+bonifartius 𒂼𒄄
crazy expensive cargo bikes being obvious grift. no refunds. https://nltimes.nl/2024/02/21/countries-taking-measures-babboe-yet-broken-cargo-bikes
@tyil
> I do wonder why bike stores seem to mainly aim for the ridiculously expensive segment on bikes these days.
because they can. especially cargo bikes are a lifestyle product for rich people now - electric bikes not exclusively, i see many tradesmen here using them to go to work. they aren't crazy expensive anymore though.
the people i see using cargo bikes are to more than 90% bored rich parents who use them to transport their kids to childcare. people just love the eco-larp: transporting kids does also work with a 400€ trailer.
i bought a used radonneur bike with steel frame years back and that does work fine. i don't bike that much though. i wouldn't want to have to buy a new bike now though, the market is totally broken.
i think the only way to have a sane solid cargo bike for a sane price is building your own but that is much work. i am kind if interested in learning to weld though :)
cargo bikes are a lifestyle product for rich people now
Hey @bonifartius, at least they do their own pedaling now!
I’d like one mostly so I can do bigger shopping trips once in a while with my bike.
@tyil, for groceries a large waterproof backpack works well enough for me, or a pannier if you need to carry more (of course an oven or a washing machine wouldn’t fit though).
Transporting my niece
A backseat should be like 10 to 20 EUR. Even in university we still rode each other on those so don’t worry much about safety (adult Vietnamese are around 50 to 70 kg for reference).
bike goes for 1500 EUR
That’s just insane, 1500 EUR can like feed both of you for a few months. I recently got a 3yo 7-gear for commute, which originally went for around 100 EUR (or less, got it for under 30 EUR). It has no problem with mountainous terrain here and I could handle 7 km slightly uphill to work in a rush with marginal effort.
@cnx@larkspur.one @bonifartius@qoto.org
a large waterproof backpack works well enough for me
Yeah, that's what I use most of the times. I don't necessarily mind walking twice either. I mostly want it because it'd be more convenient, especially for stores that are further away or only sell in bulk that I simply can't fit in my backpack.A backseat should be like 10 to 20 EUR.
My bike doesn't have a rack at the backside to mount a seat on, so I'd have to purchase another bike in that case anyway, which again is currently quite expensive. The plan for now is to just borrow my sister's bike if I want to take a ride with my niece. Less convenient, but it gets the job done.1500 EUR can like feed both of you for a few months.
I'm still working on renovating my house, so that money could indeed be spent on many other, more useful things in my life. If it were just for food, we could probably last about half a year on that. Its insane that a relatively simple bike would cost that much to me.My bike doesn’t have a rack at the backside to mount a seat on
FYI @tyil, some are sold as a separate unit to be mounted to your bike’s frame like below.
Cc: @bonifartius
@cnx @tyil
the concept of "cargo bike" is fine, it's only that the ones currently sold are the equivalent of a porsche cayenne. they look fancy, but will likely fold in half if you load a washing machine.
now, if those bikes for multiple thousand euros would be bespoke and hand-made the price would be fine.
they aren't though. they are made in the same factories other bikes are, the material clearly doesn't cost that much more. it seems it's the welding that has gone wrong with the bike in question, this smells like cutting costs at every corner. welding bike frames is a solved problem as is designing bikes with appropriate reserves. i think there even is free software to design bike frames correctly.
there just are enough people willing to pay premium for a lifestyle object.
regarding bags: bags like the attached image are quite common here. they are hooked onto the rack and are pretty robust and waterproof.
@bonifartius@qoto.org I'm not poor but I wouldn't say I'm exceptionally wealthy. I'd like one mostly so I can do bigger shopping trips once in a while with my bike. For regular store trips I can just walk.
Transporting my neice would be fun during summer I guess, she can't cycle on her own yet and walking longer distances is not an option for her yet either, so being able to just sit her down in a big cargo box would probably work well.
The bike I use myself was 500eu back when I bought it, and I can probably use it for a very long time to come. Its a good, sturdy bike, with 24 gears making it a breeze to go around with. Preferably I'd get something similar for my gf, but the same bike goes for 1500eu now which seems a bit steep for a birthday gift. E-bikes are even more ridiculously priced here, and again, require much more and much more expensive maintenance to boot.
the only way to have a sane solid cargo bike for a sane price is building your own
That really is too much work for me, I'm well versed in software but very little in mechanical work like that. Besides I don't think I have the necessary tools for it available either.
@bonifartius@qoto.org I wish I could find an affordable, non-electrified cargo bike. I know they exist, though they seem quite rare. In my life as I was younger I've seen just a handful.
I'm glad the Dutch government is doing something about poorly built tools such as bikes, especially at the very steep price range Babboe is selling them at. I do wonder why bike stores seem to mainly aim for the ridiculously expensive segment on bikes these days. I have about 6 bike shops in walking distance of my home, and the only cargo bikes they have in their shops are Babboe brand, nothing else. There's only a single one selling traditional, non-electrified bikes without having to order one specifically upon request.