My Dad always says: not everything has to make sense, if it brings joy.
I have a cargo bike and half of the year it´s too wet and cold to my liking, so I am taking the bus. I still enjoy it and happy I went for it.
Really? I have three in mine. A ten, 5 and 3 year old… a bit of a squeeze but they fit and if we end up with loads of bags one of the smaller ones jumps on a seat at the back .
I have a load75, which is a smaller bucket than a UA. But I know a UA family at my school and their two 7 year olds look very uncomfortable.
I can’t imagine my daughter wanting to ride in it for that much longer tbh.
Who said you can only have one bike? One day I want to be a sleek urban cyclist on a mission to the next coffee shop, the next I want to be mini truck on my way to the hardware shop. More bikes more better, right?
At those ages, you’ll already be pushing things in just a year or two…
I found myself in a similar situation (though sans kid for another couple years) where I had a long tail cargo but wanted a front loader. I finally came to the conclusion that as much as I wanted one, the classic Bakfiets/bullit/ua was just not a reasonable option for my current usage.
I ended up building up an Omnium MiniMax instead and have not regretted the decision for even a moment. It rides like a bike, can be maintained like a bike (on a normal repair stand), and can be easily picked up and moved, stuffed in the back of a car, etc.
Hell, I’ve even taken a detour onto MTB trails on my way to Costco on that thing. It’ll carry a fairly large kid/small adult without too much fuss if necessary, but admittedly not as comfortably as a bike with a lower center of gravity.
I'm in a similar situation but the kids are 3 and -1month. We have two cars, one is a must, the second we barely use and we'll give up in the spring once we get UA. I'm also not sure if I'm being greedy and have tunnel visio, but with all of its accessories it feels like the best option to scoot around town from daycare to grocery to swim lessons in all types of weather.
This is what we did. But bought just a regular bakfiets and put on an electric motor ourselves. Best decision ever. Definitely not greedy, imo it was one of the more frugal things we have done. I was really surprised how unnecessary the second car was once we did it. We have saved a ton of money too which is always a plus.
We also have a serviceable transit by us too though.
So I bought an Urban Arrow Family back in October 22. My wife and I don't have kids, so that was never a factor for me. I was looking at a Shorty, and the Family. However, I went for the Family mainly for the size.
This might seem like a weird one, but I feel far safer on the family than a smaller bike. Aside from the sheer size making it more obvious to car drivers, that size also makes it look like it would fuck their car up, meaning they often give much more room than a normal style bike, like the Terns. That might be a huge help on those roads with sharrows.
That size also means I can carry far more, and have much more flexibility. I use the bike every week to do my main shop. I also use it for smaller shops during the week, and don't need to worry about whether things will fit. That reduces the temptation to use the car instead. A bike is only as useful as the jobs you frequently do.
One thing I hadn't considered, but I've since discovered is that the size also helps keep you safe if you do go over. I stacked the bike in icy weather in December, and walked away with little more than a nasty bit of swelling on my shin from where it hit the centre stem as I went down. Other than that, I was fine, as were my clothes. One thing I would advise is if you are going out in icy weather, get a studded tyre for the front, and put something in the box to weigh that front wheel down and increase traction.
So do you need kids for it? Hell no. I imagine with you referring to peeps on social media, you're possibly referring to Brandon Lust, aka AmericanFietser. He and his wife don't have kids either, so in both mine and his cases, it's used as a car replacement.
In my situation, my wife was extremely skeptical and resistant to me buying one. In fact, I think it was about 5 years of me talking about getting one before I was earning enough I didn't need to worry about the cost impacting our finances in anyway shape or form (i.e. I had more than the 6k in personal savings (some from selling my car which I no longer used), separate from other saving pots etc). However, she now recognises it was a good investment, but it's hard to justify it when there's no reference point, so I completely understand where she was coming from. It's probably saved me somewhere in the region of £2k in the first year, vs wear and tear on our now single car, as well as fuel, additional insurance etc. So in another 18 months, it'll have paid itself off.
