How to Build your own Cargo Bike (Short Version!)

As you know, every now and then I like to release some of my older videos with a much snappier cut, so here's the short attention span version of my Cargo Bike build from 2019 - the whole build in just 16 minutes!
If you want to see the full build in more detail and with explanations, check out the detailed build video here: • How to Build a DIY Car...
📐 PLANS for this project: www.etsy.com/listing/746194519/
🔧 LINK LIST for tools I use in my videos: hero.page/philvandelay/my-fav...
👕 SHIRTS / Merch Store: phil-vandelay.creator-spring....
🙏🏻 Patreon: / philvandelay
📷 Instagram: / phil_vandelay

[@ronsteelable9405]

I used your video as a template for my build some years back! Added a 3kw hub motor and a battery pack sandwiched in the floorboard. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@corey_nz]

Thanks for the condensed version, this is my favourite one of all your cargo bikes. I think because it's so simple and the boxy construction makes it look industrious and rugged or something like that. I really enjoy the thought you put into your designs and the way you capture that on video

[@Nolobot]

That shot at the end of you hauling the Omnium is priceless!

[@MattOckendon]

1000km later I'm delighted with mine - the plans are worth every penny. Thanks!

[@ahmatophotography]

Waw ,what an amazing job habibi bro !!! Enjoying very much watching every second of this video ( the previous ones too😊) ,love the small/fine details ! Great job🎉

[@juanandresdhers9093]

Amazing! I love this project! Thanks for sharing!!

[@Neilisthevideoking]

Fantastic project. Thanks for making the video perfectly condensed. 🎉

[@brentjenkinsdesigns]

Pure awesomeness! Any thought of another multi-chapter build like the belt grinder? I really enjoy all of your work and the grinder even more so! Great job.

[@owievisie]

Absolutely amazing bro, thank you for making this video, I am impressed

[@adamthethird4753]

Thank you for the reminder

[@victorruiz7744]

I always love your work, so inspiring

[@thegushbikeshop7419]

This is so sick! Well done sir!

[@paulaspinall919]

Wow! Beautiful build. I was considering that it would be very heavy until I saw you pick it up off the bench with ease. Thin wall tubing equals max strength with minimal weight. Thanks.

[@muellermade4857]

I built one this year off of Phil's plan, it is awesome!

[@Sincuedom]

what does the workshop cost?

[@AntonioMarcos-ru9pk]

Não seria quanto custa a bike ?

[@user-vq4gj9nf7w]

Hell yeah you kicked ass on that video that bike is awesome

[@HolahkuTaigiTWFormosanDiplomat]

It will be great for the workshop to open for the people~

[@Flako-dd]

I honestly just had the idea again to start with a DIY cargo. Was inspired at cycling world fair yesterday. I should buy a welder. 😊

[@bebertodescuba]

Très inspirant, merci🤩

[@sims76]

the guidance system is ingenious

[@JPTHRICE]

cool guy and cool project!

[@user-lx9if6bf5s]

Как всегда, отличный результат.

[@TheMagaiver40]

Belo trabalho parabéns

[@travelwithpawan8847]

Very nice

[@de4ths0n]

Fantastic video! May I ask, which tungsten electrodes and filler rod do you use? Thanks in advance!

[@hamishwaters5369]

Great plans Phil, I bought them last month and have just started the build!

[@dpie4859]

Impressive

[@HeymynameisMitch]

mega nice

[@nikolaosstavrou5327]

exellent!

[@Beautiful_in]

NICE! 💐

[@lpt99]

Great video as always :) Would you make the lower part of the steering system any different today ? Thanks a lot for all your work !

[@PhilVandelay]

Nope it works quite well, but if I built it purely for myself (it was intentionally kept simple for this build to be easy to replicate) I would probably use ball bearings for the joints instead of the improvised bushings

Great project! Without an engine it might be hard to pedal?

[@charlesstaton8104]

In my head a bike made of round tube combined with square tubing looks bad and obviously DIY. But when you made it, it doesn’t look either; it looks great!

[@alanmony1582]

Nice build, Phil! My only area of condern is with the kickstand, the cross bar seems like it might be so low that it hits when going over inclines or road humps (if you have them in Europe). Other wise I like it!

