Long tails are becoming more and more common these days. Are front-loaders soon to follow? I just got an email from Lane Kagey from CETMA, the maker of fine front loading racks for your bicycle with a little heads-up on his latest project–a cargo bike!
It looks to be fashioned after the Long John design, carrying the load in the front and very low to the ground. The bike currently weighs in a bit under 50lbs. One of the options he has been considering is building the bike with NuVinci hubs and disc brakes.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the bike, is that it will be “bi-partable”, which means the front and rear ends of the bike will be swappable. Not only does this give you options (long or short in the front), but it also allows for a bit easier shipping!
The bike is still in the prototype phase but it will be one to watch out for in 2009.
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Very cool…I love the Long John format.
The steering linkage, or whatever that is that hangs out under the drive-side platform, is super low to the ground.
Ok, so how does it handle? Do the edges of the cargo area touch down in turns? I do like the looks, and I wish them all the success in the world. It’s a neat bike- we need them everywhere!
I really like Lance’s design. I think it is smart to use existing rear triangles. But I don’t see frontloaders as the new Xtracycle. Front loaders are a cargo specific bike where the Xtra is a bike that hauls.
That does look interesting but I have a suggestion – offer a box option so it can compete with the Bikefiets bikes which are all set-up and ready for different tasks. It’s kind of like the Burley flatbed trailer – the first thing most people do is search around for a box to mount on it for grocery hauling.
err…. Bakfiets, that’s better
Yeah, an easily mounted/removable box that lockled in place and had handles would be great for this.
I’m with Clancy — long johns and other cargo bikes are great and I hope like hell that we’ll see a lot more of them here in the U.S., but they’re more for specific applications rather than general transportation use. If they’re adopted by local businesses as a means of delivery vehicle or the like, that would be supercool.
Still, one could easy mount a La-Z-Boy to that deck and tote a passenger in supreme comfort!
I want one !
You could toss an Xtra on that. I know I’m talking crazy right?!
Iron_Man: You are reading my mind. What beast of a hauler it would be and definitely in need of a movie. The sound track would have to be the song Truckin’, from the Dead.
Wow!! Now I am stuck with a Grateful Dead song playing in my head. Hey that works on a Friday.
I do like the idea of the cargo in front, where I can keep an eye on it. With my trike, and the cargo in back, every time I hit a bump I have to wonder how much I have left back there!
Gee, did it just get real easy to pedal?
Uh-oh.
Here you go: http://tinyurl.com/6qd7jk Don’t know how much it got ridden; I think it might be overkill, but cool, anyway.
Val,
I’ve considered doing that to my Bilenky, just for fun….but I live on the 2nd floor and there’s NO way I’m carrying that down…
Very very cool
I’m looking for a setup to haul 2-3 kids from infant to 6 years, plus stuff on a bike. I’m trying real hard to avoid the minivan.
I’ve looked at bakefiets, I bought a Mundo http://familycycler.com/yuba-mundo-review/ and am trying to retrofit the cargo deck of that bike to hold more child seats.
A U.S. made long-john style cargo bike makes my smile inside.
I see no time to get xtracycle in Brazil, will be a paradigm shift, import is very expensive, reaching twice the value be purchased in USA. I look forward in traveling even with MTB.