The other day Priscilla and I decided to try out the Yuba Mundo. She actually ended up jogging while I rode the bike…about 6 miles so far. First thing I can tell you is that the Yuba is super smooth! It must be the steel…this baby glides through the streets.
Here’s Priscilla riding the Yuba.
I eventually jumped on the back. If you’re not careful, the rear tire will buzz off your package since there’s no board on the rack to protect you from wheel.
We traded places because I wanted to see if the frame would flex. We rode down the street with Priscilla as my passenger and tried zig zagging and to my surprise there was no flexing at all. But then again Priscilla isn’t all that heavy either…a bit over 100lbs.
Here’s another shot of the Yuba Mundo to help give you an idea on how long the bike is.
One thing I did find that I really liked about the Yuba Mundo was the geometry of the bike. It’s VERY comfortable, my arms were relaxed, I wasn’t leaning over too much…great for my back and its simply fun to ride. As time goes, we’ll be posting more observations and uses of the Yuba Mundo.
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8 responses so far ↓
1 Dominic Dougherty // Feb 21, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Gratuitous calf shot!
How many carabiners and tote bags are you going to have to buy to carry all the things you want to carry? What keeps them stable on turns?
The bike looks cool… but with the Xtracycle already on the market, I think the Yuba Mundo missed its niche. It would just take too much after-market DIY to accomplish its purpose.
2 RL Policar // Feb 21, 2008 at 6:47 pm
You can easily place some rubber maid containers on the bike and bunjee it down. Apparently Ben S. who runs Yuba was part of Xtracycle at one point.
3 Val // Feb 22, 2008 at 10:56 am
The rear cargo on the Yuba is pretty much identical to the way I set up my XtraCycle in the first place. I knew I would be carrying many boxes and various industrial style loads, and the bags did not seem appropriate. I have never had a problem getting any “normal” load on this style of platform, though it is true that I carry many nylon web cargo straps, bunji cords, and bunji nets. The sheer flexibility is wonderful. As for groceries, if I have a really large order, I just ask the checker for a box instead of bags. You definitely need some sort of platform on top, though.
4 Stan // Feb 24, 2008 at 5:36 am
I have been waiting for this bike a long time! The original idea is of course from Xtracycle, but many people were not happy with the excessive flex that resulted from a normal bike being attached to the Xtracycle attachment. Everyone kept asking when would someone design a bike from the ground up to be a “long-tail.” There was an agonizing wait for the “Big-Dummy” from manufacturer Surley to finally be marketed. Well, my hat is off to the Yuba people! You can’t beat the price on this thing ($800). The Surley has finally come on the market at $1600. Okay, I am sure the components are much better, but the Yuba is a good basic ride that will hopefully get people out of their cars. I wish them all the success in the world. Oh, just like Xtracycle, Yuba Bikes also donates bikes and money to developing countries to encourage them to kick (or not even get started on) the gasoline habit.
Thanks for the nice pictures. Now if only my 49 year-old knees would stop hurting, I would get a Yuba tomorrow!
5 RL Policar // Feb 25, 2008 at 10:56 am
Stan,
I own an Xtracycle too and I know what you mean about the flexing. The reason why I’ve really enjoyed riding the Yuba is the fact that it really doesn’t flex. The next text we’re going to do is put 2 large men in the back and ride it zig zagging down the street to see if it flexes.
But I think Ben and the rest of the group at Yuba really hit this one on the head by offering this bike at such a bargain, sure the components are a bit at the lower end, but that doesn’t meant you can’t upgrade later on.
RL
6 Stan // Feb 26, 2008 at 6:19 am
A really nice touch is the heavy-duty rear wheel which has extra spokes, many more than a usual bicycle wheel. Have these guys thought of everything, or what? You mention upgrades, I fantasize about putting an electric motor kit on the bike so that I can haul my wife up some of the nasty hills around here. But I don’t want to touch that beautiful rear wheel! Realistically though, I don’t think my wife will get on the back of that bike and let me haul her around.
There are some obvious upgrades like fenders and lights. I also think the back seat could be made much more inviting by a custom-made upholstered seat and maybe some wooden footboards, but now I’m really getting carried away!
Thanks for letting me fantasize out loud!
7 Sigrun Franzen // Feb 27, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I got to test ride this with Ben in Berkeley last summer. It’s fantastic. It’s niche is different from Xtracycle-it’s much more utility (when I told Ben I wanted something to cart loads of sand, he took me into the back room and showed me the Mundo rather than the Xtracycle).
And I can’t wait to upholster the seat.
8 Stan // Mar 10, 2008 at 2:29 am
Thanks for that impression, Sigrun. That Yuba sure does beg for some running boards and a nice upholstered seat.
I recently ran into the Kona Ute longtail bike on the Internet. It is exactly the same price as the Yuba Mundo, has bigger wheels, more gears and a disk brake in front. Somehow it looks more suited to long distance touring than hauling heavy loads. I can’t find a weight specification on the bike either. That’s what I like about the Yuba webpage, very informative.
Here in Japan it is illegal to have two people on one bike. I think only one or two cities have specifically made exceptions for tandems. One is also not allowed to ride the bike on the sidewalk, but everyone does. The young people don’t let the 2-on-a-bike prohibition get in the way of their romancing, either. Now, if I could only convince my wife to get on the back of that Yuba!
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