Urban Arrow Photoshoot from Eelke Dekker on Vimeo.

Really Useful Bikes will be stocking this bike in the spring, test riders welcome. We give you transport options, this is a very good one.. prices about £3000.
Preorders taken.

Accessories and contents still being uploaded to the site as well as a shop reorganisation.watch that webspace and don’t forget we have a cyctec 2 mechanic that specialises in Dutch, European and old English bicycles. Hub gears and dynamos too.
We’re really useful…pickup and drop off service too. just call or email.
Rob@reallyusefulbikes.co.uk

So if you find your journey a bit hilly and those hills are a little uncomfortable, perhaps you rarely use your top gear… for about £30 your hills can be made just a bit flatter and your top gear can get a little more use.
I can whip out your back wheel, replace your rear sprocket and bobs your uncle, flatter hills.
Hub gears are great, but make sure you have them tuned right.
Really Useful Bikes can help you with anything to do with your hub gears…we love em.

www.reallyusefulbikes.co.uk

If you want an representative body free from the burden of history, legacy and ties, created to work in partnership with fellow organisations and charities in Great Britain, mainland Europe and around the world trading ideas and experiences in how to promote cycling and make cycling infrastructure work in urban and rural contexts. Then you have found it..

http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/

Primarily their aim is for well-designed and properly implemented dedicated bike infrastructure, to encourage everyone to ride. they want cycling to be the quickest, most direct way to get to our shops, workplaces and schools and for cycle routes to be integrated with longer-distance transport like trains and buses. This will mean freeing up space for both pedestrians and bikes, in our towns and along our major routes, opening up travel choices to the whole population not just the few. They believe that this will bring about nothing less than a transformation of our society.

isn’t that a breath of fresh air…

Rob

Bristol had the Mr Berridge challenge on saturday…which was a more leisurely affair and involved more cider….

Brooks covered the event and have a write up here..

http://blog.brooksengland.com/wps/danish-cargo-bike-championships/

Ladies and gentlemen, you see both my passion and a glimspe of the future. Lovely!!!

There is a ground swell of interest and action for bikes that are Really Useful, Copenhaganize and Amsterdamize advocate the practicalities and style of the city bike, Oregon and the west coast of America are also a hotbed of bicycle builders, riders and enthusiasts..  

In Portland this week is an event that embraces utility in Bicycles, fast, comfortable, sexy and useful is the mantra…the Oregon Manifest    is a build show and a race all in one. The designs are varied and the quality sublime. I am privileged to have met and talked with some of the builders, the enthusiasm,  innovation and hands on skill is a pleasure to be around. Check this Flickr set out for an idea of what goes on… 
 

Oregon Manifest Promo Video from Andy Batt on Vimeo.

Britain needs more manufacturers, we used to build trains, motorbikes, huge planes, and bicycles…The bespoked Bristol show is a great showcase for bicycle builders in the UK, young people (and older uns) handcrafting, bending and brazing…We need to encourage anyone who shows a spark of interest to create their idea, their dream…i have a suspicion that the next decade is going to be an exciting one for UK bike builders, perhaps soon i can call it a UK  industy….I  hope to have a bike or two at Bespoke Bristol in March….slowly developing my craft. I wonder if i will have the only practical cargo bike there?

If i start now the cargo box paint should be dry by showtime.

2011 OREGON MANIFEST LAUNCH PARTY from oregon manifest on Vimeo.

Bespoked Bristol 2011 from D2 productions on Vimeo.

We have been riding the Gazelle Cabby most days for a couple of months now. We all love it. Here is a more detailed breakdown of our reasons:

Price:
The Cabby is a significant investment. But it is also a high-quality machine. Everything on it is built to last. We feel that everytime we use it we are saving fuel money. We hope that if we ever wanted to sell it then it would still be valuable. But one of the other ‘investments’ is that we are teaching our children that cycling is fun, safe and possible as a means of transport not just leisure. They think it is much more fun than driving, and that means a lot to us.

Overall handing and experience:
The Cabby took us only minutes to get used to riding. My wife is 5ft 6 and I am 6ft 4, and we both find it easy to balance, steer and manage (we have the longer seat post which can be quickly adjusted for either of us). Neither of us have felt worried that we might drop it. After a little practice is is no more difficult to handle at slow speeds than an ordinary bike. The long wheel base means that it does feel different to an ordinary bike, but it is not a problem for either of us. It is heavy: there is no denying it! Lifting it would be impossible for one person. However, the low gearing makes managing the weight very easy under normal circumstances. The saddle is comfortable, the upright rider-position is very good for visibility and comfort, and still allows good peddling.

There is no way to ride this bike, especially with two waving children in the front, and be inconspicuous! People do comment, point and wave. We find this a bit stange at times, but it is not unpleasant, and we like the fact that we are making a visible statement about cycling. In terms of safety, it feels ok – neither of us really felt happy with a bike trailer in taffic, which was one of the reasons for getting the Cabby, and it feels much more solid and visible (the handling is much much better than riding with a bike trailer). Car drivers seem to see the rider first, sitting quite high, and then the children. We like to think that when they see the children they are reminded to drive carefully.

I would say that the time when you notice the weight is when putting it on its stand, loaded. This is more about technique than strength, although it does need a bit of strength too.

I cycled the bike (un-loaded) about 20 miles in two hours, and I think that this is about the top average speed one could expect. However, we find that we don’t really want to cycle fast. The high riding position makes it seem more like the difference between being in a car and a van – slower, but you take more in! But it would be possible for a reasonably strong cyclist to cover 40+ miles in a day, as long as the cargo was happy!

