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.

 

 

DIY: Retractable Shade Canopy for Cargo/Longtail/Box-Bikes!

My Little Guy can travel in comfort and shade now without the umbrella I used to have attached to the middle of the rear deck. This shade folds up easily to be stored behind his seat, plus I can one-handedly raise one side up in seconds to more easily slide him in and out of the Peanut Shell seat.

Tinkering on our Yuba Mundo commences… As the kids get bigger and bigger, I find that space on the back of the bike comes at a higher and higher premium.  I’ve removed both the inner and cross bars of the Monkey Bars rack so that the girls have more space (both side-to-side and front-to-back) and I’ve also done away with the PVC pipe umbrella holder that used to stick up in the middle of the rear deck in front the Peanut Shell seat.

A few months back, I found a pair of awesome and lightweight folding shade canopies made for those folding camping chairs that were all the rage about a decade ago (and still ubiquitous at drug stores, grocers and big box stores whenever the summer months approach).  I bought these for $3 each (they retail for $15-$20), and they’ve turned out to be pretty useful. I simply bungeed the shade to secure it to the rear of the Peanut Shell seat and the Monkey Bars (and, really, you could attach it just about any bike), then pulled it forward and used the sturdy velcro wraps on the end of each adjustable pullstring to secure it to the front of the Monkey Bars.  It took about 2 minutes.

Check out how nicely this folds up, fitting completely and snugly behind the Peanut Shell seat. It’s nice not having the residual drag when the canopy’s not needed (obviously).

Here, here, and here are some sites I found for similar shades (since stalking your local thrift store in hopes of finding them is probably not very practical)

 

Another look at the shade as a stand-alone product. The thin black ropes expand and retract quite easily, making the canopy pretty flexible to fit your needs. Plus, you can use it for its actual intended use, as well, for any chairs you have in need of shading.

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.

Our “SCHOOL BUS” v2.0

With the new school year, new growth spurts, and increased ability to bike for the long haul, it was time for a major overhaul of our Yuba Mundo.

Gone are the twin Peanut Shell seats taking up the whole rear deck (where the girls sat) and the large Yepp seat for our now-not-so-little boy that dominated the handlebar area up front.  He now sits in one of the Peanut Shells in the back while the girls sit on the deck and hold onto the new Yuba Monkey Bars.

The girls like the bigger-kid feel of being less strapped in (as we’ve already seen demonstrated by our other Mundo-riding friends whose kids sit on the back without Peanut Shells), and Big Boy has a bigger seat now that doesn’t swivel.

So far, so good…everybody is enjoying the ride (including Dad, who doesn’t have to work as hard at the pedals!)

                              Our newly reconfigured “Bus” has less weight and wind-drag, and the steering is easier now that big boy is sitting in a peanut shell in the back (instead of on the stem up front)

Both girls fit on the front half of the rear deck and are pretty secure, thanks to our new Yuba Monkey Bars.  This lightweight trapezoidal frame spans the entire deck and has additional interior bars that can be adjusted to various widths.  If the back peanut shell seat wasn’t there, we’d use the longer interior bars and move the middle bar to the rear.  In that configuration, you could get 4 kids on the back!  (instead of buying a pricier seat like Yuba’s Soft Spot–which is a nice product, no doubt–I used two $3 IKEA seat cushions I had in the basement…voila!)

Since Big Boy and I are riding around a lot, I figured it was necessary to pack a diaper-changing kit.  However, I didn’t want it to take up room in the panniers, so I used a Band-Aid multi-bandage pack from Costco and bolted it onto the downtube using the braze-ons that used to attach to the water bottle cage.  Thankfully, we haven’t yet had a diaper blow-out, but I figure that day will likely come!

Big Boy now sits in one of the awesome Peanut Shell seats that his big sisters had.  Since their size and weight are greater, they’re closer to the middle of the bike, while he sits in back.  He’s still within arm’s reach for me, and I can see him clearly in my side mirror.  I attached a RayShade UV Protective Stroller Cover ($5 each) over top, and used one of our umbrella stroller shades as a collapsible windshield and snack/toy protector, (which clipped onto the Monkey Bars)

Of course, cup holders are a must for drinks and snacks.  I put four up front: two water bottle cages down low where the cross bar and downtube meet, one water bottle cage on the handlebar, and a coffee cup holder I made for about $1.50 out of a plastic c-clamp and a mostly-used-up roll of packing tape (much cheaper and less attractive to thieves than the fancy chrome or brass coffee cup holders)

I wanted a lightweight storage solution up front that would create minimal drag and would be large enough to hold the girls’ full-sized backpacks.  I put a front rack above the wheel and attached some standard panniers to it.  On top of the rack I put an old black rubber coated wire basket I had in the basement, and attached to them 4 shelves from a black rubber coated wire shelf system (like you’d find at an office store) with some zip ties.

I used a pair of IKEA Vairera plastic bag dispensers ($1.99/each) for super lightweight “umbrella/clothing/random junk” holders.  They’re the perfect width and height to sit at the back of the running boards, just under the Peanut Shell.  These are especially handy for stowing sweatshirts, scarves, and other clothes for when the weather changes mid-ride.

So, that’s our new and improved “Bus.” We think it will be as reliable as it’s namesake, if not more fun and environmentally friendly.  Oh, and it hasn’t been accumulating unidentifiable grime and smells since the Reagan Administration.

Kidical Mass — Park + Doughbot Ride! [Pt. 2]

Here are some more pictures from this past Saturday’s Kidical Mass ride from Grant Park in Midtown to Doughbot and Southside Park.  I thought I’d include some shots of the awesome bikes other people are making/riding…look for these rides and their happy owners as you cruise around town.

Elle’s Bullitt bike is very, very cool…and useful! It has to be, because she and her kids puts an amazing amount of miles on it!

Anna’s awesome Yuba Mundo! This was the very first Yuba I every saw, and Anna was very kind to tell me all about it and encourage me in getting one. Her custom basket liner and nicely appointed seat post handlebars are just two of it’s many nice touches.

Keith’s amazing box bike. Yes, he freaking built this thing! I aspire to be one-fifth as handy as he.

Seth’s Dutch Bike has long been one of my very favorites. I love that it’s classic and classy, but also that he’s built awesome additions like a sweet lightweight canopy and super useful kitty litter panniers for the back.

This sleek, eye-catching bike really does the job without being a behemoth like my Mundo. Check out the cool black downtube saddle for the little one–I didn’t even see it at first!