Cargo Bikes in Lubbock? (And the longtail aesthetic)

Be still my heart! (a Benno Carry On Spotted this week at DFC Cycles)

Longtail cargo bikes - for years I've been watching but have never seen one in the Hub City. But this month I've run across two, real, honest-to-goodness, longtail cargo bikes here in Lubbock. For cargo bike dorks this is exciting stuff!

Even more exciting to me is that the two cargo bikes I've seen have been two at the top of my most-wanted-bikes list - the Benno Carry On and the Radwagon.

Rad Power Bikes Radwagon (Version 3)

The Radwagon has appealed to me since its release and has consistently represented the best cargo bike deal out there. While there are nicer bikes out there with higher quality components, the $1500-$1600 Radwagon continues to be the most impressive bang for the buck - and Rad Power has done a great job of being consistent in their deliveries, service, and customer satisfaction.  For dorks (like me) who are always questing for ways to get out of the car and get off the gas, the Radwagon is da ((carbon free)) bomb!

A few Sundays ago, the family and I were riding along 23rd Street and I saw a big orange blur leaning in from Elgin Avenue - I had seen my first Radwagon in person and in my own town. The revolution has begun! (Don't you love optimistic blogging?)

The second cargo bike sighting happened two days ago. And it was a bigger surprise. (And it was gorgeous!)

Grizz and I swung by DFC Cycles to grab a new tube for the old Specialized mtb/commuter. We went in, admired a few new bikes (it's been a little while since they've had any new bikes around), bought the tube, headed toward the door, and BOOOOM! There was a Benno Carry On tightly squeezed in between a Reid and an Electra. I felt my heart rate increase. My cheeks felt hot. I looked about franticly for a price tag - which I found - $1249.00. I eased it out into the open to get a better look, and it looked even better. The Carry On is in my top two when it comes to beautiful cargo bikes - right up there with the Yuba Boda Boda Stepover.

The 2WheelsMaybe Top 2

One reason it was a surprise is that the Carry On (like the Boda Boda) has been discontinued. Benno has stopped producing non-electric bikes and their electric versions are distant from my price range. And the only Benno dealer I've found in Texas has been a six-hour drive away.

Sigh...I will not be buying the Benno, but hey, I got to see one and I did not have to drive to North Austin. (It's like bird watching - I don't want a house full of birds, but it's a thrill to see them in the trees.)

The Longtail Aesthetic (It gets a little weird from here)

Okay, I get it, not everyone sees beauty in cargo bikes. (My wife was much less impressed with the Radwagon sighting.) I have spent a lot of time looking at cargo bikes and I've figured out which bikes appeal to me. Here are some examples:

The first cargo bike that really caught my eye was the Yuba Mundo. The second was the first-generation Radwagon - which looked like a baby Mundo.  Then I saw the Portal and the Carry On and the Ute and it all came together with three shapes - two triangles and a straight line.

If the top tube makes a straight line from the neck all the way to the back of the bike, I like it!

And if the rest of the frame forms two triangles whose short sides meet  at the seat post - all the better. The further you get from that formula, the less the bike appeals to me. No, there's no functional logic in it - it's just what I like.

For contrast -  here are some that don't follow the straight-line-two-triangle approach:

What do you think?

In that picture are some really great cargo bikes, but none of them appeal to me in the looks department. Okay, I admit it - I am a shallow person who'd be lucky to own any of these machines, but...

...let's look at that Benno again.

Sigh...

May you find a dream machine that catches your eye, hauls your stuff, and burns fat rather than carbon.

Be well, friends!