Why Cargo Bikes are Amazing!
It’s about connection
How would you feel if your kids were more excited about hanging out with you than any screen, video game or character?
Personally, I would rather take a bike than walk or drive any day. But I know most people in the United States mostly drive and sometimes walk. Cargo bikes have the intimacy of walking with many of the conveniences of an automobile.
Choosing a life with a cargo bike is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t considered owning one. I’ll share a story of a ride to illustrate the simple loveliness of using a cargo bike:
A few years ago, my daughter (7) and my son (9) decided that they wanted to ride bikes to school. My daughter meant that she wanted me to ride with her in the bucket. My son was excited to prove he could ride all the way to the school. We made it out of our hilly neighborhood and onto the bike lane on 46th by one of our favorite parks. It was then that my daughter pulled out an apple and started munching on it. When I asked for a bite, she turned around, smiled really big and handed the apple up to me. It was so simple and so fun. I took a bite of the apple and literally thought “I have to share this experience with everyone.”
It is the simplicity of connecting with your neighborhood and family that really sunk in that day. And since then, I’ve found ways to add the cargo bike to our busy lives.
- Imagine skipping the car line to drop off and pick up your kids. Imagine the look on their faces as you turn the corner. I can tell you from experience… It is amazing.
- Imagine your kids begging to hang out with you.
- Imagine getting exercise while entertaining your kids. And getting to experience the world together.
There are thousands of things we do each year that would be 10 times more fun and interesting with a cargo bike.
Regular Uses
Image Credit: Gear Junkie
Cargo Bikes can be used for so many things that you do frequently:
- School Commuting
- Grocery Shopping
- Sports practice
- Exercising
- Dropping off kids at a friend’s house
- Taking the dog to the park
With each of these activities, you have little fun advantages that you miss using a car. You get to stop if something is interesting. Traffic is not as big of a factor. Parking is always closer. And the interaction with your kids is incredible.
Once a Year Uses
Cargo Bikes are great for special uses during the year as well.
- Halloween – trick or treating. Or trick or bakfiet-ing, if you are a cargo bike nerd.
- Thanksgiving (or any) parades – When you are overwhelmed at the parade downtown, you can zip away to get some much needed quiet and an ice cream.
- Birthday parties
- Easter egg hunts
- Independence Day celebrations
A cargo bike gives freedoms at events. It’s almost a home base to return to. It allows families to travel the distances that bikes can cover, but frees you to carry a huge amount more.
I’ve heard from many users that they cannot imagine their life without one now.
After Elementary Years
I’ve heard many people ask me, “What do I do with it when my kids are too big to ride in the box?
This just happened a few weeks ago:
My wife and daughter (13) decided they wanted to go for a family bike ride one evening this late Summer. My son (15) immediately grabbed his mountain bike and prepared it to ride. Late Summers in Colorado are warm when the sun is out and they get cool quickly after sunset. I reminded everyone that the beginning of the ride will be warm and it will quickly cool down. Instinctively, my family all grabbed layers of clothing and tossed them into the Front Loading Cargo Bike Box. We went for a glorious ride out to a park in the next city, listening to music on a bluetooth speaker. Everyone was comfortable because we just brought everything we could think of needing.
You will find yourself using your cargo bike for:
- School Events
- Soccer and Baseball practice – snacks, equipment, exhausted kids all fit
- Church
- Yoga in the park
- Advertising your business
Cargo bikes change the game in your favor.