I was going through some of my old notebooks and found some of the very first sketches of the MADSEN. This sketch is the first time I thought of putting the load on the back. I total remember sitting in my truck sketching while I should have been working. Up until that sketch all my designs were cargo forward.

At that time we had a cargo forward prototype that we were testing. We loved the cargo forward design but were frustrated with the handling of the bike. Handling of our cargo forward prototype was extremely difficult in rough conditions. Going off small curbs and through deep gutters was a test of nerves and often ended up in disaster. Cargo forward bicycles also requires a learning curve, it is not at all like riding a regular bicycle. As soon as we built our first prototype with the load in the rear we overcame these problems. The new design rides just like a regular bicycle and can handle rough conditions. Check this out to see what rough urban conditions can be like  . I was optimistic about hauling three people around. I was thinking about the Boda-boda  taxi when I added the seats and thought three is better than one. We now know two adult passengers is all one rider can handle.