Weird Specialized discovery....

[mschwett]

The deeper level of funny is that actual elite cyclists don't prescribe to that. I know several very dedicated cyclists with cargo bikes (as in live partially car-free, ride like 10k+ miles per year and are competitive local racers). None of them are riding anything particularly fancy in the cargo bike department. They'll have fancy 5 figure racing bikes with carbon everything, but their cargo bikes are utilitarian with pedestrian parts. Its the bike they use to get groceries and schlep their young kids around in, theres no point in getting anything expensive.

yep! everyone i know who is into serious road riding or mtb also just generally loves bikes and has a commuter, a clunker, a cargo if they have kids, etc. it’s about the bike being fit for the purpose and enjoyable to ride for that purpose. for long, spirited road roads that means light and aero (the rider and the bike!) and easy rolling with small steps between the gears and so on. people who mock a bike or rider like that just becuase of the style either don’t really understand or have some other personal issues. ditto someone who things a bulletproof, heavy, powerful cargo e-bike is somehow embarrassing.

my hub drive commuter with child seat took both my kids and i all over for fun and utility, i still ride it for errands and commuting and it still works well for that purpose. it’s about 50% harder to pedal for the same speed at higher speeds, so there’s no way i would ride a bike like that 30 or 50 or 100 miles!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

They'll have fancy 5 figure racing bikes with carbon everything, but their cargo bikes are utilitarian with pedestrian parts. Its the bike they use to get groceries and schlep their young kids around in, theres no point in getting anything expensive.

I do all my grocery shopping using two panniers on my big Vado and a big backpack (if necessary). I do 100% groceries this way.

 

[mschwett]

I have never seen a cargo bike in my city or suburbs, not even in the trendiest downtown areas.
Rental scooters with a giant box jammed against the bar stem.. yes...but no cargo bikes.
All our progressives drive Range Rovers

i will probably see 50 cargo bikes today…

 

[RunForTheHills]

yep! everyone i know who is into serious road riding or mtb also just generally loves bikes and has a commuter, a clunker, a cargo if they have kids, etc.

This is the best way to justify buying a another bike to your wife. Horses for courses...

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

yep! everyone i know who is into serious road riding or mtb also just generally loves bikes and has a commuter, a clunker, a cargo if they have kids, etc. it’s about the bike being fit for the purpose and enjoyable to ride for that purpose.

Can't claim to be a serious rider of any kind, but I also like having one nice lightweight mid-drive with minimal accessories for fitness/road/gravel and a heavy old hub-drive costing ⅓ as much for utility/beach riding.

Yes, I could put temporary panniers on the nice bike for shopping. But I could only bring myself leave it outside a store if I were with someone prepared to guard it with lethal force.
;^}

Also, the older bike reminds me just how nice the other one is to ride. This helps preserve my marriage.

And of course, everyone has their own challenges and priorities. Some live modestly in order to ride higher-end bikes. Others do the opposite. Who are we to judge?

 

[jabberwocky]

I do all my grocery shopping using two panniers on my big Vado and a big backpack (if necessary). I do 100% groceries this way.

Depends what kind of runs you do, but most of my friends with cargo bikes have kids, so they are a: sometimes transporting kids around, and b: buying more groceries than people who don't have kids. It works for them. I'm definitely not looking down on them because they are riding a beat-to-s*it 10 year old Radwagon instead of a fancy $8k middrive cargo bike.

yep! everyone i know who is into serious road riding or mtb also just generally loves bikes and has a commuter, a clunker, a cargo if they have kids, etc. it’s about the bike being fit for the purpose and enjoyable to ride for that purpose.

Its definitely nice to have a beater if you use bikes for utility reasons. Two of the core values for a utility bike are "won't feel bad locking it up in public" and "unconcerned with locking it to bike racks and leaning it on buildings".

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Depends what kind of runs you do, but most of my friends with cargo bikes have kids, so they are a: sometimes transporting kids around, and b: buying more groceries than people who don't have kids. It works for them. I'm definitely not looking down on them because they are riding a beat-to-s*it 10 year old Radwagon instead of a fancy $8k middrive cargo bike.



