Some of you may have seen a couple of flickr shots of this mighty beast of burden in Marchmont recently...
Nice... I just need some kids!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
Marchmont Bakfiets
(28 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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You can borrow mine. Long term.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yes, have some kids. That will really increase your cycling opportunities :)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Tsk tsk... Instography ;o)
I'd love one of these - bit pricey I understand?
Posted 11 years ago # -
They're still a fair bit cheaper than Bullitts; their framekit alone is only a couple hundred less than an entire Bakfiet.
Or are you still talking about kids? Oh, those things are way more expensive than that.Posted 11 years ago # -
That has just reminded me that this was supposed to be the year I got the Cargo Bike Club off the ground. However, I seem to have been side tracked by another idea which is currently taking off...
Posted 11 years ago # -
The Bike Station were thinking about selling their 8-Freight for £4-500 at the time of the Cargomoot(was that October or so?)
£500/x, where x is the number of CCE bods willing to buy a share in an 8-Freight could end up being well inside a person's impulse purchase budget.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Not having (or intending to have in the near-to-distant future)
ratschildren of my own, the trailer would be my ideal cargoporting contraption.I can see the attraction of wanting to be able to see your charges infornt of you rather than constantly having to check behind you to make sure they haven't fallen out!
Posted 11 years ago # -
That did occur to me as I was pulling my parents' beloved dog, in cage, on my trailer. The thing's rattly enough that I knew it hadn't flipped over or anything, but still...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Nice bike. I should know, I bought it! And, I have already put it into service as a child delivery vehicle (I have two).
Have been in love with the idea for a few years, but I was originally worried it might be totally impractical in Edinburgh. However, I managed to secure a test-drive of a similar bakfiets and a Babboe City in London, which reassured me enough to finally take the plunge.
I'm pleased to report that although its turning circle isn't small and obviously it gets somewhat ponderous when fully loaded, I don't really have much of a problem cycling around Marchmont. The handling takes some getting used to, but it doesn't really get worse when loaded, and hills like Bruntsfield Road then just require a low gear and some stamina.
Have yet to take it further afield, or test it up steeper hills when loaded...
Posted 11 years ago # -
@ Nick
Welcome first time poster.
It's great that the number of people serious about 'pedal powered transport' is increasing.
Let us know your trials and triumphs.
What do the passengers (and their friends) think?
You've probably seen -
"Project Bakfiets are go!!"
Posted 11 years ago # -
Hello - thanks, yes I did read that a few weeks ago, hadn't ridden mine at that point and didn't get around to posting anything. David @LBB also pointed out an old thread asking about child transport here. At some point I hope to post my own experiences.
Other interesting reads on the topic I've come across:
- cargobikeguy - a blog by a Bakfiets owner in Leeds
- Family Bikes Part 2 – the bakfiets, a two wheeled cargo bike - a post on the Edinburgh Innertube Map site.
I'm hunting for more like this, and especially for information on maintaining these things. Bakfiets.nl's own Informatie pagina is a bit scanty, and largely in Dutch.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Oh, and the passengers so far seem to love it, both child and adult. I was hoping to go for a longer trip today, but it seems to be snowing.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Nick, nice to have a new poster on the forum!
I don't expect you want to loan your lovely new bike (or kids!) to an obsessive to write about, so perhaps once you get your eye in, you might consider scribbling a few words for the Readers' Bikes section?
That would be awesome and much appreciated :)
Posted 11 years ago # -
"
Note: I'd love to feature more bikes and experiences on this page. Please feel free to drop me a line through any form of social media (see 'Follow Dave!' in the sidebar) - or email info@mccraw.co.uk"
Posted 11 years ago # -
Nick welcome to the Edinburgh bakfiets riders club..... I'll be sure to give you a wave if I see you out and about.
Posted 11 years ago # -
This is what impressed me about Nick's machine -
From above link -
http://bakfiets.nl/eng/informatie/download/1/Assembly%20Cargobike-tent%20.pdf
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yeah mine has a similar tent like canopy for child protection from the elements...... but what about the pilot??¿
Posted 11 years ago # -
Unfortunately the canopy's support has been redesigned to work like one of those tents with collapsible elastic-strung tubes, and mine doesn't work like this document illustrates. A good thing on the face of it, but the canopy's loops are too narrow to fit the new design. And the material is a bit rigid and doesn't pack away very easily into the box. Still, it seems pretty waterproof, like a sou'wester.
The pilot has to rely on Gore-tex, or whatever rain-proof equivalent is available. Keeping warm is less of a problem, except for the extremities.
Posted 11 years ago # -
For anyone one wanting to dip a toe in the cargo bike waters, the other project I talked of about (Edinburgh Festival of Cycling) is currently in the process of buying an Urban Arrow, which will be available for short term hire, when not in use for the Festival.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Is Edinburgh going for a world record on Urban Arrow density?
They are nice though...
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Darkerside If Edinburgh is going for such a record, it will have to try harder, there are more Urban Arrow's in Plymouth than the whole of Scotland, and still will be even when the new EdFoC one arrives. Must buy more... ;-)
Posted 9 years ago # -
It won't arrive in time for POP will it? We've got one person looking to rent a bakfiets or other solution for carrying a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old ...
Posted 9 years ago # -
Sadly not Sally, if it had been going to I would have offered, but it is looking like the middle of May at present... :-(
Posted 9 years ago # -
@sallyhinch recombodna said on a thread somewhere recently he was looking to sell his.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Mine is a trike and is for sale but I have 2 interested parties at the moment
Posted 9 years ago # -
Our person has managed to sort herself out, so as you were.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Sold mine today to a lovely family. It should be making an appearance at POP. Unfortunately it's the same day as the Kinross sportive so I won't........
Posted 9 years ago #
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