It’s been almost a year since the Velo de Ville Loady 900 became part of our everyday life. We use it to take Basia to nursery, sometimes the older two to their after-school activities. We do the shopping with it, ride through snow in winter and rain in autumn. After more than four thousand kilometres, we’ve got a clear sense of what actually does the heavy lifting on this bike.
It’s still the best long tail we’ve ever ridden — and over the past year we’ve made a few changes worth talking about.
O tym przeczytasz
A new little house for Basia: canopy, leg covers and winter mornings
Winter isn’t exactly cyclist-friendly. We don’t put our bikes away in the basement bike room over the cold months though — we ride year-round. At first we did worry that Basia, sitting in the back, wouldn’t be quite as enthusiastic about our daily nursery runs once the autumn-into-winter slush set in.
Before the proper Polish drizzle hit, our Velo de Ville got a canopy. And not just any canopy — the deluxe version. Still openable from both sides, three deep extra pockets, mosquito nets for summer. But the thing that mattered most for Basia: zip-on leg covers. Total game changer — she actually says it’s warm and cosy in there.
Groceries, school bags and ice skates: how the family bike took the car’s place
Instead of the front rack, we mounted a deep basket. One reason: when we’d pop into a shop on the way home from work or nursery, the shopping suddenly stopped being a problem. The other: the older two adopted that basket as the perfect spot for their school bags. In winter it doubled up as the ice-skate holder.
Over the year we also started using the Velo more as a proper transport bike. The slot-in rear box was perfect for bigger shopping runs or hauling birthday-party gear out to the park.
Belt instead of chain: a small change that made a big difference in winter
That belt-drive setup is genuinely good. Normally our bikes — even our other Velo de Ville — need a serious post-winter clean and drivetrain service. Here, no grease (clean trouser legs), and the post-snow road salt washes off without any drama. Nothing to rust.
What wore out after a year and 4,000 km
So, did anything actually break in a year? No. The only thing we had to replace was the brake pads. That’s not a simple job, unfortunately, and at a bike shop the labour can add up. The reason: the entire rear rack has to come off to get to them. There’s probably a way to do it without dismantling everything, but the time would likely work out the same — most of it would just be done blind.
More features, more cost — what we’d skip second time round
The Loady 900 is a brilliant bike. The geometry, the balance, the safety — all top notch. But there are a few things we wouldn’t tick on the order form again. Not because they’re bad, just because the cost-to-benefit doesn’t quite stack up.
Velo de Ville lets you spec the bike very widely. Ours, for instance, has the automatic gearbox. You roll up to a red light, the gear drops, you pedal faster, it shifts on its own. Cool feature — but is it worth the extra 1,500 PLN (around €350)? That’s more a question of price than a real problem, because outside of that, nothing went wrong all year.
Who this longtail family bike actually makes sense for
After this year we’ve come away with one thought: this isn’t a bike that “looks great in a review.” This is a bike that actually changes daily life. And that only really shows after a few thousand kilometres. For us, it’s working.
So if you live somewhere with proper bike paths, you’ve got kids, and the bike is part of your everyday life — this family long tail is just for you. It’s the kind of bike that quietly fits into the slow rhythm of outdoor life with kids without needing a special occasion.
One thing, before anyone asks: the bike lives outside in front of our block of flats, locked, under a bike cover.
Stay with us for more!
