It’s about a year ago I have started this blog (Celebrating with this picture, made during the ). I initially set out to write every other week, but for over half-a-year I ended up being a ‘regular’ weekly blogger. I did slow down this spring. But lots have happened.

My cargo bike experience has definitely expanded. Greatly, as I consciously tested what can be carried on a bike, what type of bike is best for what task, and what are my own limits. Here are some of those limits – in excess of my own almost 200-pounds weight:

• On the freshly finished longjohn-type bicycle I carried a bit over 220 pounds. If the front wheel is properly filled I probably can carry more but so far didn’t need to.
• On the longtail Yuba Mundo I carried 280 pounds. Other than handling it while stopped was challenging the actual moving the weight was fine. I didn’t feel any torque or other behavior scaring me.
• On the Long Nose bike as I sometimes call the Frontloader, I carried two people. Yes filling up the tires are important here too.
• On an electrified XtraCycle conversion I didn’t dare to carry more than 140 pounds – including the . It does start to torque and move in some hard-to-describe sideway-ish manner at that weight. But the electric assist sure helps a lot: I can reach my destination shaving off 1/3 of the time needed especially destinations involving uphill, and mostly staying in one gear.
• On a bamboo trailer I carried anywhere between 55 to 300 pounds feeling close to the limit, depending on how that trailer was built.
• On a Bikes-at-work trailer at the end of this linked post I carried 495 pounds. Know it because I measured it. That weight plus the 45 pounds of the weight of the trailer was close to what I can manage on a medium uphill, and still keep my balance.
• On the box trike I carried about 350 pounds, but felt I wasn’t even close to what the bike could take. But that trike, because of its build, cannot go fast even when empty.

I will continue this discussion later, but for now I would like to point out, that Bicycle week is happening next week, May 13 to 17 in Amherst and more programs, also during the preceding and following weekend regionally and all throughout Massachusetts. Come to our biggest event on May 17 Friday on Amherst common, a Commuter breakfast, Bicycle show and Work with Bikes event series from 7am to 2pm.