I like to keep my bike organized. I generally keep the front box open for kids and try to store bags and supplies on the rear. Of course that’s sometimes wishful thinking…case in point:

Over the years I’ve nailed down a few strategies for keeping all riders and passengers as comfortable as I can while also ensuring that we have what we need for day-to-day use and in case of emergencies. Let’s start with a macro view of the rear:

I’ve linked the products I’ve used have indiciated which products I highly recommend. I have:

A. Two Tow Monsters — Which are incredibly handy for carrying bags, bulky items and towing bikes. I use these daily.

B. My bike trunk. I leave this on all of the time, and have not had an issue with people ruffling through it. This one is fairly cheap and is already showing zipper issues after a year of use. I will probably upgrade it soon. For reference, here’s a link to mine. It’s 8L size and lightly water resistant. I wouldn’t recommend this particular bag, but I’ve included the link for a frame of reference.

C. I keep the ring chain that plugs into my cafe lock on the back of my bike at all times.It’s anchored around the back triangle and then I run it through my seat handle to help deter theft of my seat post (of course I actually lock it up when I stop…as it is shown is not a deterrent to theft).

D. Barely visible is my flag pole! I use this rainbow flag and I really like it. I’ve had zero issues with it and have used it for 3-4 years now (I first got it with my trike and then transfered it to my long tail and now to the bakfiets). I have it mounted to the Tow Monster but I’ve used this bracket successfully with other bikes (on my trike I just stuck the pole in a pannier and zip tied it to the rear rack).

E. Not related to storage, but I have a Loud Bicycle horn dangling from the seat and I thought you might be curious about what it was. The button to activate it is on the handlebars. The placement isn’t ideal (facing backwards), but it’s very loud and I can’t have it on the handlebars facing my poor passengers’ ears. It’s very helpful to have the ability to sound like a car when it’s absolutely necessary.

F. The trusty cafe lock. In case you missed it, I have a whole post dedicated to the wonders of the cafe lock.

G. A suspension seat post. I use the Kinekt originally, and while it’s known for being one of the best, I didn’t like it. The screws kept coming loose over time which resulted in side to side wobble. I’m now onto Thudbuster and having a positive experience so far. I definitely recommend some sort of suspension system — whether in the saddle or the seat post — for any upright bike.

Now, for the micro lens — here’s what I keep in the trunk. Links included but this is just for reference…I’m not partial to any particular brands of these products:

This is gear I keep on my bike at all times. Most of this I haven’t needed on the road, but because it’s all specific to my Urban Arrow, I just keep it on my bike so when I need to do repairs I know where it is.

1. Travel air pump
2. First aid kit
3. Allen key set and micro screw driver set. The later has the right bit for me to change out my brake pads.
4. Tire levers
5. I just added this waterproof cover to put on my bike in the rain.
6. Charging cables for my phone, speaker and bike lights. I keep this battery in the front of the box to use with the cables
7. My auxillary rear light is attached to the back of the trunk bag.
8. A 15mm wrench — the size I need to remove the rear wheel of the 2022 Urban Arrow.
9. A rando carabiner — 15 years ago my husband and I used to rock climb and we still had this carabiner lying around. I hooked it to my trunk bag and use it for keeping kid helmets out of the way.
10. This is an Abus folding lock that I keep on the bike at all times — even if I don’t plan to lock up. If you need to abandon your bike (e.g., in the even of a flat), it’s imperative to have a heavy duty lock so you can secure it while you’re away. I have another heavy duty Abus chain/lock combo that stays in the garage for locking at home and I’ll use the three locks together if I will be leaving the bike locked up while I’m out and about for a significant amount of time.
11. At least one cargo strap makes it much easier to bring home the random things you find on the side of the road (most recently for me it was an office chair).
12. Ski goggles are one of my musts for winter riding. This pair has interchangeable lenses for day and night. I store whichever lense I’m not using in the trunk.
13. Removing the front tire is relatively easy on an Urban Arrow (when it’s on the stand the front wheel is automatically up off the ground. I have a spare tube should I get a flat. Even with kids in tow I should be able to change it out relatively quickly. I don’t bother with the back tube (removing the rear wheel is another ball game). Knock on wood, but I haven’t had a flat on the go in 13,000+ miles. Should I get a flat I’m either prepared to lock up the bike and come back to it, or I have Better World Club that would toe my bike to a shop for help.
14. Honestly, on a cargo bike I’d rather just replace the tube than find the hole and patch it on the go. But I carry a patch kit for extra assurance.
15. Not pictured — ponchos. In the summer I keep three ponchos on the bike for when we get caught in unexpected rain showers.

And there you have it. May your your box interior stay organized and your rides be plentiful.