Carrier Issue 01

Issue

01

Brazil’s Cargo Bike Culture • CargoCult: Wheels of Resilience Ultra Cargo: Riding The Silk Road Mountain Race Lionbeat: Decarbonising Culture • Powering New African Mobility

Carrier DELIVERED BY THE

Carrier

@cargobikefest www.cargobikefestival.com info@cargobikefestival.com

WELCOME TO ISSUE ONE OF CARRIER It’s a fresh new format published by us – the team behind the International Cargo Bike Festival – bringing along the same values and ideas that have made that event into a worldwide community. Through storytelling, reportage and photography, our goal with Carrier is to make the case for why we – and a growing number of others – think the cargo bike and carrier cycle deserve to be in mainstream use by the end of this #DecadeoftheCargoBike.

In the magazine, we delve into stories of cargo bikes and carrier cycles from across the globe. About how they are serving as instruments of social change in Ghana. How they are helping to relieve suffering and even save lives in wartorn Ukraine. How they can cultivate full, car-free lives from New York to the Netherlands. How they facilitated one selfsupported adventure in Kyrgyzstan, can empower people with disabilities to reclaim their mobility and are providing livelihoods for many on the streets of Brazilian cities.

Cargo bikes and carrier cycles can do all of this and much, much more. In short, they invite us to explore the intricate tapestry of life and for many, they embody a profound shift in our understanding of mobility. They have the potential to reframe and reshape our cities. To rekindle shared bonds of community, snuffed out for so long in many places by carcentric planning.

But the more of Carrier you read, the more it should become clear that these are not stories about cargo bikes or carrier cycles at all – what are they after all, if not simply tools? No, these are stories about people. And as these stories testify, when people and cargo bikes mix, truly extraordinary things can happen.

This inaugural issue of Carrier barely scratches the surface of what is possible. I hope you enjoy it.

Tom Parr Editor

CONTENTS Powering New African Mobility Interview / GHA

4

Solar Ironing Cart

12

Interview / IND

KwikFit’s Cargo Bike Service

16

Advertorial / NLD

Shifting the Dial Shorts / GBR

18

ICBF’s Partnership with Fully Charged LIVE Europe Opinion / NLD

20

Refinding My Balance

24

Feature / GBR

Addressing the Cycling Industry’s Lack of Diversity

28

Shorts / GBR

Ultra Cargo: Riding The Silk Road Mountain Race Feature / KGZ

30

All Signals Green for Cargo Bikes Opinion / NLD

38

New York by Cargo Bike

40

Interview / USA

News from the Cycle Path

44

Interview / NLD

“You’ll need a van for that, mate” Feature / GBR

46

Building Bicycle First Cities Opinion/ NLD

50

Brazil’s Cargo Bike Culture

52

Feature / BRA

Wheels of Resilience: CargoCult’s Unexpected Journey

Feature / UKR

60

From Down Under to Dutch Delight Feature / NLD

64

Lionbeat: Decarbonising Culture Feature / GBR

68

The Battery Paradox

74

Opinion / INT

TEAM Editor

Tom Parr

Creative Editor Design & Art Direction Coordination

Cyril Chermin Aaron Griffiths, Cyril Chermin Anda Schippers, Cyril Chermin, Tom Parr

Commissioner Print

Jos Sluijsmans Drukkerij Zalsman Zwolle

Cover Photo We have tried to clarify all image rights with the rights holders that we were able to determine. Should there still be claims by third parties on image rights, please contact us.

Carrier Magazine issue 1 is a publication of the International Cargo Bike Festival and Fietsdiensten.nl © 2023 all rights reserved.

Published November 2023.

Carrier Magazine would not have been possible without the support of our advertisers: Ananda Drive • Cargo Cycling • HypaBOX • Kleuster / Renault Trucks NL • KwikFit • Mastiff Cargo Bike • New Motion Labs • Peerless Gear Got a story tip for Carrier issue 2?

Get in touch on info@cargobikefestival.com

Tom Parr

INTERVIEW

POWERING

6

GHANA

AFRICAN

INTERVIEW

NEW

I N C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H VA L E R I E L A B I

In 2020 Valerie Labi co-founded startup Cargo Bikes Africa ‘to see how we could solve some of Africa’s biggest transportation challenges.’ In late 2022 Cargo Bikes Africa merged with what would become Wahu!, a German-Ghanaian enterprise set up by former BMW board members – with Valerie becoming CEO.

The joint entity designs, engineers and manufactures electric vehicles (EVs) in Ghana – including both cargo bikes and small cars – making zero-emission mobility affordable, safe, reliable and functional.

In the process, Wahu! seeks to tackle the mobility challenges faced by both urban and rural Ghanaians and other Africans alike. And in a rapidly urbanising country in which the population – just over 34 million in 2023 – is forecast to surpass 50 million by 2050, the question of how Ghanaians will get from A to B has never seemed more pertinent.

MOBILITY PHOTOS BY WAHU!

7

INTERVIEW BY TOM PARR

GHANA

INTERVIEW 8

Could you briefly introduce yourself; what is your background, how did you get involved with cargo bikes and what does your role entail?

I’m Valerie Labi, co-founder and CEO of what is now Wahu! – which started out as Cargo Bikes Africa. I grew up in the UK, moved to Ghana in 2008 and have been here since. I’m a mother of three and a serial entrepreneur; before I transitioned into e-mobility, I ran several startups in water and sanitation. I really believe that the businesses of today and tomorrow need to make decisions not just based on financial capital, but environmental and social capital too.

When I came to Ghana I went to the north, to the city of Tamale, which despite having a population of around 1 million has a very rural, agriculture-based economy. I spent a lot of time there talking to households at a community level, looking at living conditions and conditions for entrepreneurship. And one of the really big issues that came up consistently, regardless of who I was talking to, old or young, male or female, was around this connectivity gap.

What do I mean by connectivity gap? It’s about transport, which was unaffordable, unreliable and unsustainable. And so that became my calling: to look at what opportunities there were to introduce new mobility solutions that supported and were accessible to both men and women. To move themselves and to carry an average load, which is around 50 to 150 kilograms.

GHANA

What problems are embodied by this connectivity gap?

The first thing people told us was that petrol was too expensive. That’s what pushed us to look at electric vehicles. The second thing was the affordability and the cost of vehicles, which is really high because in Ghana we don’t produce them. We’re always either getting secondhand vehicles that have been sent down from Europe in whatever condition that may be, or we are walking.

