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Yuba Mundo 6 speed
September 29, 2009
I am car free, and that is something that I love. However, at times, it can create difficult situations. One of them is hauling large items. Over the years I have hauled some very awkward items on basic bikes. Tomatoe cages, a bail of peat moss for the garden, and numerous radom large objects. None of them have been fun to haul. All this changed with the Yuba Mundo. This is a true cargo bike that can really haul. A bike made for the car free lifestyle.
The first test I had with the Yuba Mundo was assembling it. This is no small feat. The bike arrived in a very small box, which meant that the bike was basically completely disassembled in the box. I have built many bikes from scratch, but this is a whole other beast. All in all the bike took about 3 hours to assemble. This included removing the rear axle and completely respacing it within the hub. Not something you really want to do with a new bike, but after all the assembly and reworking of the hub, all was well.
After the Yuba Mundo passed the first ride with flying colours I thought I would take it out on a more practical ride, something I would use it for on a more regular basis. This time I went to load up on groceries. I used the massive big Go Getter Bag. At 85 litres it holds a whole lot of stuff. I loaded it down with groceries, and had a few items tied to the other side of the bike. This created a very unbalanced load, that was not to hard to handle while riding the bike at speed, but when slowing down or stopped it was a little tipsy. The bag was great for loading everything in though, and if I had one on each side it would even be better. A full review of the bag will be up in the following weeks.
The true test came when I took it on it's first loaded ride. This trip was a recycling run, and the load was 4 feet wide and 5 feet high. Weight wise it was not too heavy, probably a hundred pounds, but size wise it was huge. The trip was about 5 kilometers one way, and the bike felt great. On the straights the bike actually rode like a standard geared bike. When cornering the loaded bike performed surprisingly well. It obviously takes some balancing, but that is to be expected. I was actually shocked by how well it rode.
The bike itself has a great frame that is built in Germany. This is a rare thing in this day and age. The frame is built robust and is very solid. The components are less desirable, yet do the trick and obviously bring the bike in at a certain price point. The bike features a strong 48 spoke rear wheel, with a 14mm axle on the hub. I had major grief with this wheel when building up the bike, including having to remove a dust cap and expose the loose ball bearings, but in the end this is what was needed to get the wheel moving as freely as I wanted. As far as other components go, it features the basics in terms of rear derailleur, shifter and cranks. Nothing fancy, but all seem to work.
This is a bike that I would change a few things on in the long term. Ideally I would get a new saddle and possibly a new rear wheel, I was thinking an internal 8 speed would do the trick, but as it stands this is one nice reliable bike. With a hauling capacity of 440 pounds it far outdoes any other bike I know of. I am sure many people are wondering about the weight of the bike. I will be honest, I never weighed it. It is heavy, but it needs to be to do it's job. The Yuba Mundo is the semi truck of bikes, and built like it. This is possibly the best adaptation of the bicycle I have seen. I love it!
Price: $999 USD
Details: A true cargo bike
Pros: Strong, sturdy frame, made in Germany, fun to ride
Cons: Cheap components
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Yuba
Reviewed by: Ryan