Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community project?

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

The brakes should be sortable, but don't expect much stopping power with steel rims, even if they are in good order. They'll probably be OK for pootling about on the flat, but I reckon downhill fully loaded could be a bit exciting.

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

Yes, safety/stopping was my main concern too. South London is fairly flat I suppose, but stopping with a full load could be interesting.

Is it pretty straightforward to get parts for rod brakes? Excuse my ignorance...

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

I would try and avoid rod brakes like the plague, even more so with a decent weight to stop..possibly also look into dynamo hubs to provide some form of electric supply for lighting/power for the range?

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

Hi,

Happy to help too. I am a catering professional and a keen cyclist, so might be able to help with various stuff.

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

Thanks Sylus, good to know before we decide whether to accept it. From the pics I wondered whether you could attach some calliper brakes or similar.

Do you reckon it's worth bothering with, or should we concentrate on rebuilding the Christiania with disc brakes etc, to a high standard? (We have briefly considered getting both and using the retro version to carry less weight.)

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

I think the Christiania will be better, provided you can get all the necessary parts for a reasonable price.

On the "ice cream" bike I think you could completely replace the existing front brakes with better ones or perhaps just clean them up a bit and fit new brake blocks. They look to be fairly standard road calipers and you should be able to fit standard, flat handlebar brake levers to the steering bar/loop although you might have to remove it first so that you can slide them on from the ends.

The back brake looks to be just a parking brake, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. If it's not enough to hold the bike you could always just chock the rear wheel with something, or you could just use a couple of toe straps to hold the front brakes on.

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

My instinct would be to go with a trailer. You could then use any bike to tow it.

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

My advice is sell the ice cream bike using the funds for the 'christinia' bike. Upto the advent of 'longtail' cargo bikes nearly all wheels where 24'' for strength, the average payload is 50kg which isn't a lot,
I wouldn't even think about a trailer in London due to the traffic, personally I would see if you could source a Cyclemaximus pedicab/cargobike there's still a few in London certainly speak to the mechanics that deal with them regularly they should tell you the things that London demands.
There's nothing like a cargo bike to show you how many hills there are that you have never noticed!!

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

I think the biggest decision you have at the momment is value for money added with money for purpose

if you can make that bike up cheap and make it fit purpose then it might work, if however you have to spend a shedload on getting it fit for purpose , almost to a point where a new one would be better and get you up and running quicker then you have some choices to make

if you go along the lines of rebuilding that bike then i would contact places like your local bike shop, local powder coaters, local cargo bike sellers etc and see if they can help in anyway given your cause.

Re: Can you help rebuild a cargo bike for a community projec

I am guessing you are keeping your travels with all the kit fairly local, not too bad with the wide roads around Brixton.

Not sure how much worse a trailer is to a super long or wide bike.

We used to use trailers to do our car boot sales and crêpe selling back in the 80s, riding up from Streatham/Balham into 'town', and my wife has used a trailer to take stock down to Portobello Road as well.