Have you been looking for a way to take more bikes with you? Perhaps you’d rather bike to your cyclocross races to get warmed up? Or maybe you want to take your kid to the park with their bike to gain confidence before having to battle traffic?

Introducing the towing tray, exclusively from Yuba Bicycles. Fitting all v3 and v4 models, the towing tray makes it possible to bring along any bike from a 16″ up to a 29er, with a tire width up to a 2.25″. It is made out of the same material as our Utility decks – recycled milk jugs – and is durable and tough. A side bumper keeps the towed bike from scratching your Mundo. Towing tray kit includes running board with a slot for front tire, adjuster for 20″ or 16″ tires, and bumper.

After installation, to use the towing tray, adjust the support for the size of bike with a screwdriver. Then, use a cam strap to attach the towed bike to the Mundo frame, locking the front tire of the towed bike down to the frame of the Mundo, as shown at right.

Order a Towing Tray

A number of our customers have requested some sort of deck or floor for the Bread Basket. Our hardworking designers are working on producing a floor with some really cool features, but you’ll have to wait for it.

In the meantime, here are some step-by-step instructions so you can make your own Bread Basket floor. In the examples shown at right and below, we used 1/4″ plywood, window screening and heavy mesh, but you could use any number of materials such as coroplast, sheet metal, or leftover plastic election signs. You will also need sixteen zip ties.

1.  Put your Bread Basket on top of your material, and mark the inside of the bread basket on the material.
2. Using whatever cutting tool is appropriate for your material, cut along the line you just marked (using eye protection if necessary). Make sure it fits inside the basket.
3. Take the basket floor piece out of the basket and put holes in each corner, four more on the long sides, and two more on the short sides. (Please note: stiffer materials such as the plywood shown in the example do not require as many holes and zip ties as softer materials).
4. Use zip ties to attach the basket floor to the Bread Basket.
5. Et voilà! (It’s always classy to use French to express your admiration of your own handiwork).

And for those of you who were wondering how to route the brake cables when installing the Bread Basket, here’s a quick video showing what it should look like:

Here at Yuba, we keep an eye on the blogosphere. Recently one of the most inspirational bloggers we know posted some incredibly pragmatic advice about how to get used to riding a cargo bike under load. Here it is, reposted from Elle B’s Tiny Helmets Big Bikes blog.

Josette asks:

Hi there! I’ve been reading your blog while considering getting the Mundo for my own family/cargo needs. I did a test ride with my two-year-old in the peanut shell and the ride was wonderful but I actually tipped over the bike while trying to walk it out of its parked spot — the bike all loaded up weighs more than me! I was wondering if you have any advice for new cargo-bike riders on how NOT to tip the bike over.

Cargo bikes do handle differently than other bikes, especially when it is loaded up. Almost always, if you’re going to fall, it’s going to be while you are mounting/dismounting. I recommend to start riding your new cargo bike in an open, empty location so you can get a good feel for how the bike moves without also having to deal with outside distractions. Practice turns, swerving, circles, hopping on/off, etc. You can try getting on and off the bike next to a curb so your foot falls flat and stable on the surface or lower your seat in the beginning until you are more comfortable (not recommended for long rides but it’s a good starting point). Also, try to make sure your bike’s load is evenly balanced and if possible, keep the weight close to the front of the rack. If one side is heavier, it is easier to lose control. Once you get more comfortable and confident while riding your cargo bike, you will be less likely to tip. Walking with the Mundo is a bit difficult, too. Keep one hand on the brake to help stabilize and move slowly. I also use my hip to help hold up the bike and keep both hands on the handlebars.

That said–tipping happens. Sometimes, it’s nice to get that first fall out of the way so you can see that it actually does less damage than one would believe (but I don’t advocate doing it on purpose, of course). I have found that I am able to ride with a higher seat now, take tighter turns, and go faster because I am more used to the way my Mundo handles. One last piece of advice: regularly remind your little one to not make too many sudden moves

-Elle B.

