I’m planning on getting a cargo bike. I’m pretty set on a Larry vs Harry Bullitt. I’m thinking of one of these because I can carry Goose on it, and a baby, either in a capsule or as a toddler with a helmet. I reckon a longtail would be ace for kids and general load carrying, but not Goose, or a baby.
I’ve been oscillating between electric assist vs not, and today I reckon electric. We rode out to Kensington the other day to visit my sister-in-law. Snot far, but I imagined pedaling a Bullitt out there with a load and reckoned it’d be much slower and more arduous, and if we were disinclined due to weather or mood or fatigue or whatever, I reckon driving, or just not going, would have been pretty tempting. An e-bike would’ve kept up with a regular bike though, and made the trip more attractive.
If I just wanted to carry a load, I reckon I’d get an Omnium. I’ve test ridden one, and a Bullitt, and a Bakfiets, and the new fancy white polystyrene one and all that. I actually think the short Omnium would make a great everyday bike, kinda like cruising around in a ute, but that’s another story.
Anyone got any views/experience with these kinds of things?
I rode a Bullitt a bit when I was working for Blane, often fully loaded. They are surprisingly easy to ride, but they do take a bit longer to get places, I think due to wheel size more than anything. The gear range is very good and you can get over anything. I was definitely more tired after a day on that, than a normal bike.
I really don’t know anything about electric assist, probs a banger. To me the Bullitt inly really suffers up the hills. Perhaps have a chat to Blane, he’s ridden one every day for the past five years.
I saw that the average autonomy of the battery of the bionx bullit is 50ks, doesn’t seem like a lot. You might have to charge more than once a week.
I have no experience with cargo bikes but I hauled my kids on a rear seat then a trailer quite a bit. Generally, it was short trips (5-10 ks) and I must have done a dozen 20 ks + trips. Then I did lots of < 5ks trips. Looking back on it I don’t think I would have needed an E-bike (actually it never crossed my mind, at the time e-bikes weren’t as popular as now). It’s certainly harder to pedal a heavy/loaded bike but you’ll build up the fitness for it I reckon. Also remember, kids are light at the start then get heavier, so if you haul the bub and assorted paraphernalia regularly fitness will come naturally.
The beauty of the cargo compared to a rear seat is that you can carry the kid (or more than one) + lots of crap. I had to have panniers when commuting with my boys. And, let’s face it, it looks cool + N+1 attraction.
Yeah, I think I convinced my wife down the cargo bike route too. There is a lot of stuff in a 10k radius of us, and it is reasonably flat as well. She’s not too concerned about the weight because she’s advises me I’ll be riding it if I really want one. I like the look of the Bullitts the most, and would probably go with just a geared one, no eAssist.
EDIT: What age did people start carting their kids around in a cargo bike?
I’d say theoretically, just as early as driving your baby in a car if you can secure a capsule in the cargo bike. I only started carrying my kids when they could sit comfortably and hold their head without support on the bike seat.
I feel like doing what Seb says, but I’m not sure about it. I’ve tried to find advice on it, but haven’t been able to, beyond seeing that “people in the Netherlands do it all the time from really young”, but then others say “not all people in the Netherlands do it all the time”. I saw a tiny baby in a capsule at the Coburg Markets a few weeks ago…
8-9 months seems about right for self-supporting one’s head, and yeah, a capsule will fit in a Bullitt or whatever, and you use one in your car, but you know, maybe the brain bounces around in the skull a bit more than in a car. Maybe this matters, maybe it doesn’t.
Yeah, I remember seeing someone doing Roobaix (I think?) with a few weeks old baby in a cargo bike and it made me feel a bit uneasy. But that’s just me…
But seriously everything may change once I’m a dad.
I have a feeling it’ll be fine. Kids brains/heads are pretty tough, within reason. But yeah, I reckon the decision will be made when it comes to having to make it.
A friend of mine carried her kids in a Bullitt from birth. She did the Roobaix a couple of times, too. Maybe that was her that JLN saw? Anyway, the capsule was bolted to the floor and it was really quite safe if you crashed or something. Well, unless a car hits you.
I’d go without electric and upgrade later if I really needed it.
Our kona Utes at work are surprisingly light and fast with a small load/unloaded. Even with a decent load for an event they aint bad, get flexy with a big load though.
There kick stands are terrible and cos of the loooong cable runs 9spd shimano doesn’t cut it, I made one at work into a 26/29er and it rides better.
For someone who needs a cargo bike to use to carry one kid and do big shops occasionally I’d be looking at a Ute with some changes. They ride like a normal bike really and are quite fast, easy to keep up with normal bikes.
The Yubas are really strong but heavy, sluggish but can carry heaps without feeling flexy, frames are cheap ~$700 and easy to build up with 26" MTB parts for sub $1500 easy, lots of good add ons too, we work off those and they are fine.
I ride an Omnium and I love it. It’s fast, light, looks sweet and does wheelies. I carry my girlfriend around on it all the time, so as long as kids are able to hold onto shit they’d be fine, it would also be pretty easy to rig up a proper kids seat I reckon (hose clamps maybe?). It carries mad loads with ease (most I’ve had is maybe 90kg) things do get a bit weird at that point but it can definitely take it. You can build it up with 20" front wheel (same as bullitt) if you want wider tyres/stronger wheel. I run it like it’s meant to with 20 x 1 1/8th wheel and it’s swell.
If I was buying another one and I lived in Melburn I’d probably go for a Bullitt. Flat city = easy riding. Build it up with some narrower tyres and you’d be okay, but do consider the weight difference. Bullitts are fucken heavy. 13.7 kilos for the frameset, and my Omnium is probably close to that as a complete…
Bullitt has sweet kid / doge compartment options though, so that’s another tick for them.
If you have any other Omnom questions holla at me.
