bbaker22

My inquiry a few weeks ago about tire width and the Mundo led me to some email discussions w/ the company. A new version (V3) of the Mundo will be released within the next couple weeks. Some of the upcoming changes (taken from emails w/ Ben):

disc tabs, front and rear
room for larger tires (>=2.75")
carrier welded onto frame
cleaner sideloader installation/assembly

Attached are a couple pics and a pdf regarding the full bicycle specs.

baker

zzyzx_xyzzy

I wonder why they are still using a freewheel in back?

bbaker22

Maybe to move the chainline out to eliminate chain/frame interference?

Or perhaps due to common availability in third world countries (a prime focus for the mundo)?

eggnoggbubble

typical, I buy a v2 and within a couple of months they bring out a v3......

oh well, shouldnt really complain, i've been hauling stuff and i love it, 35km round trip to work yesterday, the load was my big bag of files, my lunch, and a change of clothes - doesnt sound like much but i used to struggle to get that all on my old bike, and the ride is a LOT more comfortable on the mundo - I dont even notice the weight.

bbaker22

New frame available and ordered. I'll post up some details when I get the bike built....

baker

eggnoggbubble

looking forward to hearing about it. Building yourself, got some other plans in mind other than the standard setup? not going IGH are you? Thinking that way myself for the long term, interested in how other people get on.

interested to see what you get up to for that frame, keep us informed.

wahoonc

Freewheel vs ?

Freewheel systems are cheaper on the front end than a equivalent geared IGH and will give greater range for lower cost.

My personal preference would be an 8 speed Shimano.

Aaron

bbaker22

I was thinking a bit more about "why a freewheel"...does anyone know of cassette hubs available w/ 14mm axles? I've been looking around a bit and cannot find any (except single speed hubs). I believe the 14mm axle is substantially stronger and is part of the reason the Mundo can carry such heavy loads.

All that being said, I'm looking at a huge range of options for my Mundo build (I have lots of extra parts laying around from my mountain bikes.) Initially I may just go w/ a regular derailleur setup.

Front D - Shimano XT or XTR
Rear D - Shmano XT
Shifter - 8 speed SRAM's
Brake levers - some old v-brake levers I have laying around
Wheels - Deore hubs / Sun DitchWitch rims
Cranks - FSA MegaExo
Bottom Bracket - FSA MegaExo
Headset - FSA XL II
Bars - On One Mary
Brakes - Avid BB7's
Pedals - Eggbeaters or Ringle ZuZu's
Cassette / Chain - prob 8 speed SRAM stuff

Other potentials:
I have Shimano Saint / Sun Rhyolite XL wheel that I could use w/ a Saint rear derailleur. Super beefy, but the 14mm dropouts may pose a problem.

I have a Nexus 8spd 700c wheel that I could rebuild into a 26" wheel. I'm unsure of the Nexus in cargo apps and not sure about the 14mm dropout issues.

Lots of other cranks to choose from. If I go IGH, I may throw one of my beef BMX crankset on there, specifically my FlyBikes crankset w/ 32t chainwheel.

I have an extra Surly Puglsey fork I'd consider adding if it doesn't screw up the frame geometry too much. With the pugsley fork I could for sure fit some giant tires (personal fetish, especially as we enter the winter season).

I could run some 9 speed Shimano XT stuff that I have laying around, but I seem to have had more luck w/ 8 speed drivetrains. More durable and less finicky.

baker

purplepeople

I built a cargo bike for a delivery service around here. I put a 14mm rear axle on it. The only 14mm rear axles and matching hubs are BMX components and are only made with a thread for a freewheel cluster. Cassettes need not apply. The wheel itself is ultra-custom. Sun rim with 36-hole mated to a 48H BMX cone hub with zero dish using 2 different spoke lengths in a 4X pattern. Yes, there are empty holes in the hub, hence the different spoke lengths. The zero dish required extra spacers and extra wide drop-out spacing. I have conservatively rated the bike at 500 lbs gross vehicle weight rating.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/purplepeople/

:)ensen.

bbaker22

Cool cargo bike! That wheelbuild indicates a serious amount of creativity (or is it a combination of free time and dementia)? :-)

baker

jdmitch

oh... it's about time they had disc brake tabs... Yuba may have just surpassed the BD for a project bike for me...

purplepeople

Other than cargo, the reason for 14mm axles is for the pricepoint, which I assume is the issue with Yuba and also why they don't have disk brakes. AFAIK, nobody makes a 14mm rear hub with a disk rotor mount and certainly nothing that would be fairly priced. In a price-no-object build, one would use 20mm axles front and rear with disk brakes. Although in all honesty, the rear brake on that big cargo bike is still not more effective than the front brake, which would be easy enough to add to any bike with a normal front axle.