Its definitely nice to have a beater if you use bikes for utility reasons. Two of the core values for a utility bike are "won't feel bad locking it up in public" and "unconcerned with locking it to bike racks and leaning it on buildings".

Back when I lived in London, everyone used spray paint or wrapped the frame in cut up strips of inner tube to disguise the value of the frame! If they weren't all beaters they sure looked like it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Depends what kind of runs you do, but most of my friends with cargo bikes have kids, so they are a: sometimes transporting kids around, and b: buying more groceries than people who don't have kids. It works for them. I'm definitely not looking down on them because they are riding a beat-to-s*it 10 year old Radwagon instead of a fancy $8k middrive cargo bike.

This is how they do it in Copenhagen. Yes, it is an e-bike. Thousands of families ride this product of a workshop in Free Town of Christiania.

 

[Chargeride]

I think the problem around here is they saw the sign and read CAR-GO.
And off they drove

 

[sc00ter]

I'll post pics of the bike later but I got my Fairdale Taj. As weird as it sounds I actually ENJOY hopping on it and going for a ride! The sealed hubs let it easily coast, the gearing is pretty good and it's silly light and nimble. Im waiting on brake shoes as I tossed the included shoes in the trash after messing with adjustments for close to a hour and loosing my temper. Mechanical disc brakes would be the best on this bicycle, but I have to live with U-brakes. I'll get them dialed in soon enough. Currently riding brake less. Regular bicycles are still FUN for me! Who would have thought? Oh, and i need to do a review of the Bikase basket I purchased. I think I found the best quick release basket ever!

 

[mschwett]

Depends what kind of runs you do, but most of my friends with cargo bikes have kids, so they are a: sometimes transporting kids around, and b: buying more groceries than people who don't have kids. It works for them. I'm definitely not looking down on them because they are riding a beat-to-s*it 10 year old Radwagon instead of a fancy $8k middrive cargo bike.
...

99% of the cargo bikes i see have a child seat and about half the time an actual child in the seat

 

[kevinmccune]

So my wife and I are ready to move up in the run-about ebike category. It was decided to replace our Xpedition with a Globe Haul LT. But I discovered a weird issue. The nearest Specialized dealer is now 100 miles away! That's to far should it need servicing or warranty help. We set a local distance on motor scooters awhile back and our next ebike has to be fully serviced locally as well. While I don't forsee a reason to discount a Globe because of the distance I still get the feeling I should consider something with local support. The Globe shines in every requirement for our needs, except the sudden lack of convenient servicing and warranty help (Again, if needed). Opinions on the following:
Order one blind and hope it does what it says ( would love to test ride one first)?
Deal with the 100 mile inconvenience and hope i don't need warranty help?
Buy/consider another brand? That Globe looks perfect on paper!
Upgrade to the new current Xpedition? Has local support.
Just weird that the nearest Specialized dealership is now 100 miles away.

the boys at "Black dog" bike in Staunton.VA used to handle specialized bikes( dont know how far Norfolk is from Staunton,looks like there would be a dealer in Charlottesville.

 

[kevinmccune]

Having spent a career in the automotive industry I think the marketing guys love the idea of a sub brand, so these things get launched in hopes of attracting that ton of people looking for something special who might not otherwise darken their doorstep.

It’s only later that someone from accounting notices the ton of money spent on duplicate advertising and all of the paraphernalia that goes with carrying, labelling and differentiating a second brand. Often driving said sub brand into the red and doing more damage than good.

Nissan’s Infiniti brand usually comes to mind as it’s been a major contributor in driving Nissan into its state of near bankruptcy.

Nissan had a comeback,there naturally aspirated body on frame trucks and SUVs are becoming very popular,that "Titan" wasn't so bad,however that 5.0 litre joke diesel was a shot in the dark( remember Nissans are world wide and they make a pretty good overpriced EV.)

