I have recently been fortunate enough to acquire a Yuba Mundo from a bike specialist near Preston called Practical Cycles. The Mundo is a purpose built long-tail cargo bike tested to carry loads in excess of 200 kg. The frame size and capacity allows it to carry two adult passengers or a large amount of shopping, I have tested mine with another person on the back and the frame seemed to have no problem supporting the two of us. Unloaded the Mundo rides only slightly differently to a normal bike, noticeable mainly at very low speeds. Even when loaded with a passenger the bike behaves like a normal bike after reaching 10 km.h-1 or so which is very impressive. The main thing which has struck me whilst I have been riding the Mundo is just how comfortable the bike is to ride. Part of this is probably due to the sit-up and beg riding position which is absent when I ride on my other bike, with the rest down to the extended wheelbase which helps to smooth out the bumps in the road. I will continue to write about my Yuba Mundo impressions but so far it seems like the ideal car replacement for the ethical person wishing to carry more shopping than can be done on a conventional bike or on the bus (especially the unusual loads) or to carry children (two babies in seats or three under 8s on the rack).