INTERVIEW

And walking brings us to the third aspect. When you look at the household level, especially in rural communities, women hold most of the burden for carrying. It’s women who fetch the water, carry stuff to and from the farm, carry things to and from the market and carry things to and from school. And most of the time there’s no real solution to this.

That’s what got us thinking, ‘OK, how could we produce a vehicle locally that is easy for both men and women to use, which can go further?’ So we started by converting second-hand bikes to electric bicycles and testing them in communities to see how people responded.

We began with some rickety old bicycles and then quickly realised that people wanted to carry loads. So we iterated the frame and started working with a front-loading, more traditional-looking cargo bike before realising that that design wasn’t suitable because of our road conditions. We went through several iterations to get to the bike that we have now. But it started with me probing into how we could do things differently from a mobility perspective and it kind of escalated from there!

What is the design that you’ve landed on?

We’ve gone for a fat tyre, two-wheeler bike with reinforced front and rear suspension. We’ve also designed a trailer to carry larger loads –

9

GHANA

INTERVIEW

often necessary in rural communities. And we’ve developed a longer rack for the bike, which allows you to use it for urban deliveries and mobility.

And then we have two batteries on every bike instead of one, because we realised that access to charging may be limited. And what we observed was that people use the bikes during the day for commerce. Until battery swapping infrastructure is available, it’s easier for them to charge at home, have two batteries on the bike and ride the whole day.

Are people going long distances on the bikes?

Yeah. Typically, people are doing around 120 kilometres a day, so two batteries are definitely needed. It’s taken us some thought to get here, asking; do people want one bike with two batteries? Do we need space for two batteries on the bike? Who does the charging and where? Are people comfortable charging at home? I think a really nice thing about why a bicycle/e-bike kind of solution fits, is that the charging is not complicated. People feel comfortable charging their mobile phones at home, so charging a battery also makes sense.

10

GHANA

It’s great to see you’re targeting rural communities – they are often forgotten when it comes to cycling initiatives. But are city dwellers on your radar too?

So a really nice thing about the e-bike is it can actually be a wonderful solution in both rural and urban areas. We’ve realised that we have a crossover product. We started in the rural north and tested the bike throughout Ghana. We have a site in the north and our head office is in (capital city) Accra, where we’ll also be setting up our factory space.

I think it’s going to be interesting for us in terms of how we scale. We see a lot of use cases for e-bikes across the country.

Our aspiration is first to scale across Ghana in both rural and urban communities; plugging into the best use cases. Then we’ll scale up further, initially across ECOWAS – West Africa.

We started by plugging into e-commerce delivery platforms; they have the most riders. That’s mostly in Accra now. But we think the e-bike is going to open up a lot of secondary markets because delivery is expensive in other cities too. So we think that the e-bike is going to open up some of these cities to have on-demand delivery as a more accessible, affordable service, not just for food deliveries, but for medical deliveries, potentially even first responders.

Take the healthcare space; because the cost of transport is so high, we don’t have a lot of community-based medical services.

We don’t really have ambulances or roaming midwives. You also don’t have medical deliveries for pharmaceuticals and prescriptions because the cost of petrol is prohibitive. Most nurses are women and wouldn’t feel comfortable riding a motorbike, while a car is too expensive. So this is a very interesting space; we see a lot of opportunities for use cases that could be our next target for how we scale.

11

GHANA

You talk about an ecosystem of e-mobility services on your website. What do you mean by that?

I think for us it’s been really important to look at this transition to electric vehicles as a lifestyle transition. Right product, right time; especially as people are digitising. A lot more people want to access services through apps, so we’re making sure all our vehicles are connected.

You can’t just give people hardware and say, ‘OK, now everyone is using EVs’. What we offer is a vehicle that’s plugged into an app. And that app does a number of things; it provides information on your vehicle, but also information on how to support your vehicle and who in your community can help you with that.

We’re mapping local mechanics and helping them upgrade so they can support the new EVs coming into the communities. You also need to know where to charge: if you’re not charging at home, where are the charging-friendly power points? We’re mapping charging infrastructure; not just for e-bikes, but for any EVs now in Ghana.

INTERVIEW

Another really important aspect is the unit economics on cost. Delivery riders were previously spending 1500 GHS (Ghanaian cedis) a month on petrol; around $120 a month. And now they’re spending, on average, 8 GHS a week. So that’s just less than $1 a week on charging.

Huge savings which people are now taking as earnings for themselves.

With this in mind, we are about to launch a campaign to target more women, because we think that the productivity impact for society in terms of time is going to be huge.

INTERVIEW 12

For insurance, having connected vehicles means we can track them.

That’s allowing us to plug-in to insurance companies and to co-create insurance products specifically for EVs in Africa. And then the final long-term play for the ecosystem would be: as we have the data of how many kilometres have been travelled, we could actually look at how much carbon has been offset. Tokenise that and leverage it for some sort of asset financing to support riders and make vehicles more affordable.

All of that together is what we mean by the ecosystem. And now we’re bringing visibility to the sector which we feel is pivotal to getting the right support for a community of users who can also make requests – so we can start to see what is needed in that space. We’re just basically trying to bridge that gap and be a connector of people who understand that this transition is happening.

It’s clear that the bike you’ve developed – and the ecosystem around it – is a direct response to the mobility challenges you’ve observed in Ghana. How do you balance your focus on local context with your goals to scale up and expand your reach geographically?

The biggest issue now for Africa’s transition to EVs is that we don’t have vehicles that have been designed for our context. But transport is a necessity; everybody moves. And when we’re looking at what is wrong with mobility currently, like I said, the continent is plagued with second-hand combustion engines and we are constantly trying to find foreign currency to buy these vehicles.

Our Ghanaian engineers really understand the context of what is needed in terms of mobility. But we realised we didn’t have the roadmap for how we scale this. How do we take that step from a really good problem-solving idea to an international-level business?

And that’s why we merged to form Wahu! At the time my business partner Peter Schwarzenbauer, former board chairman of BMW, and his colleagues were toying with producing and designing an electric four-wheeler in Ghana. It just made sense because they had an understanding of series production. I think Peter has launched more than 300 vehicles globally in his career.

So we’ve come together to set up manufacturing capabilities in West Africa. And these can in turn become a blueprint for other regions, meaning others can set up micro-factories and license the designs, production and branding. It’s definitely a pan-African goal.

And looking further ahead, in the long term we see opportunities to export too. For example, Ghana is well placed for Europe; it’s not far at all. So we are very, very well positioned as a country to be able to serve other markets as well. With this new frontier of mobility, it’s really important for us as Africans to be able to design our own vehicles and produce them locally at scale.

This article was originally published as part of a series the International Cargo Bike Festival co-published with BYCS.

