Doug and Fiona with their CETMA...
Doug is my uber-CETMA riding buddy from Calgary who went on a great tour of the Kettle Valley Railway [KVR] this summer with his wife and two kids. He posted a cool trip report over at the SPOT website that shows his route, has a slideshow and a write up of their trip. Just click on the pic above to jump there.
Doug and family on the KVR...
Back and better than ever...
One of my favourite bikes got some love this year – my 4yr old Bike Friday Tikit had its worn out bits replaced and a new powdercoat. I was lucky enough to get a custom PR front rack from Lane at CETMA as well.
The rack doesn't mess with the awesome fold...=-)
Custom CETMA PR rack...
Side view of the fold...
Naturally the front rack doesn’t mess up the sweet Bike Friday Tikit hyperfold. I haven’t tried it, but I assume the showercap won’t go over the bigger rack, but it might work partially as a protective shield from rain/dirt rather than totally camouflaging the bike underneath. I haven’t used the new rack much yet so I’ll save a discussion of how it’s working for another post. It will certainly make carrying bulky items easier an I’ll probably keep a light sturdy cardboard box handy so I can use it for smaller loose items as well.
The Ortlieb O-bag...
My hope was that this Ortlieb bag would mount to the new front rack via a bolt on QR block. That didn’t happen, but I think if I am happy with the rack I will find a welder locally to help me mount it as a PR rack plus a QR waterproof office bag is in my mind the knock out punch for Tikit’s usefulness and versatility. I’m stoked to be partway there.
Photo: Baltimore City Paper - click on image to read article...
Making the GF happy!
Sharon was getting cranky about my vast bottle collection that has been growing since 2010. I was holding out for a few more to justify my cargo bike run, but I decided it was time to get on with it. For loose bulky loads the CETMA is ideal. Just pile everything in it and roll. No boxes, no straps, no hassle – sweet!
Cycling to recycle...
Although the load was bulky it was light and the CETMA made short work of it.
Johnson St Bridge closed for good..=-(
My next bike mission was a multi-errand run into downtown. I didn’t need to ride the Big Dummy, but it’s a fun bike to cruise on and it’s easier to just grab this Surly than load up a lighter duty bike with panniers.
That blue bridge sticking straight up in the air was a key link for me to get from my house into downtown – in fact it was a key link for 4,000 cyclists and 3,000 pedestrians each day. Sadly structural damage has made it unsafe so they raised it and it will never be used again. The good news there is a $80M replacement bridge on its way with dedicated pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure. The bad news is that won’t be ready for 3 years. So for now there is a clumsy detour onto the main bridge deck. This will put cyclists in contact with cars a lot more on this key transportation link. I actually think that will be a good thing despite the minor hassles involved for both parties. Victoria will become very aware of its transportation cyclists.
That buckle should be attached to the bike...
I was disappointed that as I was loading up my Xtracycle Freeloader bags at home a key buckle popped off the bike. The velcro strap attaching it to the frame failed. Given that these bags have seen about a dozen uses since I installed them that’s not good. My old Freeloader bags seemed to be less durable than these new ones, but they never failed me in many years of hard use. In fact I scavenged a velcro strap from the old bags to get these ones back into service. I’ll have to carry a spare strap and hope this is not a sign of things to come. A utility bike has to be reliable or it doesn’t have a lot of utility!
My Surly Big Dummy hanging with his pals...
The Big Dummy was a blast to ride. I have fun overtaking people on a cargo bike and watching them do a double take as I pass…=-) The Rohloff hub is a pleasure to use as are the Porcelain Rocket frame bags my Dummy sports for storing small items.
Jacking up the CETMA to install a rear fender...
My CETMA cargo rig needed some fenders. I had a set of Planet Bike Cascadia ATB fenders that were not being used. The rear went on with no issue. These fenders are ~60mm wide with loads of room for a 26″ x 50mm Schwalbe Marathon Supreme. The fenders didn’t fit the outline of the tire well, but they bent easily to get a reasonable fit. I won’t be using this bike for a ton of rain riding so fender perfection isn’t important here.
I also added a Brook B17 saddle as I stole the Selle Anatomica Titanico for my rando bike. I don’t need 15hrs+ saddle comfort on a cargo bike. I’ll probably replace this Brooks with a decent plastic saddle by the summer as even the Brooks is overkill for the length of rides I’ll be doing.
Rohloff off!
I took the opportunity to wipe the old girl down and adjust the brakes. I’ve got a front disc brake wheel and Shimano SLX caliper/lever I’ll put on soon. I’ve decided not to bother with a disc on the rear.
Not perfection, but good enough!
The back end of the CETMA is pretty standard so you don’t need anything unusual to get a fender mounted.
Coroplast DIY attempt...
The front of the CETMA Cargo Bike is not standard at all and needs a customized approach. With a Schwalbe Big Apple 20 x 2.35″ tire on there clearances are tight. I figured a DIY coroplast fender in memories of Kent Peterson style might do the trick.
