Charlotte and Julian's Brox

[Tewdric]

Hope use DOT5.1, Shimano use mineral oil.

Shimano mineral oil seems to be very much like vanilla hydraulic fluid.  10 wt gear oil alledgedly subs quite well although I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to try.  I was showing a friend how to clean his pistons this weekend as his Deore disc brakes had worn one pad down and left the other like new.  We took the pads out and I popped the pistons out a few mm until the dirt ring exposed itself, then nipped inside to fetch some cotton buds to clean them up.  On my return my friend was proudly holding one of the pistons in his hand and the mineral oil was mostly all over the caliper and floor.  Cue a quick cadre in filling and bleeding Shimano brakes!  

[TimO]

I like the idea of a cycle capable of carrying silly amounts of stuff.  In principle a trailer (like a Carry Freedom Large Y trailer) can also carry a lot, but most bicycle trailers aren't braked, which could be significant with a lot of weight on even a moderate downhill.

Things like the 8-Freight and Bakfiets simply can take as much, since ultimately they're limited by your ability to balance the whole lot on one ankle when you stop and start.  You could easily load up a Brox with more stuff than you could hold up like that.

I think I'd go with the large flat piece of wood approach to the rear.  Something to support wooden sides and possibly to mount seats on then makes it much more flexible than the Fibre Glass body, which whilst it looks cool, doesn't allow anything which won't fit inside it, and probably rattles something horrible when going over anything but the flattest ground.  With D-ring tie downs and bungee/straps you can load up any number of large bulky cargoes.

[rogerzilla]

I popped the pistons out a few mm until the dirt ring exposed itself

 Fnarr!

[teethgrinder]

If I want to carry 40 kilos of layers pellets, two hefty children or a month's worth of groceries then I attach a trailer to my bike. It adds load capacity but retains the advantages of a bike; I can still filter through traffic, I can still park against railings. Also, a trailer may be eccentric but the Brox is straying into barking.

I use a trailer too. It is supposed to carry up 100kg, but could probably manage much more. I've heard that 150kg has been carried in one that I have.
But it's not great. It topples easily and I need to be very carefull with it. I could easily topple it by hitting a pothole at speed. I have to watch my cornering too.
For the amount of use my trailer gets, then it's the best choice for me. But if I was going to carry bog stuff around regularly, I'd want something less temporary than a trailer.
A trailer is just an add on to use a bike in a way that it wasn't designed for.
This contraption was designed for lugginf stuff around.

It's not for me either, but I still say it rocks.


PS Can I have a go too?

[Charlotte]

PS Can I have a go too?

'Course you can 

No taking it round any audaxes, though - y'hear?

[TimO]

PS Can I have a go too?

No taking it round any audaxes, though - y'hear?

So, you're not discounting any FRNttCs then?

[Charlotte]

Although it'll speed up when we get some smoother-rolling tyres on, it's still massively heavy and jolly hard work.

So no.  Almost certainly not...

[teethgrinder]

PS Can I have a go too?

'Course you can 

No taking it round any audaxes, though - y'hear?

Thanks 

Can I use it to give my mum a lift to see her grandchildren with my brother then?




Shhhh, don't tell Charlotte that my mum lives in St Albans and my brother lives in Bristol.

[DrMekon]

Although it'll speed up when we get some smoother-rolling tyres on, it's still massively heavy and jolly hard work.

So no.  Almost certainly not...

Crying out for a streamliner fairing and a BHPC day, right?

[Wobbly John]

When I use my big trailer, I find a 'Jewsons' 'tonne of sand' bag useful. If you're carrying sacks of compost, the top one can't slide off. and you can stack loads of things like carrier bags of shopping in it, without losing bits.

[Tim Hall]

Presumably the massive load carrying capacity could easily take a Penny Farthing, thus acting as the perfect FNRTTC sag wagon in case of cotter pin or similar failure in said Penny Farthing.

[Torslanda]

Although it'll speed up when we get some smoother-rolling tyres on, it's still massively heavy and jolly hard work.

So no.  Almost certainly not...