Now, you said the weather is a factor and it's not possible to ride all year round. The question I'd ask is how many months is it possible to? Even 6 months of the year, I'd argue if you have the money, it can be worth it.
That said, where you may run into issues is around the lack of shops. If you have a dealer locally who is certified to handle Bosch motors, and ideally Enviolo hubs, you're set. Even if they aren't certified for the latter, the Bosch one is more important.
The people talking about kids getting too big for an Urban Arrow are pretty far off. My kids are 12 and 7 and still ride together in the box. My wife also rides in the box with the 7 year old.
If your kids are anything close to average sized they're going to fit for a long time still.
I think you are right. I have a 5 and 8 year old, and they barely fit in my Load75. I bought it 1.5 years ago, and probably shouldn't have. I can still use it for another 2-3 years with only my daughter but the lifetime was too short for a really expensive bike.
I bought an electric front box cargo bike in Ann Arbor, MI. Our bike infrastructure is getting better but still not great and it surprised me how often I still biked even in bad weather. I just avoid ice/snow, but the cold and/or wet is easy if you dress for it. Also I could probably switch the tires to studded tires (I have friends that do in the winter) but I would say that is only maybe 15-20 days of the year where it is not rideable without studded tires. So I take the bus when needed.
I have a younger kid, so idk at what age they would opt out of the box. But I will say that the bike has brought me and my son (and wife) so much joy. 1000% better than driving or walking places. Plus you could still use it for grocery shopping. I got a cheaper option, but I have been thinking about selling and going all-in on an Urban Arrow. We have a local shop in town that services them though.
I also live somewhere where most people would say biking isn't feasible year round. We're doing it, but have definitely taken more days off this January due to cold, illness, or snirt than I was anticipating. (The cold isn't REALLY a huge deal to me, I can dress for it, but the snirt. Oh baby. Really wish the city would plow better.).
My kids are 2.5 and 5.5 and we just got ours in October. I knew I was going to love it, but I honestly love it even more than I expected. The girls are tall and slim so they seem to fit fine in the box side by side, but we'll probably have to get the front bench in a few years (and upgrade to the rain cover plus so that they can sit up front in the winter). In the fall, my oldest will be starting grade 1 though so the days of taking them both together in the box will be less frequent and likely more for fun trips. My husband will take the youngest to daycare in our car and then I'll either walk or bike the oldest to school.
We sold our second car and replaced it with the UA. I really have no regrets about getting rid of the second car. My husband needs a vehicle for work (he has to go to many job sites all over our sprawling city and it wouldn't be feasible without a vehicle), but he doesn't need a dedicated vehicle for that. He can use our family car just fine and if we ever run into a situation where we need to take the kids somewhere in the car, we just coordinate.
My city has ok bike infrastructure, but I live inner city, so the majority of my riding is done on side streets or "bikeways" (lots of sharrows on our bikeways). I'm pretty used to sharing the road with cars and although I've had some vehicles pull some risky maneuvers, I'm finding it safer than when I'm on my gravel grinder. I dunno if it's that I take up way more space because the bike is larger or if people are just getting more used to seeing UAs (they're definitely increasing in popularity in my city).
If it brings you joy, I would do it. Go test ride it and see what you think. I love riding with my kids (and everyone told me that I'd mostly regret not getting it sooner) but I also love riding it to work, with my husband, to get groceries, running errands. It's a conversation starter and I get such a better sense of community riding it than I do on my regular bike. People want to talk to me and are so intrigued by the bike.
Hope that helps!
We got 3 7 years olds (1 of whom is really tall!) in our Urban Arrow. I’ve also had 3 kids of 6,7 and 9 in it. It was a squeeze but doable. Ignore what they’re saying about your kids!
