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Cargo Bikes on Amtrak

8/3/2014

20 Comments

 
It's always been frustrating to me that Amtrak isn't more bike-friendly. Even though the Capitol Corridor train has roll-on bike service, if your bike is any deviation from "standard," it's still a no-go. Car-free travel depends on having continuous alternatives. Trains and bikes are a great combination--trains to cover long, difficult sections and bikes to fill in the gaps, for example. Since my travels often include two small munchkins, our options are even more limited. If we take the train, we depend on getting a ride to/from the station which includes figuring out car seats, or navigating public transport. Just going by bike is limited by safe infrastructure and my energy.

I haven't been riding much the past week due to the heat and a virus that settled in my lungs. Today was the first day in a week that wasn't going to be over 100 degrees. I've been feeling better so we made an impromptu trip out to Davis.
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Sadly, today was Doughbot's last day. We lucked out and preordered a bunch of Nutella creme puffs for our picnic. One final delicious beginning to a fun bike adventure. We'll miss these guys but wish them well on their next chapter.

We made our way over the Yolo Causeway. I stopped a couple of times to make some minor adjustments to the bike, tilt up the saddle, raise the handlebars, fill the boys up with snacks. At one point, groups of cheerleaders were practicing at UC Davis. The boys were very impressed.

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Mesmerized by the cheerleader practice.

Just as we started heading out towards Winters, the backseat arguing started. I was getting a bit tired and my new Velo Orange saddle was beginning to feel extra hard. I turned the bike around and started following the Davis Loop trail instead with the intention of finding a playground to have our picnic.

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Davis does not disappoint in regards to great bike infrastructure, trails, and playgrounds.

As we were playing, my grandma got ahold of us and we headed over there for a post-picnic lunch and bonus fudgesicles. The longer we loafed the more tired I got. Luckily, I had planned on being able to use Amtrak as a backup if I didn't want to pedal the, miserable 16 miles back over the Causeway and through West Sac.


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We rolled up just in time to catch the 3:30 train. Just to be on the safe side, I squished the Haul-a-Day's frame down to the 2nd button (the one-size-adjusts-to-fit-all frame can get small enough to be equal to a standard bike's wheelbase). The HaD was still a bit heavy with all the gear and the Hooptie but it was easy enough to get up the small step. The only trouble I had was trying to put it up onto the wheel hook but the bike stood up on its own and I secured it with the cable so it wouldn't topple over.

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The last five miles through town were a bit rough on my tush but I managed. Little Brother fell asleep in the last mile. He was secure thanks to the Hooptie and Big Brother.

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So after our first thorough Haul-a-Day ride of about 35 miles, I've decided to declare my love for this bike! It's a smooth, zippy ride that carries enough for a day trip and has plenty more room to spare. Being able to hop on the train easily opens up so many new options.

This bike has a very different feel from the Mundo--the Mundo rides like a tank, slow, steady, and totally secure. There's no flex or wobble. On the other hand, the HaD is light and maneuverable but you feel every bump and it's not as self-balancing. The small wheels make for quick and easy starts but it is a more noodly ride. I didn't notice any problem with excessive frame flexing or bounciness but I wouldn't try loading up the HaD as much as I would on the Mundo. This bike is going to be exactly what we need right now.

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20 Comments
DaD
8/3/2014 12:29:05 pm

A great adventure with some of the best parts being made up along the way. Bike Friday is lucky to have you guys to put the HaD through its paces. Ride on!

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Daniel
8/3/2014 02:24:25 pm

Wonderful write up. The bike looks like a ton of fun, and the fact it fits on a train is a huge game changer. Thanks for the review.

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Lamaia
8/3/2014 05:08:52 pm

Why did you decide on the Haul-a-Day instead of a Boda Boda?

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James Muttera
8/4/2014 04:56:22 am

Great that the HaD can shorten it's frame to fit on bus/train bike racks. I have noticed that some of the older Amtrak CA cars have lower hooks then others. When this happens I have to hang my Workcycle bike by it's rear wheel and turn the front wheel so it does not rest on the floor. You may want to try hanging it from the rear wheel next time.

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James Muttera
8/4/2014 05:00:34 am

Does the HaD frame split so it could be packed in one Amtrak bike box for check-in on the Coasr Starlight?

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patrick
8/4/2014 05:07:28 am

what gearing do you have? and do you find it sufficient for mild/medium hills with the boys loaded on?

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Elle
8/16/2014 11:09:23 am

Patrick, did you end up getting a HaD? I just saw a photo of someone with one named Patrick from the Santa Rosa area and was wondering if that was you.

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Patrick
8/16/2014 04:49:10 pm

Hi Elle

Not yet. Bike partners in Santa Rosa were the closets place around me that had one in stock. So my son and I drove up to test it out. It was great. Enjoyed it a lot more than the xtracycle edgerunner we tried last week. My son seemed to think this was more fun too. : )
Will probably order soon.

Have you by chance tried to fit this in bike locker? I commute by Bart and use a locker and I think with out a hooptie or anything big in the back it would just fit. Or I may need to use the osata and shorten it a notch or two.

