Yuba mundo - long term review

Our Yuba in touring mode in France. Is it the Unimog of the bicycle world?

Considerations

In 2011 we bought a house that needed renovating. Since we live carfree we thought about how we would be transporting stuff. While we would have most of the bigger supplies delivered, we felt it would be usefull to be able to carry bigger items like toolboxes and smaller supplies by bike.

At the time in Belgium frontloaders or bakfietsen were the thing: if you had a cargo bike it was likely to be a Gazelle Cabby, Bullit or one of the Bakfiets.nl bikes. By searching online I stumbled upon long tails, at that time represented by the Yuba Mundo V4, the Surly Big Dummy and the Kona Ute. The longtails were considerably cheaper, seemed to offer equally impressive cargo capabilities and a more sporty ride. The Bullit was the only sporty option but was significantly more expensive: the Mundo costed 799 euros, while the Bullit frameset started at 1499 euro and almost 2000 for the built up bike. So we took the gamble and ordered the Yuba Mundo V4, a GoGetter bag and the massive kickstand. The complete package was a 1000 euros.

Initial feel

The Mundo V4, currently known as the Classic, is a heavy bike at 30 kg and that is what it feels. The v-brakes that were initially installed did do the job but never felt like they had much power in reserve. We fiddled around with the seating position which proved to be somewhat of a challenge: it is not easy to find a setup that works for two people, and the saddle/handlebar distance is rather large for smaller people. However we found a setup that more or less worked and started using the bike. Initially we used it not very often: once or twice a week to transport bigger boxes or do groceries. It did the job but we were not convinced that it added much value to our fleet. It was only later on, especially since we have kids that the bike got a lot of use and proved what it really was.

The Yuba Mundo V4 in its initial configuration, we bought the bare bike so without stoker bars, cushion and sideloader boards.

Quality

The frameset costed 599 and the complete bike 799, needless to say that most of the components were low-end stuff: brandless v-brakes, a sram X5 drive train, a pretty uncomfortable and sweaty saddle and a adjustable stem that never was really stiff. We used all those components until they broke and replaced them by something better. The most important upgrade no doubt were the brakes: the v-brakes developed a kind of corrosion and about a year after purchase they were seized on the studs. We replaced them with Avid BB7 disc brakes and since then braking hard feels like slamming into a wall (ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration).

The frame is rough: its not the most elegant thing nor are the welds especially beautiful. But it is strong, really strong. Yuba claims it can handle 200kg of cargo plus the rider and I'm pretty sure I have indeed carried that weight a few times without having anything bent or deform. Needless to say though that at that weight the bike, while being rideable, no longer feels very stiff or nimble.

The wheels are 48-spoke 26 inch wheels and just like the frame they do not win any beauty competition nor are they lightweight. But they are plenty strong: I have never adjusted spoke tension and they are still 100% true. Last summer I rode down a gentle stair (luie trap) with cargo and kid, so probably around 170 kg of complete bike weight, I felt comfortable doing so, and the wheels nor the frame gave any indication that this might be pushing it.

The same goes for the kickstand which is, as you can imagine, a very very important thing if you have two kids on the back of your longtail: it's reliable, it's strong and it does what it is supposed to do even on somewhat uneven terrain.

I think overall this is one of the things that we are most pleased about: the Mundo was a cheap bike and the normal components needed replacement as was to be expected, but anything specific on the bike, that makes it into what it is, is just superstrong and has never let us down. We did give it a hard time at times: with 3 adults on the back, or bags of sand, rough terrain, stairs, rocks, ... The parts that take the load are just up for the task.

Cargo possibilities

Unlike a frontloader a long tail does not have a flat loading surface. That is its main disadvantage in the cargo departement. With straps you can attach almost anything to the carrier or the sideloaders, but it is just not as easy as a frontloader.

The Yuba GoGetter bags are Yuba-strong (and heavy) but we only have one. This means that if you fill the bag, the bike is out of balance. At times this has been a real disadvantage, and getting a second bag is on our to do list. (But is not urgent as in most cases we fill the bag with groceries and put 12 litres of milk on the opposing sideloader, thus bringing balance to the universe.)

Yuba also advertises the towing capabilities. We do not have the towing tray, but have attached bikes to the sideloaders to tow them. This works quite well IF the bike you are towing does not have mudguards. If it does, you are very likely to mess them up when going over bumps. If you really want to tow bikes on a regular basis I suggest fastening one or two front hubs onto the sideloaders so you can mount the fork of the towed bike to the sideloader: this method is far less likely to cause any damage. 

Surly Big Dummy with a double towing hitch, as seen in the facebook group Cargobike republic. (join the group if you want to see the coolest cargobikes out there)

As a kids carrier

We used our Mundo with one Yepp mini, with one Yepp-maxi, with a mini and a maxi, a mini and two maxis (as a test) and two maxi's. The big advantage over a normal bike is that the strong frame of the Mundo eats the weight of two toddlers for breakfast: it never wobbles and you can throw it trough corners like you would with a loaded touring bike.

That being said: the Mundo has one serious drawback and that is its 26 inch rear wheel, which determines the minimum height of the carrier and thus the childseats. It puts the center of gravity quite high. That is no problem riding it, but if you are walking next to the bike with the kids in it, you feel that it is unstable and once you loose balance it is impossible to correct it. I've had that happen on me a few times with cargo which is not so much of a problem, but it also happened once with two kids in it and that was no fun (yes, we ended up with a broken arm, but I do not blame that entirely on the bike because there was definitely some not so smart thinking and rushing involved). However it is a serious disadvantage of the design which was later addressed with the introduction of the Spicy curry that uses a 20 inch rear wheel.

One big advantage of the Mundo over almost any other design is that the high mounting position of the child seat allows to use the sideloaders with the seats in place. You can even fit a GoGetter bag under them, although that is not ideal (the feet of the childseats are in the bag so you can not use the lid anymore. We toured France with two North Face duffel bags strapped to the sideloaders, and a 20 liter backpack in the breadbasket: that is 120 liters of cargo space, while carrying two kids and we could even have taken more. While touring the frame and wheels proved itself to be reliable and on descends I chickened out at 53 kph,  more because I feared the brakes would overheat than because the bike couldn't handle it. (the combined weight of bike, cargo, rider and kids was between 170 and 200 kg's)

Yuba mundo, with a christmas tree, GoGeter bag and Yepp Maxi seat. If you can strap it down, you can take it with you.

Transporting the thing

The Mundo is shorter than a tandem but longer than a normal bike. You can take it on Belgian trains but it does not fit the small bike compartment in the locomotive were bikes should be hung vertically (the ceiling is to low, I've tried :-)). We have never had any problems with that and were always allowed to put the bike in the corridor  if there wasn't a designated bicycle area in the train. It can probably fit on the back of a car if the wheel supports go out far enough. We have never tried that, but have had it in a truck and in a trailer and being so strong you never feel uncomfortable to use straps to fasten the bike in position.

Pros

• Capable of carrying 2 kids comfortably and still carry a serious amount of cargo.
• Superstrong frame and wheels.
• Budget friendly cargo bike.
• Can handle light offroad work without any problem.
• The design is a flexible platform: you can add racks/boxes/seats and bags to adjust the bike to your current needs.

Cons

• High center of gravity if you use childseats on the carrier.
• Low-end components
• Frame tends to be quite long for smaller people (effective top tube length)
• No flat cargo area or big box.