GHANA WAHU.ME

BYCS.ORG

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INTERVIEW

MEET THE SOL AR IRONING CART

14

ONE TEENAGER’S FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

INDIA

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW BY TOM PARR PHOTOS BY UMASHANKAR SATHYAKUMAR

Charcoal-powered street irons press clothes for millions of Indians each day. But the practice is linked to lung disease among vendors and industrial deforestation. Enter Vinisha Umashankar, who was just twelve when she invented the Solar Ironing Cart, which switches five kilograms of dirty charcoal per day for clean energy.

In 2021 – aged fourteen – Vinisha was the youngest finalist for the prestigious Earthshot Prize.

Barely a month later she made a high-profile and impassioned speech at COP26 (where she is pictured with Prince William, p15), telling world leaders that young people have “every reason to be angry” and received a standing ovation in the process.

Vinisha spoke to Carrier from her home in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India about what inspired her invention and what impact it could have.

What’s your inspiration?

In my neighbourhood, there are six ironing vendors who use charcoal to heat up a heavy, castiron box for pressing clothes. It made me think about the number of ironing vendors in India, the amount of charcoal burned every day, and the environmental damage that causes.

What problems does using solar power solve?

I looked for a viable solution and discovered that solar energy could eliminate charcoal.

As a result, it’ll help prevent deforestation, pollution, habitat loss, decreased farming productivity, and climate change.

Trees are important for water conservation, averting soil erosion, improving biodiversity, sheltering animals, and supporting birds, bees and insects.

What happened next?

Once I realised solar power could replace charcoal to heat an iron box, there were several difficulties in giving shape to the idea and making a prototype.

Then I found out about the National Innovation Foundation in Gujarat, India, and the IGNITE Awards. I entered with my idea and won it! The engineers at the National Innovation Foundation then helped me to develop the Solar Ironing Cart, build the working prototype, test its working parameters, and apply for the patent.

15

INDIA

I read that a large tree can produce a day’s supply of oxygen for five people. It takes nine years for a tree to grow. Cutting down trees results in a decreased supply of the oxygen that we

breathe. Cutting them down to make charcoal is insane!

INTERVIEW

What happened with the Earthshot Prize?

The Solar Ironing Cart became one of the three 2021 finalists for the inaugural Earthshot Prize in the ‘Clean Our Air’ category.

The eco-friendly innovations which were nominated could play a crucial role in reducing environmental damage and climate change. So I was happy to see them receiving international media coverage. I hope my innovation motivates other students to innovate products that could help protect the environment and hand it over to future generations in good shape. The Solar Ironing Cart is my contribution to that.

Where are things up to now?

Ten Solar Ironing Carts are in use on a daily basis. Five hours

16

of sunshine powers the iron for six hours. But getting new, high-capacity battery packs is a major challenge in India. In the near future, cheaper carbon shell batteries will be made in India. I am currently working on reducing the amount of solar power the iron box uses. I want to set up a facility to manufacture Solar Ironing Carts and increase the output gradually without requiring large capital investment. I’m learning a lot!

What challenges have you faced along the way?

There was a lack of reliable statistics on how many trees are cut down, how much charcoal is made in a year, and how charcoal use affects air, water and land in India and other developing countries. Having that data would

have been useful when designing the Solar Ironing Cart. Without it, I had to do a lot of research; reading various sources of information, cross-verifying data, and coming to a conclusion. That was time-consuming and difficult.

What are your biggest challenges right now?

We are developing a solar panel for the cart that uses highly effective photovoltaic (PV) technology and integrates with standard silicon solar cells to improve energy output. Built into solar panels, the solar cells will deliver more power per square metre – critical for producing more solar energy.

We also need a custom-made graphene-based battery for the Solar Ironing Cart. Such a battery

INDIA

INTERVIEW 17

health, allowing them to educate their children and empower them to live a dignified life. The Solar Ironing Cart has a huge impact on thirteen of the fifteen UN Sustainable Development Goals. That’s why it is a ‘social innovation’ on wheels!

What potential does the Solar Ironing Cart have?

It offers ironing vendors a sustainable business model, allowing them to stop using hazardous charcoal. The cart can be fitted with USB charging points so vendors can earn extra income by offering mobile recharging services. Since the cart is on wheels, vendors can cover a large area and offer their services at the doorstep.

It has the potential to improve vendors’ living conditions and

What next for the initiative?

I want to improve the design of the Solar Ironing Cart; the efficiency of the solar panel, power transformer, battery, and power distribution system. I want to demonstrate it to India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. I wish to contact Oxford PV, a pioneer in perovskite solar cells. Finally, I will contact the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for a market study in India and a few other developing countries.

As a young inventor and climate activist, what message do you have for readers?

Climate change is real. Just ask people who are over sixty years old; they will tell you how the weather and climate were in their younger days. It rained in the rainy season; summer was not scorching, and winters were white winters. Now, in many places around the world, it rains heavily or there are severe droughts; summer is unbearably hot; and winters are too mild or it snows heavily. There must be a reason for such environmental change. It is certainly climate change. Please don’t believe otherwise!

EARTHSHOTPRIZE.ORG/WINNERS-FINALISTS/VINISHA-UMASHANKAR/

INDIA

will be lightweight, durable, store more energy, charge faster and have a wider temperature range.

It will also extend battery life.

Graphene adds conductivity while reducing the amounts of carbon that are used in conventional batteries

ADVERTORIAL

KwikFit’s cargo bike service: expanding horizons in the Netherlands and beyond

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NETHERLANDS

WORDS & PHOTOS BY KWIKFIT

Expanding Dutch success KwikFit’s e-bike service, initially unveiled in Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Eindhoven, has resonated so well with customers that it’s set to unfold across six new Dutch locations. Residents in Groningen, Amersfoort, Gouda, Tilburg, Nijmegen, and Enschede can now swiftly avail themselves of KwikFit’s renowned e-bike and cargo bike repairs and maintenance. This strategic move is not just about adding pinpoints on the map; it’s a pivotal step towards the goal of establishing an e-bike and cargo bike service points creating a comprehensive national coverage.

Pieter Bikker, Director E-mobility at KwikFit Netherlands, emphasized the expansion: “Expanding our e-bike and cargo bike service to new locations is a logical step for us, as we have seen how popular and successful this concept is. Customers appreciate the speed and ease with which we can repair and service their e-bikes and cargo bikes. Our locations are equipped to service a wide variety of cargo bikes of all shapes and sizes.”

