OK, I knew it would happen and couldn’t you have guessed, it would be in Portland. The first US custom maker of Dutch style cargo bicycles (bakfiets). From the looks of their weld quality and components, Metrofiets bicycles are on par with any custom built bicycle on the market.
We’re looking forward to giving one a test ride the next time we’re in Portland. You can check out their website at: www.metrofiets.com as well as their beer bike at Hopworks Brewery (Portland’s own eco-brewpub)
This is a great idea. Not sure how well it works, but you’ve got to give Ryan McFarland kudos for coming up with this idea and for recycling. He’s got tons of other interesting projects he’s built on instructables.com and his blog which is worth checking out.
Here’s a nice photo gallery of cargo tricycles in China by BriColeurbanism.
Links:
• Photo Gallery of Cargo Tricycles in China
• Bricoleurbanism.org Website
A really cool platform for projection or laser graffiti artists. If you don’t know what projection graffiti is check out Graffiti Research Lab’s Blog. It’s really cool.
Link:
Graffiti Research Lab
So, is this the major game changer that we’ve all been looking for? Or else, is it just another expensive industrial design study that only a few can afford?
Without having ridden one, I can only say that the new Taga Stroller/Tricycle looks amazing. Basically, it is a kid carrying cargo tricycle that converts on the fly into a walking stroller. WOW! Also, it has numerous optional features that allow it to be customized and outfitted in any number of ways.
The MAJOR drawback at this moment is the stunning price and lack of availability. Not yet sold in the US, it has a base price of $2500 without any options. Include shipping, handling, and customs duties, you’re pushing $3000 by the time you’re riding the base model in the States.
Early Verdict: Function and styling that any parent would love, price tag of a good used car.
Links:
Taga Website
Heh heh… I ran across this gem while doing a search on “product liability”. This is one awesome bike! 17 riders pedaling together around town while drinking beer, eating food, and enjoying the sites. Couldn’t think of a better way then the PedalPub (Het Fietscafe in the Netherlands). What can I say, simply a great time…
Links:
• PedalPub (US Distributor - www.pedalpub.com)
• Het Fietscafe (Netherlands Maker - www.fietscafe.nl)
• Fietscafe in Action (Flickr)
My friend Frank just sent me this link to a great video of a bicycle being made at Geekhouse Bikes. From the looks of their website, these guys build great custom bicycles. Keep up the great work guys.
Montague Bicycle Company has been making folding bicycles for the US military since 1997. These bicycles are foldable and can be parachuted in with soldiers and marines. They are currently being tested for use by US Army Special Forces.
Check out their website for videos and photos.
Montague Military Bicycles Promo Video Page
air pollution china
This picture was taken in Ningbo City, about three hours drive from Shanghai. In the early 1990s, most people in China were still using bicycles or mass transit. Cars were a luxury for the rich. Back then the air was clean given the size of the population. But now in many of the factory towns across China, your eyes water as soon as you step out the front door.
The sad thing is we keep blaming China for all of this, but most of those poluting factories are making products that are bound for US and European markets. Basically we’ve just exported our pollution creating factories and jobs to China. Anyway, everytime I go to Costco, I always get a sense that I’m just adding to this cycle…
I thought I’d re-post about these really cool dual pull brake levers I installed on my front load cargo tricycle (2 wheels up front 1 wheel in back). I’ve had them on the trike for about 6 months and they work great! Basically, you can run two brake cables from two different brake sets into one lever and the lever balances the pull going to both sets of brakes.
Inside the lever there is a little mechanism that balances the pull between the two brake lines. That way you have equal pressure going to both front brakes on the trike when you pull the lever. What this means for cargo tricycles is that you can have one lever that actuates both front wheels equally without any brake steering effect. Brake steering is when one wheel brakes harder than the other, which pulls the tricycle violently to the left or right when braking.
In practice, you still need to make sure that your brakes are tuned similarly. Meaning that you can’t have one brake cable totally loose with the other one completely tight and still hope that the dual pull brake lever will work it’s magic. However, if you spend the time to at least adjust your brake cables reasonably, these things work great!
If you do a Google search for “dual pull brake lever” there are a lot of companies selling these. I think I got mine for about $12 USD.
I ran into this video about New Urbanism, which is the trend in urban planning which promotes walkable livable cities. This video is a really cool intro to the whole idea. Hopefully the idea of using bicycles for transport in these new cities will take off.
Bicycle crank repaired with welded on construction rebar
Stoke Monkey is a electric power-assist unit that fits on a extra long chain-stay bike, such as a bike equipped with an Xtracycle setup. It works by a variable-speed throttle on the handlebar and a tandem-like drivetrain setup. Once the motor is on, the rider would have to pedal along (like a tandem stoker). They claim a cruising speed of 30 mph on the flats.
To the right is a Sycip longbike equipped with a Stoke Monkey.