[@PhilVandelay]

Check out my latest cargo build, you can see me go down stairs, jumping off curbs etc. with a very similar bike. Under normal riding conditions in the city, it's extremely unlikely you'll hit the stand, it's never happened to me, the speed bump would have to be excessively tall to hit that. As for inclines, it depends, it would have to be a very steep incline with a very sharp edge. I've ridden countless cargo bikes like this for thousands of kilometres and it's lnever happend to me, unless I was purposely doing shenanigans going off road or over obstacles that the bike clearly isn't meant for. Going over something like a pump track - yeah you could possibly hit it, but I wouldn't call that normal riding conditions. The bike could be built higher of course, but you want to get the center of gravity as low as possible for handling reasons.

[@williamaraujo2125]

Top!

[@andrealves2238]

Muito legal o projeto, mas tem que ter muita fé nesse freio de aro pra segurar todo o peso da bike + carga.

[@Drachselhuberjoschi_1]

🤔hab mal.gegoogelt,wo du her bist, moin moin geile Arbeit💪👍

[@DaleDix]

Vandelday Industries is alive and well!

[@RonLWilson]

I have been thinking of a militarized version of a cargo e bike where it could carry a heavy weapon such as an automatic grenade launcher or a 50cal machine gun plus some light weight armor. The bike would have two modes, one where it is mobile and can carry the weapon and the other deployed where the bike is lain on its side and the weapon rotated along two axis so that it can be fired by a person lying prone at right angle to the bike. The bottom of the cargo bay would have a light armor plate (with a low CG) when riding and can act as a gun shield when it is in the deployed configuration. Thus the rider can dismount, lay the bike on its side, rotate the gun in azimuth so that it is point to one side of the bike (where it point to the front in the mobile configuration) and the rotated so as to not be pointed up to the sky but toward the horizon. In that configuration the rider/gunner could lie prone and use the armored plate on the bottom of the bay as a protective gun shield and operate the weapon from that cover. I , myself, do not have either the mechanical aptitude nor the equipment to build a demo of this but someone like yourself could do that so I keep some one might in fact do that as a demotion of the over all concept and all the more so given the situation in Ukraine where the Ukrainians perhaps might be able to make good use of something like this. As such a proof of concept demonstrator might be useful in assessing the merits of such an application of Cargo e-bikes as well as serve as a visualization aid to better convey the idea as well as a testbed to evaluate and refine the design such as how best to secure it to the ground from recoil and the like. Also amphibious forces could make use of this. e.g. Google Swedish Marine Combat Boat 90 Demonstration - U.S. Marines, Berga Naval Base Notice that once the solider disembark form the boat they then are just on foot and have limited ability to carry heavy weapons where they could easily carry a one or more such equipped cargo e-bikes and have a much larger punch plus more mobility as well. And the other soldiers that disembark could get enhanced mobility by riding these as well. Google Top 5 Best Electric Unicycles 2024 | Best Electric Unicycles 2024 So why walk when one can ride?

[@grumpygrandpa3640]

Do you make these for sale ?

[@zumbazumba1]

5:32 when you weld near threaded hole where pedal axis goes (sry im not a bike guy got no idea how its called) how do you not distort the thread? Especially since the tubing is so thin and thread is so fine ? At factory you could avoid it easy by firs welding then drilling to size and then tapping the thread so it remains perfect but every time you weld around thread if peace is thin it is going to screw it up.

[@PhilVandelay]

The tubing isn't that thin, the bottom bracket shell is the sturdiest part and has around 4mm of wall thickness depending on the frame, which is plenty. As long as you don't use excessive heat these don't distort, at least not to the extent where it causes problems. I've built a lot of bikes like this and never had a problem with it.

[@Mitans161]

Hi Phil. Muß man zum TÜV mit dem lastenrad?

[@PhilVandelay]

Nein, Fahrräder sind ja kein KFZ und damit auch nicht Zulassungspflichtig. Es muss nur Verkehrssicher im Sinne der StVO sein (Licht, funktionierende Bremsen usw.).

[@rolfpoelman3486]

I want a tilting trike Long John ie front deck. Will you show how to get a much cheaper one? €7000 is a lot of money.

[@PhilVandelay]

I actually have been planning to do that at some point. Can't promise anything but it might happen!

[@piconano]

If you make a recumbent reverse trike Velomobile, I would buy the plans. Something that is weather proof and can be ridden in rain and snow. So I can replace my electric moped, my only transport. I've seen many nice ones, but no plans or anything. Just for a YT video.

[@PhilVandelay]

Well, recumbents are a very niche thing so that's probably why. I have thought about doing a tilting cargo bike, but it's unlikely I'll get into recumbent bikes anytime soon I'm afraid, I personally just wouldn't have any use for it

[@piconano]

@@PhilVandelayYeah, the ones I like are like $8000 and up. Way out of my range.

