Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Madsen

Three months ago we bought THE most amazing bike of all bikes. The Madsen. Ever since we were living in Sweden (in 2009 when Jasper was one) I have been lusting after a cargo bike. There was a family at Jaspers daycare I would see with one. The mom (or dad, they took turns) would drop the kiddos off at day care, lock the bike up and then hope on the bus right outside. I thought it was brilliant. 


Fast forward a couple years and I start searching for cargo bikes here in the US. When I came across the Madsen I knew I had to have it. We have really enjoyed biking all over the city the past year but Tindra was almost out growing her bike seat, and Jasper isn't quite old enough to go on super long bike rides so we were limited to a couple miles one way.


Well not anymore! We have had the Madsen for over three months now, and I'm not exaggerating when I say its changed our lives for the better. Now we go on long family rides together on the weekends, to the farmers market, to brunch, to dinner, to parks and pools, really everywhere! And one of my favorite parts, now I can go on bike rides with both kiddos while Drew is at work. Before I was only comfortable going on rides if we had both adults so one could be in the front of Jasper and one behind him, but now I just put both kids in the Madsen and off we go to summer story time followed by  ice cream. A weekly favorite activity here!


I was a tiny bit nervous that it would be really difficult to ride with kids in it, but it only took a ride or two to get used to, now I feel like a pro! I'll be honest, hills are still sort of difficult with 70 lbs in the back, but lets be real, those hills are difficult for me even on my regular bike. 
I get asked most about balance, and as long as the kids are sitting still in the back it's not an issue at all. Also, I have to take wide turns, theres no zooming in and out of traffic for me, but no way I would do that with my kids in the back anyway. 


Another great thing about Madsen as a company, customer service is phenomenal! We had issues getting the tire on, and the owner himself face timed with us and helped us figure out the problem. Amazing service right?




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10 comments:

  1. are there seat belts back there? how many kids fit in the bucket

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    1. Yes! There are four seat belts in the back to fit four kids. We have only ridden with three kids, and also one adult and two kids a few times!

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  2. Is there a cover for the bucket? I saw one of these in boulder and it was pouring rain and had water in the bucket:/

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    1. They are making a cover for it, I hope its ready by winter! It would definitely keep things a lot warmer under there, and of course keep rain and snow out! We hope to bike to school all year round! We haven't taken it out in the rain yet so we haven't needed one yet!

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    2. Awesome!!! That looks fun:)

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  3. Hi! We live in Denver too and just sold one of our cars in order to buy a cargo bike. We are heavily favoring the Madsen due to the mostly good reviews and the price. How do you like it on the (relatively few) hills in Denver? We just have one hill between our house and downtown....its not horrible...just slow and steady. Is it worse than a regular bike with a trailer on the back? Better? Would love to hear more about it.

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