I have a lot of practice packing lots of things into limited space. I’ve helped pack mules for long trips in the wilderness, I’ve gone on week long backpacking trips, some car camping, and some major moves, so I felt pretty confident going on my first big errand run on a cargo bike.
The thing I was most nervous about was bringing my wife’s bike back from the shop. I’d taken it in two days ago by car so I did not yet have practice hauling another bike behind mine. Add to that that my bike is in the shop getting its gearing changed while I ride a loaner and I was worried I’d be driving back later with the car to use the bike rack.
Luckily I was able to practice attaching the touring bike to the cargo bike by using my trusty old purple Gary Fisher as a tester. It turned out to be pretty straightforward, which just left the issue of handling. I didn’t have time to take a spin with the Gary Fisher on the back, so I donve in. After years of hauling eight tons of wine grapes on a huge trailer I didn’t really think biking with an extra wheel would cause me any trouble. Indeed it didn’t. The toughest part was getting up the steep hill home. The BionX on the loaner was helpful, but my quads and lungs still felt the burn. It made me really appreciate my StokeMonkey. The load including R was probably fifty pounds, so it was a little preview of what I’ll get in a couple years when our family grows.