Crossing the channel KwikFit’s e-bike service has not only garnered popularity in the Netherlands but has become a blueprint for success. The unique concept, focusing on convenience and speed, has resonated with customers, propelling KwikFit to broaden its horizons.

KWIK-FIT.NL

to the success of KwikFit’s Dutch e-bike and cargo bike service model and demonstrates the company’s commitment to providing reliable and high-quality services beyond car maintenance.

Pieter Bikker reflected on the expansion into the UK market: “The fact that the concept is now so successful that our colleagues in the UK are also adopting it is a great compliment to us and a confirmation that we are on the right track.

To contribute to the energy transition, we are going to ensure that maintenance and repairs on all kinds of electric vehicles, including e-bikes and cargo bikes, can be carried out easily and quickly.”

Cargo bikes in focus As KwikFit expands its successful e-bike and cargo bike service concept to new locations in the Netherlands and ventures into the UK market, it solidifies its position as a frontrunner in the evolving landscape of e-mobility. The company’s commitment to providing accessible, efficient, and high-quality services for electric vehicles, including e-bikes and cargo bikes, is a testament to its vision of shaping the garage of the future.

In the coming years, as the world witnesses a transformative shift in how people move from A to B, KwikFit aims to play a pivotal role in facilitating this transition, not just for e-bikes but also for the rising cargo bike market.

Whether it’s through the local e-bike and cargo bike service points in the Netherlands or the partnership with Fettle in the UK, KwikFit is embracing the challenges of e-mobility, ensuring that maintenance and repairs on a diverse range of electric vehicles can be carried out seamlessly.

FETTLE.CC

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NETHERLANDS

Taking the e-bike and cargo bike service concept across borders, KwikFit is teaming up with Fettle, a prominent bicycle repair company in the United Kingdom. This partnership marks a significant expansion of KwikFit’s services to include bicycle repairs and maintenance in Bristol and London. The move is a testament

ADVERTORIAL

In a dynamic leap forward, KwikFit is not just riding the wave of e-mobility; it’s steering the course. The success of KwikFit’s pioneering e-bike service concept, launched last year in the Netherlands, has catalysed an ambitious expansion both at home and across the channel towards the UK. What sets this expansion apart is not just the inclusion of new locations but the amplification of services, particularly for the fast-growing cargo bike market.

SHORTS WORDS BY TOM PARR PHOTOS BY SHE’S ELECTRIC

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UK government statistics show that men made more than triple the amount of cycle trips than women in 2021, and cycled on average more than four times the distance. One example of an initiative trying to encourage more diversity in cycling is She’s Electric; a campaign which aims to shift the dial on cycling’s gender gap.

Launched in April 2023, She’s Electric is the brainchild of Caz Conneller of Loud Mobility, and is inspired by her Cyclechic.co.uk customers and their stories. Conneller runs the campaign alongside her colleague, Loud Mobility founder Georgia Yexley – herself a member of the Bicycle Association’s independent Diversity Advisory Board. “Our mission is to inspire and enable more women to try and ride an e-bike or e-cargo bike AND to tackle the significant gender gap currently present,” states Conneller, adding: “We believe e-bikes and e-cargo bikes can significantly help women overcome many of the common barriers to cycling.”

UNITED KINGDOM

Together, Yexley and Conneller are gearing up to take She’s Electric national, with a communitydriven campaign planned for 2024, and are also looking to connect with partner brands. They’ll do this by showcasing role models, creating accessible practical advice to help women address some of the barriers they face when choosing to ride bikes and by creating exposure and awareness. “We also plan to run a series of events nationally where women can come and try a range of e-bikes in a safe, welcoming environment,” adds Conneller. “The goal being to create awareness but combine this with a real-life, supportive experience to truly instigate behaviour change.”

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OPINION

&

22

“Why are you working with a car show?” It’s a loaded question – one we have been asked a lot by our friends in the cargo bike world since we announced our partnership to ‘co-locate’ the International Cargo Bike Festival alongside Fully Charged LIVE Europe. So, why?

NETHERLANDS

ILLUSTRATION BY KARIN VEENENDAAL

WORDS BY JOS SLUIJSMANS

Fast forward to now and the channel has over 1 million subscribers and is the centre of a business that also holds seven annual Fully Charged LIVE events across the world (in 2024 the events will rebrand to the more inclusive Everything Electric LIVE). Look at the main Fully Charged channel on YouTube and it is wall-to-wall electric cars. But they have another YouTube channel called Everything Electric for everything else: home energy, solar power, cooking and micromobility.

Let’s go mainstream

At the heart of the question is a judgement – that working with any part of the auto industry is immoral. We disagree with this assessment, while sharing the legitimate concerns of many about the space taken up by increasingly large car models in our cities, about pollution relating to particulate matter and about the sourcing of rare earth raw materials to make batteries (on a side note, the cargo bike industry itself must answer many of the same questions – albeit on a much smaller scale).

But hear me out – this is nuanced.

The fact remains that the cargo bike market is in the middle of an unprecedented expansion. So much so that the industry behind it is changing out of all recognition – just to keep up. And that’s necessary too; the cargo bike industry needs to professionalise.

Flick through the pages of this magazine and you will realise – if you haven’t already – that the potential impact of the cargo bike is gigantic.

Everything we do is about reaching that potential.

But to do that we need to break out of the bubble we have created. The cargo bike needs to go mainstream.

And that’s where Fully Charged LIVE comes in.

We’re bringing those two user groups – businesses and families – together again. Those who say it is just an electric car show are mistaken. Yes, there are a lot of electric cars. That’s how it started.

But there’s much more to Fully Charged LIVE than that. The 2024 name change of the events to Everything Electric gives it away; they are a festival of electrification. Alongside the topic of electric mobility, they also cover home energy, zero-carbon kitchens and everything the consumer needs in order to #StopBurningStuff – to pinch their favourite hashtag.

23

Let’s steal some customers

So where do we as the International Cargo Bike Festival fit in? This brings me to our central argument: wherever you can test-drive an electric car, you should also be able to test-ride a cargo bike. The people who come to Fully Charged LIVE and Everything Electric LIVE are informed, ready and open to make changes to their lifestyle.

So, are we there to help the cargo bike industry steal customers from the electric car companies?

Absolutely. And do our colleagues at Fully Charged mind that? They absolutely do not. Anything that helps people #StopBurningStuff is alright with them.

We help Fully Charged to fill a gap by showing the ‘masses’ that there is a credible alternative to the electric car: the cargo bike. It’s about making cargo bikes more visible, while giving people a choice many of them didn’t know they had.

All it takes is to get people in the saddle.