[@akiparviainen_]

@@PhilVandelay have you thought about long tail build? Something that could fit Tern's accessories (Clubhouse, StormBox etc) would be cool as heck but of course accessories can be DIY'd.

[@eternaloptimist2840]

Just use one of the available plans for a delta recumbent and hack on a body using fiberglass poles and coated fabric - a tent, basically. I have a recumbent trike I'd like to make a Perspex bubble screen for, which would keep off the worst of the weather - I guess that could also be the basis for more complete bodywork.

[@eternaloptimist2840]

​@@piconanoThere are some used bargains to be had if you don't need the latest greatest model, and don't mind doing a bit of work to make them good.

[@OjStudios]

Any idea what's the gross weight of this build you did? Also I might be blind but did you drill weep holes anywhere, where the frame parts are closed off?

[@PhilVandelay]

Yeah in the back of the downtube, the tubes on the side I would generally trust to be watertight but it depends on the quality of the welds

[@jorghaas1402]

Hallo, es wär interessant zu erfahren, wie schwer das bike ist. Könnte das auch aus Aluminium Profilen hergestellt werden? Danke

[@PhilVandelay]

Das Projekt ist schon länger her aber ich glaube es waren aufgebaut knapp 30kg. Wäre absolut denkbar das aus Alu zu bauen, ja. Auf meinem Channel findest du auch ein paar solcher Projekte

[@davegillett4036]

I can’t remember from the original if you said what grade of box section you used?

[@PhilVandelay]

The downtube is 55x1,5mm mild steel but a 50x2mm tube can also be used (slightly less stiff and a bit heavier, but it's easier to source depending on where you are)

[@2000bvz]

In the U.S. it is almost impossible to get metric steel (we are barbarians over here). I used 2" square steel tubing that is .065" wall thickness. I am building with that right now, but I also suck at welding and keep blowing holes through the cromoly tubing of the donor frame, so I can't tell you if it is strong enough... but it should be (pretty close to 50x2 mm, but not quite there). One accommodation I have made to deal with this slightly less strong cross section is to shorten the cargo area by about 10-15cm.

[@Noorikon]

👍

[@sergeibabenko4209]

Молодец хорошо правильно да точно хорошо 🎉🎉👏👏💯🤝

[@Sciman0231]

How has this bike held up over the past 5 years or so? I figure you're using the newer aluminum one more often, but I'd be curious to see an update on how it's doing and thoughts on what you might change in hindsight

[@PhilVandelay]

A friend of mine bought it some years ago actually, as far as I know he still rides it a lot. There's another one like this I built over 10 years ago which is still in service, they last pretty much forever when well maintained. If I'd change something I'd probably make it even simpler and ditch the cargo cage around the frame to save some weight and build time. This build is specifically designed for beginners so it's easy to make, so I wouldn't change anything that makes it more complex

[@klemensvomdach5340]

I built one myself using Phil's plans and mine is holding up great so far. Even though it was my first welding project, no issues at this point. I built mine in early 2020, so its about 4 years old now. I don't use it super often, but sth. like every other week. For me it has been a great car replacement for transporting large and heavy stuff like furniture and wood for other projects. One thing that I realized after building is that the gusset in the front of the cargo area can get in the way, but I fear there is no way around this since it is impotant for the stability. It is one thing to keep in mind if you plan to transport boxes with specific measurements, but it never really bothered me. Another thing that I would change on mine is to put some nuts or threads right behind the steerer tube of the fork at the top of the big square tube to be able to attach a steel cross bar there. In that way it is possible to transport really long wooden boards hanging out to the front as they can rest on the cross bar in the front. It's a bit hard to describe, but I hope the idea becomes a bit clear. I built a wooden contraption instead that I can fasten there, but steel would be more stable I guess. Phil's plans are great by the way and really worth it, if you plan building a cargo bike yourself. All in all, I'm very happy that I own this bike and it puts a smile on my face each time I ride it

[@Sciman0231]

@@klemensvomdach5340Awesome! Glad it worked so well for you. I'm still working up my welding skills to be able to make one, but I'm planning on it soonish

[@Sciman0231]

@@PhilVandelayBy cargo cage, do you mean the platform around the center beam? I remember Jer Schmidt made this bike and just bolted a big plastic box there in lieu of the full cargo bay, seemed to work pretty well for them

[@eccentricbeliever7]

The steering mechanism is on the underside and exposed -- have you found it to suffer from the road dirt and mud at all? I would be way too lazy to take them apart and clean

[@PhilVandelay]

Nope, these are really low maintenance generally. The ball joints in front tend to wear out fastest after 1-2 years but they're easily replaced for a few bucks.

