Cargo Bike: First Operational Test Run

Well, today was my first day to use the cargo bike for an actual chore. I am an avid re-cycler, in that I enjoy riding my bike over and over again, as well as the other meaning: reducing the amount of garbage my household creates. I have usually accomplished the task of dropping off paper, plastic, cardboard, and metal cans by driving my car about a mile to the local blue recycling dumpsters. I have never liked driving there, as it is just such a waste of gas and is bad for the environment. Supposedly most of the harmful stuff that comes out of your car's tailpipe is emitted in the first couple miles. Additionally short trips reduce your MPG and increase the wear-and-tear on your car because it never has an opportunity to warm up. As such, I have been thinking of ways to eliminate the need to drive to accomplish this weekly chore to benefit the planet, my wallet, and my well being (bikes are good for you...). Well, today, I did!

I took my first operational test drive with two paper bags full of cans/bottles/plastics to the dumpsters a mile away. As I was loading the bags into the 18 gallon Rubbermaid container, they were full enough to put upward pressure on the lid. This made me worry about the lid popping off at speed, so I grabbed a bungee cord and secured the lid. Better safe than sorry, right!

The ride to and from was great. The added weight of the material in the container was felt, but it was controllable. The container, deck, rack, and all the recyclables in the back felt secure. It was a great ride, I may have made the short trip a bit faster (and definitely cheaper) than if I took my car.

So, the cargo bike passed its first test with flying colors. However, I still had a large amount of cardboard to carry, as well as some paper. I took off the lid to the container, filled the container with cardboard, placed a box on top of the full container, and strapped it all down with three bungee cords. I used two bungee cords along the container's width, and one along its length. Even without the container's lid, the load felt secure, but I still had more to carry. I decided to take out the Burley Solo child trailer, and found that a larger plastic container that I had been using to carry recyclables in my car fit in it almost perfectly. I laid the kid's seat down, opening up the interior space, and removed the cloth top to the trailer. I loaded up the large plastic container, placed it into the child trailer, and prepared for a quick test ride.

I rode the fully loaded cargo bike and trailer around in my front yard. While everything felt pretty secure, an item flew out of the trailer, even at the slow pace I was riding in the grass. As such, I attached a bungee diagonally across the plastic container in the trailer, and made sure everything was secure.

I grabbed my bike helmet, and headed off for another bicycling recycling adventure! The ride was uneventful. The slight uphill grade to the recycling bins was more noticeable on the single-speed cargo bike. While my bike and trailer were stuffed with recyclables, it wasn't all that heavy. As such, the biggest limitation to the cargo bike may be its lack of gearing to make hills and loads more manageable. Or it might force me to get stronger! And while it took me two trips on bike, it gave me a great excuse to get out of the house and cruise the neighborhood on my bike. Either way, it was a fun ride, and everything made it to the blue bins without delay. I look forward to recycling again via bicycle.

Single Speed Cargo Bike Conversion

I've had a single speed for the last six months, a bike that's been cobbled together from used parts and a frame that was left over from a commuter bike that was run over by a car. The simplicity of my single speed has made it a blast to ride, this includes the obvious lack of shifting to worry about, but also the single rear brake. I have been using the single speed for local runs to the store and library, and I've been looking for ways to make it more capable.

I started researching cargo bikes a few months ago, and found that most of them were using either pannier bags or only a milk carton attached to the rear rack. Panniers and small uncovered plastic containers do not tend to provide much hauling capacity, and they also provide very little protection from the weather. Other cargo conversions I have seen include the use of a bike trailer to carry stuff behind the bike. Most of the trailers I researched were converted child trailers, and provided a decent amount of storage capacity, while some of the custom bike trailers were extremely large, capable of carrying oversized cargo that usually entails a pickup truck. While the trailer option would keep the bike unmodified, it would dramatically increase the overall length of the system, which would restrict me from using it on the local commuter train. I have noticed as of lately that bike manufacturers are introducing long wheelbase cargo bikes that provide cargo carrying capacity behind the rider. I have found that the cost for such a specialized bike is rather restrictive, usually starting at 800 dollars, and that the cargo containers provided with these cargo bikes are usually only large panniers that do not provide the best means of carrying or protecting items from the weather.

I was riding my single speed to the store one day, and got to thinking that I could modify it to carry more stuff, maximizing its capacity, while providing me with a 'cargo bike' for no additional money (money that would be spent on a trailer, long wheel base cargo bike, etc). And a dollar saved is two dollars earned, right! Anyway, I had an unused Rubbermaid 18 gallon plastic storage bin in my basement. I tested it and found that it could hold two grocery bags, which is half of what a $2000 cargo bike was holding in a recent bike magazine photo. If I could find a way to mount that container, I could carry half the load of an expensive cargo bike, for free! I also liked the container because, unlike panniers or any of the other systems I have seen thus far, it featured a sealing lid and sturdy walls, both of which would support the internal cargo and protect it from the elements.

I mounted a rear bike rack that was collecting dust in my workshop on to the back of the single speed. With the single speed still in the repair stand, I took the empty 18 gallon container and balanced it on the rear rack, getting an idea of how far back it would have to be to fit behind the seat. I experimented with the placement, turning the rectangular container 90 degrees to determine the best fit. I decided to install the container on the rack perpendicular to the bike to reduce the length of the bike, and the torque that the container (and the weight of the items in it) would have on the bike rack. As such, the container increases the with of the bike, but it will make for a more robust mounting and should be more durable in the long run.

The bike rack was too short, though, to provide a direct mounting of the container to the rack, so I opted to use a 12 inch wide piece of pine board to lengthen the bike rack's deck. I measured the required length, cut a piece of wood from remaining stock, painted it black, and mounted the new wood deck to the front of the bike rack with two bolts. I only used two bolts on the front of the deck and rack, because the remaining bolts would join the container, deck, and bike rack. I drilled four holes in the container and deck, and bolted the container to the deck and rack. After a test fitting, I removed the container from the deck and bike rack, applied Liquid Nails to the deck where the container would mount, and repositioned the container and bolted the container onto the deck.

Flight test! After waiting a night to allow the industrial glue to dry, I rode the bike around the block to see and feel how the container and rack felt. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, and everything felt sturdy, so I decided to load it up! I filled two cloth Trader Joe's bags with frozen veggies from our freezer. I lugged the test load outside, and placed them into the 18 gallon container. The container held the large bags very well, with the lid sealing them from the elements and providing additional strength to the container. I noticed the weight of the load and its effects on the once light and simple single speed bike as I began to move and mount the bike. However, as I pushed on the pedal and developed some momentum, the bike handled very well. The rear brake was still adequate for stopping my single speed cargo rig, and the few small bumps I hit didn't jar the load, container, or anything holding it all together. First test run was a success!

I will ride it to the Target store down the street and Trader Joe's which is just a short bike and train ride from my home. I may make some additional modifications, as needed, however the system is working so far. I anticipate that I may need to use more bolts to ensure that the container remains connected to the deck, but I also know that drilling additional holes in the bottom of the container reduce its strength and durability. There is a happy medium, and I will probably work toward it slowly.

More to follow as actual cargo carrying trips take place!...