Which one is best for you?

This is a good question and sometimes a tough one to answer. Before you buy a utility/cargo bicycle, we recommend that you be very realistic about how you intend to use your new ride, whichever you choose, and that your test rides resemble rides you plan on making, carrying things you plan on carrying. The Yuba Mundo, Bakfiets/Boxbike, ShuttleBug, Xtracycle, Surly Big Dummy, Kona Ute, Madsen, Larry vs. Harry Bullitt, Danish trikes, and utility trailers all offer compelling solutions–depending on what you want to carry and where you’ll be riding. Here are a few insights and comparisons to help in your search:

The Yuba Mundo is a lot of bike, and a lot of bike for the money (Version 3, 21-speed, $1199 well-equipped, now with optional disc brakes, child seats, bags, passenger handlebars, and other accessories available). In May 2010 Discovery Channel’s Treehugger named it one of the top 5 kid/cargo bikes, which sparked a long-overdue surge in popularity. Its main advantage over XtraCycle, currently the most popular longtail solution–is that it’s a single, stiff, superstrong frame, which means it can carry far more, with far greater stability, than the XtraCycle can. As you’ll see below, the XtraCycle Free Radical kit is an extension that replaces the back of an existing bike, usually a mountain bike, to form a bolted-together, two piece frame. The result is inherently weaker than a single, stiff steel frame. The Mundo’s cargo platforms are larger and stronger than any comparable offering, enabling it to carry more than any vehicle in this category. In fact, the Mundo will gracefully haul more than you’ll probably ever want it to. And its ride is so supremely confident that, with a well-balanced load, you may just forget that you’ve got 100 lbs. of stuff riding along with you. On the other hand, the Mundo may be more than some people need. If you don’t plan on carrying more than, say, 70 lbs. of kids or cargo with any frequency, you may find the XtraCycle to be good enough. V3 comes with fenders, Top Deck, and kickstand included.

Boxbike/Bakfiets These include Joe Bike’s short-wheelbase boxbike, $1700-2300; Joe Bike’s handmade-in-Portland, steel/fabric cabin ShuttleBug with belt-drive option, roughly $4000-5000; Dutch-made Bakfiets.nl, around $3,000, and Chinese-made, Dutch-labeled Gazelle Cabby (also around $3,000) are great for carrying awkward loads and a couple of children. These bikes range from under 50 lbs. (ShuttleBug, Larry vs. Harry Bullitt) to about 100 (long-box Bakfiets). Common among these bikes is that the cargo box/passenger cabin easily accommodates shifting loads and is lower to the ground than on any other cargo bicycle, offering unbeatable stability. Handling and steering are easier than you would imagine, particularly on the ShuttleBug. Perhaps the most important difference between these boxbikes and all other utility bikes is that children ride in front of you, not behind you. Almost all parents we talk to at Joe Bike want their kids in front of them. This arrangement also allows the children to actually see where they’re going, which tends to make for a more enjoyable experience for everyone. Boxbikes/bakfietsen, including both the venerable progenitors from Holland as well as the recent entries from the US and elsewhere, usually come fully equipped with convenient features that make it easy to hop on and ride, typically including an integrated lock, front and rear lights, shoulder straps for the kids, four-point kickstands, optional rain canopies, and so on. Almost all production bakfietsen/boxbikes are made of high-tensile (soft) steel. The ShuttleBug and other Portland-made bikes (e.g., Metrofiets) are exceptions–they’re made of a much stronger, more durable material, 4130 chromoly steel. The Bullitt, made in Taiwan under the Danish label Larry vs. Harry, is aluminum and was designed as a light, fast cargo carrier. It offers single-child carrying ability with optional equipment.

Within this category, is long box vs. short better for you? The long-box model weighs 100 lbs., which is 30-40 lbs. more than Joe Bike’s short-box model and roughly 50 lbs. more than our handmade model, yet both short-box model and longer handmade model can carry most of what the longer version can. Incidentally, both the ShuttleBug and the Bakfiets also made it onto Treehugger’s list of the top 5 kid/cargo bikes, with the ShuttleBug ranked as the “champagne of kid/cargo bikes” in that review. The longer-box Dutch model has an advantage in that there is room for four small children. On the other hand, with the quick-release mounts available only on the ShuttleBug, the lightweight cabin can be removed in seconds without tools and replaced with a four-foot-long upper cargo deck. Together, the upper and lower decks provide more surface loading area than any other two-wheel bike we know of. The Joe Bike models are also quicker and nimbler, easier to turn, easier to store, and overall easier to live with. Most boxbikes/bakfietsen are used mainly to hold two children and include a pair of shoulder straps (including five-point harnesses on the ShuttleBug that provide both lateral and front-to-back restraints). Rain canopies, especially in Portland, are not all created equal. Joe Bike’s handmade canopies are unique in that they protect not only the passenger cabin but also the pilot’s hands from the elements. Ours also act as wind farings; you ride a bit faster with the canopy on than off.

Another consideration is the carbon footprint required to manufacture and ship a bike to its final destination. Buying domestically made bikes means a lot less fossil fuel is burned just to get the bike to you. The ShuttleBug is designed and built in Portland by Joe Bike, using US-made 4130 chromoly steel and the US-made Gates carbon belt drive system.

The Joe Bike ($2200-3000) is Joe Bike’s unique, modular, multipurpose utility bike based on an older boxbike frame. It offers more versatility and configurability than any other cargo bike except the ShuttleBug, yet with its short wheelbase and relatively light weight, it’s remarkably easy and fun to ride, with essentially no learning curve. The Joe Bike currently includes four configurations, all of which are designed and handbuilt in Portland. These include the first double-decker cargo-carrying system, the original wooden box, and a sort of reverse-XtraCycle attachment that allows two children to sit upright in front of the rider, along with several grocery bags. The Joe Bike costs significantly more than the boxbike primarily because of substantial frame modifications, component upgrades (disc brakes and lighter wheels, for instance), two-tone color schemes, and simply the cost of steel. We are now moving the Joe Bike attachments from the older frame to the ShuttleBug frame.

