Cargo bike invasion
Another cargo bike has rolled in to Tucson, which means that there are now three of them floating around the 4th Ave./Downtown area. Erik and I met the owner of the third bike on the Tuesday ride last night, and he seems to be very pleased with the purchase. The Mercurio can be bought at a department store in Nogales, Mexico for about $240.
On a trip to Mexico one will notice that bikes of this type abound, but down South most people don’t usually ride them. In Mexico the bikes are converted into mobile stands out of which they sell ice cream, churros, tamales, etc., so it must be somewhat confusing to see gringos like us riding them over the border.
Though I was initially a bit skeptical about its practicality, the Mercurio has proven to be the most useful bike that I own. Thus far I have ridden it with some pretty heavy cargo such as a coffee table, other bikes, newspapers, and my music collection. It is unwieldy at high speeds and its manufacturing and assembly is somewhat questionable, but if you can get past the quirks the Mercurio is well worth a trip to Nogales.
-lauren