The "perfact bike" for LCF... ???
#1
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The "perfact bike" for LCF... ???
Ran across this today... https://www.convercycle.com/
EDIT; I think you can even get it as an E-Assist...
EDIT; I think you can even get it as an E-Assist...
Last edited by 350htrr; 01-15-19 at 02:59 PM.
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I'd go with this guy instead. Comes equipped with e- assist if you wish. Already on the market and proven steel frame. "Parks" in a small space by standing on its end vertically. 30 lbs plus assist. Bike Friday Haul a Day. Fits in elevators, on car racks and busses, etc.
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Not safe and not comfortable to my eye.
The convercycle looks pretty cool i guess ... but how much does all that hardware weigh? I think i'd prefer one of those Bakfiets cargo haulers with seats in front if I was hauling kids (scared a trailer would get hit--plus I could lean forward and hit the kids if they started acting up.) But o0nce kids hit a certain age, hauling them isn't so much an option---riding with them might work, though. A tow-along, then a tandem if it is one kid ... two kids, no luck. As for cargo ... I can haul a huge amount of cargo on a bike with good racks---I have hauled a good part of a drum set once (not particularly safely.) No need to buy a complicated, heavy convertible. Add to that the fact that for hauling goods a trailer is fine (You can hit my rice, it doesn't mean as much) ... but if the guy can sell his bikes, good for him, I guess.
A bicycle is one of those simple, effective machines which simply don't lend themselves to a lot of fancy modifications. The basic stuff works so well, it is hard to improve. Just my opinion.
EDIT: Also when I look a the picture of the guy riding as a passenger----the guy in back has no lateral support, not much back support, and is all hunched up. I wouldn't want to ride in that thing for more than a few minutes, and only if I knew the rider was Really stable. I certainly wouldn't feel safe putting a child in there. Again, just one person's opinion.
Last edited by Maelochs; 01-16-19 at 04:07 AM.
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There is nothing wrong with a "regular bicycle"...and I don't see how using this silly thing would make car-free or car-light life any easier
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EDIT: Also when I look a the picture of the guy riding as a passenger----the guy in back has no lateral support, not much back support, and is all hunched up. I wouldn't want to ride in that thing for more than a few minutes, and only if I knew the rider was Really stable. I certainly wouldn't feel safe putting a child in there. Again, just one person's opinion.
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Haha, I was thinking this setup would be fun for transporting adults! You're probably right that it would not be especially comfortable for them, and it certainly would not (IMO) be worth the price of this contraption for the occasional look of shock and horror that follows from offering someone a ride.
I can see how that might appeal to some folks who post on this list. The only problem might be that it would require spending money on a product that provides no material advantage over the conventional bicycle they already own.
#8
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When you consider the cost of some other cargo bikes, that's not bad (currently around $1200usd on their Indigogo page), and the collapsing is a nice trick. Useful if you can only have one bike and have need of a cargo bike. Less useful if you have the option of having two bikes. And, really, if space is so tight that you can't squeeze two bikes into it, then you probably also can't fit a full cargo bike's worth of stuff in it, so you still don't need a cargo bike. But it's cool concept. I would like a cargo bike, and one of it's limitations is that it can't fit in a normal rack, so no taking it on the bus, and putting on/in a car could be a trick. But in the end it seems better to me to have one, normal-sized bike to ride when you don't need the extra room, and just assume that when you're using the cargo bike, other transit is off the menu.
Still, I like the design, and I'm curious to see it in action.
Still, I like the design, and I'm curious to see it in action.
#9
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The concept just jumped out as a wow to me... and I think you can/could also put a "real" two wheeled trailer on it for when you really need to move lots of stuff... I agree that for normal riding it may not be as good as a normal bike, but like a Swiss army knife may not be as good as a "real" knife, but that doesn't stop me from always carry one with me...
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As for the $1200 figure---how can they build a custom bike with a complicated frame for so little? or is that the estimated price, because so far they have only built one? With all the cutting and welding involved, the pivots, the bi-directional chain drive, and on top of that, a whole regular bicycle ... i don't see hoe they can honestly bring this thing to market for about the same price as a normal bike. Free labor? That lasts until the food stamps run out .... And when they finally announce that the idea didn't pan out, will everyone get his or her money back? No? Surprise, surprise, surprise ......
Someday check out pics of cyclists or scooter riders from other countries, India, Pakistan, Asia particularly. Folks can fir six or seven people on a 350cc motorcycle or a pyramid of building supplies twelve feet high on a bicycle. They don't have panniers, they might jam a board between the seat stays for a rack ... necessity makes them creative. here the chief driver of creativity seems to be "too much time on my hands."
Someday check out pics of cyclists or scooter riders from other countries, India, Pakistan, Asia particularly. Folks can fir six or seven people on a 350cc motorcycle or a pyramid of building supplies twelve feet high on a bicycle. They don't have panniers, they might jam a board between the seat stays for a rack ... necessity makes them creative. here the chief driver of creativity seems to be "too much time on my hands."
