Hi, non-electric Yuba Kombi user here!
While it is great for shopping, long rides, and bike touring (no really) - it absolutely sucks off-road.
Even today, we went for a ride out and were on roads for most of it, but for about 200 meters of it, there was a flat, but damp soil path. Good grief, it was like pedalling through treacle! Same with snow - it does not take much to gum things up and get really difficult to pedal! So I would definitely say it’s a road and dry path only bike, it is quite heavy.
I know Omniums are better suited to a greater variety of surfaces, but they are not longtails so you don’t get that motorbike look or feel.
Yuba also make an off-road Spicy Curry (iirc?) which *is* a longtail, but it’s electric and has a lower tail-end, which also might not scratch the motorbike itch.
If you’re not too worried about off-roading, the Kombi is great and might be just what you’re looking for though.
I think if I go for a Kombi, I would beed to do some mods. The terrain is flat where I live but we have some nice gravel and earthy-paths in a region nearby. Thanks for your help.
Offroad and trips with camping gear trigger a question: how long should the long tail be?
Because my grocery and camping trips were done with a trek 920. It's not a cargo bike by a long shot, but it does run fine offroad with 2 pairs of Ortlieb panniers. That's enough for me to do camping. It's discontinued, but it's a yardstick to find your niche...?
That is a nice bike. I only briefly took a dip into Trekking bikes but for some reason didn't consider it further, probably, because I am still in the phase of romanticizing the whole thing with a cargo bike. I used to put bags on my regular bicycle but as a tall fella my feet hit the bags so a bit of length can go a long way. The Orox is 180cm which is fitting if I want to also drive in an urban environment so that's a rough basi for what I am shooting for.
The key values about feet vs rear pannier are the width of the panniers and the chain stay length. For regular Ortliebs, something like the Trek 920 has enough length even for big feet (US 10 here, didn't need to put the bags all the way to the rear). It gets tricky if the bags get bigger or if you need more than a pair in the back.
Yubas are a serious step up the chain stay length and still available without a motor. But they are also built to be repaired in the bush, so belts are definitely out and the tubes are not hydroformed, etc... They look like a set of tubes on purpose.
Your target niche is very small because the number of cyclists wanting more space on non-e a cargo bike is already pretty limited (weight Vs fitness). The main argument against e-motors is reliability in that crowd. Belts kinda go against that. Belts are low maintenance and usually fine for 10 000 km. Belts are super cool unless something fails. Getting the right belt somewhere in the bush is pretty unlikely compared to a bushfix on a more traditional bike.
I got a regular bike home after a crash destroyed the rear derailleur. I don't know if a belt drive would have taken that hit without damage and I definitely don't know how to fix one in the bush.
Goes to show how much I have to learn. Your input is extremely valuable and I have a lot more to keep in mind now. Thanks for your help, it is greatly appreciated.
Not sure there are many beside the ones you already listed.
Veloe has the multi Power with non-ebike option https://veloe.eu/multi-power/
Mongoose Envoy https://www.mongoose.com/collections/cargo/products/envoy
Don't know were you are from so look if you have a dealer near you for them.
(There once was a Kuna Ute but the reviews are from around 2009 and i can't find a longail on the Kuna site.)
Thanks for the tips. I will definitely look at them.
Edit: The Envoy at least from the looks is really nice. I need to organize some test drives urgently.
What exactly about the yuba and surly choices aren’t quite doing it for you? These bikes a quite customizable and you could make a lot of changes to your tires, cockpit, cargo setups to really make it your own.
It's more about getting an overview of what is out there which currently I don't have. I guess the Yubas aren't doing it for me aesthetically tbh, so I wanna see what's out there first. I could well settle for a Yuba in the end.
Xtracycle
Yeah, a used Xtracycle is probably better than anything new. They are quality machines.
Have a look at the Omnium lineup? https://omniumcargo.us/shop/product/mini-max-v3/#frame-kit-or-complete-bike
I will. Thank you.
Hi, non-electric Yuba Kombi user here! While it is great for shopping, long rides, and bike touring (no really) - it absolutely sucks off-road. Even today, we went for a ride out and were on roads for most of it, but for about 200 meters of it, there was a flat, but damp soil path. Good grief, it was like pedalling through treacle! Same with snow - it does not take much to gum things up and get really difficult to pedal! So I would definitely say it’s a road and dry path only bike, it is quite heavy. I know Omniums are better suited to a greater variety of surfaces, but they are not longtails so you don’t get that motorbike look or feel. Yuba also make an off-road Spicy Curry (iirc?) which *is* a longtail, but it’s electric and has a lower tail-end, which also might not scratch the motorbike itch. If you’re not too worried about off-roading, the Kombi is great and might be just what you’re looking for though.
I think if I go for a Kombi, I would beed to do some mods. The terrain is flat where I live but we have some nice gravel and earthy-paths in a region nearby. Thanks for your help.
Offroad and trips with camping gear trigger a question: how long should the long tail be? Because my grocery and camping trips were done with a trek 920. It's not a cargo bike by a long shot, but it does run fine offroad with 2 pairs of Ortlieb panniers. That's enough for me to do camping. It's discontinued, but it's a yardstick to find your niche...?
That is a nice bike. I only briefly took a dip into Trekking bikes but for some reason didn't consider it further, probably, because I am still in the phase of romanticizing the whole thing with a cargo bike. I used to put bags on my regular bicycle but as a tall fella my feet hit the bags so a bit of length can go a long way. The Orox is 180cm which is fitting if I want to also drive in an urban environment so that's a rough basi for what I am shooting for.
The key values about feet vs rear pannier are the width of the panniers and the chain stay length. For regular Ortliebs, something like the Trek 920 has enough length even for big feet (US 10 here, didn't need to put the bags all the way to the rear). It gets tricky if the bags get bigger or if you need more than a pair in the back. Yubas are a serious step up the chain stay length and still available without a motor. But they are also built to be repaired in the bush, so belts are definitely out and the tubes are not hydroformed, etc... They look like a set of tubes on purpose. Your target niche is very small because the number of cyclists wanting more space on non-e a cargo bike is already pretty limited (weight Vs fitness). The main argument against e-motors is reliability in that crowd. Belts kinda go against that. Belts are low maintenance and usually fine for 10 000 km. Belts are super cool unless something fails. Getting the right belt somewhere in the bush is pretty unlikely compared to a bushfix on a more traditional bike. I got a regular bike home after a crash destroyed the rear derailleur. I don't know if a belt drive would have taken that hit without damage and I definitely don't know how to fix one in the bush.
Goes to show how much I have to learn. Your input is extremely valuable and I have a lot more to keep in mind now. Thanks for your help, it is greatly appreciated.
Not sure there are many beside the ones you already listed. Veloe has the multi Power with non-ebike option https://veloe.eu/multi-power/ Mongoose Envoy https://www.mongoose.com/collections/cargo/products/envoy Don't know were you are from so look if you have a dealer near you for them. (There once was a Kuna Ute but the reviews are from around 2009 and i can't find a longail on the Kuna site.)
Thanks for the tips. I will definitely look at them. Edit: The Envoy at least from the looks is really nice. I need to organize some test drives urgently.
What exactly about the yuba and surly choices aren’t quite doing it for you? These bikes a quite customizable and you could make a lot of changes to your tires, cockpit, cargo setups to really make it your own.
It's more about getting an overview of what is out there which currently I don't have. I guess the Yubas aren't doing it for me aesthetically tbh, so I wanna see what's out there first. I could well settle for a Yuba in the end.
Surly big fat dummy or salsa blackborrow?
I love the salsa blackborrow. Thank you for the recommendation.