Urban Tribe Cargo Bicycles

LockH

1 PW
Joined
Jul 9, 2013
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Ummm.. Started out in Victoria BC Canada, then sta
ESB "Search found 1 match: +"URBAN TRIBE""? Huh.

A new Texas cargo company based of out Denton, Texas.
https://urbantribecargobicycles.com/


Bike-Page-Product-Picture_grande.jpg


Hehe... "250W hub"... so, lotta hills in Texas much? :mrgreen:
 
999zip999 said:
He only rides down hill. I would need a 1,500 motor at 3,000 Watts.

Trust me that you don't want to ride one of those trikes over about 10mph. Maybe not even that fast.
 
Anything slower then 20mph is useless and a waste!
Having to do 10mph or slower is a snails pace and even more useless and a waste.
 
Not a big fan of "idle speculation"... Anybuddy actually ridden one of these?
 
I haven't ridden that trike, but I've ridden a few front box cargo trikes of similar layout, and they're not for going fast-- even if "fast" is 15 mph. Just like granny trikes have a critical speed above which they are intractable, box trikes also have such a speed. Only in this case, it's slower than a granny trike.

10mph is not uselessly slow if you're carrying a bunch of stuff with you. It's the speed that most traffic should go in a real city.
 
"It's the speed that most traffic should go in a real city."

Hehe... Of course (I forgot...) We're tapping fantasy here. :mrgreen:
 
At 10mph, you can stop in a few feet. That means nobody has to die for somebody else's convenience or inattention.

I've done well for many years at average speeds in the neighborhood of 10mph. Before cars and trucks started murdering us by the tens of thousands every year, city traffic wasn't even that fast. It's quiet, safe, and socially responsible. One day we'll return to those things.
 
8) Right now ya can get about a $1495Cdn. subsidy in Oslo, Norway, for electric cargo bike purchases... :mrgreen:
 
Tis kind of cargo bikes were used for grocery delivery, very long ago. Their problem is that they don’t have a steering linkage, thus a rider has to steer moving the whole front box. This is a deficient design that should be long forgotten.

Good front loading cargo bikes and trikes are of this type:
image_30415.jpg


butchers-bicycles-mk1-cargo-trike.jpg
 
Intermediate in performance between pivoting box trikes and tilting trikes are trikes with kingpin steering, which don't lean but which can steer without coupling the box to the steering.
DSC04081+%5B1024x768%5D.JPG

These behave much better at moderate speeds than bakfiets trikes, but they still do not support speeds as high as bicycles.
 
Yah. Urban Tribe Cargo Bicycles site oddly silent re steering... Zip about that on the WWW... so I asked `em. :wink:
 
markz said:
LockH said:
Yah. Urban Tribe Cargo Bicycles site oddly silent re steering... Zip about that on the http://WWW... so I asked `em. :wink:

Did they understand you?

Hehe... Email asks:
How is it turned to change directions?
Tks

:wink:
 
Hehe... response from Arron:
Hi Lock,

The front half of the bike pivots underneath the center of the cargo box. The whole front cargo box turns with the handlebars. It’s very smooth and easy to turn.

This isn’t the best video, but it should give you a better idea:
https://instagram.com/p/BUyIo1shC9B/

Does that make sense?

... and MY reply:
Hi Arron... MY choice?:
[youtube]opevn7U78fo[/youtube]
 
Chalo said:
Intermediate in performance between pivoting box trikes and tilting trikes are trikes with kingpin steering, which don't lean but which can steer without coupling the box to the steering.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6k-wLqmhRSk/SnbBDsr3WWI/AAAAAAAAChs/JVhvQOIR6ws/s320/DSC04081+%5B1024x768%5D.JPG
These behave much better at moderate speeds than bakfiets trikes, but they still do not support speeds as high as bicycles.

Long Delta designs like my SB Cruiser support speeds of at least 17-20MPH while turning left or right in a traffic lane on the street, depending on where the weight is on it. Dodging suddenly-appearing debris or road damage (or idiots) is also possible without risk of flipping over.

If I could work out and build a simple active tilting design for the rear wheels that basically automatically did the opposite of what a common suspension would do in a turn, I could probably increase that.
 
LockH said:
Not a big fan of "idle speculation"... Anybuddy actually ridden one of these?

I have :wink:

What do want to know?


-edit-


Nevermind, it looks like you were the email that had me a bit puzzled this week. It seemed pretty odd at the time, makes more sense now. :)
 
Chalo said:
I haven't ridden that trike, but I've ridden a few front box cargo trikes of similar layout, and they're not for going fast-- even if "fast" is 15 mph. Just like granny trikes have a critical speed above which they are intractable, box trikes also have such a speed. Only in this case, it's slower than a granny trike.

10mph is not uselessly slow if you're carrying a bunch of stuff with you. It's the speed that most traffic should go in a real city.

Yeah, you wouldn't want to ride this much faster than 15mph. I'm usually riding around 18mph on straightaways, but slowing significantly for turns.

We're going after families in the U.S. who are casual or non-bikers, who haven't been exposed much to cargo bikes or e-bikes at all. For most of that demographic, the speeds are fine.
 
MadRhino said:
Tis kind of cargo bikes were used for grocery delivery, very long ago. Their problem is that they don’t have a steering linkage, thus a rider has to steer moving the whole front box. This is a deficient design that should be long forgotten.

Yeah, traditional style Cargo Trikes definitely aren't without their limitations. Depending on someone's location and need in a cargo bike, they can be perfectly adequate. They aren't for all situations though.

We've got a 2-wheeler in the works as well, similar to the Baboe image you shared.
 
I agree that some are finding it suitable for their own purpose. I am thinking of ice cream street sellers for an example. The problem is they can’t speed safely, but isn’t that the case with so many trikes anyway. As long as the customers are warned of this, I find nothing wrong building and selling some.

I wish you good business and further development of a trike that would be adequate for us EV power enthusiasts.
 
MadRhino said:
I wish you good business and further development of a trike that would be adequate for us EV power enthusiasts.

Thanks, I appreciate that.

We're going to stay entry-level for a while, but I hope to expand into higher-end bikes in a couple of years.
 
Hi Arron! (again... hehe)

... and welcome to the `Sphere! (... watt goes around Endlessly...) Hehe... I notice that folks that tapp about "going fast" don't mention the forces required at "higher" speeds due to "aerodynamic drag"? ... and that going at higher speeds can get you into and out of "troubles" faster also... that "slower" is generally "safer".

So. Anyway. Success to you and yours and UT Cargo Bikes.

:)

L
 
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