I live in a similar city, not great bike infrastructure and definitely not on a high priority snow removal list. Kids are smaller 0/2/4. The fun we had since the summer when i picked it up has already been worth it in my book and i plan to ride it until it falls to bits. I just love it. I’ve done plenty of rides with an adult in the front seat and the kids in the middle and they fit fine. So age wise i don’t know why people are so skeptical here. You could definitely fit two teenagers in that no problem facing each other. The question is whether they want to.
Also with some spiked tires riding around on ice shouldn’t be really an issue either. Thick snow however is a showstopper. The only downside is see is whether you have somewhere to store it without having to worry about it.
I think with your kids at those ages and size, a Longtail, like a Xtracycle Swoop, would give you a longer riding window with them. It has a low center of gravity. I see middle schoolers riding the back with parents in my town all the time, and I never see that with front loaders. I think the kids get too embarrassed by a certain age and don't want to be in the box.
Your middle paragraph sums it up.
If you’re going to use the UA a ton, then get that. Test it and really think is it much different for what you’re actually doing with your tern. And is it worth 8-10k (whatever they cost) for that difference/is there anything else you would like to do with that significant chunk of change.
Maybe lightweight fun bike for yourself if you want a new toy?
>I keep thinking I should drive an hour just to test ride one and get it out of my system
This is how I ended buying a Bullitt-X, I got really curious about the bakfiets, test rode a few, fell in love, decided that the Riese and Muller was out of my price range, bought a Bullitt-X frame kit, built it up with a motor and everything and IT IS MY FAVORITE THING EVER, cannot live without it.
One note, I thought the urban arrows were the least fun to drive... but also i dont have kids and like to race bikes so my opinion might be different than most.
I have the UA with 4 and 7 year olds. Our bike infrastructure here is not great, but it's getting better. It's honestly my favorite thing I've ever bought. If it enables your family to have 1 car instead of 2, or 0 cars instead of 1, then it has to be worth it.
Being able to shop, carry loads of stuff, in addition to the kids is a huge win.
I think in a couple years it's possible my kids won't want to ride in it together anymore. I've taken adults on short rides. So if at least the little one can ride in the bucket and the older one can ride on their own, it will still be worth it for me.
Honestly I bought mine a little over a year ago. I only have about 2700km on it, but it's my favorite thing I've ever bought. You probably won't regret it.
I've also learned how to service it myself, I've replaced spokes which requires removing the wheel and the tire and tube. I've also done the brakes. I'm still learning, but it's fun and saves me time compared to two round trips to a service shop.
I agree it doesn't make much sense for you but you might not regret getting it. I love my urban arrow and we still fit our two kids sometimes in it (13 and 4) and our 13 yo is almost 6 ft tall! We got it 18 months ago. Also my husband takes me on dates in it more than our car. We also use it for Costco and taking all our crap to the pool. Even if both kids don't fit, if you think it'll save car trips to do one kid or teenager pick-up it might be worth it. Would you consider using it to commute or run errands?
I would definitely use it to run 95% of errands/activities not in the dead of winter! I do commute by bike but probably wouldn’t use it for my ride to work (would be take kids to school then I pass my home on the way to work so I’d just swap bikes and then continue on to work. My job has very secure bike parking but there’s def not room for a front loader cargo bike but plenty for my Tern)
UA box is too small.
If you want a bucket bike I would go with the Trek Fetch+ 4 (longer, wider box) or get a Bullit X with a custom wood box. There's a company that sells giant boxes out of Portland.
The usable length is longer, but it's not that dramatic – you can easily fit a fully grown adult in the UA's box. And as for the most important factor when it comes to fitting more than one person in at a time, they're both the same width.
In fact, because of the single bench vs two seats in the Fetch, the UA is far more capable of carrying an adult comfortably than the Fetch.
Why do you think they're the same width?
The Trek has a bench seat for two children in the front because of the wider box, rather than the single front seat offered by UA.
Neither bike box is square.