NETHERLANDS

I started the International Cargo Bike Festival in 2012. Back then the cargo bike industry was a niche within a niche. Most people had no clue what a cargo bike was. Within the cargo bike industry, everybody knew each other. It was an exciting time of friendly cooperation, knowledge-sharing and, frankly, bike freaks coming together and having a great time.

In 2012 in the Netherlands, cargo bikes were mainly used for the transport of children and I wanted to show people that they could be used for business too. Conversely, outside of the Netherlands and Denmark, the use of cargo bikes mainly started with businesses. As cycling infrastructure is built and riding cargo bikes becomes a safe option in their city or country, people will start to use them more and more for personal mobility.

OPINION

Fully Charged contacted us to work together on the 2023 show, and the intention on both sides is to carry on and strengthen the partnership in the coming years. The organisation began life in 2010 as a ‘vlog’ about electric cars set up by founder Robert Llewellyn; better known to a generation of British TV viewers as the robot-servant Kryten from the sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf, as well as the presenter of Scrapheap Challenge. The vlog became a YouTube channel and grew from strength to strength.

X

kleuster.com

After the collision, I was too scared to cycle for about a year and was also nervous about taking any form of motorised transport. Eventually, I decided I needed to start cycling again – largely because walking everywhere took ages and exacerbated my nerve pain. I originally tried an upright city bike with wide handlebars I could rest my left arm on. However, I found it difficult to balance, especially if I was carrying my dog Frida in the basket, plus getting up and down at traffic lights was difficult and increased my pain.

PHOTOS BY HARRIE LARRINGTON-SPENCER / BIKE IS BEST

UNITED KINGDOM

In 2020, after a lot of research, I purchased a Babboe Flow Mountain cargo trike. I went for a trike as I wanted to have a cycle that I didn’t have to put effort into balancing and that I didn’t have to get up and down at traffic lights.

I chose a cargo trike over a more traditional trike as I wanted to be able to carry Frida in front of me, as well as other things like shopping or work equipment. The Babboe Flow is different to many cargo trikes in that when you turn the handlebars you only turn the wheels, rather than the box and the wheels. This means that it steers more like a two-wheel bike, but most importantly it means it is light enough for me to steer one-armed.

WORDS BY HARRIE LARRINGTON-SPENCER

Refinding my balance - on three wheels

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After being in a road traffic collision when I was cycling in 2017, I was left with a brachial plexus injury in my left arm resulting in minimal range of movements, substantial weakness, and chronic nerve pain.

No financial support Purchasing a cargo trike was expensive. Mine cost £4500. I was doing my PhD at the time, and I could only afford it because I was suing the person who hit me with their car and it was covered by their insurance. There were also additional costs and risks involved. I needed to be able to insure my trike because it was so expensive, but to be able to insure it I needed a secure place to store it. To do this I spent another £2000 on a secure shed. I don’t have permission from the freeholder to have this shed in the car park, meaning I could be asked to remove it at any point.

If I hadn’t been suing the person who hit me, I wouldn’t have been able to take the risk of buying the trike. There’s minimal to no support available to disabled people to purchase adapted and non-standard cycles like mine, even though they are infinitely more expensive than the standard two-wheel cycle you could use for popping to the shop. Research by Wheels for Wellbeing has found that many disabled people do use adapted and non-standard cycles as mobility aids, as they find cycling more comfortable than walking or other forms of transport.

Carry each other When I first purchased my cargo trike, we had assumed that on journeys that we make together, my husband would cycle his own bike. However, what we have found is that we much prefer to cycle together on the trike, either me pedalling him or him pedalling me.

Whilst there is improving cycling infrastructure in Manchester where we live, it does not enable social cycling, where we can cycle next to each other and talk. Having the trike makes up for this as we can cycle along together and can hear and chat with each other as we go. In fact, unless we are going on a particularly long ride where the battery wouldn’t last for the distance because of the other person’s weight, my husband will never take his own bike.

Being able to carry each other has also been great for times when I have been too unwell to cycle myself. My husband and I don’t have a car and there have been countless doctor’s appointments, visits to A&E, and hospital admissions that my husband has cycled me to and from.

Barriers Whilst my trike is amazing and I love riding it, an issue that I constantly face is access control barriers on traffic-free walking, wheeling, and cycling paths. In the UK these paths are an important component of active travel networks, frequently connecting spaces that are poorly served by pavements and by cycle lanes. These access control barriers are often implemented by councils to stop anti-social use by people using motorbikes.

In reality, however, they rarely stop these users, but they do inhibit use by disabled people like me who are using adapted and non-standard cycles. They can also prevent use by disabled people on mobility scooters and wheelchairs. Nondisabled people, on the other hand, are more able to navigate these barriers. Because I can’t access these paths, my alternative routes are often busy roads with fast-moving motor vehicles.

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Cycling with Frida Having a cargo trike has undoubtedly changed my life for the better. I can cycle my everyday journeys independently and without pain. Because I don’t need to walk everywhere and experience the pain that causes, I go out more, I go to more places, and slowly I am feeling more like my pre-collision self.

I also have an additional chronic illness and have an NJ tube. I can often feel very self-conscious

about this, but there is something about cycling on my trike with my dog Frida that helps me feel more confident. Frida is hilarious on the trike and has become a little bit of a social media sensation.

She likes to stand up in the front of the bucket like a fluffy navigator and her ears will flap in the wind.

I’d like to say I trained her to do this, but in reality, I think she just knows what to do to be a spectacle and to get the most attention.

FEATURE

Apt adaptations I purchased my trike from Get Cycling – a specialist inclusive cycling store in York, UK – and they made additional adaptations to my trike. These included having both brakes on the right-hand side and changing the parking brake mechanism so it required less dexterity to use.

Since having the trike, I (through my local cycle shop) have made another adaptation. This has been to add Tannus armour inserts into the tyres.

Because of my injury, I am unable to fix punctures and was concerned about what would happen if I got a flat tyre whilst I was out and about. With the Tannus inserts, even if I get a puncture I can still cycle home (albeit very slowly). Then the local cycle shop can come and pick up my trike in their van, take it back to their shop, and fix it for me. I’ve only had one puncture since getting the trike three years ago, and none since I’ve had the inserts.

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decisions are all subconsciously or consciously made from a perspective that disabled people are not getting out and about. In terms of cycling, there are recent improvements with the publishing of LTN 1/20 in England which provides inclusive cycle infrastructure design guidance.