Also love how you tow your kids bikes. Are the front wheels just set inside your bags and that's it? Or are you hooking up a different way? Will probably do similar to still encourage him to ride.

Love all the info you are sharing about your experience riding with kids and this particular bike. It's helping us out a lot. Thanks!

Elle Bustamante
8/4/2014 05:58:59 am

It can actually split in three and pack quite compactly. It wouldn't need to be taken apart (unless flying maybe) because it would fit easily in a standard Amtrak bike box--turn the handlebars and maybe remove some superfluous weight to keep it under 50lbs.

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Elle Bustamante
8/4/2014 06:00:57 am

I have a triple chainring and wide cassette in back--whatever was standard. We live in a really flat area so I haven't had much hill experience with it. I think with the little chainring I'd be able to go up just about anything slowly.

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Elle Bustamante
8/4/2014 06:04:26 am

The Boda Boda isn't great for 2 kids, especially for long distances and one kiddo prone to falling asleep. The HaD can accommodate a baby seat if I decide the Little isn't trustworthy enough. Also, I was able to choose the gearing for the HaD whereas I'd need to get a Boda Boda with a front derailleur and more gears. Once I added all the accessories I needed, the pricing would have been pretty comparable. I decided that the HaD had a longer lifespan for us, was higher quality, and matched our needs better for longer distance travel.

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RoZa
8/5/2014 09:27:07 am

You mention that the ride is a bit noodley. Does it have a tendency to over steer? My son and I ride a bike friday tandem (which I highly recommend, I understand they also make a triple). The only issue I have with it is the front wheel has gotten turned around when trying to make a turn at the bottom of a hill. The frame is long enough that leaning doesn't help much with turning. Or maybe I am just chicken now.

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Elle Bustamante
8/6/2014 03:26:58 pm

Yikes! That would be scary! There's a little bit of oversteering but after a few rides, I seem to have gotten the noodlyness under control. I think it is the balance between the weight in the back and the tiny wheel up front. I'd imagine a BF tandem would be really similar.

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RoZa
8/7/2014 07:55:04 am

It actually wasn't scary as I managed to stop. The problem was putting all that weight on one leg tore my meniscus (I have arthritis). Now that we are back on the bike we are staying on the streets as they have bigger turns.

Did you get the dual hub? Our tandem has one and I have found the three speed much easier to adjust than a derailleur. That and the ability to gear down while stationary has been a fantastic.

PS my other bike is a Boda Boda. I would also think that with small children having the deck lower would be better.

RoZa
8/7/2014 08:05:33 am

Oh, the tandem never felt noodley. It rides pretty much like a large road bike. Previous to the accident I had noticed that when walking the bike sometimes the wheel would get turned around. Going downhill, faster than normal with a 70 degree turn at the bottom turned out not to be a good combination.

Kaycee link
8/5/2014 01:13:59 pm

I'm not sure how old your boys are- but we bought a safe rider travel vest and bubblebum booster seat when we went car free. I can carry them both when we go on long rides or use car sharing/ride sharing. They fit in a backpack. It would be pretty much impossible to haul around car seats all the time, but these have done the trick for us! We did go ahead and order the Haul-a-day as well, now I have to decide on a color :) I think I might try to rent the Mundo out or something. I'm having difficulty imagining life without it! Love getting your updates, please keep them coming!

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Elle Bustamante
8/6/2014 03:25:27 pm

We just got the booster seat vests! I haven't tried them, yet. Both kids are big enough for the smalls at 3 and 5. I think those will really help. I like the idea of carrying them on bike trips in case we ever need to be picked up or on train trips so now we can have all our bases covered!

Congratulations on the HaD! Send a photo when you get it! I look forward to hearing what color you choose. I've seen some amazing combinations.

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Patrick
8/6/2014 05:18:34 pm

Thanks for the info. How do deal with locking the bike up in public? On my reg 26" commuter I do u lock on the rear wheel between the back triangle and then usually another u lock on front wheel/frame. But with a cargo bike being so much bigger how do you tend to do it?

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Elle Steele
8/12/2014 01:50:53 pm

I usually just find a secure rack/pole and thread my chain (not cable) through as much of the frame and a wheel as I can. If I was leaving the bike out in an area I didn't trust or for a long period of time, I'd use two locks. I do assume that since my bikes are so huge and cumbersome that that gives a little extra security but there have been too many cargo bikes stolen around here recently that I know it's just not safe. Now that I have a nicer saddle on the HaD, I also sometimes take off the seatpost and catch the saddle rails in the lock, too. Sounds like you lock up your bike really well. It's the same for a cargo bike :)

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Elle Bustamante
8/17/2014 03:33:23 am

Awesome! I haven't tried to fit it in a bike locker but between the OSATA and turning the front wheel around, you won't have any problem. Alan from BF saw my post about going on Amtrak and mentioned that if you swivel the front wheel 180deg, you shorten the bike by 4" which may even be enough without shortening the frame adjustment.

I had a bike stolen from a BART station once so I can imagine that fitting it into a locker is a real necessity!

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