Amazing what you can do with zipties and electrical tape...=-)
My DIY project wasn’t very satisfactory and rubbed on both the tire and the steering stop so I scrapped it.
Power tool upgrade!
For the last 3 or 4 years I’ve been using a battery powered dremel rotary tool to do jobs like cutting off excess metal fenders. It was a pain since the low capacity battery would barely make it through a single fender strut and a recharge was 60mins. That made a simple fender install an all day procedure. So I finally coughed up $20 and got a plug in version. Had I known they were that cheap I would have done so much earlier! It was nice to cut 4 fender struts in under 6mins…=-)
Beggars can't be choosers...
My next move was to try the front PB 26″ fender on the CETMA. It works – sort of. Looks a bit fugly, but at this point I don’t have a better option at hand. I hope Lane at CETMA scopes out a fender for the front end of these that will work with a 2.0″ and/or 2.35″ Big Apple plus disc brakes. It’s one part that is specialized that every owner could use.
Ok for now...
I’m going to live with this for now. I’d have to refit it with a disc caliper so I’ll come up with a better plan by that time.
Time for a test ride...
My GF’s mother is in town so I loaded her up for a ride to Swan Lake for a short hike. We are calling the CETMA the Fox Box to make it sound more appealing to my lady passengers. I gave her the option of the CETMA or the Big Dummy and she said Fox Box all the way…=-)
Hike it up!
The visit to Swan Lake was a success. It’s quite nice there. I think I’ll pack a lunch on less busy days and bike over when summer comes.
Maybe it should be called Duck Lake?
We didn’t see any Swans!
Bikes taking a rest...
Biking to a hike is much more fun than driving.
I wore my high visibility gray bike gear...
Riding with an adult passenger is no problem on the CETMA. The frame is plenty strong and the Rohloff provides a wide range of easily accessed gears.
Cruising back home on the MUP...
Margo the mini-CETMA...
Lane at CETMA has a new smaller lighter faster version of his cargo bike he is calling the Margo. I don’t have all the details on how it differs from the original CETMA that I have besides being smaller. I do know that the back end is the same so you could order a Margo front end and have two different cargo bike configurations for way less than the cost of two bikes.
Margo in action!
Margo in Green with the original CETMA in white...
I’ll get the details from Lane about the Margo and post them to this blog. For now just enjoy the cargo bike porn…=-)
Two sizes of platform...
If you don’t haul fridges around and want a more mobile cargo bike the Margo might be a great option. Lots of room up front for a kid and a week’s worth of shopping.
Is white right or are you green with envy?
I do like the green colour something fierce, but I’m glad I have the bigger rig. My Big Dummy is a good medium capacity cargo bike while the CETMA takes over when things get stupid heavy.
Same back end as he original now standard with an EBB...
Since I can use the same back end I may have to get me a Margo front sometime and conduct some extensive comparative testing!
Eccentric bottom bracket...
If I had an EBB I could ditch my Rohloff’s chain tensioner…*sigh* next time…
Got CETMA?
Margo – the same great CETMA flavour – just less filling…=-)
Photo: Alex Wetmore
Update: Lane at CETMA is going to build me a PR rack for my Tikit. It will include a mount for the Brompton O-Bag QR bracket so I can just drop the O-Bag on the rack without having to strap it down or have it jump off on a bump. I’m going to drop off my Tikit on the way down to Baja and hopefully pick everything up on my way back home. Lane will have my Tikit as well as my O-Bag and Brompton QR bracket so he can fit everything up nicely. If you want the same setup drop him a line since he will have everything in hand as well as a bike to test fit things it will never be easier to order a Tikit PR rack.
I’m stoked. The only thing I was jealous about from the Brompton world was their front luggage. Now I’ll be able to have the great Tikit ride & fold with handy Brompton quick release front luggage and the utility of Alex’s PR rack. Sounds killer to me…=-)
Alex Wetmore is one of those smart guys that’s also handy enough to build the stuff he thinks of – a wicked combo for sure. I love his idea for a PR Rack on a Bike Friday Tikit. The more I ride my Tikit the more I think this makes a ton of sense rather than messing with panniers. I could strap on my bike messeger bag or a box or paper for the office with ease. I think I’m going to make one of these happen in 2011. Getting a custom rack built has some expense involved in design and getting jigs ready that could be used for many future racks. If you have any interest in one of these for your Tikit let me know. I could do the coordination with a rack builder and everyone who wants one pay him and have a rack built shipped from his shop. The result would be faster, easier and cheaper than 5 or 8 people getting custom racks for their Tikits.
Brompton O-Bag made by Ortlieb...
Thorn Accessory Bar...