FEATURE

Inclusive infrastructure Another challenge I face is cycling infrastructure that simply does not fit the dimensions of a cargo trike. Cycle lanes are often too narrow, lanes feature sharp turns, or the cross-fall gradient is so steep I risk tipping over. Again, I end up having to use the road, sharing space with motor vehicles. Whilst there is no legal requirement for cyclists to use cycle lanes when provided, I often get abuse from drivers when I have to use the road because they don’t feel I should be there.

Cycling infrastructure is like this because it has historically been designed for a two-wheel bike and a non-disabled cyclist. Urban planners have traditionally considered that disabled people don’t cycle and therefore our mobility needs have not been incorporated into designs.

This is not unique to cycling but endemic within transport more generally. Poor quality of pavements with an absence of kerb drops and lack of pedestrian crossings are a common occurrence.

Buses often only have one wheelchair space, thereby limiting two wheelchair-using friends or family members from travelling together. These

Ongoing challenge My adoption of a cargo trike as my main means of transportation has restored my independence and challenges conventional cycling norms. But at the same time using a trike means living in, and highlighting, the ongoing challenge of accessibility and inclusion. So whilst my cargo trike has brought me both joy and empowerment, and even more so when I’m cycling with Frida, it also underscores the urgent need for urban planners to adopt a more inclusive approach when designing active transport networks.

Dr Harrie Larrington-Spencer is a Research Fellow in the Active Travel Academy in the School of Architecture and Cities at the University of Westminster, London.

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Joy

TWITTER.COM/TRICYCLEMAYOR

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Something that I really love about riding the cargo trike, particularly when I am carrying Frida, is the joy that it brings. It is incredibly special to be doing something so mundane like cycling to the park and seeing people’s faces light up when they see Frida cruising along in the trike. I hope that people seeing me and Frida cycling can go some way in countering a lot of media narratives about who cycles – the middle-aged man in lycra (MAMIL). I also hope that by seeing me – a visibly disabled person – people will see that cycling can be adapted to support diverse needs.

This is why I like to also post videos and photos of cycling with Frida on social media. One of my favourite moments was when me, my husband and Frida unwittingly crashed a football protest and went viral.

SHORTS

Addressing the cycling industry’s lack of diversity A diverse and inclusive workforce is good for business, says the UK Bicycle Association.

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Women make up 49% of the British workforce, but in the UK cycling industry just 8% of workshop-based roles and 19% of customer-facing roles are occupied by women.

That’s according to Diversity in the Cycling Industry, a report put together by the Bicycle Association (BA), the trade association representing the UK cycling industry.

“Though no direct data for the cycling industry exists,” reads the report’s introduction, “we also know that there are not enough Black, Asian and ethnic minority people; too few individuals with disabilities or from low socio-economic backgrounds; and a lack of LGBTQ+ people joining or leading our industry today.”

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Multi-pronged approach The report has been published as part of a coordinated programme by BA to create a diverse, equitable, inclusive industry. It’s a multi-pronged approach; they have set up an independent Diversity Advisory Board and made Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) resources available online.

In addition, BA has continued to

publish reports on related topics; following up on Diversity in the Cycling Industry with the Guide to Inclusive Recruitment, a practical set of inclusive hiring practices to help cycling sector organisations recruit and retain a more diverse workforce.

Their International Perception Survey Report went further, examining the perceptions, experiences and aspirations of people currently working in the cycle industry and identifying seven priority actions to help everyone thrive in the workplace.

Not only the right thing to do “The business case for diversity, equity and inclusion in the UK is ‘stronger than ever’, according to new research

by McKinsey,” emphasises BA Associate Director Sally Middlemiss. “Diverse businesses are more profitable; they recruit the best talent; make better decisions; have more motivated employees; and have a superior understanding of customers’ needs. Meanwhile, an Accenture study found that 41% of shoppers removed at least 10% of their business from a retailer for their lack of focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.”

BICYCLEASSOCIATION.ORG.UK/DIVERSITY-IN-CYCLING/

PHOTOS BY BICYCLE ASSOCIATION, ROSIE BAILY WORDS BY TOM PARR

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UNITED KINGDOM

MJ SOMERVILLE OF XYZ CARGO UK

WORDS BY ALLAN SHAW

FEATURE

PHOTOS BY NILS LAEGNER / MADS MADSEN

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ULTRA CARGO: RIDING THE SILK ROAD MOUNTAIN RACE ON AN OMNIUM CARGO BIKE KYRGYZSTAN

On August 12th, 2023, 156 riders left Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, for the fifth edition of the Silk Road Mountain Race (SRMR), a 1,880-kilometre self-supported bikepacking race with over 30,000 metres of climbing across the rugged and remote Tian Shan Mountains. Allan Shaw – adventurer, messenger, storyteller and CEO of Gay’s OK Cycling – was one of them, and this year, he competed the event on his Omnium Cargo Bike.

The first is that I don’t believe in the perfect bike.

For so many years, I’ve been told that I’m not riding the right bike for whatever adventure I’m taking on.

They say, “You can’t do that without a mountain bike,” or “You need a gravel bike for that.” Bigger tyres, more gears, different clothes, etc., etc.

I’ve always just had a go on whatever bike I had available to me at the time, and I discovered that naysayers are just putting up barriers to my — and their — participation.

Performance is one thing, but your ability to take part and have a unique and meaningful experience is much more about you than your equipment. At the end of the day, your bike is a tool, and you are the machine. The bike is your instrument, but you are the rockstar. It’s your beautiful, imperfect self that is the true definer of whether you can or can’t.

If you’re not aiming for a first-place finish, which nowadays is such an incredible effort, you should be just as focused on having a memorable experience as you are on your performance. Perfection is an illusion, we all know that, and I think it’s in the true spirit of bikepacking to just do things your way.

The second reason is that I really believe that the Omnium Cargo, and especially the version we’ve put together for the SRMR, is an incredible tool for this event! I believe in this bike, and I know many other Omnium owners believe in it too. The people who I’ve told about this idea who don’t own or have never ridden an Omnium think I’m mad, but everyone I’ve told who owns or has spent enough time riding an Omnium has told me it’s a great idea and I’m going to have an amazing time!

The Omnium is the game-changer cargo bike.

It’s a bike made by passionate cyclists and for passionate cyclists. It’s versatile, agile, and relatively lightweight. I wouldn’t want to advocate for a world where we are only allowed to own one bike, but if there was any bike I truly believe could be the ‘one bike’ for me, it would be the Omnium Cargo, no question. It can do anything, and I can’t wait to show that that also includes finishing the SRMR.

