bigdummy27

I'm thinking of gettting a CETMA cargo bike. Does anyone here have one?

John Lesar

I've had a CETMA for a couple of years now. What did you want to know?

coldbike

I also have owned one for a couple of years.

bigdummy27

Do you guys have your bikes setup with disc brakes? I'm going to be leaving the bike outside year-round since I live in an apartment. I was initially going to setup the bike with roller brakes after test-riding a Workcycle Bakfiet and found the brakes adequate. After the test-ride I scoured the internet and found that most people with CETMA bikes usually do more than carry their kids around and found the CETMA to be more suited to American road conditions and the versatility of being able to take it touring when the kids outgrow the bike. What are the box options and cover options for the bike? Also, did you order the bike directly from CETMA or from a dealer? My nearest dealer is in Philly and I was wondering if I should order it directly from CETMA and have Lane ship it to the dealer to save on the sales tax for the frame set?

John Lesar

I have mine setup with V-brakes. They are enough for my local conditions. Discs would be nice though.
I ordered mine directly from CETMA, it's all that was available at the time (mine is #003). It was delivered to my house.

coldbike

I have disk brakes on mine.
Since I live at the top of a big hill and I tend to ride the brakes, I put an 8 inch rotor on the rear brake and I have tied the front disk cable to a rear V-brake using a Problem Solvers cable splitter. I quite like my 3 brakes and they disipate heat quite nicely. I think on the new bikes, you have to ask for cantilever posts.
I mostly store mine outside since I don't have a garage and it has not been a big problem other than needing to address any chips in the paint before they get too rusty. I usually do a spring cleanup of the bike and I spray any paint damage with tremclad rust reformer. The damage from salt on the roads in winter is much more serious than any damage from being stored outside.
When I bought mine, buying direct was the only option. I am the wizard of bike mechanics and so I was not concerned at all about putting everything together myself. I had someone I trust build a rear wheel for me.

bigdummy27

Coldbike, can you post some pics of your brake setup? It sounds interesting.

When you refer to the salt damage are you talking about the brakes or in general? I was thinking of putting either drum brakes or roller brakes since it will be outside all the time and the only protection will be a bike cover. I'm going to see if a big dummy cover fits the CETMA.

coldbike

I don't have any pictures handy, but it is pretty simple, There is a BB7 disk on the front and a V-brake on the back which are tied to the left lever and then there is a BB7 with an 8 inch rotor in the back. These are only necessary if you like to go slowly down hills while carrying lots of weight. For normal use, a pair of disks with 6 inch rotors will be fine.
The salt damage is a general thing. I have no problems with brakes getting damaged from winter. I have full fenders on my bikes, but I have been unable to find a fender that gives me the coverage that I would like on the fat tires that I use. The Cetma powder coat holds up well.
Snowmobile covers fit the CETMA reasonably well. I tried one for size but haven't bought one yet.

bigdummy27

John, have you ever been caught riding when it rains or snow? Is it really useless when the rims are wet? I would like to put V-brakes on mine since I just got an estimate for a complete build at a local bike shop the other day and the components came out to $2400 so I'm trying to go for the cheaper, but still good alternatives.

bigdummy27

Coldbike, thanks for the description. I never knew that both front and back brakes can be actuated by one lever, good to know.

What color is everybody's CETMA? Its going to be our kid carrier so I told my 4 year old daughter she could pick the color from the stock colors that they have and she picked yellow. The stock yellow doesn't look like it will wear well after some use. So I might have to pick a custom yellow, but been the cheapskate that I am, I'm trying to see if she'll go for postal blue. What do you guys think?

bigdummy27

Can you guys suggest some components for my CETMA build? I'm not going after anything fancy, but durability and quality. Also suggests for mail-order places?

John Lesar

Never had any trouble in the rain. I am using salmon KoolStop pads. Mine is green. The only color he had at the time.

Rockfish

They quoted you $2400 for components, or the whole bike complete? Hopefully the latter!

And, BTW, ordering from Lane and having him ship it to Revolution in Philly, but not actually buying the bike from them, is pretty sketchy behavior IMO. I would hope Lane wouldn't do that even if you asked.
Why don't you order it from Revolution and have them ship it to you in NY? You can probably still save the tax and a worthy LBS gets a sale...

bigdummy27

Rockfish, the quote was only for the components. I think the main reasons for the high price is that they are charging retail, they never dealt with a cargo bike before, it's in Manhattan, and it included an Alfine-8 speed internal hub. Afterwards, I priced the components myself with prices on the internet and came to around $1000. This included Alfine-8sp with shifter, Avid disc-brakes with brake levers, a $200 wheel build, pedals, cranks, etc.. I think I will order everything and have another shop that I found today put it together. I think they will work out better since a few of the guys that work there know of the bike.

I didn't think of that option when I posted it. I was on the mindset that I would pick it up since I was kind of close, but thanks for the suggestion. You're right about asking Lane to ship it to Revolution, thanks for calling me out on that Rock.