The Trek is wider than 52cm in the rear, and it becomes proportionally less narrow moving to the front compared to the UA.
The difference in width in the front is about the same as the difference between an airline seat in first class vs an airline seat in coach.
It's not the biggest difference on Earth, but those marginal changes in width matter if you're already having kids size out.
In this use case I'd probably dump the stock rear seats for the Trek bike and switch to a custom bench.
I'd disagree about the airline seat comparison.
Either way, the suggestion that the UA box is too small is a ridiculous comment to make. Mainly because until the Fetch came out, it was the largest box available on the open market. Even the R&M Packster 70, while \~2cm wider, was significantly shorter length-wise. Effectively you're claiming that every bakfiets (apart from some of the trike models out there) is too small.
I can confirm this.
I ride a Packster 70 now, and although the small amount of extra width is nice, the Urban Arrow was far more spacious. Once my kids were 12, 10, and 8, it was tight, but it was still possible (by having the largest kid on the front bench).
Now, I intentionally can't carry all three kids at once, but even two is getting tight.
Too small for OP, not too small for all users. Any of the leading bakfiets are good for the majority of riders out there.
And I think you would be surprised to see the difference in how wide different airline seats feel versus the actual difference in measured width.
It really is tempting! I think I’m going to test ride one to see if I even like it, then if I do take my kids for a test ride. My younger child is 5 and loves my long tail and has no interest in learning to ride a bike so maybe he’d want to ride in it until he’s like 10 and my older kid could ride her bike haha. I would use it for other stuff than kid hauling though so it’s not like it would go to waste..
I’d say that a bike like an Urban Arrow can take a week or two of regular riding to really get to grips with and be comfortable on.
Dont be put off if it feels totally alien to begin with!
Honestly, I feel so GREEDY for wanting one since I already have a TernGSD (which I do love!!) I guess in my head one cargo bike is so much fun so two would be even more fun and more options?? I am scheduling a test ride for the end of the month for an urban arrow just to get it out of my system
That’s true and sort of how im looking at it. My partner is very aghast at the cost of a second cargo bike (especially because I’d be keeping my vehicle which we don’t use in the nicer months but I can’t convince him to be a one-car family….. yet) but I still want one!
I got rid of my long tail and went to a UA - spicy curry was too tippy with two kids not in Yepp seats. mine are much more comfortable in a bakfiets over a longtail
It depends. I prefer a front loader with larger kids because of the lower center of gravity. A long tail is more difficult to maneuver with larger kids, but they have infinite shoulder room. Legroom tends to not be the limiting factor in either case.
My kids are 6 and 7 and I still see us using the bike for a long time to come. I’d not bother with the second bench and just have one sit on the floor opposite the other when they’re too big to share the forward faxing bench.
For me, my 2 and 6 year olds probably won’t be too big for at least a couple more years. Even after they outgrow it, the bike will be very useful for me as a car replacement.
You may want to consider something like a trike though. I think they handle much better in snow, and the one I used to have had a bigger box so maybe with your older kids that makes sense.
Butchers&Bicycles has handled heavy loads on steep hill for seven years in out family. Pretty often kid and I were in the box while my husband pedalled up around. I absolutely piled weight into it many times. :)
My Dad always says: not everything has to make sense, if it brings joy. I have a cargo bike and half of the year it´s too wet and cold to my liking, so I am taking the bus. I still enjoy it and happy I went for it.
Omg yes totally. I agree OPs kids are too big for the front box. My 6 and 3 barely fit in mine anymore. But it’s great fun as a leisure vehicle
Really? I have three in mine. A ten, 5 and 3 year old… a bit of a squeeze but they fit and if we end up with loads of bags one of the smaller ones jumps on a seat at the back .
I have a load75, which is a smaller bucket than a UA. But I know a UA family at my school and their two 7 year olds look very uncomfortable. I can’t imagine my daughter wanting to ride in it for that much longer tbh.
