Donky bike - the cycling equivalent of the ute?

[mddawson]

Just spotted the odd looking Donky Bike:



It looks like it could be quite handy for inner city dwellers although it is a bit pricey: http://donkybike.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RonK]

How fugly is that?

[il padrone]

A NEW UTILITY VEHICLE

Good looks doesn't really enter into the equation

Mind you, I reckon the classic butchers/bakers bike would do the job even better

[MarkG]

It looks like the bastard child of one of those fold up bikes and a step ladder!

[Lukeyboy]

Dafaq am I looking at?

[il padrone]

Stand-on-end versatility would be handy for some




...as would the flat-pack luggage racks.



Get it through your skull guys - it's not a carbon race bike or some poseur fixie

[Lukeyboy]

Get it through your skull guys - it's not a carbon race bike or some poseur fixie

Yeah. It's just the Great Wall Ute of bicycles

[warthog1]

I'm not an engineer but that point where the 2 triangles meet between the handlebars and seat looks like a weak point. I would have thought it could have been designed a bit stronger in a bike designed to lug a lot of weight.
I'd take one of those Dutch bikes with the large carrier at the front over that yellow peril of the bike world

[warthog1]

Get it through your skull guys - it's not a carbon race bike or some poseur fixie

Get it through yours, we know that and it's still ugly as a hat full of r soles.

[WyvernRH]

I'm not an engineer but that point where the 2 triangles meet between the handlebars and seat looks like a weak point. I would have thought it could have been designed a bit stronger in a bike designed to lug a lot of weight.

Well I am a Mech Eng and you are right, the design is not ideal. I would have omitted the b'bracket to main beam tube and substituted a b'bracket to bottom of head tube run. Maybe bring the top diagonal back to the seat tube/main beam junction or beef up the head tube and omit it entirely?
One can only assume that they have made the main beam sufficiently chunky in material to take all the twisting and bending stresses (ie heavy)
I have to agree with Il Padrone and Warthog, the British and the Dutch solved this problem (sans folding ) 100 years ago.
Cheers
Richard

[Chuck]

Get it through your skull guys - it's not a carbon race bike or some poseur fixie

Those who have bagged it MUST be lycra warriors or hipster's. They wouldn't have called it ugly because that is actually their opinion, how silly would that be.

[silentbutdeadly]

I like it. It's made of triangles.

[outnabike]

Not the most attractive design but probably functional. I reckon the old butchers bike would be my choice as well.
If it comes to centre of gravity though, the donkey has the advantage of the rear load area for stability. I see the front rack as being too far forward of the handle bars which lessens the steering geometry by placing weight too far forward. Cabling looks pretty ordinary as a display as well.
The steering being independent of the load may be a good idea as well. The butchers bike would probably be more weight sensitive steering wise.
Would be interesting to get a ride on the two units with equal loads on them.
The butchers bike has the basket nicely sloping back to the bars for stability. But the two are designed to take different cargoes no doubt. Jut my thoughts.
On the bright side, what a great little ped bouncer!!!

[il padrone]

The steering being independent of the load may be a good idea as well. The butchers bike would probably be more weight sensitive steering wise.

The butchers bike also has the load independent of the steering. Small front wheel and raked fork gives sedate steering while the seating further back with trailing handlebars allows for the rider's weight to balance the load weight.

[warthog1]

Well I am a Mech Eng and you are right, the design is not ideal. I would have omitted the b'bracket to main beam tube and substituted a b'bracket to bottom of head tube run. Maybe bring the top diagonal back to the seat tube/main beam junction or beef up the head tube and omit it entirely?
One can only assume that they have made the main beam sufficiently chunky in material to take all the twisting and bending stresses (ie heavy)
I have to agree with Il Padrone and Warthog, the British and the Dutch solved this problem (sans folding ) 100 years ago.
Cheers
Richard

Thanks, I can't work out why they made it so butt ugly if there is no valid engineering reason behind it.

[Mulger bill]

Thanks, I can't work out why they made it so butt ugly if there is no valid engineering reason behind it.

As an anti theft measure
'Druther a Bakfiets or Bullitt any day of the week...

[il padrone]

Bullitt.... YEAH!





But you won't get much of one for 499 pounds sterling .

[Mulger bill]

Yeah I'd have to go a total reorganise of the shed to fit one in too.

Bright side, it aint gonna fold at a weak point any too soon.

[zero]

Well I am a Mech Eng and you are right, the design is not ideal. I would have omitted the b'bracket to main beam tube and substituted a b'bracket to bottom of head tube run. Maybe bring the top diagonal back to the seat tube/main beam junction or beef up the head tube and omit it entirely?
One can only assume that they have made the main beam sufficiently chunky in material to take all the twisting and bending stresses (ie heavy)
I have to agree with Il Padrone and Warthog, the British and the Dutch solved this problem (sans folding ) 100 years ago.
Cheers
Richard

Thanks, I can't work out why they made it so butt ugly if there is no valid engineering reason behind it.

Its actually a fairly neat package, if you have a load that can be broken in two. ie it trades off largest possible volume of single object compared to a bake fiets for significantly reduced storage requirements of the bike itself (bakefiets is often a car replacement such is its volume consumption in the garage).

I actually don't mind the tube treatments on it - I dislike the disjointed bars some designers use around a central boom like that, I would personally be much reassured by the level of reinforcement to the steering tube should I have cause to yank on the brakes, which has come without needing a top tube (don't want top tubes on utility bikes).

I'd struggle to ride a yellow bike with an upside down tonka logo on it though.

[HappyHumber]

I think it's interesting. Whilst still not k-mart or mass consumer type cheap just yet, it's still an improvement and a slightly different sub-niche of the broader "Cargo Bike" category. I think it's bit unfair comparing it to the Bullit/Bakfiets etc. Apples versus Watermelons really.

Mind you... being 6'2" most 20" wheel bikes have always deterred me personally.

Oh, and as to the original topic question; I think it's more a Suzuki Mighty Boy vs. a real Ute

vs

[RonK]

Thanks, I can't work out why they made it so butt ugly if there is no valid engineering reason behind it.

As an anti theft measure
'Druther a Bakfiets or Bullitt any day of the week...

'Druther one of these...

[mddawson]

Spotted a similar Dutch bike - the Dutch ID Lorri:



They also make the Double Dutch:



and the Filibus that appears to be a modern take of the butcher/baker bike:



http://www.dutch-id.nl/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[WyvernRH]

Spotted a similar Dutch bike - the Dutch ID Lorri:

See! they didn't let the graphic artists have a say in the frame design on that one!
Cheers
Richard

[liquor box]

Bullitt.... YEAH!





But you won't get much of one for 499 pounds sterling .

do you have to lean into every corner? how do you change direction of the front wheel?

[HappyHumber]

do you have to lean into every corner? how do you change direction of the front wheel?

there's a linkage underneath the frame adjoining the handlebars to to the iddy-biddy fork at front. Not at all obvious from this pic.
This pic from the latter stages of a DIY/Build your own project may explain it better visually for you. Complete article here.