Fulfilling a dream Doing this race on an Omnium Cargo has been a dream of mine for years, since the first time I heard of the SRMR. It’s been a background obsession of mine ever since. In 2021, I took part in the race, but after months of preparation and lots of warnings of its difficulties, I essentially chickened out and took a gravel bike. I finished in 10 days and 13 hours in 13th place, and almost the moment I arrived at the finish line, I started telling Nelson, the race organiser, and anyone else who would listen, “I totally could have done that on my cargo bike!”

FEATURE

Looking back on the build It’s early August 2023, and I feel like there are so many good reasons to take on the SRMR with a cargo bike. But, for me, they all fall into two main categories.

I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity this year after emailing Matias at Omnium last year to say, “It’s going to sound crazy, but I’ve had this idea in my head for years…” and getting a reply that said, “You ARE crazy, let’s do it!”

So, I’m most looking forward to finally getting to fulfil this dream on a dream-build version of this bike. I’m so sure we are a capable team. To use my earlier metaphor, I’m looking forward to playing sweet music with my amazing instrument.

Fears and concerns It would be a lie to say I don’t have my fears and concerns, especially having done the race before. The race comes with many challenges, but these are challenges every racer faces, and I’m unconvinced that these challenges will be more difficult for me based purely on my bike choice alone. I believe the three pillars of ultra-racing that will determine how well you do are mechanical, physical, and mental.

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The mechanical is my weak spot; it doesn’t come naturally to me, but I’ve learnt a lot. The physical could always be better, but I’m generally at peace with wherever I’m at when I get to the start. The mental is generally my strong point, and a lot of that comes from working full-time as a bike messenger for ten years. As a messenger, you have to be ready for anything, ready to adapt to quickly changing scenarios, to stay calm but always keep moving.

I’ve worked so many long and arduous days in the winter in pouring rain, wind, snow — you name it. I know how to put my head down and just get on with it when times get tough. After all, it’s just another day at the office!

KYRGYZSTAN

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Build highlights The concept of this build was to get the bike’s weight down as much as possible while adapting it suitably for the rough terrain. It has to be lightweight, but it also has to be bullet-proof. We were never going to build the lightest Omnium out there, but we believe we have built the Omnium most ready to take on the SRMR. For me, there are quite a few solid highlights. A 2.4” rear tyre on a cargo bike is a new level of comfort for me. Both tyres are super grippy off-road, and it has the potential to make the course easier than the first time I raced on 47mm!

KYRGYZSTAN

The carbon fibre front rack and lightweight webbing were ideas Omnium owner Jumbo came up with the first time we chatted about the possibility of this race three years ago. We thought it was a great idea both for the race and also potentially for many other Omnium users. Between the rack and the webbing, you shave off a healthy amount of weight while still having plenty of capacity for weight. It’s a new prototype product that I think works super well, and I’m really happy for the small part I had to play in its inception.

Lastly, I’m really lucky to be trying out the new Classified wheel for this race. Acting as a front shifter, it allows me to run a 1x chainring while being able to shift between two speeds via an internal hub in the rear wheel, giving me a super generous range of gears for the climbs while making it less likely to experience damage with everything that can get thrown at it externally. It’s not been used in much ultra-racing before, and I think it has incredible potential.

Reflecting on the race Fast forward to October 2023: Looking back on the whole thing, it’s true that I raised a lot of eyebrows when we announced I was racing this year on my Omnium Cargo, for a variety of reasons. People who were excited to see it, and people who thought I must be mad. Many people didn’t believe it would be possible, but everyone wanted to see me try.

I was willing to admit that it was ambitious, but I refused to admit that it would be all that much harder, and anything but impossible.

In the days before start and at registration I was both excited and very nervous. Every time I heard

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a strange noise from the bike I panicked, called my mechanic in Copenhagen and asked for tiny details.

I realised then just how important succeeding was to me, and that I felt a little bit of pressure and eyes on me. But that feeling came from knowing clearly that this bike could do this, so I desperately wanted to be the one to prove it. So many years in the making, so much thinking about it.

Time to race The first few days were actually amazing, because I was doing it, with every kilometre down I was showing it could be done. In the early days,

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everything is tight, fresh and smooth, both mechanically and physically. It’s important to remember over such a long distance that things will not stay that way forever, and to be ready for when things start to unravel, which they inevitably will.

Every notably hard section I made it over (Jukku Pass at 3670m, Kegeti Pass at 3750m, Kok-Ayrik Pass at 3845m – pictured below – and innumerable others) I felt a mixture of feelings of dread and huge excitement to get up it, get it over with and get it behind me. One more challenge ticked off and one less to worry about going forward. I had not

KYRGYZSTAN

I had plenty of failures but many successes, and on balance, everything went pretty smoothly for most of the race. None of my problems bothered me so much and I came up with easy-going solutions as I went, courier-style. At some point, I made a conscious effort to dial down my pace a bit. I was keeping a pace that could have had me finish in around the ten-day mark, which would have been incredible, but running your engine so hard for so

long and you run the risk of overheating, and I knew how important just the finish was to me, and really didn’t want to risk that. So I opted for slightly longer sleeps and breaks, lower mileages but much better recoveries.

FEATURE

completed the whole race yet, but I had made it over some impressive sections of the course on this bike.

As people that were following my race saw and heard, I had a little crash barely 150 km from the finish, after a small wobble on a loose gravel descent I couldn’t correct in time while I was going pretty fast. But fortunately I was very close to a main road, barely 1.5 hours from Bishkek, the capital, and had 4 more days left to finish. So, despite being desperate to get to the end, I did the right thing, used the time and the access I had and went to a hospital in the capital to get checked out.

After 24 hours away from my bike I arrived back cleaned up, bandaged up and so determined to make it to the finish no matter what. And after many hours battling up over the last brutal pass, I crossed the finish line in 12 days 14 hours and 30 minutes. I just finished one of the hardest bikepacking races in the world, on a cargo bike.

Future plans With all my focus aimed at the SRMR, I haven’t given a whole lot of thought to what comes next.

Or rather, I always have lots of great ideas but am far from confirming anything. Aside from what this bike and I might do next, what I’m excited to see is what races other people might take on with an Omnium. I’ve already heard some very interesting whisperings. I know the wave of people doing these kinds of races on cargo bikes has already started, and I think the sky’s the limit.

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Built to bump Most people who have tried or bought an Omnium know that it’s not your typical cargo bike. It has versatility and agility that makes it ride much more like a regular bike than a cargo bike. It is commonly used as people’s everyday bike, from commuter to weekend adventure machine. Relatively few people use the electric option compared to other cargo bikes, as it is fairly lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, even with the normal standard build.