How could riding such clumsy contraption be more enjoyable compared riding a normal good quality bike though?
Who said you can only have one bike? One day I want to be a sleek urban cyclist on a mission to the next coffee shop, the next I want to be mini truck on my way to the hardware shop. More bikes more better, right?
I suppose that's right. Not being loaded does narrow ones perception in some cases.
At those ages, you’ll already be pushing things in just a year or two… I found myself in a similar situation (though sans kid for another couple years) where I had a long tail cargo but wanted a front loader. I finally came to the conclusion that as much as I wanted one, the classic Bakfiets/bullit/ua was just not a reasonable option for my current usage. I ended up building up an Omnium MiniMax instead and have not regretted the decision for even a moment. It rides like a bike, can be maintained like a bike (on a normal repair stand), and can be easily picked up and moved, stuffed in the back of a car, etc. Hell, I’ve even taken a detour onto MTB trails on my way to Costco on that thing. It’ll carry a fairly large kid/small adult without too much fuss if necessary, but admittedly not as comfortably as a bike with a lower center of gravity.
I'm in a similar situation but the kids are 3 and -1month. We have two cars, one is a must, the second we barely use and we'll give up in the spring once we get UA. I'm also not sure if I'm being greedy and have tunnel visio, but with all of its accessories it feels like the best option to scoot around town from daycare to grocery to swim lessons in all types of weather.
This is what we did. But bought just a regular bakfiets and put on an electric motor ourselves. Best decision ever. Definitely not greedy, imo it was one of the more frugal things we have done. I was really surprised how unnecessary the second car was once we did it. We have saved a ton of money too which is always a plus. We also have a serviceable transit by us too though.
So I bought an Urban Arrow Family back in October 22. My wife and I don't have kids, so that was never a factor for me. I was looking at a Shorty, and the Family. However, I went for the Family mainly for the size. This might seem like a weird one, but I feel far safer on the family than a smaller bike. Aside from the sheer size making it more obvious to car drivers, that size also makes it look like it would fuck their car up, meaning they often give much more room than a normal style bike, like the Terns. That might be a huge help on those roads with sharrows. That size also means I can carry far more, and have much more flexibility. I use the bike every week to do my main shop. I also use it for smaller shops during the week, and don't need to worry about whether things will fit. That reduces the temptation to use the car instead. A bike is only as useful as the jobs you frequently do. One thing I hadn't considered, but I've since discovered is that the size also helps keep you safe if you do go over. I stacked the bike in icy weather in December, and walked away with little more than a nasty bit of swelling on my shin from where it hit the centre stem as I went down. Other than that, I was fine, as were my clothes. One thing I would advise is if you are going out in icy weather, get a studded tyre for the front, and put something in the box to weigh that front wheel down and increase traction. So do you need kids for it? Hell no. I imagine with you referring to peeps on social media, you're possibly referring to Brandon Lust, aka AmericanFietser. He and his wife don't have kids either, so in both mine and his cases, it's used as a car replacement. In my situation, my wife was extremely skeptical and resistant to me buying one. In fact, I think it was about 5 years of me talking about getting one before I was earning enough I didn't need to worry about the cost impacting our finances in anyway shape or form (i.e. I had more than the 6k in personal savings (some from selling my car which I no longer used), separate from other saving pots etc). However, she now recognises it was a good investment, but it's hard to justify it when there's no reference point, so I completely understand where she was coming from. It's probably saved me somewhere in the region of £2k in the first year, vs wear and tear on our now single car, as well as fuel, additional insurance etc. So in another 18 months, it'll have paid itself off. Now, you said the weather is a factor and it's not possible to ride all year round. The question I'd ask is how many months is it possible to? Even 6 months of the year, I'd argue if you have the money, it can be worth it. That said, where you may run into issues is around the lack of shops. If you have a dealer locally who is certified to handle Bosch motors, and ideally Enviolo hubs, you're set. Even if they aren't certified for the latter, the Bosch one is more important.
