tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post8326722757787444459..comments2008-07-15T02:38:33.988-07:00poserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048868206315190893noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-4382313281217758682008-07-15T02:38:00.000-07:002008-07-15T02:38:00.000-07:00Good Job! :)Svenhttp://www.sexservice-europa.eu/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-34066516046540679222008-07-13T04:08:00.000-07:002008-07-13T04:08:00.000-07:00I've been riding a Winther Kangaroo Bike to carry our two sons (five and eight now) for almost two years now. <BR/><BR/>What amazes me is that a lot of people ask about getting a cargo bike for similar reasons, but then moan about the price (£1,800/$3,600). They want something "cheap".<BR/><BR/>Never mind that I sold an £1,800 car and replaced it with the bike. Never mind that the car cost £250/$500 a month to run while the bike costs £25/$50 (insurance and maintenance).<BR/><BR/>Never mind that I've saved £4,275/$8550 (based on December 2006 fuel prices) by using the bike instead of a car. If I use today's fuel prices, the savings would be another grand or two.<BR/><BR/>No, all that matters is that £1,800 is not cheap enough because they can't/won't see that the actual cost (in 2006 prices) over two years is:<BR/><BR/>Car: £6075<BR/>Bike: £2475 (inc £200 of lights)<BR/><BR/>Of course, it's also much greener, I'm much fitter (I ride it in hilly terrain), and we have a lot more fun than in a car.<BR/><BR/>Some of our experiences:<BR/><BR/>http://stonehead.wordpress.com/kangaroo-bike/Stoneheadhttp://stonehead.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-54690649228726990312008-07-11T06:26:00.000-07:002008-07-11T06:26:00.000-07:00Having tried most of the brooks saddles, I will say that you should SERIOUSLY consider putting Brooks B.135 or B.190 (wider version) on a bike like this. The reason is that these saddles have a push-pull dampener system that has a powerful stabilizing effect on the bike's load when you are sitting upright. It's really amazing for hauling cargo on any bike. The stability is increased both side-to-side and fore-aft directions because the rebound dampeners are effectively "in stereo" and paired with a torsion spring in the front. It's a huge improvement over the B.66/B.67 saddle. Also, the leather hammock makes a huge difference in comfort in it's own right. The B.135 has the same top as the B.66/67, while the B.190 is a great choice for women with wider hips, although it's no less comfortable for me.lee.watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00650449275019133632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-2064717733051574122008-06-05T14:19:00.000-07:002008-06-05T14:19:00.000-07:00Re to the electrical bakfiets: there is a company which sells a kit to upgrade the whole thing with a front weel drive. Looks quite primising: www.v-fiets.com<BR/><BR/>Best & happy bakfietsing,<BR/>Dieter Braun, Germany.Dieter Braunwww.dieterb.denoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-15365039673767791332008-05-26T13:28:00.000-07:002008-05-26T13:28:00.000-07:00RE: Infant Seats<BR/><BR/>+1 to the godsend-status of the bakfiets for young families. <BR/><BR/>We have three children under 4 years old, one currently an infant. My wife is already nearly back to her pre-marriage weight/shape primarily because of "bakfietsing" around - grocery shopping once a week and library once a week. Our regular weekend bakfiets adventures are the stuff of family-promo TV commercials.<BR/><BR/>We've been using it since December 2007 and have worked out a good system for carrying kids and crap. The two older kids sit on the main bench seat with their safety-straps on, and the infant gets strapped into one of those detachable-base infant car seats (without the base) and it gets set right on the floor at the other kids feet. It is not attached or strapped in, but with the high "bak-walls" on all sides I doubt anything would ever happen to dislodge it. I suppose a heavy collision of some sort could conceivably throw the thing, but it has a really sturdy handle bar which spans the open/child side which would act as a roll cage. The rubberized floor of the bak prevents the thing from rattling terribly as a result of normal road vibrations. Another nice thing about our child seat is that it has a collapsible cloth shade - pretty important for our little one here in Tucson, Arizona. <BR/><BR/>Infant seats are pretty big and ours essentially eliminates leg room for the seated children. However, they are able to rest their legs on the sides of the infant seat itself. No big deal.<BR/><BR/>When my sweetheart goes grocery shopping, the only available cargo area in the box is under the bench seat and here and there around the edges, so we have found it necessary to get a couple bags for the rear rack. We went the cheap route for this however, not wanting to drop another couple hundred. We bought and installed a couple of those $0.99 cloth Safeway bags on either side of the rack. They work great and can be rolled up and bungeed tight to the rack when not in use with a pump and patch kit inside.