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.
8legs2wheels 