The Hollywood Bike Gallery store will host a preview party to welcome the newest addition to Portland’s growing cargo and utility-bike family — the Madsen Cycles Urban Utility Bicycle.
My first mention of the Madsen back in September sparked quite a bit of interest. Unlike the Dutch-style cargo bikes that have become popular in Portland, the Madsen places its cargo area at the rear of the bicycle using a plastic bin that straddles a 20-inch wheel.
Madsen Bicycles owner Jared Madsen will be at the Bike Gallery event to share more about his bike and answer your questions.
I’ll be riding a Madsen home from the event and I’m looking forward to seeing how it compares as a hauler and kid-carrier to other bikes I’ve tried recently (like the Yuba Mundo, the Metrofiets, and others).
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Madsen Preview Party
Thursday, 11/6 at 7:00pm
Hollywood Bike Gallery (5329 NE Sandy Blvd)
[*UPDATE] Just came across this Madsen video via Copenhagenize:
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Hey, so how much weight can it haul? Just wondering. Thanks
Marion
Oh 600 lbs.. that’s pretty cool. Thanks
Do you just stuff the kiddies in the bin?
Yeah, it has two seat belts.. but I was wondering what happens when it rains.. does it have a top for the bucket or a rain cover?
Marion, there will be several accessories unveiled at the Preview Party, including a child rain cover and a hard shell lid. They will be (hopefully) in production very soon.
That night is first Thursday…so you take it for a spin via the Pearl for some guerilla promotion.
Oh great.. I hope the raincover comes in pink.. seems to be all the rage at my house right now 🙂
The article kinda makes it sound like this is made in Portland, but doesn’t really clarify.
“newest addition to Portland’s growing cargo and utility-bike family — the Madsen Cycles Urban Utility Bicycle.”
I suspect it is not.
Could someone inform us?
Oh, googled it and found it.
Made in Asia.
So it is simply now being sold in Portland. Ugh.
Gotcha.
“The article kinda makes it sound like this is made in Portland”
by “family” i meant something you’ll start to see on Portland streets and will be readily available to purchase.
that 600 lb payload claim still makes me chuckle. while i am sure that the frame will *support* 600 lbs, i will be interested to see someone try it. if that number is including the cyclist (which i consider more realistic) i still would be interested in seeing most people try that. assuming an “average” person, were talking a payload of 400+ lbs, and as someone who has moved 400 lbs on a 2-wheeled cargo bike, i guarantee you it is no walk in the park, even for someone as experienced as myself.
this still seems primarily designed as a grocery-getter and child-transporter – both of which are admirable, mind you – and less of a cargo hauler, which is more my focus.
for all practical purposes, though, i see this as perhaps only a slight rung up the ladder from a purpose-built longtail, with the only real advantages being the small rear wheel (for strength, and low gear inches), and the rear wheels placement less directly under, and more behind, the payload area. big downside for me is the divided bin, which limits the cargo areas utility.
that aside, though, i am pleased to see yet another load-hauling option available! may they continue to increase!
I bet the thing could hold at least two dead bodies. Wait til the Mafia gets wind of this!
So they are manufactured in Asia but Madsen is located in Utah?
Everything is made in Asia.
It could haul a lot of tapioca pudding.
Madsen Cycles 600 Lb (kg271) refers to the maximum tested gorse weight the bike can handle before it will fail, this includes the weight of the rider the cargo and the bike. I have ridden the madsen with 400 Lb of sand bags in the rear bucket during testing ( I am 200 lb and the bike is about 50Lb with the bucket) total weight 650 Lb. It is ok if you only go straight but the frame and wheels start to flex during turns. Walking the bike around with a lot of weight is also difficult because it is rill back heavy until you get on it and distribute the weight out. You can ride the bike with 600 Lb and the bike will handle it but I don’t think anyone at Madsen Cycles will tell you it is at all the most safe way to ride your bike. There is a warning sticker inside the bucket that reads something like for the best handling the load should not be more than that of the rider. I ride my Madsen loaded with all my kids all the time about 120Lb and it rides great.
I saw the prototype of the hard top that fits the Madsen bucket today. It looks sweet. Although it is only the first prototype I hope it will be in production rill soon. I think it will make the Madsen into an awesome delivery bike. Jared also showed me a photo of the Rain cover he is working on (and no it was not pink), I know he has been working rill hard to have both of these samples ready for his stop in Portland.
I want to know why no one had on helmets.. oh wait the song.. “..I hope you are quite prepared to die..” it all makes sense.
sad.
I want to know why someone has to bring up the damn helmets in almost every single thread on this site.
Get over yourselves already.
Not everyone wears helmets all the time.
Not everyone wants to wear helmets.
And certainly not everyone wants to hear someone bitch about them not wearing a helmet.
this seems amazing. i want one for sure. i will take a date on one and sit her in the bucket and she will feel like a queen!