Yuba ridin’ momma Elle Bustamante of Tiny Helmets, Big Bikes got interviewed for participating in the Cool California Challenge. The shocked and amazed look the reporter keeps giving her blue Mundo makes this video totally worth watching.
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Periodically we barrow a bit of content from the blogosphere. This is a post from Tiny Helmets Big Bikes about how to install a sunshade on the Peanut Shell from Yuba rindin’ momma, Elle B. First ride of the day, Little Brother got to pretend to be Big Brother. He loved the change of scenery.
I wish I could take all the credit for this idea but, alas, I stole it from another blog. Since I couldn’t get my first attempt at sun protection to work, I scrapped that idea and stumbled upon a different version. After looking for the covers at REI and finding them out of stock, I searched the Great Internet to find them on sale at Rocky Mountain Trail for just $15 a piece. The blog had only shown them on a PeaPod (similar to a Peanut Shell) so I knew that Big Brother’s seat was going to be a cinch but I took a gamble at trying to rig one for Little Brother’s and bought two, just in case. Litte Brother was the one I worried about most as he is up front and more exposed to the elements. We had started using the Yepp Windshield again since I found a stick (yes, a stick) in the little guy’s eye. It turned out to be incredibly simple for both seats to become covered. I tried out the Yepp’s cover this morning by zip tying the back poles to the seat and then tucking it over the windshield. We rode around like that all day without much of a problem. I was worried that it would impair my vision of the road in front but it didn’t. When I got home this evening, I secured the front pegs with some stick on outdoor velcro and it was good to go. The back poles will slide in and out easily for quick mounting and dismounting of the wee one. The Peanut Shell’s cover followed the same instructions as Everyday Adventure‘s. I drilled in two 1/4″ holes at the top of the seat and two more along the sides of the cross bar. My grommets were too loose so I used electrical tape to secure them. I didn’t want the poles in the front of the bar because my big guy already gets stuck getting in and out from under it and I didn’t want them poking him in the legs. I can’t wait to give them both a go tomorrow. The weather is heating up and I think this will make them both more comfortable and willing to ride longer distances in less than perfect weather. Also, if I need extra protection from the rain or sun, I now have a support to add on the stroller shades/rain covers as needed. Little Brother wasn’t so sure of this new cave at first.
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Yuba riders are an intrepid lot. You are constantly finding new and inspiring uses for the bikes. Here are before and after pictures from a Yuba rider, who used her bike to transport a trade show booth to an event she had. She got an impressive amount of stuff on the bike (and apparently still looked professional during the event).
We keep an eye on the blogosphere, and thought that this straightforward article about the basic tool kit you should keep on your Yuba should be shared with a larger community. It is from the Bike4Heck.com blog.
I recently replied on a blog post by Lindsay of the blog “You Ain’t Got Jack“. I really like the fact that Lindsay has taken it upon herself to get healthy by riding a bicycle. This is the same reason that originally took up cycling again. My reply to her post was about the need for carrying a spare locking cable for the Yuba Mundo inside the giant Go Getter Bags. This is an idea that hatched like a new born baby chicken with the incubator on set in over drive when I realized on a grocery run that I didn’t grab the key chain with the key for the U-lock that lives on by Yuba. So I rode over to Home Depot and bought a combination cable lock to make its place in my go-getter bags. I figure any lock is better than none in my low crime area.
For home use I’m more advanced setup with a Park Tool Bicycle Repair Stand, Turing Stand, and a Tool Kit from Performace Bicycles. Perhaps I’ll a blog on that later… I was able to completely rebuild an old cruiser with those tools.
You can read more posts about by Matthew and Tina in their blog at, Bike4Heck.com
Recently, many of our customers have been asking how the Peanut Shell compares to other bicycle child seat options, such as the Yepp Maxi.
Safety
Upon inspecting both child seat options, it was clear that the designers were focused on the child’s safety. Both seats fit children up to 48 lbs (22kg) and featured a five point harness system to secure the wee one to the bike, as well as foot straps to hold the child’s feet in. In my opinion as a Dad I like that the Peanut Shell is a much safer seat. The following are the reasons why I consider the Peanut Shell a safer and more comfortable seat for the little ones:
• More of a protective shell. Which means more head support when the child falls asleep (the head stays up-right). And very importantly complete shoulder protection. If the bike were to tip over the child is much more protected in the Peanut Shell.
• The cross-bar, kids like holding on to it and it is also an added safety feature.
• More padding in the seat.
• A lower of center of gravity, which means riding the bike is easier and safer.