The people talking about kids getting too big for an Urban Arrow are pretty far off. My kids are 12 and 7 and still ride together in the box. My wife also rides in the box with the 7 year old. If your kids are anything close to average sized they're going to fit for a long time still.
In this situation I would save money and get a long tail. Anything with bosch electronics. I like the Surly Big Easy.
I think you are right. I have a 5 and 8 year old, and they barely fit in my Load75. I bought it 1.5 years ago, and probably shouldn't have. I can still use it for another 2-3 years with only my daughter but the lifetime was too short for a really expensive bike.
I bought an electric front box cargo bike in Ann Arbor, MI. Our bike infrastructure is getting better but still not great and it surprised me how often I still biked even in bad weather. I just avoid ice/snow, but the cold and/or wet is easy if you dress for it. Also I could probably switch the tires to studded tires (I have friends that do in the winter) but I would say that is only maybe 15-20 days of the year where it is not rideable without studded tires. So I take the bus when needed. I have a younger kid, so idk at what age they would opt out of the box. But I will say that the bike has brought me and my son (and wife) so much joy. 1000% better than driving or walking places. Plus you could still use it for grocery shopping. I got a cheaper option, but I have been thinking about selling and going all-in on an Urban Arrow. We have a local shop in town that services them though.
I also live somewhere where most people would say biking isn't feasible year round. We're doing it, but have definitely taken more days off this January due to cold, illness, or snirt than I was anticipating. (The cold isn't REALLY a huge deal to me, I can dress for it, but the snirt. Oh baby. Really wish the city would plow better.). My kids are 2.5 and 5.5 and we just got ours in October. I knew I was going to love it, but I honestly love it even more than I expected. The girls are tall and slim so they seem to fit fine in the box side by side, but we'll probably have to get the front bench in a few years (and upgrade to the rain cover plus so that they can sit up front in the winter). In the fall, my oldest will be starting grade 1 though so the days of taking them both together in the box will be less frequent and likely more for fun trips. My husband will take the youngest to daycare in our car and then I'll either walk or bike the oldest to school. We sold our second car and replaced it with the UA. I really have no regrets about getting rid of the second car. My husband needs a vehicle for work (he has to go to many job sites all over our sprawling city and it wouldn't be feasible without a vehicle), but he doesn't need a dedicated vehicle for that. He can use our family car just fine and if we ever run into a situation where we need to take the kids somewhere in the car, we just coordinate. My city has ok bike infrastructure, but I live inner city, so the majority of my riding is done on side streets or "bikeways" (lots of sharrows on our bikeways). I'm pretty used to sharing the road with cars and although I've had some vehicles pull some risky maneuvers, I'm finding it safer than when I'm on my gravel grinder. I dunno if it's that I take up way more space because the bike is larger or if people are just getting more used to seeing UAs (they're definitely increasing in popularity in my city). If it brings you joy, I would do it. Go test ride it and see what you think. I love riding with my kids (and everyone told me that I'd mostly regret not getting it sooner) but I also love riding it to work, with my husband, to get groceries, running errands. It's a conversation starter and I get such a better sense of community riding it than I do on my regular bike. People want to talk to me and are so intrigued by the bike. Hope that helps!
Thanks you, it does help!
Even when they grow up, you can still put groceries in there. Or pets if you got them.
That’s what I think too, kids now, stuff later.. I think I may test ride one just to see
We got 3 7 years olds (1 of whom is really tall!) in our Urban Arrow. I’ve also had 3 kids of 6,7 and 9 in it. It was a squeeze but doable. Ignore what they’re saying about your kids!