Xtracycle Free Radical conversions ($500 + the cost of a complete bike) are excellent for light utility use because they have accessories galore and the cost is easily digested if you already have a bike you don’t mind converting. The Xtracycle extension is made from TIG-welded chromoly steel tubing with aluminum cargo carriers, which combine to ensure a lightweight ride, albeit with more flex than a fully integrated frame. Over time, flex can damage and weaken the bike frame, especially if the frame is aluminum. The carrying capacity is nowhere near as high as those of the Mundo or Bakfiets/boxbike, but Xtracycles can still handle awkward loads with ease up to about 70 lbs. (or somewhat more, depending on how and where the weight is placed). Lastly, Xtracycle created the longtail market in the US, so people have been modifying and accessorizing Xtracycles for years. This has produced a massive user/support group. Expect fully-built Xtracycle conversions (using a new bike) to cost $900+. Joe Bike can refurbish your old steel mountain bike and turn it into an XtraCycle longtail for a more affordable pricetag.

Surly Big Dummy ($2100-2900 fully built; framesets and fully built models are available as custom builds at Joe Bike) has further validated the Xtracycle geometry by delivering a solid cargo frameset built on Xtracycle specs to ensure simple cross-pollination of accessories. While the Xtracycle delivers flex, the Big Dummy is an integrated, purpose-built frame, providing stiffness and strength somewhere in between that of the Freed Radical conversion and that of the Yuba Mundo. For cargo carrying, the Big Dummy relies on Xtracycle’s snap-on aluminum top and side loaders. Surly’s Big Dummy is a formidable machine with a formidable price tag: it costs two to three times as much as the Mundo, while offering roughly half the cargo-carrying capacity. It is, on the other hand, lighter than the Mundo.

Kona Ute ($900-1100) is a worthwhile entry into the light-duty end of the market, at a reasonable price. The big benefit of the Ute is its relatively low weight, which makes it suitable and comfortable for a light-utility, commuter focus or as a grocery-getter. The bike features a fully integrated, extended tail (not quite as long as the Xtracycle’s or the Mundo’s) built on an aluminum frame. But the bike lacks the Mundo’s low-down siderails that can support tremendous amounts of weight. This severaly limits the Ute’s cargo-hauling utility. Still, although it offers less load capacity than the Mundo, Big Dummy, or bakfiets-type bikes, the Ute offers more cargo options than a regular bicycle with a rack. It’s a unique niche that will serve certain riders very well, while others, such as those who want to carry both a child and groceries at the same time, will clearly notice less stability than on the Mundo or boxbike. Complemented by many commuter-friendly features (including fenders, disc brakes and a lot of gears), the Ute is a fine solution for folks who just need to be able to pack more than a regular bike on their commute. Kona makes great bikes and the Ute is no exception.

The Madsen (around $1200) combines the cargo-box concept with longtail design. A tough, molded-plastic bucket rides above a small rear wheel behind the pilot; the front wheel is full-sized.

An underdog that gets almost no attention, yet is remarkably capable as a smaller-scale cargo bike, is the Torker Cargo T. Modeled after a Dutch delivery bike, this stout, strong workhorse has a large Porteur-style rack, an oversized rear rack, a sturdy dual kickstand, and features such as fenders, a chain guard, and weatherproof brakes. You can mount a Bobike Mini child seat up front (while still using the front rack) and a Bobike Maxi or Jr. on the back, while still using the rear rack. for saddlebags Hence, two kids and plenty of cargo-carrying ability on a compact, easy-to-live-with platform. The problem with the Cargo T is that the manufacturer offers it only a 3-speed. Joe Bike changes it to an internal 8-speed hub with better brakes. At about $950, it’s the perfect solution for those who don’t have room for a big cargo bike in their house or garage.

Trailers (est. $300 – $800) perform an amazing array of functions and come in more varieties than we choose to even mention. We love trailers and believe they definitely have a place in the utility cycling market. Trailers are competitively priced and often extremely well-made. We’ve used a two-seat Chariot Cougar for more than a year, packing children and groceries alike. The Chariot can handle up to 100 pounds and tracks beautifully. What’s more, it converts to a stroller with ease. We probably put as many miles on our Chariot configured as a stroller as we have as a trailer. This being said, with trailers your children are behind you, out of sight and out of reach. It’s not the same experience as having your children right in front of you. And it’s always more of a hassle to setup and tow a trailer than it is to just throw things into/onto your vehicle. Trailers take time to attach/configure and have to be locked up separately from the bicycle. Additionally, they just don’t carry as much as a cargo bike; nor do they handle as wide a variety of loads. If you’re on a budget, the Chariot is fantastic. Just make sure you understand and appreciate its limits.

How about trikes? Danish competitors Nihola and Christiana offer high-quality, well-designed trikes that will last for decades. Trikes certainly have their fans. But because the experience of riding a trike is so radically different from the free-flowing, intuitive sensation of riding a two-wheeler, and not in a pleasant way, it seems to us that the idea of the trike exceeds the reality of it. We occasionally receive and fulfill orders for trikes (Nihola is available for around $3600, as are less-expensive, cargo-carrying models), but we don’t usually stock them.

Still unsure? Take as many of these bikes as you can for an extended test ride. Ride them on routes you plan on taking, with loads you plan on carrying.