A hand-made transport beauty that can carry up to 220-pound loads, yet maintains excellent riding capabilities...the Velorbis Long John is the perfect urban delivery bicycle!
The Long John cargo bicycle, originally marketed in 1938, is designed to carry considerably more weight. The ergonomics require a long-wheel base structure where the front wheel is steered via a linkage and an extremely low carrier. This means the Long John can carry bags of cement weighing hundred of pounds without experiencing any great impact on the handling of the bike. Plus the basket on the Long John protrudes only a small amount beyond the pedals enabling the bike to squeeze through small gaps in traffic with ease.
While cycle trailers can provide a good solution to the problem of quickly adapting a bicycle to be capable of carrying cargo, they do suffer from disadvantages, such as:
- one-wheeled trailers are scarcely wider than the towing bicycle, but are restricted to carrying loads of only up to about 70 pounds
- two wheeled trailers can carry higher loads, but can clip curbs and easily overturn when cornering
- access to some cycle paths and gaps through congested traffic are restricted
The Long John is a great child carrier too. Safer than a trailer, children can be observed by their parents and are more visible to motor traffic, while they enjoy a clear view of what is going on around them.