My bikes are, for the most part, all weather day/night machines. Mounting a taillight to my CETMA cargo bike was no problem. I used one of the Radbot lights I reviewed a few weeks ago. a front light was a bit more hassle. Putting a light on the bar didn’t work very well as the cargo box and passenger [if I had one] got in the way. So I mounted a Thorn Accessory Bar I had in my spares bin above the front wheel.
Wheel's eye view...
This worked great. There is room for two Dinotte 200L-AA lights or just about any other bike headlight that attaches to a handle bar. The mount is very secure and doesn’t get in the way when I don’t need to use it. You can of course achieve the same effect with an old stem and a cut down section of handlebar.
Ladies can't resist a well lit cargo bike...
Dual Dinotte LED lights provide a ton of light up front. I added a some battery powered glowstix for some bling. The CETMA was a total chick magnet…=-)
CETMA lighting in full effect...
CETMA sporting KORE riser bar...
I didn’t love the swept back city bars I tried on my first iteration of my CETMA cargo bike build. I felt like I wanted a wider bar for more leverage so I grabbed a KORE mountain bike riser bar I had kicking around. The install was super easy and I definitely like these bars better.
Old and the new bars...
I was surprised to find out the swept back bars were actually wider then the new bars. I guess wider was not what I was after…the difference in sweep must have made more difference than I had expected.
Ergon Rohloff Avid happiness...
So far so good. I’ll keep the KORE bars and given them a good test run.
A shopping cart of groceries plus beer & wine...
Here are my thoughts on the CETMA cargo bike so far:
Greg's sweet CETMA cargo bike ready to roll...
I rec’d this comment from Greg about my CETMA build:
“Hello Vik. I just stumbled on your site and thought you might enjoy seeing my recent CETMA cargo build. I just posted some photos to flickr. They’re here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gscallon/sets/72157624781296885/
I absolutely love my new rig, and the kids love
Best regards,
-Greg”
Congrats to Greg on a lovely CETMA build. I’m stoked to hear from other cargo bikers out there and see what rigs everyone is riding…=-)
CETMA Fork...
I’m posting my CETMA build photos on Flickr here. I’ll keep updating them and commenting on them as I go.
What me worried?
I was sad to strip my Thorn Nomad and pack it for shipment to its new owner, but on the plus side I placed an order for a CETMA cargo bike frame…=-) I’m hoping to get her by early August and will be building up the following specification:
Note: * indicates parts coming from Thorn Nomad.
As you can see most of the parts comes from my Thorn Nomad. So although it has been sold it will live on in spirit hauling stuff around town for me. Even cooler the CETMA frame splits in two for travel/shipping/storage like the Thorn did. The rest of the parts come from my spares bin so all I’ll need to buy is a chain tensioner and a 20″ Big Apple then I’ll be ready to complete the CETMA build.
Now I just have to be patient until August….=-)
Doug and Fiona getting their CETMA on...
I like cargo bikes. I love my Surly Big Dummy. However I must admit my gaze wanders to other cargo bikes. My friend Doug has a cool CETMA cargo rig that he uses to get around on with his kids.
Front steering linkage...
Unlike my Big Dummy the CETMA is a front loading cargo bike. Doug’s bike has a flat cargo platform and a cargo box attached to it. The CETMA uses a steering linkage to take input from the bars and transmit it to the front wheel.
Fiona - a happy passenger!
The front cargo box with a bench seat is ideal for carrying a young child since you can keep an eye on her and communicate with her easily. It’s also handy for carrying loose items without having to strap them down.
Bike Bins mounted to a rear rack...
The more I talked to Doug the more intrigued I was about his CETMA bike. It seems like it would be an ideal companion for my Big Dummy. Between the two bikes you could carry just about anything without much hassle.
Cruising the pathways...
Doug even let me try his CETMA…which was nice, but I was concerned about the safety of his daughter. I was a bit wobbly at first until I relaxed and then it was a lot of fun bombing around town on the CETMA. Its steering is quite sporty and once you get over the fact it steers via a linkage the handling isn’t as funky as you might expect. I was also impressed how torsionally stiff the ride was.
Thanks to Doug for the test ride and trusting me with his wee one!
A CETMA moment...=-)
One really cool feature of the CETMA is the fact it breaks into two pieces [just behind the bars] for easy travel and shipping.
I’m keen enough about the CETMA I’m going to take a long hard look at my bikes and I may just have to cull the herd to raise some $$$ for a CETMA. Just for product testing/blogging purposes of course…I don’t have a cargo bike problem….=-)
Fiona ducks for cover!...=-)
CETMA is making an interesting looking cargo bike that is designed and built in the US. The video above talks about some of its features and you can read this BikeForums.net thread for more info. I have to say the bike looks a bit ungainly to me compared to my Big Dummy, but it has grown on me since I first saw it. I’ll withhold judgment until we get some independent reports about what it’s like to haul a load with the CETMA rig.
Either way I think it’s great folks are trying new designs for practical bikes.
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