 

[kevinmccune]

Still on the hunt. So far.....
Momentum Cito +. Would love to see one in person but no local dealer. Not a fan of the motion first throttle.
Trek Fetch is a pass because of the weird passenger weight distribution. I was willing to forgo the "T" word.
Xtracycle Hopper is nice but on the slower side. I live in a urban environment.
Yet to try any Aventon Abound, either the original or LR. They seem equal to Lectric to me.
Tern HSD P5i. Wife wants to see/try the full passenger arrangements. No one even semi-local has one set-up for this.
Might go and look at a Golbe Haul LT this weekend even though I hate Richmond. Still perfect on paper.
A Troxus Lynx was mentioned but it seems the same as my current Lectric.
Passenger seating is the first priority, power, brakes and quality a close second.

Now, onto Upway. They have nice low mile ebikes at great prices but all the ones I'm interested in have $250+ shipping, putting them closer to new prices. Going new helps me build a dealer relationship should I need them in the future. Now if anyone noticed I keep mentioning Lectric is because they make a great product, for the price. I'm willing to jump to a higher level on my next ebike.

Finally, got the Baja out of the shop the day before New Years. It went in for a inspection and some basic maintenance. Came back with a oil leak. Then the battery finished dying but we got it back and the shop fixed the leak (faulty crush washer) and replaced the battery. At around 260,000 miles. Original motor and transmission. Wife still wont replace this car.

remember when going to Richmond via "60" you run out of signs,if you find "Poe's Tavern" you can wing it from there,64 always turns into a cluster( expletives deleted) because of numerous pileups crashes,etc( allow a couple hours extra on the weekends.

 

[kevinmccune]

I do this exact thing with motor scooters now. As I get older (A whopping 54 at current writing) I hate doing certain servicing myself. On scooters I no longer do my own valve checks, brake work and tire changes. I pay a shop now. BUT, in the event that certain services need to be done, I can still do them myself. On my current scooter, a Honda PCX, I still do all my own transmission work. I find transmission work oddly Zen like.

My last motor scooter, a Piaggio Liberty 150, developed a electrical gremlin. The check engine light would come on and it would run "weird". Almost normal operation but something was off. I could reset the computer and the problem would go away, sometimes for a day or as long as month. I finally took it in for servicing and discovered the dealership didn't know how to use the ECU reading computer-aka P.A.D.S.! They did the same thing I did, reset the computer and charge me $200! That really made me look at the mechanic side of a dealership for my next scooter! Said Piaggio dealership of the Liberty problem has a high turnover rate of "certified" mechanics.

my chum from "Gala" bought a well used 250"piaggio(due to balance issues) he likes it but it runs weird from time to time,don't know if he did an "Italian tuneup" or not,so its probably not that big of deal to have a piaggio shop look it?

 

[kevinmccune]

Has it ever occurred to you some people might genuinely enjoy a brand? I simply don't believe any other brand would first upgrade the e-bike electronics to the latest very expensive version and then totally rebuild the same e-bike to the latest version following the frame crack, all totally free. My 2017 Vado 5.0 bought in 2019 still works for me as a 2020 Vado 6.0. It's been over eight years since manufacturing and well over 6 years since the purchase.

My other Specialized e-bike is almost 5 years with me, and it has never required a major repair.

I've also found other brand products such as tyres, helmets, gloves or saddles high quality, so I use them, and these are even not S-Works.

As a Specialized user, I would feel bad to find a monstrosity such as the Globe Haul in a Specialized LBS.

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One of the two Warsaw Specialized LBS

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'Wanna a demo ride? You seem to have tested all our bikes, sir!'


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No issue to get an e-bike or a bike for a shorter or a longer demo ride...

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I was issued with the latest Epic 8 Expert (left) for a demo ride without asking. These guys know me well.

hows that thing ride? any comfort mods?

 

[kevinmccune]

Blinded by the light
Wrapped up like a douche
Another runner in the night

whoa! takes me back.

 

[kevinmccune]

and here we go once again . . .

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wasn't that a Seger song?( what? sorry it was running against the wind-I think)

 

[stompandgo]

Yes. Mrs. Stomp tells me that "Seger bars" are a thing now on social media.