Well here is an update on the Cetma situation. I'm buying a used frameset from a fellow forum member and getting a rear wheel built from Clevercycle out in Oregon since they spent a considerable amount of time on the phone and through email answering my questions and it was a good experience.

Rockfish

Glad you got it worked out. It's not easy to find a used CETMA, with more of them out there every day I guess that will change. Did you get a Largo or a Margo?
The components did sound high - $1000 is more like it. I always end up with some sort of mish-mash approach: a frame from one place, one wheel from another, something from the "stash", something from Ebay, etc. I usually have my LBS install headsets, but other wise do most of my own building.

Looking forward to some pics and a ride report when you get it done!

bigdummy27

Rock, it seems like I'm heading down the same road. The only difference is I don't have a stash at all. I'm getting the wheel and hub from Clever. I'll probably get the headset and brakes off of Ebay. I found some Avid disc on ebay at a good price. Do you know if I can put bigger disc on the bike? I found some 185mm and also some 203mm disc. Is bigger necessarily better?

Rockfish

I'm not an expert on disc brakes, so I'll defer to forum members who are. I don't own a CETMA bike, just one of their racks, but it's on my "someday" list for sure.
One thing to remember is that the bike needs TWO headsets. Yeah, the world of cargo bikes is strange indeed!

lucienrau

I've got 165 on one bike and 185 on my big dummy. I can't say as I find an appreciable difference between the two. I think it reaches a point of diminishing returns. I can't say as I've wanted more brake than is on the dummy even fully loaded in the wet going downhill.

coldbike

I put a 203 mm disk on the rear of mine and it overheats significantly less than the 160mm disk that I started with. I would not have bothered except that I totally destroyed a disk coming down a long hill fully loaded. I was trying to avoid gathering too much speed so I was dragging the brake more than I should have. If you can avoid overheating by braking hard and less frequently, you probably don't need to bother with the bigger disk. The stopping power seems exactly the same.My rim brake / front disk combo is likewise to help disipate excess heat, I have never lacked brake power.

bigdummy27

Coldbike-If the 203mm disc dissipates more heat then I will get that one since there isn't a price difference from the ebay vendor that I'm getting it from.
What size do you have on the front? Do you guys work on your own bikes? I would assume that some would work on some of the parts that don't require special tools and won't be to much of a hassle. I'm planning on building up a bike tool collection so I can do the simple stuff. Any pointers on what I should start with?

coldbike

I still have a 160 on the front although I own a 203 and may yet put it on. Since I split my cable to run the rim brake on the back, I am thinking that I have enough heat distribution to not bother with the bigger front disk. Also, the longer wheelbase on a cargo bike means that there is a lot more weight on the back when braking than on a standard bike. Keep in mind that the brake adaptor for 203 rotors is longer than for 160. I do most of my own work on bikes, although I am willing to let a shop fix my bike if I trust them. I have lots of experience and have read several books as well as having been taught proper bike mechanic techniques.
Hex wrenches, a torx 25 driver and a 10mm spanner will get you started, follow that with a chain tool, a bottom bracket tool (that fits your BB) and go from there.

bigdummy27

Thanks coldbike for the tool tips. Is there a book that you would recommend? Btw, where are you from?

coldbike

Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance is a really good start. Most of the cargo bike parts are mountain bike parts and lots of the stuff is really similar. I am from Calgary, Canada.

bigdummy27

Coldbike, I just found out from Vik (great guy, he's been very helpful) that you are the cargo bike guru that he was referring to. I just brought his frameset and it is on his way. I'm trying to put together a list of components to complete the bike. I was going for an Alfine rear hub, but the shipping and everything cost a little bit more than I anticipated so I'm going with an 8 speed cassette, but I'm still going to use disc brakes. I just have to make a list for the rest of the components.

Heard that you also run a derailleur; how do you deal with all the grime and snow that accumulates? I just started riding in May and love not having to drive as much. Any advice for the noob?

lucienrau

The book I like is Todd Downs, bicycle maintenance and repair. I did a full build with little experience without a book and felt like I was flailing, the downs book has let me do everything after and feel reasonably competent.

When getting tools, get a good hex wrench set, no need to be bike specific, but good, long handled wrenches save lots of headache. A ratcheting screwdriver with a magnetic tip, hex bits and the torx 25 bit can be very handy too. Past that, a bb tool and adjustable wrench. A socket and wrench set is pretty handy but not strictly necessary. Automotive tools work pretty well and are often a bit cheaper than the bike specific ones. An organized toolbox and work area save no end of headache.

A good relationship with a LBS can be invaluable for advice, cable stops and ferrules that you've forgotten and general help. A bad lbs can screw things up for you. I ride 3 miles to go to the good shop rather than go to the one a few blocks away because of that sort of stuff. Chat with the mechanics and you'll get a good idea where to go.