Ideal Tires Size , 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 27.5 ?

[e-boy]

Ideal Tires Size for Mid/Long tail e-Cargo ? (for carrying stuff only , not people)

I would think 26 or 27.5 since that would ride more like a "normal" bike .
But I'm reading that the smaller are better for carrying cargo .

 

[PedalUma]

I am converting a Big Dummy right now. 26 is perfect for cargo.

 

[e-boy]

Which kit ?

 

[PedalUma]

Which kit ?

Give me a second an I will send an in progress photo with more info.

 

[indianajo]

You'll see left I ride a 26" tire cargo bike. My legs are short, 28" inseam; that is the frame for small people. Yubabike no longer sells the bodaboda, as they sell mostly to parents installing a car child seat. The risk of the bike falling over with 26" while loading a child is too great. OTOH I carry groceries ,ag supplies, & goods in boxes, so if those get dumped as the bike falls over being loaded, oh well. I have a 2 leg stand, which reduces but doesn't eliminate the risk of fallover. I find 26"x2" tire rides okay on our *****y pavement without a suspension. I would find 20" tires jaw rattling. However lots of people in high tax cities like the 20" versions. Our potholes last a year sometimes. Following a car through a light in traffic or riding in the rain I can't always miss the potholes. Plus the city has decided the standard driveway entrance is a 2" high ledge.
Two intermediate size tires are available on cargo bikes. 24"x2" comes on the blix packa. And if you are never going to ride your bike past 2000 miles, radwagen sells a 22"x2" version, that you can only buy replacements from the bike manufacturer. Replacement tubes, too, buy from rad or stay home. Rad's 13 pages of complaints about stretched loose spokes & cracked wheels are enough reason for me to not buy one. I wear out a pair of $26 tires every year @ ~2000 miles. I can buy 26" or 20" tires at the LBS; tubes at the grocery store.
Haven't seen any 27.5 or 700 mm wheel cargo bikes. See this category for the various models. .

 

[PedalUma]

Since the Big Dummy I converted a Yuba Mundo and purchased another Mundo yesterday. The first thing the guy with the Big Dummy did was load it up with dog food and ride it up Mount Tam. I am doing Class 1 conversions on these bikes with the TS.
The one I purchased yesterday had rim brakes which suck. I am putting discs on it now. On the last one I had to fill it with foam because the frame amplified the sound of the motor.

 

[PedalUma]

Smaller wheels are inherently strongest. But they create another set of problems. They do not roll as well over surface imperfections, and must spin at a higher rate which impacts things such as gearing and hub bearings. For me 26" rims are in the sweet spot on cargo bikes. I like those Pick Up tires that are e-50 from Schwalbe. They hold 160kg each. That is something like 350 pounds and they are highly resistant to punctures.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The first thing the guy with the Big Dummy did was load it up with dog food and ride it up Mount Tam.

Wow, used to ride Mt. Tam all the time in the 1980s. Never occurred to me to take dog food along. What a missed opportunity!
:^}

 

[PedalUma]

missed opportunity

Some stuff you just can't make up. Look at the controller a manufacturer sent in the thread 'Just For Fun.'