TinyHelmetsBigBikes.com

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.

For Lindsay of You Ain’t Got Jack: Basic Budget Tool Kit.

• $1 Small Adjustable Wrench (that fits the Yuba’s rear axle bolt and front bolt)
• $5 Basic Inter-tube without Slime
• Slime tubes are good but it makes the tube thick and harder to store in a saddle bag.
• Make sure it fits your needs (know your tire size)
• $2 Bicycle Flat Repair Kit (old fashion glue kind, none of those peal and stick jobs here).
• I remove the patches, sand paper, and rubber cement from the container it comes in (that just takes up space)
• Practice! If you’ve never repaired an inner tube before learn how to!
• I usually just replace tubes and only patch to “get home,” wasteful, I know, but I don’t like slow leaks and patches are hit and miss.
• $10-12 Compact Air Pump
• Just be careful you don’t damage the inner-tube’s nozzle thingy filling it up (it can get cut on the rim if you don’t support the pump while airing up the tire)
• For the reason stated above, I sprung for the CO2 Air pump and I carry 1 extra CO2 Cartridge for good measure. The CO2 route cost usually between $25-$60 depending on the model and you will have to shop at a bike shop to get these.
• $1 of spare cheap-o AAA Batteries as back ups to my lights.
• Get what fits your needs and I like cheap-o non-alkaline batteries are because  cheap and most importantly they are very light weight.
• $7 Bicycle Multi-Tool
• Something Similar to one posted in the link above.
• $10 Under the Saddle Bag just a cheap department store (Target) one is fine, just make sure everything fits. These are also know as wedge packs.
• $2-3 Plastic Tire Wrenches – These help get that tire off the rim. You need 2 or 3.
• I like the kind that fit together for storage  (more compact)

• Park Tool WTK-1 Essential Tool Kit $18
• Bell Ultra Tool Multi Function Kit $20
• With the Bell Kit you are still going to need that Adjustable Wrench for the rear axle on the Yuba

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

Women represented just 24% of bike trips in the US in 2009; across the bike industry in general, it is typical for men to far outnumber women. Parents of young kids are also underrepresented.

Yuba Bicycles is a different kind of bike company. Naturally, our ridership is also atypical; ~70% of Yuba riders are women with young kids.

Here are two videos by Yuba riders showing their chops on their bikes.

This is from Lindsay of You Ain’t Got Jack.

This is from Elle of Tiny Helmets Big Bikes.

Lindsey of the You Ain’t Got Jack blog is a pretty crafty lady. She has figured out how to provide sun, wind, rain, snow and sleet protection to a child sitting in a Peanut Shell. The coolest part about it, is that the sun shield snaps off and snaps right onto a foldable stroller. The best part about it, is that the whole solution costs less that $20!

Here is the link to her instructions.

We’ve been getting some really fun images of people using their Yubas in exciting and unusual ways, so we thought we’d share them. If you have a great photo of someone doing something unusual with their bike, please send it to us!

This is the Davey Jones Deli Delivery Bike. Restauranteur David Jones uses the bike to cater outdoor events throughout Marin County; the electric assist makes it easy to get home.

Aaron N uses the Yuba Mundo and a Bikes at Work trailer to help one of his students move house.

Crafter and jewelry maker Kaytea P. uses her bike to sell her wares on the street.

This guy uses his bike to take his Christmas tree home.

Cyclopsicle! - A home-made 0opsicle stand on a bike, based out of Tuscon, AZ!

This ElMundo is the delivery vehicle for Sacramento's Pizza Rock pizzeria.

Head Honcho at Yuba is celebrating his birthday today, so he got his party bike ready. You will notice that he has a barbeque as well as a blender attachment on that bike. One might draw the conclusion that the menu tonight is margaritas and hamburgers.

Image courtesy of the Urban Simplicity blog.

