Old 09-09-21, 01:48 PM
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brianinc-ville
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The Larry vs. Harry Bullitt is 46cm wide and 243cm long (18" x 96"), and the electric version weighs 61.7 lbs. I don't know of too many front-loaders that are smaller. My Douze F1 (which is now called V2; I've got the 800mm Soft Box) is somewhat bigger than a Bullitt, smaller than an Urban Arrow, and I recommend it highly (I don't know much about the e-assisted version, though). Here's my 2¢:

The front-loader is definitely worth it. I've been riding with my daughter since she was 2 months old (she's 2.5 years now), and every moment shared with her has been a joy. Plus, the ease of carrying lots of stuff is not to be underestimated (case in point: last weekend we went to an outdoor concert with my daughter, 3 folding chairs, and a 16-quart cooler, all easily fitting in the box. This would be much harder with a longtail.). Instead of getting a smaller bike to fit your garage, you might want to think about a different parking area -- for instance, I don't have a garage, but I have a very small overhang near my front door (about 4' wide by 10' long) where I've been locking up my Douze (with a big Kryptonite NY Fugeddaboudit chain and an ABUS locking anchor, plus a frame lock) for several years with no problems. If you can put a locking anchor into a brick wall or a concrete slab, you could probably park it in an alley or courtyard. It all depends on your particular situation, obviously. The largest size of motorcycle cover will fit most front-loading cargo bikes. Most people passing my house probably think it's a gas grill.


As for weather: definitely. The rain canopy on our Douze keeps the cargo area perfectly dry even in serious Southern thunderstorms. Winters here are about what you describe (frequently in the 20s/30s), and it's been no problem. The canopy keeps the kid fairly warm by itself, and you can always give her an extra blanket.

Your concern about operating a large bike on city streets strikes me as misplaced -- if you can fit a car on your streets, you can definitely fit a cargo bike. It sounds to me like you haven't test-ridden any of these bikes yet; I'd definitely recommend that you go check some out in person. Not sure where in the Midwest you are, but we had a really positive experience with Four Star Family Cyclery in Chicago, as well as the now-defunct Coast In Bikes in Milwaukee. I think Carolyn Weber from Coast In, who sold us our Douze, is still doing cargo-bike-related stuff with DreamBikes, so if you're near Milwaukee, you should look her up.

Last edited by brianinc-ville; 09-10-21 at 10:09 AM.
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