Bikes For The Rest Of Us: 20-speed

Friday, May 9, 2014

BULLITT Cargo Bike

BULLITT Red

While a number of North American designers have developed "longtail" cargo bikes, where the kids or freight are carried in back, the Dutch and Danish prefer keeping things up front. LARRY VS HARRY, a shop in Copenhagen, designed the BULLITT to be a relatively light-weight and speedy way to transport cargo and children.

Most of the models come standard with a 7 or 8-speed internal gear hub in the rear, disc brake in the front, a custom kick-stand and fenders. Derailleur gearing and e-assist are also available. The riding position is somewhat leaned-forward, especially for taller riders, and there is no step-thru frame option. The modern-looking aluminum frame is meant to be extra stiff, to prevent twisting even with heavy loads.

I had a chance to test-ride this bike alone and with kids in the front (in a version that has an added kid seat); the handling is similar to a road bike, with responsive (or twitchy) steering which takes a minute to get used to. Disc brakes are a good idea on a bike meant to carry weight at high speeds.

These bikes have been reviewed by:
Totcycle
Josh Volk
Lovely Bicycle
Momentum Magazine

Many of the Bullitts in the USA are sold by Splendid Cycles in Portland, Oregon, but they are also available in a few other cities. The bike comes as shown, but most people pay for a child seat or cargo box to be added, and an electric bike version with a lithium battery pack is also very popular. A frameset costs $2350 alone. The complete bike with Alfine 8-speed hub is $3500. The e-bike version with a BionX rear hub is a grand more, $4500. Dynamo hubs and lights are an option.

Due to the relatively narrow cargo deck (no wider than the handlebars), one child can fit easily, but only small kids can double up. Winther, another Danish bike company, makes an adaptation of the Bullitt frame called the Wallaroo, which has a wider child carrier included, to fit two kids side-by-side. However, there is only one current USA dealer, JC Lind in Chicago.

BULLITT Specifications (ALFINE 8 version):

shifter	Alfine 8 speed
rear drivetrain	Alfine 8 speed
crank	Alfine
bottom bracket	Alfine
chain	SRAM 9-speed
brake levers	Avid
brakes front	Avid BB7
brake rear	Avid BB7
rotors	Shimano centerlock
Headset	FSA Pig
stem	Civia Midtown 25.4
handlebar	Civia
grips	Civia Ergo
seatpost	FSA
saddle	LvH
pedal	Wellgo Platform
fenders	20″ front/26″ rear black
tire front	Schwalbe Marathon 20×2
tire rear	Schwalbe Marathon 26×2
tube front	Slime tube 20″
tube rear	Slime tube 26″
rim strip	Schwalbe rim liners
wheel front	Alfine/Alex DM24 rim/stainless spokes
wheel rear	Alfine/Alex DM24 rim/stainless spokes

BULLITT Geometry:

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Electra Ticino

The Electra Ticino 8-speed (latte), expected to sell for around $800. According to Chris at Electra, the latte 8-speeds will start arriving at Electra's east coast warehouse on November 20, and the denim 8-speeds (see below) are due in on December 11. Expect to see these in bike shops this spring.

Electra knows how to produce practical bikes with classic style, as they proved when they put out the Dutch-inspired Amsterdam models. The Ticino 8-speed has hammered alloy fenders and bar-end brake levers. The 20-speed chestnut-colored Ticino (see below, second to last pic) looks beautiful as pictured with a front rack. The price range is $500 for a singlespeed to $2,000 for a 20 speed.

The 8-speed frame is made from butted alloy, has a Shimano 2300 derailer with a 12-26T cassette, and Shimano rapidfire shifters. The men's bikes have Tektro canti brakes; the ladies' bikes have DiaCompe centerpull brakes. You can find more specs at the Electra website or on Bike Rumor.

The Ticino line is just coming out now, but already there is plenty of commentary on the web:

Bicycle Times: Mini-review of the Ticino 18-spd.

Urban Velo: On the Ticino singlespeed.

Bike Rumor: Pictures and specs. (wait, I thought that was our thing?)

Cyclelicio.us: Ticino preview.

Tree Hugger: Sexy bike alert.

Electra allowed me to download pics of all the Ticino models, so why not share? Here they are, for your viewing pleasure.

8D (plum) ladies