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China is swinging back towards bikes (after a bit of classism and geometric / fiscal wishing, we've all done it), meanwhile trump is cutting off his nose to spite his bike lanes
@enobacon@urbanists.socialI replaced a 2nd car with an #xtracycle edgeRunner #eBikes a decade ago, can confirm, 1000 miles/yr by bike replaced 3k miles/yr by car. All you have to do is question whether every sub-3-mile trip is worth scorching the planet and giving money to dickhead billionaires, or maybe wear a hat and put on some socks. #cargoBikes #LeaveTheCarAtHome #ClimateAction #parenting
The longer chain does cost 2x as much to replace (I've never found a source for 1.6x length chains so I have to buy two and connect+cut them.)
Also the default bags then were like what they call the "cargo bay" now, with the waterproof flap, great for a load of groceries or your kids backpacks, albeit that was a bit of a pain with the kids legs part of the yepp seat
I highly recommend the lower rails to support heavier cargo and be better able to "bag and drag" your kid's bike(s) -- I've had two kids on deck + seat and their 16in + 20in bikes in tow, able to carry them through tricky traffic spots or hills (plus elastic tow straps if it's just the hills and not cars making them passenger.)
Having had an #edgeRunner longtail and *then* a bakfiets aka "box bike" #superCargo has been a slightly backwards journey from what's probably typical for bike parents, but I doubt we would have ridden the infants around in the suburbs and the longtail is way more agile, squeezing between stopped car traffic and bumping up a curb is maybe doable without putting a foot down (if it's 6in or less for me), vs being a matter of leverage and quite an ordeal with the box bike.
The #umbrellaBike has definitely been superior for the 8-10yo piling-in with their random art project or sports equipment stuff out of the weather, and keeps the pilot rather nicely protected behind the canopy as well, plus a poncho on top if it's coming down hard.
IDK about eating in the car rather than on a bike, learn to not drop your food kids! I can see the box bike being more convenient for that, but have you ever had ants in your car? Bikes are much easier to keep clean.
(Electric) cargo bikes are like the can opener for #parenting / #housing / #transportation if cities and suburbs were cans of beans or something. #urbanism #BikeTooter
My xtracycle is an acoustic with bbs02 conversion, before they had the frame built around the motor. I actually think that was a better value than electric xtracycles, and might lean toward the madsen if I was shopping for one today (have in fact been tempted several times to just get one anyway because I save about $10k on cars every year so it's just a matter of storage space.) https://www.madsencycles.com/products/electric-dk2-luxury
If you're more of the sporting cyclist type, you don't have to get a motor on your #cargoBikes #BigDummy
"Probably 130lb with the dog on it."
"she will ride for miles, and then at some point, she'll put her bike on the ground, stretch her arms up and say 'daddy, pick me up' 
#cargoBikes
I have not tried to surf/ghostride while standing on the deck of the xtracycle, but it is about that stable.
I cannot overstate the significance of being able to drop-in on a trip to the grocery store.
@enobacon Don't forget the jar of Ocean Spray cranberry juice
@enobacon The delta trike is an adventurous choice.
@enobacon I didn't spot the drive mechanism. Hand cycle makes it a more reasonable choice.
@enobacon
Good thread! Thanks for sharing!
@enobacon
I have the predecessor, the Free Radical (on left). I've read that if the passenger weight is behind the rear axle, then the horizontal beam supporting the rearmost point can buckle at the rear axle.
It looks like the Big Dummy (on right) has something like a "suspension bridge" with a verticle strut from the rear axle, and a "cable" (actually tubing) from the rearmost point, up and over the vertical strut.
I'd like to figure-out how to add something like that to my bike.
@enobacon If what you describe as a box bike would be a long john-> then it's worth mentioning they are better suited as a year round car replacement for families with kids. I've done 3kkm on long tail and 7kkm on long john. With kids and when doing longer school runs (mine is 7km one way) point is 7:30 am temperatures where I live are too cold to carry kids uncovered through say 9 months out of 12. You won't like to be carried not moving, no cover, at +3C for 25minutes (7km).
@enobacon Yep I had Tern GSD stormbag at the bottom on Radwagon 4, with original Rad rain cannopy on top of it so kids were completely enclosed for the winter. But still a wooden box of Babboe City or a polystyrene box of Urban Arrow Family paired with cannopy does much better on those -2C to +5C rides. At 0C kids say "perfect conditions, not too cold not too warm". Longtails have other advantages like manouverability, tackling bumpy roads.. There's no single perfect solution 
@enobacon it's insane that up until recently, purchase of EV cars SUVs was heavily subsidized, but there's never been incentives for e-bikes.
It would cost so much less to the government... And bike usage would skyrocket!