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.
8legs2wheels 