[@mikaelt3241]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@claudiofiero8523]

A great prototype! But I wouldn't dare using it as is. The gearing seems just inhuman for such a heavy boy, and the breaking system as well might be a bit on the weak side. Disc brakes and some sort of electrification (or simply a more appropriate crankset) might make it much more interesting, paired with a couple of reflectors here and there, because why not, better playing it safe. But as an engineering standpoint that's amazing

[@youteacher78]

I bought the plans over a year ago and only last month started sourcing the materials. You know it's pretty hard to find a decent, cheap, steel mtb these days? I didn't. 😅

[@PhilVandelay]

Yeah it's a bit unfortunate because in recent years, retro MTBs have become really trendy among bike people so prices have gone up quite a bit. I guess it depends on the area too, but around here you can still make a good deal with some patience. I'll admit the bike I used in the video was a VERY good deal for 50 bucks

[@Mitans161]

Not in Germany. Kleinanzeige is full of cheap 26"bikes.

[@customerisalwaysrigh]

If you're in the pacific northwest ive got a frame a whith a dented top tube you can have for free

[@jerrylewis7702]

noch vor dem geilen schweisstisch.....

[@kiwishamoo6494]

You weren't tempted to make the basket frame from aluminium as well?

[@PhilVandelay]

You can't weld aluminum to steel

[@JD-wo3mi]

I wish I could have the tools and place to build things unfortunately I’m stuck in a flat 😭

[@PhilVandelay]

I actually built my first cargo bike in my flat but I wouldn't suggest it ;) Maybe there's a Makerspace or Bike Kitchen near you to do this kind of thing

[@JD-wo3mi]

@@PhilVandelay I haven’t got the space or money for tools unfortunately I’m always looking out for second hand cargo bikes if you could recommend places

[@lordmichu]

What is happening in the background in 15:45?

[@PhilVandelay]

Haha I love to include that thing in videos because people always get confused by it. It's a local tourist attaction, an amphibious bus you can book harbour tours on. It can drive in and out of the water using a ramp and turns into a boat seamlessly.

[@lordmichu]

@@PhilVandelayNice :D

[@ahmedhejazy5958]

Nice idea... It is advisable to make an additional tire or four wheels for the load

[@lonerbikes]

Now i know why cargo bikes are so expensive 😮

[@nguyenanh-ki9sr]

❤❤❤👍👍👍

[@Stelsovod]

Глаза! Кричать нужно на каждой секунде ГЛАЗА! Сварщики поймут.

[@radwanderer6165]

Wouldn't it be much lighter made of an aluminum Bike and aluminum tubing? Or would other things, such as welding, become too much effort? 🙂

[@PhilVandelay]

This is designed to be easy to build for the average person, and 99% of people don't have the equipment or ability to weld aluminum

[@radwanderer6165]

@@PhilVandelay Ah, I see!

[@jeremys6631]

Pass. Id rather just take a 4 wheel folding cart make attachment to the back of bike. With this you can unhook it bring the package to the door without lifting it

[@enescakr4203]

cool build, shame its not electrified

[@PhilVandelay]

You can put a Bafang Mid Drive on it actually, a bunch of people have done it. But for the video it was supposed to be a budget build

[@Joshua-pt4ny]

Why not build a trailer for an already existing bike? Honest question

[@PhilVandelay]

Just think of it like this, why do vans and trucks exist instead of everyone driving around in cars with trailers?

[@Joshua-pt4ny]

@@PhilVandelay thanks for the reply

[@TechPRO100]

next step is electric for it :)

[@PhilVandelay]

Check out my latest cargo build, it's got that and more!

[@TechPRO100]

@@PhilVandelay I ll check!

[@Stubones999]

Someone needs to show you how to use a tubing bender...Lots of your welds would not be needed, and your designs would be more organic rather than boxy angles.

[@PhilVandelay]

Thanks for phrasing this in the most arrogant way possible and assuming the reason I don't do things your way has to be lack of knowledge. If you asked nicely I would have explained it, but not like this

[@LordOfTamarac]

@@PhilVandelayI’m sorry they came at you like that. I agree it’s disrespectful to think you’re the kind of person who doesn’t have a reason for what they do. It’s clear there’s enormous amounts of planning and thought in these designs. I am curious though why bending parts isn’t a technique you do more often. Would you be willing to elaborate on that?