<BR/><BR/>About hills - with its eight gears I haven't found a hill yet that was impossible. Difficult yes, but not impossible. However I commute 20 miles on my road bike everyday and am in excellent shape. My wife has had to get off and push on several occasions. When you come to a big hill and drop it to 1st gear you just have to tell yourself, "hey, I'm still going about as fast as I would if walking, and look how much stuff I'm hauling, and just wait until I crest the hill and head back down."<BR/><BR/>Great review - I second everything said. I can't imagine life without our bakfiets. <BR/><BR/>Feel free to contact me with any any additional questions.<BR/><BR/>Kevin Coffin - Tucson, AZ<BR/>jkevincoffin@gmail.comKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11334979749325313483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-81344311836016258012008-05-19T18:29:00.000-07:002008-05-19T18:29:00.000-07:00I'm going to fly to wherever you live, give you SUCH A PINCH, and then I'm going to go buy TWO of these bikes. I LOVE THEM.Jolnirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00548121461027562734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-47590038580064394152008-05-15T12:31:00.000-07:002008-05-15T12:31:00.000-07:00Hey – I just noticed that there was a question about the drum brakes; sorry I missed that…<BR/><BR/>I’m not sure I could provide any insight here. It’s hard for me to think of a way to provide a fair comparison. I’ve only ever had drum brakes on the bike – and the specs of the Bakfiets are so different than any other bike I’ve ridden that to say that caliper, disc, or cantilevers would work better would be moot when all those bikes were under 30 lbs and the Bakfiets is 97 lbs. Speaking to Todd at CleverCycles on the issue, and he left me with the impression that drums were the best option. That said, I’ve heard a few other Bakfiets riders complain about the soft brakes – one even claimed he was getting braze-ons welded on the rear chain-stays so he could install cantilevers brakes on the rear wheel. I’m pretty sure he never follow through, but I’ll report on it if he does. Personally, I have a hard time imagining that different brakes would change the stopping power. It’s still 200-300+ lbs of person, cargo and bike – being stopped by two small patches of rubber on the pavement. The kind of brakes you’re using seem almost secondary to that fact. Let's say you did have stronger brakes - and the bike started to skid... I'd say that's an equally bad scenario to not stopping in time.<BR/><BR/><B>Re: power assist for the Bakfiets…</B><BR/><BR/>Again, I’ve spoken with Todd about power-assist for the cargo-bikes, which he is especially knowledgeable about considering that he ran CleverChimp – which developed the Stokemonkey electric motor for bikes a few years back. (Now defunct?)<BR/><BR/>Todd actually has a Stokemonkey engine on his Bakfiets and it works quite well; but he seems fairly confident that CleverCycles will never release that as a product for the Bakfiets due to safety concerns. The concerns are chiefly around A) the Bakfiets being largely a “child-transport” vehicle, so there would need to be child-proofing of the engine controls, and B) the Bakfiets is just a really large and heavy bike that’s already hard to stop. Mix that with additional speed and torque (and an inexperienced rider) and you’ve got a potential disaster. I understand the concern. The Bakfiets is a bit harder to control than a normal bike (as is any bike that has a load or non-standard configuration). Putting an engine on it just increases any the risk of an accident.<BR/><BR/>I’ve told Todd on a few occasions that if he ever needed a test family, we’d happily volunteer. He told me in the nicest way possible not to hold my breath. :-)<BR/><BR/><B>Re: infant seats…</B><BR/><BR/>Check out this link:<BR/><BR/>http://bakfietscargo.blogspot.com/<BR/> <BR/>there’s hundreds of pictures of cargo-bikes with different kid-configurations; many of which involve infant seats. Both of our kids we’re out of their infant seats when we got the bike, so I’ve never had personal experience. But I would assume that it’d be ok. These bikes provide a surprisingly smooth ride.poserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048868206315190893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-3218968043300566972008-05-13T06:04:00.000-07:002008-05-13T06:04:00.000-07:00Could you put a battery powered drive assist on one of these bikes for extra help up hills? I live on the flats of Colorado where there are grades, not obvious hills, unless of course you go to the mountains. I'm looking into bike options to eventually replace my suburban. What are your thoughts about hauling infants around in a bakfiets? Could you strap an infant seat into the box or would the ride be too bumpy?fernandapowershttp://fernandapowers.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-78120174886133933572008-05-02T08:20:00.000-07:002008-05-02T08:20:00.000-07:00Given that I live in West Virginia, I'm beginning to think that as much as I admire the BF in principle, that it would not be very practical here; we are called "the Mountain State" for a reason.