As for the actual wheel building, I am more than competent although I would not say it is my strength (pardon the pun). Building a 48H hub with a 36H rim is not that difficult... just have to figure out which holes to miss and which spokes need to be which length. My current trike also has a non-standard pattern... 48H BMX wheel laced with only 24 spokes. The trick there is not to skip every other hole as the rim has an offset hole pattern. Instead, I skip two and lace two. Looks cool and while not strong enough for flatland, plenty strong for a leaning trike.

:)ensen.

hopperja

Rivendell Bikes advocates use of a freewheel on bikes because they can be built up dishless, which are stronger than dished rear wheels.

bbaker22

It looks like the complete 21 speed Mundo V3 is now available for order and has some significant improvements.

https://yubaride.com/yubashop/35-mund...e-21speed.html

Components appear to be better, fenders and kickstand are included. They picture the bike with a top-deck, I wonder if that is also included. The top-dec appears to attach w/ water bolt braze-ons and it looks like there are more on the rack/sideloaders for attaching other accessories. Interesting...

Oh yeah, I'm not a shill for Yuba, just an excited customer waiting for his new V3 frame to arrive (supposedly shipping in the next week).

baker

Jubal

Comes in an nice orange color called "carrot"

The product page pictures it with a kickstand, fenders, deck +more...

Is that all included for the $1099.00?

Now if I can just get over the hi-ten frame. What does final weight come out to on these?

bbaker22

The ad says it comes w/ fenders and kickstand, but doesn't mention the top-deck. The spec sheet under the download tab lists the fenders, kickstand, and top-deck, so it looks like it's included. If a deal-breaker, I'd send an email and ask. They were quite responsive when I emailed them a month or so ago.

1099 seems like a great price for all that.

I've read lots of good things about the ride characteristics of the Mundo frame, so I've tried to not get hung up on the hi-ten aspect. I have no clue on the total weight of the new Mundo...

baker

NormanF

It clocks in at over 60 lbs. The Yuba Mundo is not designed for a fast ride but for carrying a heavy cargo load securely to your destination. Its can carry just about anything you have room for on the sides and on the rack.

NormanF

You can make and install your own top deck for this bike.

NormanF

For a 60lb bike, 500 lbs is quite a load. Seriously, most people won't carry that much on a Yuba Mundo but that gross weight capacity is certainly reassuring. Just in case you do have to carry more than you bargained for!

nwmtnbkr

It comes in black, too. I wish they had photos of all the colors, not just the blue.

eggnoggbubble

I've been riding my mundo as my daily ride since august, I do about 100km a week running around and across town to go to work, run errands, trips to the beach at the weekend. Sometimes I have very little cargo, sometimes quite a lot. The mundo is, in my opinion, a great ride and the perfect bike (for me) for utility riding. It's geared good and low so I often climb hills spinning while sat down, and the only time I really notice the weight is....going downhill, coz it accelerates real fast.

Even did a bit of off-roading in the local park yesterday, it was kind of fun.

Overall my experience is: don't be put off by the weight, I barely notice it. Do be encouraged by the cargo capacity: it's great to be able to pick something up on the way home (like some lumber- saturday morning that's exactly what I did!) and not have to worry about whether it'll fit on the bike or whether the bike can take it. With a mundo: it will fit on, it won't break the bike, and you'll be able to ride home comfortably (even uphill - Okinawa is a hilly place).

And no i dont work for mundo, I'm just really happy with the bike (V2 mind)

nwmtnbkr

From the "Long Walk to Green" blog about their move via bicycle here's a photo showing a Yuba Mundo with the washer and dryer strapped to it. They apparently were able to move them both at the same time. That's impressive.



Here's a link to the blog, if you go to "Older Posts" you'll find an article about their move by bike, a short clip on Vimeo and a link to the article that their local newspaper published about the move. https://longwalktogreen.blogspot.com/ The owners of the blog seem to love their Mundo. Now I wish someone would post a picture of one of the 21-speeds in black.

bbaker22

My V3 frame has shipped. Woohoo! I'll post build-up pics when done. I think I have everything ready, except maybe the seatpost.

baker

StephenH

"They apparently were able to move them both at the same time. That's impressive."

Actually, they HAD to move them both at the same time, for balance!

nwmtnbkr

True, but it's impressive that the bike frame is so sturdy to handle such large loads. I would say that's a fair amount of weight and they said the frame didn't flex.