Cargo Bikes Haul 420lbs of Food & Clothing Donations!

Sacramento Kidical Mass Annual Food & Clothing Drive Recap

Our November Food & Clothing Donation Drive & Ride was a success, even with Mother Nature throwing some inclement weather our way.

We had about 20 riders and delivered 420lbs of food and warm clothing to Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (some of which was donated during the month at the three Sacramento Old Soul Co. coffee cafes, some of which was brought the day of the ride by our intrepid cyclists).  We gathered at Grant Park in upper Midtown, meandered down the (mostly) quiet streets to pick up donation barrels at the Old Soul locations, then cruised over to Oak Park for the final pick-up and drop off.

I’m guessing there were more than a few passersby and motorists who didn’t quite know what to make of us.  I’ll say it again: when we parade down the road, we just may be the world’s least intimidating biker gang.

I’m proud of everyone who participated, and we’re looking forward to doing it again next year!

We had 6 large blue donation barrels hoisted upon and delivered via cargo bikes. Who says you need a truck or SUV to haul a big load?

Our multi-generational crew in front of the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, after unloading the goods

The little ones especially enjoyed getting to go inside the warehouse (and, yes, they all showed restraint–as did their parents–in refraining from climbing up on the forklift and attempting to take it for a spin).

Pretty cute, huh? She, of course, wanted to travel this way for the rest of the ride. Mom said no.

Elle’s sweet Bullitt, gettin’ the job done.

My Yuba Mundo: like if Evel Knievel’s Rocket Bike was painted by a Smurf.

Russ’s nice Orange Mundo and my Blue Mundo make quite a pair…albeit one that would take up a whole municipal bike rack.

Ellle making the Haul-A-Day adjustable cargo bike even MORE adaptable

 

 

My Mundo Re-Design 4.0 – Slimmer Storage w/ Insulated Cargo Bags, Costco-trip-certified!

 

Well, it’s been about 6 months since I overhauled the storage systems on our Yuba Mundo cargo bike, so–whether it’s a sign of my creativity or a symptom of my inability to leave well enough alone (probably the latter)–I have redone our blue beast, making it lighter and slimmer and (hopefully) just as useful.

The white IKEA plastic bag holders that used to be in back are now up front where a basket would be on a normal bike.  If this is your first time seeing these odd contraptions on a bicycle, then I will exhort you to get a pair of them, post haste.  They continue to be quite useful, no matter where they’re placed, especially with the children riding with me.  Sweatshirts, hats, snack cups, water bottles, bananas, Clif Bars, you name it–if you need quick access to something that’s not huge or heavy, then these long beauties are for you.  Plus, at $1.99, they’re the accessory that gives you the most bang for the buck.

The large pannier buckets I mounted at the rear of the running boards, under the peanut shell child seat (and–before that–up front under the handlebars where the top tube and downtube meet) are now gone.  I took them off when I took part in a 40-mile rac–with my girls co-piloting from the rear deck–a couple weeks ago (a post retelling the tale is forthcoming, as soon as I get some more photos).  I just wasn’t in the mood to put them back on after getting used to riding around without banging into things, especially the basement door frame.  By the way, look how casual my little guy is, taking in the view at Target…the crossed legs crack me up.

Here’s an average haul at Trader Joe’s for us, and it takes up about one of the new bags which, again, are INSULATED!

I realized that I sort of wanted a pair of slings, like the awesome Carsick Designs MONDO SLING (made here in Sacramento!), or something like Yuba’s own GO-GETTER saddle bags…but I’ve heard conflicting amounts of praise for the Go-Getters, and–even though I plan on one day investing in a pair of Mondo Slings–I’m not ready to put two slings on the bike while I still have the three kiddos climbing on and off so much.

So, in the back of my mind, I’ve been half-heartedly keeping an eye out for some large sturdy bags I can plop on and off of the running boards to see how I really like riding with my cargo in those spots, as opposed to up front or way back.

Then, when I had to run into a Whole Foods off the freeway in hopes of avoiding a potty-related accident with our little guy, I spied their large INSULATED MESSENGER BAG, and was sold.  It has a really sturdy strap, puffy insulated lining, and front and rear pockets good for water bottles, snacks and tchotchkes.  The big selling point, though?  They’re $7.49 each.  Yep…I got a pair for under $16.  If I got a pair of Go-Getter bags (and, granted, they have more features and are nice in their own right) I’d be out about $260.  So, I figure I can try these for the cost of 7 cups of coffee and avoid experimenting with something a dozen times the cost.

 

Since I took the big buckets off, I was riding at quite a cargo-carrying deficit for a week, which felt quite strange.  More than strange, though, I realized quickly that I needed to get that capacity back, because there’s just as much stuff to haul as ever with less room than before (as the kids continue to grow like very, very cute weeds).  I had gotten used to riding a bulkier bike (which was totally fine), but I was ready for a lighter riding experience and wanted to be able to just take my cargo and go straight inside the house without repacking things from the buckets or taking a couple armful loads back and forth from bike to home.  As much as I don’t miss driving my car into the garage every day, the simplicity of just going inside as quickly as possible with my bags and three small kids (especially in the cold or rain) was something I lamented a bit.