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-65879771743458437942008-04-08T21:59:00.000-07:002008-04-08T21:59:00.000-07:00On negotiating hills: I have been riding my (generic) bakfiets with three gears through one winter. I have found that leaning back instead of forward (as I would on a road bike) makes hill climbing easier. You pull the handlebars to get the extra force down. Works for me...<BR/>One feature easily overlooked is the possibility to bring your own cheering crowd. I get my kids to start cheering me on as soon as we get to a hill. Everyone enjoys that - me, them, and the people we pass.<BR/>None the less, I have considered installing a Schlumpf Mountain Drive to get really low gears.<BR/><BR/>Grace and peace!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-6171381924653827272008-02-28T00:43:00.000-08:002008-02-28T00:43:00.000-08:00Thanks for the Cargobike review! I´d like to ask if you are satisfied with the front drum brake´s performance. What make is it (Sturmey Archer, SRAM etc?)? Is it cable driven or hydraulic?readernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-8446343709456427812008-02-26T23:26:00.000-08:002008-02-26T23:26:00.000-08:00Your Graham Obree reference is not lost on me - I use it when I am on a long climb to work in the morning on the bakfiets I recently bought.<BR/><BR/>I've found that my side abdominal muscles and my arms tak the brunt of the pain while I stand up to go uphill.<BR/><BR/>I figure it's cheaper than a gym membership - and going down the backside of the hill is a blast.ubrayj02http://www.blogger.com/profile/12801946616442070294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-25529247658942139162008-02-26T06:03:00.000-08:002008-02-26T06:03:00.000-08:00Thanks for the very thorough review! I plan on forwarding this to friends and family. See you on the roads!Scott Mizée npGREENWAYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04554880478067992632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-37780337786861284512008-02-22T11:50:00.000-08:002008-02-22T11:50:00.000-08:00here's how to get the seat back further: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cleverchimp/1429704016/toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06144719045140507684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-35869277106792471232008-02-22T09:28:00.000-08:002008-02-22T09:28:00.000-08:00Hey Todd - thanks for chiming in! I'll update the article to reflect the more accurate info.<BR/><BR/>I have a 19T cog on currently. I may take you up on swapping it for a 21 before summer this year (when my wife starts using the bike a lot more). But for myself, I think the 19 is about right. My comments about hills were more about how cargobike riders, especially riders who are used to road-bike style riding, need to adjust their attitude towards getting up hills. The attacking style doesn't work, and that was part of my problem. I've had to get in touch with my inner Buddha and practice patience. The saddle on my Bakfiets is about as far back as it can go right now, and I think it's in a good position in relation to the pedals (although I'm sure you'd be the better judge of that). What I find myself wishing I could do is lean over more during up-hills. Truthfully, sometimes I do lean way over the handlebars Obree style when I have a heavy load. I'm sure that looks quite hilarious. <BR/><BR/>As for the handlebars, I have wondered if the kid-seat could be lowered. The kids' legs might be a little awkward resting on the ground, but they'd still be able to see over the edge, and the few inches might make the difference. Not that the handlebar issue is any more than a minor annoyance. The only time I ever have the handlebars turned that sharply is when I'm parking the bike. <BR/><BR/>(This is Vaughn BTW) - and thanks for helping me out with the 8-speed rotary shifter the other day. It came in really handy!poserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048868206315190893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556443815078862204.post-87163853081794682302008-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:002008-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:00thanks matt for the thorough review. some small errors of fact: i (todd) haven't owned a bakfiets for much over a year (you said "years"), but it is kept outside year-round and indeed the chain needs no attention -- nothing on it does. another thing is the weight. we honestly believed it was 80lbs once, until we shipped our first and needed an accurate weight. it's like 97lbs or so. don't you feel more manly now? we have to shift the paradigm of strong riders going together with featherweight bikes and get lance on one to haul his girlfriend around.<BR/><BR/>We can swap your 17T cog for a 19 or 21 if you want a lower low gear, at the expense of top end. We can also get your saddle much further rearward for better foot-down and climbing stories.<BR/><BR/>As for the height of the bars relative to kid heads, yeah. The Dutch generally graduate their kids to their own bikes for actual transportation before they are so tall. Maybe we should install belts at the floor level to deal with this.Cleverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06308698020236792629noreply@blogger.com