Installation
The manufacturers of both child seats claim they are a breeze to install. Watching the installation videos for each seat, neither seems particularly daunting, but the Yepp install does seem like it would require a bit more dexterity.
Ease of Use
The Yepp Maxi has a neat feature where with the press of a button the seat can be removed, leaving behind the mounting clamp. Apparently it is designed this way to facilitate swapping the seat between bikes. I understand that it can be easy to remove from the structure, but then what can one carry on the metal structure when the seat is removed. Passengers can’t seat on top of the rack nor it is really possible to carry cargo.
The Peanut Shell requires about one minute of time and a 10mm torque wrench to completely remove it from the bike. There is no mounting plate or bracket left behind, meaning the entire utility deck is left clear for other cargo or passengers. It takes only about two minutes to reinstall. With practice and the right tool it is extremely easy.
Quick comparison
| Peanut Shell Child Seat | Yepp Maxi Child Seat | |
| Price | $169 | $180 for seat + $40 for mounting bracket |
| Capacity | up to 48 lbs (22kg) | up to 48 lbs (22kg) |
| Colors | 1 | 5 |
| Straps | 5 point harness | 5 point harness |
| Install time | ~15 min (first install) | ~20 min |
| Requires bracket? | No | Yes |
| In a nutshell | ||
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Dear Bob,
Firstly, just wanted to say what fun I am having with the Yuba Mundo. My two little kids love the ‘big orange bike’. We get asked about it a LOT when we are out and about – we’ve even been photographed by someone looking for a bike to carry twins. By the way, in case anyone else is looking to transport kids on one, the Polisport seats work perfectly and, because they have orange trim, match the bike really well.
Best regards,
Helen.
“One woman’s journey to health and self-sufficiency on a bicycle.”
We are inspired by Virginia Pykonen’s blog on changing her life…by bike.
We get lots of emails about people buying a Mundo, but Johan’s letter was so much fun to read, we had to share it with everyone.
Hi,
The good. Got up this morning with the feeling that lugging a cart behind my bike is no longer going to work. Need something better. Went to my local bike shop and found nothing useful around there but for the suggestion to “go check the internet”. The better. Ze Yuba. You bet. Wonder if Yuba is short for something like Uhaula. The best. Well, your site is good, dealer locator & everything. So lucky me, you have a dealer not 20 minutes from here (by bus, that is since I don’t own a car, thus the search for a cargo bike). I pay a visit to the dealer, have a good look at the live animal and order it there & then (you’ll like that part) then rush back to the bus-stop (if I catch the return ride within 2 hours, its free). Now the story gets funny. Rushing buswards past a parking lot I notice a camper just catching fire, must have been the heat. I quickly get a fire extinguisher from some driver and kill the fire before it really takes hold. Basically, save the day. In short, if not for your bikes, I would not have been around just when it mattered and the whole lot might have gone up in flames.
So why no more green Mundos? I’m in the process of starting my own business. Already have an excellent name for it “Johan, the Green Handyman”. And then it turns out my future mighty workhorse can have any color I want…but green. Sure you should not have called it the Model-T? Anyhow, before you get all worried now, I ordered the color orange. I’ll build a toolcarriertrunkiekindathing next. In green. Carrot-leaf-green. Problem solved. Not my fault if afterwards the thing looks a bit like a carrot – Carrot-leaf-green. You have been warned.
A few words about myself. I’m a High-Functioning Autistic (aka Aspergers). It’s not contagious and it does not hurt, thank you. It is still very much misunderstood. Combines intelligence with socially clumsy and tends towards telling loonngg stories loonnngg after everyone falls asleep (you might have noticed that). I’m also a certified energy consultant, meaning in this country I can consult people on making homes more energy-efficient, then 40% of my fee is tax-refunded. I live in a 1930′s garage that i’m rebuilding into a zero-energy house/workshop (‘used up’ a bike/cart on that). My kind of autism does not like to drive cars because I’m bad with surprises & split-second stuff. I walk, I bike, I bus & train, all but drive a car. Ah, before I forget, I’m an engineer, a carpenter, a plumber and an electrician too, with all the paperwork to prove it.
So yes, got the brains, the skills, the green motivation, even the paperwork to start my own business “Johan, the Green Handyman” but lugging a cart behind my bike really was not going to work.
Meaning your Yuba is going to make a Mundo of a difference.
Johan
Brussels
Belgium
PS. I like the way you built this bike for Africa. It’s really the kind of stuff they need. Altho on 2nd thought the World in general & the Western world in specific need it even more – If we all want to live rather than die from our own pollution that is.