I took some wire shelving I had laying around the basement, bent it into an L shape and easily fastened it to the Mundo’s running boards with 2 nuts, bolts and washers.  This wire rack keeps the bag from sliding or falling off the running boards with minimal weight and drag.  I added a caribener to each rack as an extra little measure to keep each bag in place.  So far, zero problems with the bag moving.

 

Just in time for us to FINALLY get some rain, (long may it last!), it is nice to pop into the house quickly with my haul.  Also, it’s nice to bring one or both of the bags into a store with me, as needed, without having to repack out at the bike rack.

The first major test of the redesign has been passed: a run to COSTCO.  The other blue bag is, indeed, on the left side of the bike, but you can’t see it with the IKEA plastic bag holders and my tin can music amplifier hogging that side of the shot.  The bags held up great holding a decent-sized Costco load (although, having most of the rear deck free for a big box of stuff helped, too), especially since I had 3 large bags of organic frozen blueberries in there.

And even though (as the above photo can attest) gas is–for now–under $3 for the first time in a long time, I still prefer the $0.00 per gallon cost of riding my Mundo.

 

 

Cargo Bike Cavalcade!

Some shots of the CARGO BIKES on display from

our November Sacramento Kidical Mass ride:

(click to enlarge)

   

A year of DIY projects with our Yuba Mundo

Here’s a timeline of most of my Mundo projects and tinkerings…

Spring-time capacity? 2 child seats, 1 daddy saddle, 1 toddler seat, 1 large basket

4 on the road.  There’s an umbrella stroller bungeed to the long left running board (It’s hard to see, but Baby Boy is riding shotgun, enjoying The Avett Brothers on the sound system.)

2 “Peanut Shell” seats, with 5-point harnesses, footrests, & padding sit just right on the Yuba’s rear bamboo deck (our tall girls fit perfectly well in them!)

The MUNDO is easily customized–I made this large rear basket attachment with vertical rack and large hooks quite easily with heavy-duty zip-ties, all the better for holding backpacks, helmets, and full grocery bags.

If you’re looking for a good baby/infant/toddler seat, the Yepp mini is pretty fantastic.  It has a durable but soft ventilated shell,  5-point padded harness, head protector and pillow, adjustable foot holders with straps, it can be quickly disengaged with one adult hand, and is easily locked and unlocked with the included key.

The side-view of the MUNDO when we’ve loaded it four-people-deep.  This pic was the inspiration for the name of our site.

This was the first shade-heavy configuration I tinkered with…You don’t need to be a mechanic or a tool whiz to customize your bike, trust me.  I am of little use when it comes to fixing complex things around the house, but a little creativity and willingness to experiment are well-rewarded with this bike.  You can accessorize it quite easily as seasons change, kids grow, your needs evolve, you name it.

Front view with the all-weather umbrella, tin-can-cupholder and toddler windshield (total outlay–about $15 after a quick trip to a hardware store.)

Here, I switched out the blue umbrella for a higher-visibility orange one, matching (coincidentally) the umbrella-stroller canopy shade I attached up front for Little Guy.  It’s swiveling joints made it useful as a both a shade canopy and windscreen for my little navigator up front.

Panniers attached to a front wheel rack and a collapsible basket attached to the rear deck make for extra backpack/grocery/whatever-needs-holding capacity

As the heat cranked up this summer, it was necessary to beef up the infant seat shade situation.  This may not be a pretty finished product, but it was effective.  A black mesh UV stroller shade up front and, up top, a flexible shade extension made from vinyl glued to a dog conical collar made the small orange shade clipped to the handlebars much larger without making it too bulky or inflexible.

Our latest configuration, with all three kids on the back!

The “Monkey Bars,” debuted by Yuba this year, are awesome.  This sturdy and light frame comes with adjustable/removable inner bars.  They can span the whole length of the rear deck or–as above–half the length of the deck.  On our bike, the back half of the deck holds one of the peanut shells for our little guy, complete with clip-on umbrella-stroller canopy for a windshield and UV stroller shade to battle the sun.  While Yuba makes a nice cushion for about $30, I used two $3 chair cushions, and they work great!

There’s always stuff that needs holding.  Two $2 IKEA plastic bag holders carry an umbrella and random clothes and small groceries in the rear while front panniers and black wire shelf frame pieces make a large and lightweight holder for tall backpacks and other items.

EMERGENCIES HAPPEN!  While I have bike repair supplies on hand, there are other–kid-related–emergencies that come our way, too.  The picture on the left is of a diaper-change kit (housed in an econo-sized Band-Aid plastic box) mounted with the brazons for a water bottle cage.  The one on the right is of a small travel bandage/first aid kit attatched with the brazons just behind the crankset.

Much like our four-wheeled vehicles, bicycles now have cupholders out the wazoo (well, ours do, at least!).  Two cages mounted just below the top tube hold water bottles/sippee cups and one cage on the handlebar holds a snack cup while a coffee cup holder I made from a mostly used-up packing tape roll screwed to a C-clamp keeps the java close at hand but nice and level to avoid spills.

The bike is lighter and easier to maneuver now than it was a year ago, which is a good thing considering that my kids keep getting bigger while I keep getting older.