Mark Stosberg
bakfiets 3 years later: incredible but not invicible
We bought our bakfiets almost 3 and half years ago (that went by quickly!)
It's generally worked very well and been very low maintenance. I even took the 100 pound bike on a 220 mile trip with a 32 pound passenger on board.
I make a point of taking it out on rainy and snowy days because it withstands weather better than any other bike I have seen or ridden. Even with the electric assist on the Yuba Mundo, the bakfiets is still chosen at times for the extra weather protection it gives the child, lower maintenance in wet conditions, or simply because it's fun to ride.
What you see above is a first sign of rust that has cropped up. This is on the underbelly of the bike, which probably gets treated to a fair amount of salty road spray on wet days. The other problem that has cropped up over time is poor connections with the front and rear lights. Perhaps it's just my local mechanics, but the taillight is not currently working reliably after multiple repair attempts. I'm sure it can fixed to be work reliably again, but is a current annoyance.
Overall I'm pleased with it as a high-quality bike, but thought I'd share some details that have come up after a few years of use.
On a positive note, maintenance that typical on other bikes has been a less-than-annual event on the bakfiets: fixing flats, major brake adjustments, gearing adjustments, or even lubing the chain.
bakfiets 3 years later: incredible but not invicible
We bought our bakfiets almost 3 and half years ago (that went by quickly!)
It's generally worked very well and been very low maintenance. I even took the 100 pound bike on a 220 mile trip with a 32 pound passenger on board.
I make a point of taking it out on rainy and snowy days because it withstands weather better than any other bike I have seen or ridden. Even with the electric assist on the Yuba Mundo, the bakfiets is still chosen at times for the extra weather protection it gives the child, lower maintenance in wet conditions, or simply because it's fun to ride.
What you see above is a first sign of rust that has cropped up. This is on the underbelly of the bike, which probably gets treated to a fair amount of salty road spray on wet days. The other problem that has cropped up over time is poor connections with the front and rear lights. Perhaps it's just my local mechanics, but the taillight is not currently working reliably after multiple repair attempts. I'm sure it can fixed to be work reliably again, but is a current annoyance.
Overall I'm pleased with it as a high-quality bike, but thought I'd share some details that have come up after a few years of use.
On a positive note, maintenance that typical on other bikes has been a less-than-annual event on the bakfiets: fixing flats, major brake adjustments, gearing adjustments, or even lubing the chain.