Introduction: Vertical Storage for Cargo Bikes

By

Cargo bikes are a little bigger than normal bikes, especially when it comes to storage. This instructable shows an easy way to enable vertical parking on a compact longtail cargo bike by the example of the Justlong model from the italian company "Bicicapace".

Things you will need for the retrofit for a Justlong bicycle:

  • help of a second person
  • measuring tape
  • 2 leveling feet or big head screws (M8), 50 mm or a little longer
  • 4 self-securing M8 nuts
  • 4 M8 shims
  • 8mm metal drill
  • 13 mm wrench/spanner

Some items (feet type, attachment hardware and attachment type) will vary on the type of your bicycle.

Step 1: Testing the Ability of Vertical Parking

Take out your cargo bike on a flat surface. It's best to try this step with the help of a second person. Apply the rear brake and bring the bicycle in a vertical position by lifting the steering bar. Find the most stable position by balancing the cargo bike with your hands.

While holding this position, measure the necessary feet/rests lengts between the floor and possible anchor points at the bicycle frame. In my case, two ~ 3 cm long feet were necessary between the running boards and the floor.

For best stability and least wobbling, aim for a big triangle between the feet under the bikes center of gravity. The further the rests are outwards, the more stable is the bike in upright position. A small chain or rope attached to the top/front of the bike and a wall or similar is recommended to secure the bike against accidentially tipping over.

In my case, the triangle looks like a bigger trapeze when the running boards are extended and a smaller trapeze when they are folded. Both positions offer stable upright storage.

Step 2: Feet and Materials

With the numbers of feet and required lengths of your cargo bike, get some so called leveling feet or simple screws with a bigger head from your local hardware store.
In my case I used M8 hexagonal screws with 60 mm length in combination with four self-securing nuts, four M6 shims and two black rubber feet.

Step 3: Mounting the Feet

Mount the feet by a firm type of attachment. In my case I drilled a horizontal and straight 8 mm hole in the end of the running plates orthogonally to the pipe of the running blades. The first nut is screwed reversely on the screw, until the necessary length is available. One shim comes next on the screw, which is inserted in the hole. One shim and the second safety nut follows. Tighten the back nut in order to attach the feet to the bicycle.

Test the vertical parking now before adding any feet or non-removable covers to the screws. Adjust the screw/feet length in order to accieve maximum stability.

If your feet are screws, a suitable rubber cover can easily be fixed by a few drops of hot glue before putting them on.

Step 4: Enjoy Your Vertical Parking Feature

Test the vertical parking feature to make sure undesired parts of the bike touch ground. Apply the rear brake and bring the bicycle in a vertical position by lifting the steering bar up to the final stable position.

A small chain or rope attached to the top/front of the bike and a wall or similar is recommended to secure the bike against accidentially tipping over.