Joe-Bike via NEAT bike

Wow. I finally found someone in Maine that has a cargo bike for me to try. Hi name is Mike and his company NEAT bikes sells Joe-Bikes. I got the pleasure of meeting him and his great family last week in Back Cove, Portland (Maine).

Trying the bike further solitifies that a box bike is the solution for me. I was intially nervous to try it. Would it be stable? Would I feel like it was going to fall over? 

Even on a windy day the ride was surprisingly smooth. It definetly rides better with the weight of the kids on the front. 
Joe-Bike is located in Portland, OR. I believe they import their frames from china but they assemble them in Oregon.  
They come standard with the below features: 

• Full hi-tensile steel frame
• 20″ front and 26″ rear alloy wheels
• Massive 11 or 12 gauge spokes (the things are like drinking straws)
• Front and rear alloy fenders
• Fully enclosed chain case
• Sturmey-Archer 8-speed rear hub with hub drum brake
• Light-detecting hub-powered Shimano front headlight
• Brake-actuated rear red brake light (which doubles as a nighttime visibility light)
• Skirt/kilt protector (to keep dangling garments from the rear wheel)
• Rear cargo rack with bungy strap-set
• Built-in rear wheel lock with key
• Marine-sealed plywood cargo box with fold-up rumble seat and seat belts for carrying two little people 

 Above list from http://www.towseyfrench.com/2008/11/05/carrier-pigeons-diary-1/

Mike has modified them for east coast riding mainly lowering the gears (for hills), upgrading the front brake (for safety). This is why it pays to go local! If you are in the Portland area check Mike out. This bike would be ideal for the area! Check out his blog at http://neatbikeshop.blogspot.com/

Overall I was impressed. The ride was, as promised,smooth and it felt very stable even when stopping. My mother came along and tried it with the kids, she was also impressed and said she much prefers it to using the trailer. 

I'm still not sure how it will handle up hills. The bike comes in a bright red. It I had my choice I would select a different color, but for $1800.00 compared to $3000-$4000.00 of other box bikes I'd live with the red. 

One problem I had with the bike was the height of the seat, even at its lowest point it was a touch to tall for me. I only 5'3". Since I intend to use this to haul my kids I would prefer to have the ability to place both of my feet firmly on the ground while on the seat. I still felt safe, but if it was a lower I would be one happy camper.  

Also, in my fantasy world I would like to be able to ride  our dog, Rosie Pancakes, with us to the dog park at Merry Springs Gardens a couple of miles away and this box would be to small for that. My husband laughs at this idea. I think he may be right but a girl can dream! 

Ava and Luke loved it. I was able to talk with them and they could see everything and had fun pointing all the dogs and seagulls out for me. Oh, and don't worry when we were riding they wore their helmets. 


Anybody out there have a Joe-Bike? 


Thanks Again Mike, We had a great ride.