Brakes:
The Gazelle claims to be lighter than its competitors, but it is still a relatively heavy bike. Therefore, it needs good brakes. It has Shimano roller brakes, a drum-based system very seldom found in the UK (Pashley cycles use them) but very common in the Netherlands. The advantages to this are that it is a completely sealed unit which is not affected by weather, and needs almost no maintenance ever. Since they do not brake by applying pressure onto the wheel rims, there is no rim-wear. They are considered to be less powerful than either V-brakes or disc brakes. However, they are powerful enough to stop the Cabby with both kids and shopping in it, so they certainly have stopping power. I think ours will “bed in” a little more in the coming months. They do take a litle bit of geting used to because they are so progressive – at first they feel a bit like a hydrolic system which is not properly bled. However, I feel that the lack of need for maintenance makes up for this slight loss of feel.

(Rob here…2011 cabby’s are fitted with IM80 roller brakes, this reviewers cabby has IM50′s and feels no need at present to upgrade) 

Gears:
The 7 speed Shimano Nexus hub is precise and enjoyable to use. It is great to be able to change gear whilst stopped and since everything is enclosed, not have to worry about keeping the chain and gears clean. I was a little concerned that the range of gears would not be enough. However, so far it is. We exchanged the rear sprocket for one with a few more teeth at the time of purchase, having the effect of lowering all 7 gears slightly. Gear 1 is low enough to take on hills fully loaded, and although not too hard, it is excercise! Gear 7 is seldom needed until on slight downhills – and I do not think the kids want to go faster anyway, since they are at the front and would find it rather breezy! Initially one or two of the gears felt a little bit crunchy and new, but they are smoothing out now. The experience of riding the Cabby is making me interested in getting a normal solo bike with the same type of gears and brakes, especially given the time I spend cleaning, lubricating and adjusting our normal v-brake/derailleur hybrid bikes.

Lights:
The hub dynamo at the front is good, and could power a more powerful front light, which I would switch to if we regularly travelled at night out of lit areas, which we don’t. The rear light seems rather large for the adequate amount of light it provides, and is not connected to the front dynamo, which seems a bit odd. However, this could be changed without too much difficulty. I would want to add additional flashing lights to my clothing or elsewhere on the bike for traveling a longer distance at night, as I believe they would help visibility. The Cabby has reflectors and refelctive materials too – tyre walls and around the carrier.

Locks:
The locks that come with the Cabby are useful, and reasonably strong, but I think that the main deterrant to stealing it is how unusual it is. If I was leaving it somewhere vulnerable for any length of time I would want more locks – a good D-lock probably.

Build quality:
Excellent. Solid, high quality components, frame and wheels, good finish. The tyres are high quality and puncture-resistant. The child carrier/cargo area is strong. The integrated bell is loud and tinkley! There is a sense that everything has been thought of and is fully integrated.

Child experience:
The three-point harnesses are strong and easily adjusted. The bench seat seems comfortable for the girls, although most of our journeys so far are just 1 – 4 miles. They like they fact that we can talk to each other quite easily and they wave at passers by. They need lap-blankets and coats in cooler weather, which they seem to not mind at all, but when we have used the bike in very cold weather (I think it was 3 degrees one morning!) they really had to be wrapped up, because they are right at the front, not tucked in behind like on a single child’s seat on a normal bike. I think we will probably keep a couple of bankets under the seat even through the summer. At least they are getting fresh air! They look forward to trips on the bike.

Other considerations:
I think it would be more difficult to own this bike if we did not have a garage. Although it would be possible to take it through into our back garden gate, the angles would make it more difficult.

It is very hard to take this bike on a train, partly because of the inadequacies of the booking service, partly because it is too long to get in a lift without help to tip it up, which I did not enjoy trying, and partly because most rolling stock would not be able to accomodate it. I will not attempt to take it on a train again after my initial experience! My suggestion for getting the bike home from the shop (if too far to ride), would be in a transit van! I was able to put in inside our estate car, with the rear seats down and the front passenger seat forward, but it was not ideal.

In the future we hope to take it on holiday with us. My plan is to get a roof rack tandem carrier, which is a bit pricey, but should be able to manage the length.

We have no regrets at all about our decision to buy a Gazelle Cabby. Rob at Really Useful Bikes was also very helpful and allowed us to have a good go on two different bikes to help us make up our minds, offering experienced advice.

Jonathan and Emma

Firstly they are a little on the tall side…..

secondly they treat bicycles as a proper part of life rather than a toy so that their young adults range of bicycles has proper bicycles in.

So this means that tall people can always find a bicycle to fit…70cm frame anyone? but also that if you happen to be a little less tall you can still find a bicycle that has hub gears, hub dynamo, luggage racks and sensible ergonomics. The bikes below all have 26inch wheels which are found on most bikes in the UK (the dutch tend to use a 28inch wheel) and all have 43/44cm frames so will fit a human with a height of  about 4′ 5″ and upwards, the smallest frames size in the Heren and dames Gazelle range is 49cm and suitable for a person 4’9″ to 5’4″  

Four bikes in the Gazelle catalogue look very good options for smaller adults looking for a ride. They are 43/44cm frame sizes and ‘trendy’ accent colours aside they are basically larger adult spec bikes in a smaller size if you get me…quality and equipment is the same.     

 The links for the bikes are below.  prices are from £350, give me a call or drop me a mail if you fancy a test ride.

http://www.gazelle.nl/Collectie/Kinderfietsen/Meisjes/Orange-Junior-26  
http://www.gazelle.nl/Collectie/Kinderfietsen/Meisjes/Sunshine-26  
http://www.gazelle.nl/Collectie/Kinderfietsen/Meisjes/Free-Styler-for-girls-26-vanaf-9-jaarhttp://www.gazelle.nl/Collectie/Kinderfietsen/Jongens/Shark-26

if you go to http://translate.google.com/# cut and paste the links it will translate them for you…