Long Andre

Context

• cargo bikes overview, a "longjohn"-type cargo bike
  • has 2 wheels (1st column) and the load is placed in front of the rider, as low as possible, with the front wheel further forward
  • all types of load are known to have been successfully transported with longjohns (therefore there is one longjohn icon in each not-empty cell of the 1st column)
• longjohns are probably the most common type of cargo bikes
  • they are described and discussed at the following pages: en.wikipedia, de.wikipedia, longjohn.org
  • they tend to benefit from the following advantages:
    • low center of gravity
    • good handling and moderate weight
    • moderate length and especially width
    • load is easily visible by rider
    • transmission is the same as for a normal bicycle
  • they may suffer from the following drawbacks:
    • steering is achieved through a mechanism that adds complexity (and price) compared to cargo bikes types such as long tail
    • load size is somehow limited
    • load weight is limited compared to vehicles with 3 wheels or more (due to resistance and also to the lack of inherent stability)
• Werkstatt Lastenrad is a German organization (and they have a "product" called Long André):
  • "Knowledge common around the subject of DIY cargo bikes"
  • these pages may be partially translated at some point: FAQ, What it's about
  • André Frieboese, a member from Berlin, is the Long André's father (you can see him on pictures, he has long sideburns)
• This is not a typical Hackerspace project, but more a typical project for the very young UCmakerspace.

Description

• Building a long john-type cargo bike according to these (links from werkstatt-lastenrad.de):
  • illustration-rich "A6 cards" PDF document "Werkstatt-Kärtchen zum Bau von Long André" (German)
  • original construction manual (German)
  • French description, translation ongoing (content is roughly that of the "A6 cards" PDF document)
• Making roadworthy vehicles is delicate enough not to improvise too much at first. Hence, this project is currently being led in a spirit of carefully following existing documentation.
• The first thing to build is not the bike itself but a BikeBench (see below under Components)

Goal

• make a 1st working prototype of a Long André
• organize Long André manufacturing workshops

Obstacles

• documentation must be translated first (pending)

Component

• BOM & list of needed tools are the first things that will be translated
• Documentation has almost the status of a component...

BikeBench

A BikeBench is a jig / workbench for bicycle-based creations, designed and implemented by Thomas Viebach from Werkstatt Lastenrad.

Links:

• Werkstatt Lastenrad's wiki pages: original (German), French (translation ongoing)
• this wiki's page

Long-André: description en français

werkstatt-lastenrad.de page

Schedule

• Opening: May 2015
• Ending: ?

Participants

• Léonard (Leader, UCmakerspace guest)
• Marc Wettstein (UCmakerspace boss)
• The Werkstatt Lastenrad people in Germany, with whom emails are being exchanged: Christophe Vaillant, André Frieböse, Tom Hansing, Thomas Viebach