A guide to getting you and your delicacies to the supper by bike without mishap.

If you’re not packing your loved ones into the car and torturing yourselves with a car trip in stop-and-go traffic on the “expressway”, you should consider a superior form of transportation this Thanksgiving weekend – bicycles. Bikes are a natural fit for Thanksgiving. They eliminate the stresses of fighting for parking at the grocery store or farmers market, not to mention that riding home from Thanksgiving dinner is the perfect way to wake up from a food coma.

Shopping Tips

Anyone that uses a bike regularly for their shopping trips knows that you need a system to transport your food home from the market.

If you’re young and hip enough to define dinner as a 12 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Veggie Surprise, all you will need to do your shopping is a backpack or messenger bag. Those of you with more sophisticated epicurean tastes will need a more advanced system to transport your goodies home, such as a bike rack with panniers. If you’re hosting the big Thanksgiving shindig, your best bet is a cargo bike: groceries can be packed into the panniers, cases of wine and seltzer can be strapped to the rack.

If you’re new to shopping by bike, the method of packing grocery bags is slightly more precise than when shopping by car. Solid things – frozen butter, rice, cans etc. – go at the bottom of the bag. The middle layer should comprise of durable, but slightly more delicate things: flour, root vegetables and frozen meats. The top layer should contain the most delicate items such as tomatoes and eggs. When you load up your panniers or backpack, make sure you don’t squish the delicate things on top with the fastener system.

Pro-Style Potlucking

Now that you’ve gotten all your food home and made some delicious family recipe to take to the supper, how do you get it there by bike without making a mess and spilling the bisque all over your ball gown?

Carefully consider the food item you are bringing. Does it need to be kept hot? How much liquid and grease does it contain? Can it be assembled at the party?

Some things, such as salads and snack trays are fairly straightforward to transport on a bike. Prepare all the ingredients at home in small containers or bags, and then assemble them at your friends’ house. A tray of pre-cooked stuffing or sweet potatoes is easy enough to cover in tinfoil and  stick into a pannier. Other things, such as pumpkin soup or meatballs, are more challenging because they need to stay warmish and have potential to leak and make a big mess. Cook these type of foods in a dutch oven or other heavy lidded pot. When you are done cooking, let the pan cool until it’s warm to the touch. Use 2” wide masking tape to tape the lid on the pot for transportation. Clear packing tape will work too, but sometimes it leaves a residue on the pot. Ideally, everyone will love your dish, so you can wash the container and bring it home clean.

It may seem counterintuitive, but yogurt containers aren’t ideal for transporting liquids by bike. Their lids always come off at the most inopportune moments. If you’re transporting something with real spill potential and you don’t like the idea of transporting it in the pot, mason jars are the a sure-fire way to prevent spills.

Before loading your bag or pannier, take a quick look in there. Is there anything that would be a pain to clean if there’s a leak? Take it out and give the bag a quick rinse to make it clean for the food.

We here at Yuba Bikes hope that you and your family have a healthy and safe Thanksgiving.

This article was originally published in Triple Pundit, an online magazine about sustainability and business.

People asks us which lock they should buy and if there is a slick way to carry a lock on the Mundo.  I wanted to point out that I have found this nifty way to carry a Kryptonite lock on the Mundo.  It’s fast and easy to remove and re-lock to the rack and it stays put when there.  Simple and elegant.  This is the Kyrptonite 4″ x 11″ lock.  In order for this to work, you need to remove the small tab from the lock that is used to mount the lock on the kryptonite lock carrier that attaches to the bike frame.  It comes off really easily by lostening a little allen screw in the tab.  In my experience, that system doesn’t last anyway.

By the way, there are lots of great web sites will give you a guide to which lock you should buy and how to properly lock your bike like this one on Kryptonites’ Web Site or this one at MassBike.org

Is it possible to use too many locks?  Hmm…

via Flickr