benp1

Most recent activity

• On-One Geoff Handlebar OR Jones H Loop OR Surly Moloko

  in Wanted Adverts • 21 hours, 17 minutes

  

  I have a pair of alpkit fu man chu (brand new) and velo orange crazy casey bars. PM if interested

• Ashes to ashes, desk to desk - taking a laptop into work

  in General • 3 days, 3 hours

  

  I have an SQR slim but it's only really used on my Brompton when I need more space than the front bag can provide

  On my commuter bike I use a Topeak rack and a rackpack. I use the top section only when I'm riding and then fold out the panniers if I need to carry anything else, like shopping or my laptop.

  Generally don't use a rucksack when commuting. Also have the Altura morph rucksack at work so I can stick the laptop in that and on the rack if I feel it needs more protection

• Cargo Bikes

  in Bikes & Bits • 3 days, 17 hours

  

  Have a look at eBay. There have been a few utes on there. Also quite a few bakfiets bikes too in that range

• Cargo Bikes

  in Bikes & Bits • 5 days, 22 hours

  

  I think if you've gone the Surly route then only Surly kit will fit.

  I reckon the xtracycle stuff would work but might need some modification. Given xtracycle's cargo bike knowledge now i'd say their kit probably has the edge, but the Surly stuff is still good

• Cargo Bikes

  in Bikes & Bits • 6 days, 4 hours

  

  I have an older Surly Big Dummy (with the curved top tube) so it was designed to fit all the xtracycle stuff. I was lucky to buy it secondhand with all the bits I needed on it, the only thing I've added is the front wheel stabiliser.

  My u tubes were fabricated by really useful bikes, but everything else is xtracycle stuff. The pannier bags and U tubes are ace for carrying shopping, stuff or bagging and dragging another bike

  It's running a hub gear which is great for being able to change gear when static. It's definitely more draggy than a derailleur set up though.

  Ute's often come up on eBay, usually in 18in rather than 20in size. The only thing I heard about them is the 700c wheels put the load slightly higher up than on 26 or 20 inch bikes.

  I like the idea of getting a hooptie but in practice it would make the bike much bigger to store. The U tubes, being low, don't take up as much space when trying to get past the bike in my garage, and I have a wide and curved stoker bar on it which both kids can hold onto when on the bike

• Cargo Bikes

  in Bikes & Bits • 6 days, 19 hours

  

  I have the xtracycle kickback 1. It's an excellent stand but sadly no longer made

  If you fit all only xtracycle stuff to a big dummy frame then I think it all works fine, but if the surly cargo kit is fitted the xtracycle stuff isn't guaranteed to fit

  I heard the guys that designed the big dummy left when qbp bought it and the relationship broke down at that point. So it might work but xtracycle have their own bikes now so focus on that rather than looking at compatibility with other bikes

• Cargo Bikes

  in Bikes & Bits • 1 week

  

  @pdlouche thanks for the stabiliser recommendation. Ordered that exact one on Friday, came today and fitted just now. Seems to be perfect for the job! and the cheapest one I've seen too

• Cargo Bikes

  in Bikes & Bits • 1 week

  

  I bought mine secondhand and they came with u tube style bars but I was told they were custom made (they're like xtracycle u tubes but more rounded)

  They're so handy as footboards and for storing things that if I didn't already have a set I'd be looking at buying or making a set for sure. They're for wide and/or heavy things rather than long things I find

• Brompton owners (was: Brompton rider outed)

  in General • 1 week, 2 days

  

  The brompton it chair or milian pere is really expensive but it really works good and the residuals are pretty solid. To me out was worth it for the memories alone

• Brompton owners (was: Brompton rider outed)

  in General • 1 week, 2 days

  

  I punctured a marathon in London... Got very unlucky with a thumb tack. I regularly ride over glass (have marathon plus on my normal commuter) and happily trade reliability for speed