Mundo 500: Electric Cargo Bike and Pedal Power Generator

Save time on your commute and cargo missions. Save the party at your events.

 

This item is available on a made to order basis. Please call 888-354-2453 or email for a quote. We will ask you questions about your needs and terrain, then determine what components to spec for you and get back to you with a quote within a day.

The big fat hub in the picture is the Mundo 500’s motor / generator. Depending on your needs, you can set it up for high-torque or higher top speeds. With the Li-Ion battery and controller mounted underneath the carrying surfaces of the Mundo, you won’t be reducing the awesome cargo capacity of the bike. You can still use all the Mundo’s accessories like the GoGetter bag.

Fossil Fool & Rock the Bike perform at Sunday Streets, August 9, 2009 by Steve Rhodes.

Because the electric wheel is the rear wheel, the Mundo 500 can be used as a very efficient pedal power generator. It’s shown above in the foreground at a recent Pedal Powered Stage event as part of the Sunday Streets in San Francisco.

The Mundo 500 has the same low standover height as a regular Mundo. At events and for human power use it fits a wide range of pedalers. It’s the most efficient generator in our Pedal Power Stage fleet.

In transportation mode, the Mundo 500 is an excellent performing electric bike. We’ve paired the Mundo 500 with a 10Ah 36V Li-Mn battery. The range we’ve been getting in mixed terrain is approximately 15-25 miles at 15-25 miles per hour, with near constant pedaling. Higher speeds increase the wattage used and therefore reduce your range. If you need to get 10 miles away at max speed, bring your charger and top it off before the return trip. It is possible to use the Mundo 500 as a glorified scooter, not pedaling at all. However, you’d be looking at vastly reduced battery life and no workout.

Being able to throttle without pedaling is a major benefit in city traffic. It helps you keep speed while you change gears, among other things. It also helps a lot at traffic lights and intersections.

With the Mundo 500 you can still pedal hard and arrive at your destination out of breath. You’ll just be getter there in less time. The controller automatically adds as much oomph as you need to go the desired speed.

Mundo 500 loaded with 180 pounds of music gear. by you.

We’re not the first to introduce a 500-Watt electric bike with a rechargeable Lithium battery pack. What makes this offering unique is the combination with the Mundo Cargo Bike.

A Mundo 500 is the base bike of Fossil Fool’s most recent Soul Cycle, the Blue Whale. The photo above shows his touring load on the Pleasant Revolution 2010 bike music tour of Europe. In addition to the custom fiberglass speaker cabinet you can see a 50 pound food box, a messenger bag, and camping mat. On the far side is a GoGetter bag filled with clothing and electronic music gear. See the recent related blog posts for this product to read more about the tour!

See what a Mundo can do! View the Mundo 500’s Photo Gallery

There are several key benefits of using a Mundo as the base of an electric cargo bike:

Carrying capacity. With a steel chassis cargo rack and an evolved and customizeable carrying system including the huge GoGetter bag, sold separately. The 500 Watt motor helps you climb hills with less pressure on your knees. You’ll be able to truly use the cargo hauling capabilities of the Mundo to the max. Equipment, shopping, music gear, sports gear, computers, and passengers.

Long wheelbase = stable and safe. Many electric bikes use a short-wheelbase geometry frame or cheap suspension systems, and feel iffy at best when leaning into turns. These types of bikes are more likely to develop a speed wobble. If you carry a load on a regular electric bicycle, the load is likely to be higher, changing the center of gravity. The Mundo’s long-wheelbase frame offers great control on turns. The rider sits between the two wheels, not over the rear wheel, so there’s even weight on the drive wheel and the steering wheel, and road shock doesn’t go straight up the spine as it does on shorter bikes. The large cargo chassis offers plenty of space for carrying heavy things low, keeping your center of gravity low.

Frame stiffness helps the motor perform optimally. The added weight of the rear wheel on an electric bike makes frame stiffness a priority, especially on a long wheelbase bike. Luckily, the Mundo has the stiffest frame available on any cargo bike.

Experience the amazing StandAlone kickstand. In the photo below note how the StandAlone holds the fully loaded Mundo 500 upright on the bow of a ferry with no guard rail. The StandAlone was designed by Rock The Bike’s engineer Leif who also engineers for Yuba.

This item is available on a made to order basis. Please call 888-354-2453 or email for a quote. We will ask you questions about your needs and terrain, then determine what components to spec for you and get back to you within a day. Build times are usually in the 2-4 week range. We do often have demo bikes available.
  • Spinning Wheels Power Tunes

    This article features our 2 Modified JBL PRX speakers, 3 Mundo 500‘s, a pedal power Utility Box and the Biker Bar. Shaun O’Dell published this article in the Register-Guard on May 6, 2010.

    Look for a bunch of music lovers on Saturday who plan to pedal — not peddle — on behalf of live musical acts.

    Thanks to $10,000 in tourism grants, the University of Oregon Bike Program has been able to purchase equipment for this year’s Bike Music Fest that will help support live music acts by pedal power. The Bike Music Fest, which is incorporated into the Willamette Valley Music Fest, happens Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The larger music festival will continue until midnight.

    (more…)



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