly lawnmower for young entrepreneurs like Zechariah and his brother (not pictured), I will give them a high ten! (Maybe someone needs to put out lawn equipment that can swap batteries with an electric bike. Daymak, it sounds like a job for the Beast!)

RadPower Bikes

Nothing really new at RadPower that I know of, but they still have free shipping and now that we are a single-car household, more than ever, I want a $1600 Radwagon, so I had to throw them in the mix.

May you have happy pedaling, happy hauling, and happy giving up the gas!

PS. If I missed any of your favorite updates to electric or cargo bikes, feel free to comment or shoot us an email!