Hi Cargocycling Readers,
Thank you very much for being loyal visitors to our site. In order to improve the site, we’re thinking about adding an “Interviews” category to the site where we interview some bicycle designers, company owners, etc. We’re hoping to start by interviewing the owner & creator of a well know cargo bicycle company.
In order to make this a collaborative process, we’d like to hear from you the kinds of questions you’d like us to ask and so on. So please leave any comments on this post on potential questions, people to interview, etc.
Thanks! From the happy team at Cargocycling.org
There was a great New York Times article and video cast about the bicycle culture in Portland Oregon.
NY Times Video
NY Times Article
The citizens of Portland have done a great job of making Portland one of the most vibrant and livable cities in the US. It’s got everything a world class city has to offer and you’re only a short ride from some very scenic areas such as the Columbia River Gorge. Definitely a great place for a bicycle holiday.
Inventor Wayne Soohoo has been working years on a system that allows a tricycle to lean into turns. The leaning allows tricycles to go into turns at higher speeds with stability. Although it looks like there haven’t been many updates to his site for years, there is a treasure full of great information for anyone thinking of building their own leaning tricycle. Hopefully, someday we’ll see a mainstream leaning tricycle based on his designs. Keep up the great work Wayne!
A
few months ago during a business trip to China, my friend an import
export broker invited me to visit some bicycle factories with him
during my day off. Always on the lookout for new products and suppliers
for his clients, he regularly visits Chinese factories. I jumped at the
chance and toured three different bike factories with him.
The factories were in
Tianjin City about an hour outside of Beijing. Tianjin is a massive
port and factory town. It’s know for being the hub for bicycle
manufacturing in China. With over 200 bicycle companies in Tianjin, we
only had time to visit three.
Brad Graham and Kathy McGowan have written an amazing book called Atomic Zombie Bicycle Builder’s Bonanza. This book is a “must have” for anyone that loves to tinker and make things. Inside the book are detailed instructions and over 200 photos that teach you how to hack, modify, and build bicycles using minimal tools.
The book is written in a clear and easy to understand style that walks you through real projects ranging from playful to surreal. Anyone who loves DIY projects will love this book. After reading it, you’ll be ready for any Franken-Bike creation.
I found the book on Amazon for about $17 and they even had an electronic version available for an additional $5. It won’t compare to the two week frame building course at the United Bicycle Institute. But if you think of the cost of tuition and room & board, this book is a real bargain. Also checkout Brad Graham’s website, which is definitely worth a visit.
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Renowned actress Daryl Hannah took time out of her busy schedule to participate in the Los Angeles County River Ride. A long time supporter of green initiatives, Ms. Hannah rode to support the LA County Bicycle Coalition. She road an iZip electric bicycle given to her by actor and longtime green activist, Ed Begley Jr. Check out the following links to catch up on cycling in LA: |
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A front load (tadpole) cargo trike has two wheels in front and one wheel in the rear. There are three main types of steering for front load cargo trikes:
• Axle-pivot
• Articulating frame
• Ackerman linkage
Axle-pivot steering is the most common kind of steering on a front-load trike as well as the simplest to manufacture & maintain. Axle pivot steering is great at low speeds, because it has a much tighter turning radius than Ackerman steering. Also, for the same size tricycle frame, Axle pivot steering trikes can fit a much larger cargo box.
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Check out Koga-Miyata’s bike trailer, Chela. It’s like a mini RV for bicycles. “With built-in features such Also check out their line of touring and commuting bikes. |
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Just posted photos from the 2007 China International Bicycle & Motor Show in Shanghai. It was gigantic. There were 5697 booths in 9 buildings that covered 105000 square meters of convention hall. The manufacturers were definitely not holding back.
Many of the designs were based on European and American designs. However, there were bicycles and other products that were uniquely Chinese. I was pleasantly surprised at the huge variety of electric bicycles, e-scooters, and e-motorcycles that were on display. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
Shimano makes an attempt at attracting technophobic new riders to casual cyling by eliminating the gear shifter. The system relies on a front hub dynamo that powers both a headlamp and plus the computer chip that makes the gear selection. The rear hub is a three speed internal with coaster brakes.
I ran across this website while doing research on leaning tricycles. The inventor of Jetrike has put all of his notes, working drawings, and research onto his webpage in hopes of fostering innovation in the field. His work is amazingly detailed and useful for anyone trying to develop a leaning trike with popular appeal.
We’d like to applaud his generosity and willingness to share. Keep up the great work!
I edited some video of the Shanghai Maglev Train from a recent business trip to China. We covered the 40 km distance from downtown Shanghai to the airport in 8 minutes. Top speed 430 kph (267 mph).
It’s not directly related to cargo bicycles, but more so with hybrid commuting (using a bicycle locally and a train between cities). Imagine if a high density region like the US West Coast corridor (Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA, and San Diego) were connected with a high speed rail line like this.
It would definitely make hybrid commuting a more viable and enjoyable option. Plus imagine all the fun bicycle tours that become a realistic option. The rail lines wouldn’t have to be magnetic.
But wouldn’t that be cool?
