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#utilitycycling

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Public
Duck Marshall 🚲

Families like mine, two working parents with young kids living in suburbia, tend to need two cars. I don't like driving if I don't have to. Instead of a second car, my cargo bike is my SUV! I can haul my two primary school kids all around town, do a full week grocery shop for four—

and even carry a new, large, swimming pool home from the retail park through the lovely sunshine past the ducks at Callendar Park!

A very large box strapped to the back of a mid-tail cargo bike. The box is twice the length of the cargo rack of the bike and is resting at an angle in the railing for child passengers. It looks really awkward but, because the weight is lower than the centre of balance of the cyclist, it's not difficult to balance.
A very sunny park, a path is in the foreground and a large pond in the background with sun glinting off the water. There's a convex mirror jutting into the picture with the reflection of the back of the bicycle implying the mirror is attached to the bike handlebars.
#utilityCycling#bike#sustainable
Public
ProdigalFrog

Ebike Buying Advice: What's the most repairable/maintainable electric utility bike?

slrpnk.net/post/18112996

slrpnk.netEbike Buying Advice: What's the most repairable/maintainable electric utility bike? - SLRPNKHeyo everyone. For the first time in my life I’m in a position to be able to use an ebike for most of my commuting needs, which I’m pretty psyched for! As ebikes are a somewhat hefty investment, I want to do my best to get one that will last a good while, and can be maintained and repaired by just me. I’ve read that Bosch motors are proprietary and refuse to sell parts to anyone who isn’t a dealer, so I figured I’d ask here for advice before making any decisions. The criteria I’m looking at is: * Budget of around $1200 * Plan to haul groceries uphill regularly (not super steep though) * Decently fast, at least able to achieve Class 3 speeds * Enough torque for hauling a small trailer (costco runs) * Replaceable/repairable battery * As many non-proprietary parts as possible * Ability to fold is a bonus, but not a requirement If any of you have any experience you can share, I’d be most grateful!
#utilitycycling
Public
Andy

Looking for advice on replacing my battery

slrpnk.net/post/17848658

slrpnk.netLooking for advice on replacing my battery - SLRPNKMy husband bought a Stark Drive bike through Kickstarter about 6 years ago. It’s served us incredibly well, and we’ve put thousands and thousands of miles on it, but the battery is now truly cooked. I think it’s time to finally buy a replacement, which sells for $600: https://starkdrive.bike/accessories/17ah-battery-pack/ [https://starkdrive.bike/accessories/17ah-battery-pack/] Before I do, though, I just wanted to get some expert opinion. Are there any other options that are cheaper or more environmentally conscious? Are there places that can capably disassemble the battery locally and rebuild it with fresh cells? Would doing so have any advantages against just buying the new one? Thanks.
#utilitycycling
Public
Tevis

I biked 6,030 km in 2024, up from 4,042 km in 2023.

~81% of this was for utility: commuting, going to the store, visiting friends, etc., with the rest for recreation. This is up from ~55% last year.

Counting only utility riding, I spent ~15 cents/km, down from ~18 cents/km last year.

My car had triple the expenses but only about half the mileage, so I sold it in August!

A graph of distance vs. time for 2023 and 2024. The lines diverge in late January, with 2023 only reaching 4000 km, while 2024 reaches over 6000 km.
#biketooter#cycling#utilitycycling
Public
JacobCoffinWrites

A bit of progress on converting my mountain bike to a cargo bike (rear rack added with simple modification)