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I could load up front and rear panniers with tools and spares fro every ride around the block, and strap my repair stand, a generator, and floodlights across the back of my bike ... but so far I tend to get by with a small multi-tool and a couple tire levers, and I use my headlight as a flashlight. I honestly don't see where I could carry more on that thing than i can on my touring or working bikes ... the only thing I see that doing that a normal bike couldn't do would be to carry a passenger in an exceedingly uncomfortable and unsafe fashion ... i can pass on that, thanks.
The one time in my life I was in the situation of having one bike and two people, I sat on the seat while the other guy stood on the pedals and we got on down the road. Not comfortable, not safe, and not as unnecessarily complicated as this thing.
Nowadays, i would just screw some footpegs into the outside of my rack mounts and carry a person standing. I see kids on BMX bikes do it all the time. But ... so far I have only wanted to carry another person once in my life so ..... i guess i am not the intended custoemr.
#12
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On the other hand, if the Swiss Army knife didn't do the job you needed it to do, if it had a huge number of tools you never used at all, and weighed a lot, you might move to a different pocket tool which was only as big and heavy as you needed it to be, and only had the blades/tools you regularly needed.
I could load up front and rear panniers with tools and spares fro every ride around the block, and strap my repair stand, a generator, and floodlights across the back of my bike ... but so far I tend to get by with a small multi-tool and a couple tire levers, and I use my headlight as a flashlight. I honestly don't see where I could carry more on that thing than i can on my touring or working bikes ... the only thing I see that doing that a normal bike couldn't do would be to carry a passenger in an exceedingly uncomfortable and unsafe fashion ... i can pass on that, thanks.
The one time in my life I was in the situation of having one bike and two people, I sat on the seat while the other guy stood on the pedals and we got on down the road. Not comfortable, not safe, and not as unnecessarily complicated as this thing.
Nowadays, i would just screw some footpegs into the outside of my rack mounts and carry a person standing. I see kids on BMX bikes do it all the time. But ... so far I have only wanted to carry another person once in my life so ..... i guess i am not the intended custoemr.
I could load up front and rear panniers with tools and spares fro every ride around the block, and strap my repair stand, a generator, and floodlights across the back of my bike ... but so far I tend to get by with a small multi-tool and a couple tire levers, and I use my headlight as a flashlight. I honestly don't see where I could carry more on that thing than i can on my touring or working bikes ... the only thing I see that doing that a normal bike couldn't do would be to carry a passenger in an exceedingly uncomfortable and unsafe fashion ... i can pass on that, thanks.
The one time in my life I was in the situation of having one bike and two people, I sat on the seat while the other guy stood on the pedals and we got on down the road. Not comfortable, not safe, and not as unnecessarily complicated as this thing.
Nowadays, i would just screw some footpegs into the outside of my rack mounts and carry a person standing. I see kids on BMX bikes do it all the time. But ... so far I have only wanted to carry another person once in my life so ..... i guess i am not the intended custoemr.
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Exactly, and that is why I think this type of a bicycle could actually work for me... I do NOT want to ride around on a bike with two huge paniers on it all the time and/or a huge box/basket in the front, "just because" I "may just need" it that day to take something home... This seems like an elegant "solution". IMO but it would seem not in anyone else's opinion... Oh well, to each their own...
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Yeah ... I never go out with all my panniers unless i am going to get something to fill them. (By the way, i never said I did, either.)
I would certainly get or build a trailer before i bought that thing.
I do not go out riding and come across some huge chunk of something and think, "If only i could get that home on my bike." I used to ... I used to collect construction scrap (built all my furniture from perfectly good lumber tossed because it was excess after a housing development or remodeling was complete.) I used to take home broken bikes. Now, i will just come back in my car ... but I haven't in a couple decades. Haven't had the need.
Others may have.
If you think this guy will eventually deliver, write him a check. Maybe your order will be the on which puts him over the edge of financial sustainability. Maybe the guy is waiting on You!
I only speak from my point of view. I do not intend to drown out all the other voices.
I would certainly get or build a trailer before i bought that thing.
I do not go out riding and come across some huge chunk of something and think, "If only i could get that home on my bike." I used to ... I used to collect construction scrap (built all my furniture from perfectly good lumber tossed because it was excess after a housing development or remodeling was complete.) I used to take home broken bikes. Now, i will just come back in my car ... but I haven't in a couple decades. Haven't had the need.
Others may have.
If you think this guy will eventually deliver, write him a check. Maybe your order will be the on which puts him over the edge of financial sustainability. Maybe the guy is waiting on You!
I only speak from my point of view. I do not intend to drown out all the other voices.
#15
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Yeah ... I never go out with all my panniers unless i am going to get something to fill them. (By the way, i never said I did, either.)
I would certainly get or build a trailer before i bought that thing.
I do not go out riding and come across some huge chunk of something and think, "If only i could get that home on my bike." I used to ... I used to collect construction scrap (built all my furniture from perfectly good lumber tossed because it was excess after a housing development or remodeling was complete.) I used to take home broken bikes. Now, i will just come back in my car ... but I haven't in a couple decades. Haven't had the need.