I was priveliged to meet Rob Brock on several occasions, most notably at CycleFest in 1998 where he rode my FrankenBent and described it as 'really nice and comfy'. That year he had ridden from Manchester to Lancaster with a bunch of like minded nutters on a mottley collection of HPVs including several Brox - one was a 'Boom Brox' with an earth moving speaker inna barrel! - and a mental sociable quad called 'emotion 3'. Not for shrinking violet types as it was bright pink, about 11 feet long and was towing a trailer of a similar size.

Dammit he was funny!

And I miss him

[alexb]

When I use my big trailer, I find a 'Jewsons' 'tonne of sand' bag useful. If you're carrying sacks of compost, the top one can't slide off. and you can stack loads of things like carrier bags of shopping in it, without losing bits.

I have a huge bag for rubbish that I never used. It's yours with a cup of tea if you can come and collect it...

[redshift]

I was priveliged to meet Rob Brock on several occasions, most notably at CycleFest in 1998 where he rode my FrankenBent and described it as 'really nice and comfy'. That year he had ridden from Manchester to Lancaster with a bunch of like minded nutters on a mottley collection of HPVs including several Brox - one was a 'Boom Brox' with an earth moving speaker inna barrel! - and a mental sociable quad called 'emotion 3'. Not for shrinking violet types as it was bright pink, about 11 feet long and was towing a trailer of a similar size.

Dammit he was funny!

And I miss him

Both machines (and Rob) pictured:

[clarion]

I can see Butterfly needing the sociable quad

[Hilldodger]

Would this be a good point to mention that Cyclemagic has TWO AVD pedicabs we need to sell on fairly quickly because we need to make some space?

(Admin note: link removed because the Flickr guy isn't happy about it)

Both need a modification/repair to the rear axle as the block can slip around under load meaning you lose drive. Hardly rocket science to fix but we haven't got time and don't really use them anyway.

We want £500 each.

[clarion]

*sticks fingers in ears*

LA LA LA.  I can't hear you!

[DrMekon]

Would this be a good point to mention that Cyclemagic has TWO AVD pedicabs we need to sell on fairly quickly because we need to make some space?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joao_ds/sets/72157609197885764/

Both need a modification/repair to the rear axle as the block can slip around under load meaning you lose drive. Hardly rocket science to fix but we haven't got time and don't really use them anyway.

We want £500 each.

Just when I thought my cargobike lust had peaked, you go and show me that


Oh the possibilities...

[dkahn400]

In the tradition of Margaret Hilda dare one hope this new steed will be named Zaphod Beeble?

[Joao_DS]

Would this be a good point to mention that Cyclemagic has TWO AVD pedicabs we need to sell on fairly quickly because we need to make some space?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joao_ds/sets/72157609197885764/

Both need a modification/repair to the rear axle as the block can slip around under load meaning you lose drive. Hardly rocket science to fix but we haven't got time and don't really use them anyway.

We want £500 each.

I just wanted to point out that the pictures being used are mine.  That AVD pedicab is not in the UK, but right here in NYC.  It belongs to this dude here, and it costs waaaaaay more than £500.

[Julian]

I think the photo was probably just an example of what they look like.  Not everyone's familiar with them. 

Don't have a cow, as you chaps say (you do say that, don't you?  Don't disillusion me).  Nobody's coming after your pedicab. 

[TimO]

Ah, the wonder of referrer URLs!

I think the US (New York) plates on the vehicles in the pictures were a bit of a hint.

[Kim]

*sticks fingers in ears*

LA LA LA.  I can't hear you!

I can authoritatively state that this technique simply doesn't work.

 

[Joao_DS]

I think the photo was probably just an example of what they look like.  Not everyone's familiar with them.  

Don't have a cow, as you chaps say (you do say that, don't you?  Don't disillusion me).  Nobody's coming after your pedicab.  

I was just pointing out, just in case.  I have had people use my pics in fake ads, and once even had someone copy my Ebay ad word-per-word.  In this case it doesn't look like a scam, yet one never knows.  But the extremely low price and the fact he didn't use a picture of the actual machines on sale are what raised a red flag for me.

And as far as how "you chaps" say it, I'm Brazilian.  If where were to say it my way you wouldn't understand a word of it!  

[TimO]

It's OK, some of us have met Hilldodger in person, and in fact cycled some of CycleMagic's vehicles:

     

He possibly could have been a bit more explicit on what the link was, but I don't think anything fraudulent was intended.