slrpnk.net/post/10520773

slrpnk.netA bit of progress on converting my mountain bike to a cargo bike (rear rack added with simple modification) - SLRPNKI previously posted [https://slrpnk.net/post/9748279] looking for advice on turning my old steel-framed mountain bike into something I could use to haul groceries and maybe some bits of furniture I find on trash day. I got a ton of helpful suggestions, and started out on what I think will be a gradual project as I make incremental improvements to this bicycle. Step 1 was adding a rear rack, so I could add cargo panniers, or a basket behind the seat. [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2FSapQu7OaLiwlg94mEt13lhZuXDIvJpC5YpUFJuES%2F7440b817-eced-4039-ac5d-a801f36ceff8.webp] I settled on this one because I liked the extra support legs, and because it claimed to be able to support more weight than most other designs (something I remain skeptical about, but I’m pleased with the overall construction so far). I did find that the right side seat stay was too crowded for two of the wraparound attachments to fit, so I’d need to use the built-in attachment point just above the rear gear. Unfortunately, the lower support rod segment was too short to reach the attachment bolt. But that was fixable - the rod was just a length of 3/8 steel round stock with a flattened section where it bolted to the wraparound attachment bracket. It would be pretty easy to make one of my own. I started by buying some 3/8” steel rod and a fresh can of propane for my offbrand bernzomatic torch (on two trips, one by train, one by bike because I didn’t realize the old one was empty till I tried to use it). [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2FxzTuDHOEpnRXWMulwIXbM6GS05BO25lIOAdMY3Vb%2Fimage.png.jpg] (Test fitting the 3/8 rod into the upper section of the telescoping rear post) Then I got some of my old forging tools together. Without a proper forge or anvil, I knew it’d be pretty sloppy blacksmithing, but I didn’t need this to be particularly fancy. [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2F3fuEOgFEclPBQlAveVKdX4EmLYTkIyxuoBYpZm36%2Fimage.png.jpg] From left to right: 3/8ths steel round stock, fireplace glove, a steel block I found on the side of the road (my anvil, at the moment), my favorite forging hammer (combination round peen and straight peen), offbrand bernzomatic torch, lighter because I couldn’t find my striker, and a face shield because you should wear safety goggles while forging (and this was easier to find) I didn’t take any pictures while working because I didn’t want to waste additional fuel. Basically I just heated the end up as much as I could without a way to contain the heat, and hammered the daylights out of it whenever it seemed to be as hot as it’d get. It was halfway closer to cold forging than proper blacksmithing but I managed to spread the end of the rod flat enough to drill a hole through safely. [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2Fq5gPTGJ3ZgWXZqE81fvFAgiBcNrJwSPcDmUl956w%2Fimage.png.jpg] I used the drill press, a metal-drilling bit, and a bunch of tap oil, and went through the center of the piece without any real difficulty. Once the hole was positioned, I used the grinder to clean up the overall shape of the forged part a little. Like the old wisdom says: a grinder and paint makes me the welder (or blacksmith) I ain’t. [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2FStd5ktLbUcrXnysdamLLoVnNTF6M92gGP0dxkjtv%2Fimage.png.jpg] (Top: the new one. Bottom: the original/stock part) I decided to go much longer than necessary, which I suppose adds a little weight, but also some strength as we’re not relying on as much of the hollow tube it attaches to for structural support. [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2Fmd6W0OnYrbsRggOldQDdSCDTPezmIzfwtfp8tME1%2Fimage.png.jpg] Once it was cleaned up and the oil removed, I spraypainted it. It would have been easy to go with Gloss Black to match the rest of the bike rack (I had a can of it handy) but I decided to paint it blue. I’d just put some work into making this part custom, and I’m working on rethinking if my goal needs to be to make something look like a product in the first place. For now I don’t mind calling a little attention to it. Plus, the bike never looked great, which works great for me. One of my relatives found it rusting in a sandpit, gave it to me my first job away from home, and I’ve replaced piece after piece back when it was my sole means of transportation. For quite awhile it was held together with zip ties and various kinds of tape (and featured a fender made from cut-up gatorade bottles and duct tape) and the overall look meant it wasn’t exactly a high priority target for theft. [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2Fyhb57uCCYdUrgpydvRzfbXcNCbOtCUr5kWK7LwCY%2Fimage.png.jpg] I gave the paint the full 24 hours to dry, then assembled the last bit of the rack. [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2FUTL0DFwPb22QvFYCO66ghh4ezWhUxckgw7BpMzIh%2Fimage.png.jpg] Looking decent! I have some panniers a relative gave me to hang over the rack if I can ever figure out how these straps work, but I wanted to see if it would work with a big steel basket I got out of a dumpster awhile back. [https://slrpnk.net/api/v3/image_proxy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.slrpnk.net%2Fupload%2F099ea969b8b11f8f01bf401d7fc15101f571f842%2Fd97QaFByT6lkcs8uARGwD19UQyJTUpEq1ilgxA9w%2Ff8184160-67fe-4ddd-8bc3-7aa28caf5d79.webp] Turns out it’s ridable, though heavier than I’m used to. Cargo would likely make it even more tippy, though maybe not more so than those child seats I’ve seen around? Just the same, I suspect if “bicycle pickup truck” was a good idea, more people would be doing it so I’ll swap on the panniers soon. Next steps will be to add panniers, better brakes (per the previous post), and I think a frame bag and a handlebar basket.
#utilitycycling
Public
Matt

My abject failure to get around to putting the knobbly tyres on my gravel bike means I’ve been riding the utility beast a lot lately. And I’ve rather enjoyed it.

In today’s incarnation, for a ride along and over the hills with G, the Carradice saddle bag swapped ends and sat on the rack.

I’ll probably get the kobblies onto the gravel bike just in time for summer.

A black mountain bike with red frame and handlebar bag leans against a pair of white garage doors.
#utilitycycling#rigidmountainbike#familycycling
Public
Tevis

I biked 4,042 km in 2023. 44.1% of that was for recreation; 55.9% was for utility (with 32.0% for my commute). Almost all of this was on my Raleigh Record Ace.

I spent $417.37 on #cycling, including building new bike stands for my office. That's $0.103/km, or $0.185/km if you only count utility cycling. Compare to about $0.40/km driving!

I used #ledgercli to track distances and expenses, and #gnuplot for the graph.

A graph of accumulated distance versus date, starting at 0 km on 1/1/23 and ending just over 4000 km on 12/31/2023.
#biketooter#utilitycycling
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