A few weeks back I made a declaration that I was giving up the (active) pursuit of owning a cargo bike. Since then, it's been cargo bike temptation everywhere I look. But I have mostly avoided the temptation to keep looking.
Until yesterday morning, that is.
One of my coffee-swilling buddies asked me if I missed riding my bike this week. (I have. It's been one of those weeks where the bike has not been the right tool for hauling stuff and people about, so I've been driving the old Dodge.) Then he commented that it would be nice if I had a bike that would haul stuff and an extra person - the extra person in this case is a certain eight-year-old that I take to school most days.
I don't think the coffee guys noticed, but a dreamy thought bubble appeared over my head:
[A woman at church once told me that I look like an older, heavier Adam S.
I don't go to that church anymore.]
The dreamy thought bubble contained my default cargo bike - the Radwagon. There are lots of cargo bikes I'd love to have, but the Radwagon is always that subconscious first thought when cargo bikes pop into the brain. Mmm...Radwagon!
So, I had a little internal talk with myself:
So, I went back to my normal default dreamy thought bubble, and life was good again:
Yes, life was good again until I turned the computer on. There it was - a Derek Markham article on TH:
Derek, what's the deal? Are you the guy who takes a tres leches cake to a weight loss meeting? You're killing me! Why'd you have to pick the Radwagon? Why not a German postal cargo bike like Feargus used? (Much less tempting)
Or maybe something Scandinavian and way out of my league like this:
In case you are wondering...
For me, it's pretty simple.
The more I can do on a bike, the less I need a car (or truck), the less I need to burn gasoline, the less I contribute to climate change, and the less I damage the air that all of us (including the eight-year-old) breathe. So, a bike that can serve more purposes is a better bike than one that can just serve a few. A cargo bike is a pickup, a station wagon, a commuter, and a chick magnet. (I came up with that last part because my wife already told me she will not leave me if I start riding one.)
Also, if it can raise my status in the kingdom of nerds, that's an added bonus!
If you want even more reasons, find fourteen of them in this article:
(Out here in the 'burbs, Number 2 may not apply, but don't let that slow your roll! ;-)
Okay, I can see it in your eyes - you want to know more. Here are some links to help you see what's out there in the cargo-sphere: (In alphabetical order - they are all very cool!)
- Benno Bikes
- CycleTrucks
- Design Logic Bikes
- Juiced Bikes
- Kinn Bikes
- Madsen Cycles
- Metrofiets
- Pedego Stretch
- Surly (Big Dummy and Big Fat Dummy - best names)
- Virtue Cycles (3 very different styles)
- Xtracycle
- Yuba Bikes
May Derek help us all to make some healthier choices! Somebody sure needs to.
PS. Adam Sandler is a few years older than I am!
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