[@PhilVandelay]

​@@LordOfTamarac There's numerous reasons, for this bike the biggest one is that this is specifically designed as a beginner project, everything in this is geared towards being easy to build, that was the overarching goal for this design. You can see in my latest build that I do things differently when I design something purely for myself. The other big reason is that bending tubes is nowhere near as trivial as people generally tend to assume and this includes people who have done it before - because they used different tubes. When you see people do this in videos etc. they're usually bending fairly thick steel tubes for stuff like roll cages which works well with a "normal" tube bender such as the classic hossfeld- type bender and its many clones on the market. And even those are very expensive in decent quality. The problem is that once you get to a certain ratio of wall thickness to tube diameter, normal tube benders using only bending dies don't work anymore. The bend radius is another factor that influences this, and for these frames most bends would have to be fairly tight which isn't helping. If the ratio between cross section, wall thickness and bend radius is outside of a certain limit, the tubes WILL start to buckle during bending and you get ugly creases and folds, ovalization, changes in cross section etc. because the walls are too thin and start to collapse in on themselves. No amount of outside support even with precise bending dies can prevent this. The only solution for that is a special type of bending machine called a mandrel bender, where a specially shaped tool is inserted into the tube at a precise location to support the walls from the inside and prevent them from buckling as the tube is drawn around the mandrel which also requires a more complex mechanism than in regular benders because you're not pushing the tube around the die, rather the die rotates and pulls the tube around itself. There's different types of mandrels, from simple to more complex, as bends get increasingly more tricky to pull of based on the aforementioned factors. These machines are even more expensive and really no mandrel bender exists in the hobby or semi-professional market that I know of, mandrel benders are usually industrial machines using hydraulics that start in the 5-figure range for the most basic ones, so nothing I can afford or would be willing to spend that much money on. This is not even factoring in the tooling like bending dies and mandrels which you would need to buy individually for every single inside diameter and tube shape you want to bend, let alone the size and weight of those things. Due to the nature of bike frames and especially cargo bike frames, the main tubes used pretty much always have a ratio of wall thickness to cross section that isn't possible to bend cleanly on a normal tube bender. This problem gets worse the larger the diameter of the tube becomes, and for cargo bikes you tend to use huge tubes because a large cross section with thin walls offers the best strength to weight ratio by far. You can get away with bending chainstays and seat stays on normal bike frames because they're quite small in diameter and even this usually only works with a fairly large bend radius and because at a similar wall thickness the ratio on a small ID tube changes in your favor. But with a 55mm downtube like I use for these bikes, or even the smaller 30mm tubes, this ratio quickly goes through the roof, up to where clean bending without a mandrel becomes impossible - there's tables for all this stuff to be found online, I'd link them but don't have the time to look right now. Anyway - that's the main reason why I don't bend tubes, the equipment required is unrealistic for me to have at this point. The other solution is to use thicker tubes which would make the bikes exceedingly heavy, or bend thin ones without support and live with a subpar result. A third way would be to outsource the bending to some place that has the equipment. None of those are options I'm willing to go with. I'm sure someone would now suggest some of the home gamer DIY solutions like filling the tubes with sand or water and sealing the ends, but apart from being a huge pain, these options have questionable results and aren't reliable in my experience and I'd rather just forego the bending than use some botched improvised solution just for the sake of bending something. Last but not least, due to the lack of appropriately sized and/or priced machines on the market, I have actually designed my own mandrel bender in CAD a few years ago. I have a full model of that sitting around waiting to be built, but I'm not sure it's ever going to happen for various reasons. I just hope this drives home that I have given this topic some thought. Here's a good video showcasing a mandrel bender: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHOrh62deNygqZYsi=-FKOol-Ra6r3YitH And because I'm a fan, one from This Old Tony about bending in general and showing the Hossfeld bender: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKu7lpZ5pLaKnck

[@LordOfTamarac]

Thank you for the information. As a machinist who mainly sticks to the mill and lathe, my experience with tubing bending and sheet metal work is limited. The extremely small amount I've dealt with really drive home that it's not nearly as easy as it looks. Even on my cnc plasma table, where I built a swiveling faucet to fill the table with water. I ruined dozens of sections of copper tubing trying to make two 90 degree bends before I gave up and soldered in two 90 fittings. All of this stuff makes a lot of sense and I really appreciate the additional links, cheers. @@PhilVandelay

[@tcarney57]

@@PhilVandelayGood reply to Stubones999!