So what do you think of the pedicab?

Question

Just wondering if anyone is using these to get around instead of their car or what you think of them? I live in suburbia and stay home with my daughter and have a gas guzzling SUV that my husband talked me into. It would be entirely feasible in my mind to load my daughter up in one of these are pedal over to the library or even the supermarket, since I'd have space to put stuff. Looks like most use is commercial, with people making it a business... but I think it would great if more people gave these a try. I think some of them have electric assists, if you get tired. Or I may be thinking of the electric bikes. Here's a link to what I'm talking about.

http://www.electric-bikes.com/pedicabs/pedicabs.html#Pedal-Electric%20Pedicab

Answer 1

Do you have a good bike path network in your area?  I would not feel good about taking one of those on the road especialy weighted down by a child.  Drivers are generaly a*****e to people on regular bikes.  I can't imagine they would be more curtious to people on wider slower bikes.

Answer 2

I bought this and put an electric motor on it.

http://www.ninobur.com/verhees/verhees.h...

Works just fine.

There is a US law based on HR727 that allows electric assist up to 750 watts and 20mph on  2 and 3 wheeled bikes, AND you can put an enclosure on  them.

Tens of Thousands of people in  the USA  commute on them every day.  Now with gas prices going up more, we can put an enclosure on them for the winter.

you might like some of these with a motor:

http://www.bluevelo.com/Order_from_Europ...

maybe:

http://www.bentrideronline.com/gallery/1...

or this:

http://www.blueskydsn.com/BugE_Concept.h...

Answer 3

A narrow lane way.

A huge dump truck. Driver either on a cell phone or has been drinking or both.

A pedicab in the road.

I can't bear to look.

Answer 4

It’s a good idea but it VERY expensive for someone not in the cab business. For that price I could easily but a nice used Toyota, and park the SUV.

Just so you know you could buy a nice tricycle for less then $1,500 and add the electrical motor for about $700 to $1,300.

Answer 5

dont use them and dont plan to they dont seem very apealing