Yuba Mundo Cargo Bicycle
The original Yuba Mundo Cargo Bike made by Yuba Cycles was one of the best cargo bikes available in 2011 at its price range (US 999). With an hi-ten frame capable of carrying 200 kg (440 pounds) it was perfect for carrying kids and cargo to and from school and shops. Many then, calling the Yuba Mundo the stationwagon of the biking world. Although heavy at 22 kg (44 pounds) the 24/34/44 chainwheel and Shimano MF-TZ21 14-28T freewheel makes that weight manageable. Allowing a gear range low enough for most hills to be tackled. Another benefit of the Yuba Mundo that many older riders welcomed was the lower top tube height. Its far easier to step over the top tube of a loaded Yuba Mundo than trying to swing a leg over the saddle and cargo. Something, I didn’t always do with aplomb on more typically sized bikes. Today, the Yuba Mundo is only available in a upmarket chromoly frame version called the Mundo Lux. With an upmarket price of US2,499. Its not something I’d feel comfortable leaving in the bike racks at a shopping centre for any length of time. So I have been patiently on the look out for a second hand Yuba Mundo and was lucky enough to find one on Ebay in February, 2022
Upgrading Tyre’s
The original Yuba Mundo came with Freedom 26 x 2.00 tyre’s that offered a good ride at 30 psi but lacked the tyre protection that Schwalbe is renown for. In looking for a replacement tyre for the front wheel I automatically ruled out Schwalbe Marathon’s. The Marathon’s offer great durability and puncture protection but at the recommended tyre pressure of 50-95 psi the ride is too harsh. I instead purchased Schwalbe “Moto-X” 26 x 2.40. The Moto-X providing a much smoother ride at 30 psi.
Upgrading to Disc Brakes
The standard Yuba version 4 came with rim brakes. However, the frame and wheels have mountings that will accept Avid BB7 Mountain Disc Brake Calipers (around USD $70). Making it a relatively cheap upgrade to install disc brakes. The rear caliper does require an additional adapter from Yuba. But rather that order that fitting from US I sourced an “avid 185 mm adapter” locally in Australia. Further information on the “avid 185 mm adapter” is provided by teklektik on Endlesssphere. The mountings on the front brake works with the standard Avid BB7 Mountain Disc Brake fittings for a 160mm disc. I fitted a 185mm disc to the rear wheel.
Electric Hub Motor
I decided to upgrade the bike with a front wheel electric hub motor to help overcome the hilly terrain on my travels to work. I didn’t want to turn the bike into a scooter so looked for the lightest hub motor possible. The Bafang G311 front geared motor was the best option. Weighing only 2.4 Kg its barely noticeable against Yuba’s base weight of 22 kg. Yet has enough power to cruise up hills 2 to 3 times the speed that I would normally climb. Whilst being one of the quietest hub motors on the market. With a lightweight 36v 10AH lion battery. I only need charge the bike once a day for my return 20km route to work. I havn’t notice any great negative impacts whilst using the bike without power. The motor freewheels when unpowered so the bike remains fully usable when I just want to exercise.
The controller for the hub motor is a 36v 9 Mosfet Sine Wave Controller. Used in conjuction with a KT_LCD4 display from Suzhou kunteng electronics co. ltd that allows me to set the power levels on the fly. The meter allows settings from 0 to 5. When I am in a hurry I set the power level to 5 and the bike easily climbs steep hills with perhaps 40-50% of the effort that I would normally need. When I want more exercise I turn the power level down to 3 which requires perhaps 70% effort.