Tandem Bike Turned into Cargo Bike

I have great interest in using bikes to carry cargo, however I also live in a 500 square foot apartment on the fourth floor of a building with no elevator. Someday if I live on a ground floor and have some space, I can certainly see myself getting a trailer or something like an Xtracycle. 

Reader Andy submitted an awesome hack he came up with for carrying cargo.  I will let Andy speak/write for himself:  

In looking for ways to increase my carrying capacity without the use of a trailer, I came up with the notion of using a tandem frame--replacing the stoker with a home-made rack and panniers.  My particular application was a tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but this hack could also serve any "cargo-minded" cyclists.

The build required a few "creative" solutions, some of which are home-brewed, while others are off-the-shelf (but unique) components.  I'm not sure when it occurred to me to use a tandem frame, but when the idea hit me, it seemed like a dead-simple solution for making a cargo bike.  

The result is a thing of beauty, check out Sydney Elizabeth Nightengale Rothschild:

Photocredits to Andy 

And if you are curious as to how it performs, check out the sign . . .

Photo credit to Andy

In my exchange with Andy I mentioned that I wished to be able to one day use hot fire in my hacks and he mentioned that he took a welding class at a local community college.  I am filing that idea in my "totally awesome" file right now. 

The pretty red panniers were also custom made with the help of a friend with mad seamtress skills.

Andy did a righteous job cataloging all of the work he did both on his blog, Cold Binary Heart, and in a build album via Photobucket. 

I am sure that if you have questions you can post them in comments and Andy can offer answers. Thanks Andy!

Comments

[Ryan]

Looks good. It seems like the money spent buying a tandem [they aren't cheap] could be put toward buying a cargo bike though.

[slimbo]

no need for a community college welding class. checkout smartflix, they have instructional videos for all welding disciplines. combine a good video with a decent book (how to weld, Bridigum) and maybe a friend who already knows the skill and you should be able to get the basics down quickly enough.