Author Topic: Bullitt cargo bike  (Read 1141 times)

joenorm

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Bullitt cargo bike
« on: June 04, 2021, 01:37:33 PM »
https://www.larryvsharry.com

Does anyone here have one of these? I am particularly interested in the E-assist version for obvious reasons.

If so I would love to hear some feedback.

thanks

Weisass

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2021, 03:08:14 PM »
I don't, but know people who did and who love it. If you want to be able to do a variety of things, it is excellent. I would say it is a little more on the expensive side, and if you have never gone cargo before, you want to be sure you are really gonna use it. But it is definitely a candidate for replacing a car, even one that you can haul shit with.

*This is coming from someone with two cargo bikes at this point. I put 500 miles on my commuter (tern HSD) in the last 6 weeks, and use our Madsen with a bafang motor to do all of our local errands/kid pickups/etc.

joenorm

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2021, 03:30:50 PM »
Yes, they are expensive. There is a barely used(basically new) one for sale locally for just under $5K with really nice components and brand new high end battery.

I can almost buy a pretty nice used Nissan Leaf for that kind of money, but a Nissan Leaf is not a bike, I know.

I have not owned a cargo bike but really, really like the idea of using it a lot. I live in a more rural place so motivating to bake is not always easy because things are spread out. But with the E-assist I hope that would change for the better.

jac941

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2021, 06:01:09 PM »
I don’t own one but have ridden them and have coveted one for 7 years but could never justify the expense. If you’ve never ridden a front loading cargo bike, be prepared for a learning curve. The handling is twitchy and takes some getting used to. This one is twitchier than other front loaders I’ve ridden, but it’s also zippier, so there’s a trade off.

What would you use it for? Most people I know with front loaders get them for kid hauling and then end up selling them once the kids outgrow the box.

Weisass

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2021, 07:40:59 PM »
Yes, they are expensive. There is a barely used(basically new) one for sale locally for just under $5K with really nice components and brand new high end battery.

I can almost buy a pretty nice used Nissan Leaf for that kind of money, but a Nissan Leaf is not a bike, I know.

I have not owned a cargo bike but really, really like the idea of using it a lot. I live in a more rural place so motivating to bake is not always easy because things are spread out. But with the E-assist I hope that would change for the better.

I would think hard then about your actual usage. As a veteran cargo biker, I can tell you that I have found that riding has been heavily influenced by gaming out what I actually would use the bike for. My tern was worth purchasing because it removed the need for a car in my ten mile commute. But that commute is possible because I live in a built up enough area that I can avoid highways and highly trafficked roadways. My madsen made sense because I use it for pretty much any errand under 3 miles. All this to say, I think it is worth clarifying your intended use beyond liking the idea of using one.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2021, 08:35:01 PM »
If you ignore the health benefits (which are multiplied since sometimes it rides with the kid to school or the ice cream shop) we're still at a net loss at the federal mileage rate on a $1500 (rear-rack) cargo bike here (and with me now permanent remote, cutting a 10-12 mile daily round trip down to 2 to school and back) its going to be a while before we're net positive. 1200 miles on it, probably need about 3000 to be even at federal rate and we um, don't drive a pickup so our car is likely under federal rate.

In terms of health benefits, I suspect it paid for itself a while ago.

joenorm

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2021, 07:33:59 AM »
Yes, they are expensive. There is a barely used(basically new) one for sale locally for just under $5K with really nice components and brand new high end battery.

I can almost buy a pretty nice used Nissan Leaf for that kind of money, but a Nissan Leaf is not a bike, I know.

I have not owned a cargo bike but really, really like the idea of using it a lot. I live in a more rural place so motivating to bake is not always easy because things are spread out. But with the E-assist I hope that would change for the better.

I would think hard then about your actual usage. As a veteran cargo biker, I can tell you that I have found that riding has been heavily influenced by gaming out what I actually would use the bike for. My tern was worth purchasing because it removed the need for a car in my ten mile commute. But that commute is possible because I live in a built up enough area that I can avoid highways and highly trafficked roadways. My madsen made sense because I use it for pretty much any errand under 3 miles. All this to say, I think it is worth clarifying your intended use beyond liking the idea of using one.

The intended use is to replace my car on my 12 mile (one way) commute where I often have to carry quite a bit of gear because I work in the trades. If I planned to stay at this job for a long time I think it would be a no brainer. But.....I am thinking of going into business for myself soon and I am not sure where the bike would fit in at that point. I'd like to think I could integrate it into the business but I am not sure if that is realistic.

gavint

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2021, 07:57:24 AM »
I looked long and hard at buying one of these - they are super cool.  I simply couldn't justify the expense, even with the 30% subsidy from the state.  I was looking at using it to haul stuff around to my jobsites in order to leave my truck at home as much as possible.  It isn't really that doable in my trade though, but maybe it is in yours.   


jac941

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2021, 12:24:58 PM »
I don’t have to haul a bunch of tools, but do regularly go to job sites for work. I have an Xtracycle and find that it is far better for hauling long loads like ladders and lumber than I think be box bike would be. But you really have to look at your tool kit to see if it will work for your use case.

We got rid of a car when we got the cargo bike 8 years ago, so it’s definitely paid back for us. But again, you have to look at your specific situation.

Weisass

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Re: Bullitt cargo bike
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2021, 04:11:22 PM »
Yes, they are expensive. There is a barely used(basically new) one for sale locally for just under $5K with really nice components and brand new high end battery.

I can almost buy a pretty nice used Nissan Leaf for that kind of money, but a Nissan Leaf is not a bike, I know.

I have not owned a cargo bike but really, really like the idea of using it a lot. I live in a more rural place so motivating to bake is not always easy because things are spread out. But with the E-assist I hope that would change for the better.

I would think hard then about your actual usage. As a veteran cargo biker, I can tell you that I have found that riding has been heavily influenced by gaming out what I actually would use the bike for. My tern was worth purchasing because it removed the need for a car in my ten mile commute. But that commute is possible because I live in a built up enough area that I can avoid highways and highly trafficked roadways. My madsen made sense because I use it for pretty much any errand under 3 miles. All this to say, I think it is worth clarifying your intended use beyond liking the idea of using one.

The intended use is to replace my car on my 12 mile (one way) commute where I often have to carry quite a bit of gear because I work in the trades. If I planned to stay at this job for a long time I think it would be a no brainer. But.....I am thinking of going into business for myself soon and I am not sure where the bike would fit in at that point. I'd like to think I could integrate it into the business but I am not sure if that is realistic.

Totally fair. A 12 commute replacement is a big deal. I would echo other commenters in saying that you need to evaluate whether what your hauling will really fit your work life. Beyond that, cargo bikes have a decent resale value, especially the solid companies like bullitt.