Others may have.
If you think this guy will eventually deliver, write him a check. Maybe your order will be the on which puts him over the edge of financial sustainability. Maybe the guy is waiting on You!
I only speak from my point of view. I do not intend to drown out all the other voices.
I would certainly get or build a trailer before i bought that thing.
I do not go out riding and come across some huge chunk of something and think, "If only i could get that home on my bike." I used to ... I used to collect construction scrap (built all my furniture from perfectly good lumber tossed because it was excess after a housing development or remodeling was complete.) I used to take home broken bikes. Now, i will just come back in my car ... but I haven't in a couple decades. Haven't had the need.
Others may have.
If you think this guy will eventually deliver, write him a check. Maybe your order will be the on which puts him over the edge of financial sustainability. Maybe the guy is waiting on You!
I only speak from my point of view. I do not intend to drown out all the other voices.
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I wondered that as well. It has to be a very well built machine to able to withstand the configuration changes while still maintaining the structural stability you would need on that wheelbase. Seems like a tall order at anything near that price point.
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When something is designed to do one job, it often does it well. Things that are designed to do multiple jobs, fit multiple needs, tend to always be compromises on all counts to at least some degree. Dedicated cargo bikes exist that can carry passengers and cargo and not ride like tanks. There's a thing called the Bike Companion that puts a rear seat on most any bike, if carrying a passenger is all that is needed. https://www.thebikeseat.com And the passenger can ride in reasonable comfort. This transformer bike just seems unnecessarily complicated to me.
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I wondered who would pay $1200 for a bicycle with such limited practical use and costs probably 5 to 10 times what a more practical/useful bicycle can be bought for at every big box store in the country; stores where most new bicycles are sold, especially to those who are living car free due to their limited finances.
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Very interesting
Clever idea, and a fun design exercise. However, other than being able to carry another person, I don't see this bike greatly outperforming a standard bike set up with a basket, rear rack and front and rear panniers. I think it would be more enjoyable to have two bikes, one set up for commuting and general use, then a second as a grocery getter, good hauler. This is assuming one has the space for two bikes of course.
#21
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All this carrying another person is NOT what this bike is about, it's CARGO CARYING, or a REGULAR BICYCLE for one, IMO. That picture of someone riding in the cargo box was a stunt, I am sure it was not to be taken seriously...
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From the site: "With a quick lifting move, the rear wheel is able to fold out of the basket. This creates space for groceries, sport equipment or a child’s seat. Its volume offers space for two crates of water."
In other words, everything any of my working bikes offer, plus the added weight, complexity and numerous added failure-points provided by the folding option.
#23
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If they post a picture prominently on their site of a person riding in the cargo bin .... what did they expect? As fro cargo carrying ... I can load so much on a standard bike with panniers i cannot pedal the bike. What do i need more for? I once loaded four hand drums, each about a foot or so in diameter and with the overall rig, stands included, weighing Way too much, on the back of my rack ... with panniers carrying the rest of my gear. Comically enough ... this extendable bike would not have offered any better carrying options.
From the site: "With a quick lifting move, the rear wheel is able to fold out of the basket. This creates space for groceries, sport equipment or a child’s seat. Its volume offers space for two crates of water."
In other words, everything any of my working bikes offer, plus the added weight, complexity and numerous added failure-points provided by the folding option.
From the site: "With a quick lifting move, the rear wheel is able to fold out of the basket. This creates space for groceries, sport equipment or a child’s seat. Its volume offers space for two crates of water."
In other words, everything any of my working bikes offer, plus the added weight, complexity and numerous added failure-points provided by the folding option.
or with the E-assist option it could really work, especially with the N. American way of looking on these kind of things... What can I do with the least amount of "effort" & cost...
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Ran across this today... https://www.convercycle.com/
EDIT; I think you can even get it as an E-Assist...
EDIT; I think you can even get it as an E-Assist...
And better yet - "Uber is looking to hire people to help it develop autonomous scooter and bike technology". Sounds like a golden opportunity for critical thinkers of the BF-LCF persuasion.
#25
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Another over-the-top, outside-the-box, "perfect" scheme for those who over think the requirements for living car free can be found at: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/01...s-to-recharge/
And better yet - "Uber is looking to hire people to help it develop autonomous scooter and bike technology". Sounds like a golden opportunity for critical thinkers of the BF-LCF persuasion.
And better yet - "Uber is looking to hire people to help it develop autonomous scooter and bike technology". Sounds like a golden opportunity for critical thinkers of the BF-LCF persuasion.
Just to be clear, I am not against bike share in general. I enjoy that service in my city where pedal-only bikes are available all over the place. I just don't see how the motorized share companies can make a profit. The bikes are expensive, maintaining them is an expensive nightmare, and keeping them charged takes an army of people. I guess if a robot can take my order at McDonalds then electric bikes can find their own way home too. Humans are even more expensive to maintain.