Yuba Mundo
In March, Yuba is sending us a 2010 Mundo V3 to play with. The Mundo is a dedicated cargo bike with a 440 lb. load capacity (!), 21-speed drivetrain, 48-spoke rear wheel, and utility deck made of recycled milk jugs. It’s known for being the stiffest/strongest among the current crop of “longbikes” (VeloVision described it as, “…a heavy-duty hauler which can carry loads and people in a way that was previously simply beyond a normal bike…”) We’re looking forward to giving the Mundo a workout this Spring and sharing our experience with you.
Yuba →
16 Responses to “Yuba Mundo”
I’ve more than a few of these around Portland. My envy meter always goes up when one goes by. They are a thing of beauty and definitely a working bike; amazing how much I’ve seen some of them hauling.
Their pricing seems very reasonable also. Looking at the dutch bike costs (cargo) and this seems like you can almost get three of these for a dutch cargo bike.
Looking forward to the review. May need to seriously look into this bike for a summer purchase.
Looking forward to that review. I’ve actually seen one in Auckland, New Zealand of all places. It’s only long-tail I have ever spotted down here although we have some Xtracycle conversions scattered around the country.
A “work” bike is an apt description for them, very solid construction. Not the kind of bike you would use as a regular commuter that had “extra” carrying capacity when needed.
That’s quite a load. I imagine it would feel like putting pedals on a Harley road king and trying to get it moving… :-/
The thought of going downhill with a bike+driver in the 600 lb range with just a couple of V-brakes doesn’t sound really appetizing either. I’d go for a disk brake upgrade.
Yeah, this is a serious cargo bike. As I understand it, the owner was one of the founders of Xtracycle but he left and started Yuba because he wanted to build a super stout bicycle. Can’t wait to try it.
Alan
I own a yuba mundo, and I love it. We do not quite use it to its maximum capacity but we have gone ~1 year without a car and I do not have any regrets doing even the heaviest groceries with the yuba. I have carried a portable bed, a large size butane gas bottle etc with it. I looked at bikes which were a lot simpler, could have handled a lot less loads but they costed much more than yuba so I settled on one. It has some quirks which I hear are improved with every model — the black cargo deck is already an improvement! we had to make our own. It is not that bad going down hill either.
Some photos here showing our home-made panniers which made it quite useful:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ulugeyik/sets/72157620306922821/
yeah we got one of last years models to review on our site last year. it was a nice ride and i was sad to see it go. not trying to hijack or anything but if you want to check out the review here it is
http://www.1lesscar.com/reviews/yuba2.html
The Yuba looks good and sturdy. I’d like to see gear hub and a chain guard along with disk brakes.
I use an Extracycle for commuting and find the ‘trunk’ space wonderful. Unfortunately if I load it with more that 50 pounds, the frame starts to flex from side to side. I’ll be waiting for your assessment of the Yuba.
Also Kona makes a bike called the Ute that looks a lot like the Mundo. Seems that the cargo concept is catching on.
I have to use mine to commute, as my single speed is geared too high to get up anything steeper than 1 in 12 inclines. Lovely bike to ride, more stable with a load. I wanted to buy the Go Getter panniers but they wouldn’t ship to the UK, so I am going to alternate between a pair of Highlander military 100l holdalls and 64l heavy duty lidded crates with ratchet straps, depending on the job.
I plan to build one up sometime in the next few months with a Nexus hub. I pondered for quite a while what to do to haul my two kids now that my trailer is getting too tight when both of them are in it. I plan to set it up with a stoker bar so my 4yr old can sit on the deck right behind me and then attach a Pea Pod behind that for my soon-to-be 2yr old.
We routinely do 20-30 mile rides with them in tow and it seemed that either the Yuba or a Madsen was the right choice. I’m going to go with the Mundo.
@Derek
That’s going to be a cool bike, Derek. Please let me know when the build is complete – I’d love to see it.
Alan
Very interesting lookin bike. Even available in Finland :D
I usually go to grocery store by bike when I don’t much to buy but with that kind of bike I could go even in bigger “cases”. Let’s but this behind an ear.
The new orange looks great! Also looking forward to your review! With a little one on the way, we’re trying to figure out what cargo bike to get. :)
As I’ve heard, Yuba founder worked for Xtracycle, but is not among the founders of Xtracycle. He’s not listed on Xtracycle’s page about their history.
@Daniel
Assuming I understood him correctly in a recent phone conversation, Yuba’s marketing person described Yuba’s owner as one of the founder’s of Xtracycle. I’ll double-check to clarify.
Alan
I just ordered a bright orange mundo v.3 to haul art and hardware supplies too and from work and be able to commute my son to school without a car. My son is still getting used to it (it’s a bit cold out for him this winter) but I am absolutly in love with it!
It is very heavy, but handels a lot better with weight on it. I rode my normal bike to work yesterday, ended up getting a ride home because I worked late and it was snowing. Today I brought in the the yuba and will simply tow the other bike home.
I’m curious how it feels to ride a big-dummy as it is made out of a much lighter material, bike but for now the yuba rocks.
Ryan