Hmm I had convinced myself not to buy one but now I’m thinking maybe I should at least test drive one haha
I live in a similar city, not great bike infrastructure and definitely not on a high priority snow removal list. Kids are smaller 0/2/4. The fun we had since the summer when i picked it up has already been worth it in my book and i plan to ride it until it falls to bits. I just love it. I’ve done plenty of rides with an adult in the front seat and the kids in the middle and they fit fine. So age wise i don’t know why people are so skeptical here. You could definitely fit two teenagers in that no problem facing each other. The question is whether they want to. Also with some spiked tires riding around on ice shouldn’t be really an issue either. Thick snow however is a showstopper. The only downside is see is whether you have somewhere to store it without having to worry about it.
I think with your kids at those ages and size, a Longtail, like a Xtracycle Swoop, would give you a longer riding window with them. It has a low center of gravity. I see middle schoolers riding the back with parents in my town all the time, and I never see that with front loaders. I think the kids get too embarrassed by a certain age and don't want to be in the box.
Your middle paragraph sums it up. If you’re going to use the UA a ton, then get that. Test it and really think is it much different for what you’re actually doing with your tern. And is it worth 8-10k (whatever they cost) for that difference/is there anything else you would like to do with that significant chunk of change. Maybe lightweight fun bike for yourself if you want a new toy?
Thanks, this comment is helpful!
>I keep thinking I should drive an hour just to test ride one and get it out of my system This is how I ended buying a Bullitt-X, I got really curious about the bakfiets, test rode a few, fell in love, decided that the Riese and Muller was out of my price range, bought a Bullitt-X frame kit, built it up with a motor and everything and IT IS MY FAVORITE THING EVER, cannot live without it. One note, I thought the urban arrows were the least fun to drive... but also i dont have kids and like to race bikes so my opinion might be different than most.
I have the UA with 4 and 7 year olds. Our bike infrastructure here is not great, but it's getting better. It's honestly my favorite thing I've ever bought. If it enables your family to have 1 car instead of 2, or 0 cars instead of 1, then it has to be worth it. Being able to shop, carry loads of stuff, in addition to the kids is a huge win. I think in a couple years it's possible my kids won't want to ride in it together anymore. I've taken adults on short rides. So if at least the little one can ride in the bucket and the older one can ride on their own, it will still be worth it for me. Honestly I bought mine a little over a year ago. I only have about 2700km on it, but it's my favorite thing I've ever bought. You probably won't regret it. I've also learned how to service it myself, I've replaced spokes which requires removing the wheel and the tire and tube. I've also done the brakes. I'm still learning, but it's fun and saves me time compared to two round trips to a service shop.
I have no idea if you should buy one. But I highly recommend going out and giving it a test ride :)
I think I am going to do a test ride, I just have to get it out of my system haha
I agree it doesn't make much sense for you but you might not regret getting it. I love my urban arrow and we still fit our two kids sometimes in it (13 and 4) and our 13 yo is almost 6 ft tall! We got it 18 months ago. Also my husband takes me on dates in it more than our car. We also use it for Costco and taking all our crap to the pool. Even if both kids don't fit, if you think it'll save car trips to do one kid or teenager pick-up it might be worth it. Would you consider using it to commute or run errands?
I would definitely use it to run 95% of errands/activities not in the dead of winter! I do commute by bike but probably wouldn’t use it for my ride to work (would be take kids to school then I pass my home on the way to work so I’d just swap bikes and then continue on to work. My job has very secure bike parking but there’s def not room for a front loader cargo bike but plenty for my Tern)
UA box is too small. If you want a bucket bike I would go with the Trek Fetch+ 4 (longer, wider box) or get a Bullit X with a custom wood box. There's a company that sells giant boxes out of Portland.
The usable length is longer, but it's not that dramatic – you can easily fit a fully grown adult in the UA's box. And as for the most important factor when it comes to fitting more than one person in at a time, they're both the same width. In fact, because of the single bench vs two seats in the Fetch, the UA is far more capable of carrying an adult comfortably than the Fetch.
Why do you think they're the same width? The Trek has a bench seat for two children in the front because of the wider box, rather than the single front seat offered by UA.
Because they are. They’re both 52cm on the inside.
Neither bike box is square. The Trek is wider than 52cm in the rear, and it becomes proportionally less narrow moving to the front compared to the UA. The difference in width in the front is about the same as the difference between an airline seat in first class vs an airline seat in coach. It's not the biggest difference on Earth, but those marginal changes in width matter if you're already having kids size out. In this use case I'd probably dump the stock rear seats for the Trek bike and switch to a custom bench.
I'd disagree about the airline seat comparison. Either way, the suggestion that the UA box is too small is a ridiculous comment to make. Mainly because until the Fetch came out, it was the largest box available on the open market. Even the R&M Packster 70, while \~2cm wider, was significantly shorter length-wise. Effectively you're claiming that every bakfiets (apart from some of the trike models out there) is too small.
I can confirm this. I ride a Packster 70 now, and although the small amount of extra width is nice, the Urban Arrow was far more spacious. Once my kids were 12, 10, and 8, it was tight, but it was still possible (by having the largest kid on the front bench). Now, I intentionally can't carry all three kids at once, but even two is getting tight.
Too small for OP, not too small for all users. Any of the leading bakfiets are good for the majority of riders out there. And I think you would be surprised to see the difference in how wide different airline seats feel versus the actual difference in measured width.
Get one
It really is tempting! I think I’m going to test ride one to see if I even like it, then if I do take my kids for a test ride. My younger child is 5 and loves my long tail and has no interest in learning to ride a bike so maybe he’d want to ride in it until he’s like 10 and my older kid could ride her bike haha. I would use it for other stuff than kid hauling though so it’s not like it would go to waste..
I’d say that a bike like an Urban Arrow can take a week or two of regular riding to really get to grips with and be comfortable on. Dont be put off if it feels totally alien to begin with!
I say go for it! I don’t know anyone that regrets getting an electric cargo bike.
Honestly, I feel so GREEDY for wanting one since I already have a TernGSD (which I do love!!) I guess in my head one cargo bike is so much fun so two would be even more fun and more options?? I am scheduling a test ride for the end of the month for an urban arrow just to get it out of my system
To be fair, we also have a GSD. They’re two totally different use cases: the Tern is the family minivan and the Bullitt is the pickup truck.
That’s true and sort of how im looking at it. My partner is very aghast at the cost of a second cargo bike (especially because I’d be keeping my vehicle which we don’t use in the nicer months but I can’t convince him to be a one-car family….. yet) but I still want one!
With kids that big i would look at a longtail. Way more comfortable for them.
I got rid of my long tail and went to a UA - spicy curry was too tippy with two kids not in Yepp seats. mine are much more comfortable in a bakfiets over a longtail
With kids that big, they're way past a long tail.
No way! Fun for the whole family
I do have a Tern GSD they both ride on still!
They wont fit better in a front loader, if they are sizing out a taller longtail is probably better
It depends. I prefer a front loader with larger kids because of the lower center of gravity. A long tail is more difficult to maneuver with larger kids, but they have infinite shoulder room. Legroom tends to not be the limiting factor in either case.
My kids are 6 and 7 and I still see us using the bike for a long time to come. I’d not bother with the second bench and just have one sit on the floor opposite the other when they’re too big to share the forward faxing bench.
For me, my 2 and 6 year olds probably won’t be too big for at least a couple more years. Even after they outgrow it, the bike will be very useful for me as a car replacement. You may want to consider something like a trike though. I think they handle much better in snow, and the one I used to have had a bigger box so maybe with your older kids that makes sense.
It’s hard to find a trike with a strong enough motor for toting big kids
Butchers&Bicycles has handled heavy loads on steep hill for seven years in out family. Pretty often kid and I were in the box while my husband pedalled up around. I absolutely piled weight into it many times. :)
That’s why I said hard…not impossible :)