KYRGYZSTAN

But the feel of this build is something special, it’s as if we’ve taken a fast, reliable and trustworthy car and turned it into a Ferrari! Our final build, without any luggage, came in at just under 16kg, and after carrying it up the stairs to my apartment every day for a month before the race, I can say that you feel the difference! On the streets, it is nippy and fast,

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and it takes on a whole different personality as soon as you leave the tarmac. It’s grippy and smooth. The longer wheelbase adds stability on the downhills and the chunky tyres absorb so much of the bumps. A more upright riding position was much more comfortable on my lower back after the many continuous hours I spent in the saddle.

In the end, the high quality of the components we acquired to make this dream machine meant that throughout the entire race I didn’t so much as put more air in the tyres! I cleaned and oiled my chain once a day as this was fairly vital out on the dusty backroads of Kyrgyzstan, but aside from that the bike required exactly zero maintenance on what is one of the toughest courses you can imagine.

For all the bike nerds, here is an overview of all the parts used on the Omnium Cargo.

Build Kit

An OMNIUM Titanium Cargo V3IR frame with segmented fork, prototype carbon rack and prototype carbon steering rod Headset

Chris King 1 1/8 EC

Spacers

Zipp Carbon

Stem

Tune Geiles Teil 85mm

Seat Post

une Starckes Stück

Front Wheel

SP Dynamo hub on Carbon rim (100x15mm)

Rear Wheel

Classified 142x12mm on Classified carbon rim

Cassette Shifter

Classified 11-40 12s Classified Thru axle & Ring

Rear Derailleur

SRAM X01 Mech

Trigger

SRAM XX1

Brakes

Hope Tech 4 E4

Front Rotor

Trickstuff 180mm

Rear Rotor

TRP CL 180mm

riserbar

Tune Turnstange

Bars

Zipp Vuka TT

Grips Webbing

Ergon OMNIUM Prototype SL

Lights

Supernova

BB

Chris King

Crankset

Cane Creek eeWings Mountain

Chain

SRAM Eagle 12s

Tires

Big Betty (20x2,25 & 29x2,4) Tubeless

Saddle

Brooks C17 carved Brooks Scape

INSTAGRAM.COM/NILS_LAENGNER/

KYRGYZSTAN

Bag setup

INSTAGRAM.COM/ALLANSHAWPHOTO

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OPINION

ALL GREEN CARGO The biggest trend in the bicycle industry, after the rise of the e-bike, is undoubtedly the rise of cargo bikes and carrier cycles. It is precisely because of electric drive technology that it has become so much more pleasant to ride a cargo bike, and fortunately this is catching on widely.

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SIGNALS FOR BIKES

WORDS BY ARNAULD HACKMANN ILLUSTRATION BY KARIN VEENENDAAL

No wonder so many bicycle brands have started producing cargo bikes in recent years. The self-respecting mainstream brands usually limit themselves to family cargo bikes and include two- and/or threewheelers. Ten years ago, brands like Batavus, Cannondale or Cube did not have a cargo bike in their range, brands like Carqon and Lovens did not even exist and Urban Arrow’s status was a lot lower than it is today. But this has changed dramatically in recent years. For families with children on the way, it seems as if buying a cargo bike has become something of a matter of course. And often these families do not sell their cargo bikes on the second-hand market once the children have outgrown them, because they realise how handy they are for all kinds of other transport needs.

NETHERLANDS

Watch out for criminals However, the growing popularity of cargo bikes also has a downside.

They are expensive machines, and certainly worthy of bike insurance.

After all, criminals are increasingly taking an interest in cargo bikes, even if they are a little less easy to steal than regular bikes. But it is an undeniable fact that they change hands regularly and unlawfully, resulting in bike insurers becoming a bit more cautious. These thefts jeopardise their business model and impel them to impose additional requirements, in the form of, say, a GPS tracker with tracking subscription, or they flatly refuse to insure cargo bikes at all. From their perspective, this may be understandable, but it is an unfortunate development. As a cargo bike owner, you should therefore be fully aware of the risk of theft and always, always secure the bike to a fixed anchor point whenever you park it. Preferably with two locks.

Of course, that’s no problem; taking an extra lock with you is easy with a cargo bike.

OPINION

More space for bikes The supply of cargo bikes to businesses and organisations has also taken off in earnest. This is a different branch of the industry though, one that requires a lot of specific knowledge, as user requirements vary widely. But that is all to the good – it allows the cargo bike industry to deliver the customised solutions that are in demand and thus present itself as an innovative industry partner.

All signals are also green for the professional cargo bike industry. I was at the World Cycling Forum in Rotterdam a few years ago, where all kinds of guest speakers, each from their own viewpoint, outlined a future vision of mobility. It was almost funny to see how much overlap there was between all of those presentations, made independently of each other. They all showed congested cities, long traffic jams, environmental pollution and so on. European governments have set their sights on making inner cities car-free and one of the solutions to reduce CO2 emissions is to give more space to bikes. And, by extension, the cargo bike of course. A small truck or delivery van will soon no longer be allowed into cities. Instead, goods will be delivered to a logistics hub on the outskirts of the city and then transferred into the city from there. How? I’ll give you three guesses...

Arnauld Hackmann Editor-in-chief, NieuwsFiets.nu

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INTERVIEW 42

New York by Cargo Bike INTERVIEW BY TOM BABIN OF SHIFTER YOUTUBE CHANNEL

UNITED STATES

Maddy Novich – also known as @cargobikemomma on Instagram – is a full-time criminal justice professor and mother of three living in New York. Together with husband Jeff, the family owns four cargo bikes. She talks to us about cargo bike life in the Big Apple.

PHOTOS BY MADDY NOVICH

What do you think about the upfront costs of a cargo bike?

I’d say the cost of a cargo bike is very quickly eclipsed by the benefits; tangible financial benefits as well intangible benefits. The cost compared to a car is far lower. Yes, you can buy a used car for $10,000; you could buy a cargo bike for the same.

But the costs – gas, insurance, tires, maintenance, registration – were just so prohibitively expensive that we gave up our car about eight or nine years ago and never looked back.

Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is the idea that time is our only non-renewable resource, right? We are just always running out of time. And so, if I can reclaim hours – which I have, multiple hours every week – then I can spend more time with my kids. I’m never going to look back and say, ‘I wish I had more time in a car’. I’m going to say, ‘I wish I had maximized the time I spent with my kids’. And I feel like I can’t put a value on that time.

It’s priceless.

What do your kids think of it?

It’s fun and exciting for them. They love commuting.

If I tell them we have to take the train or bus they say ‘No, I don’t want to, I want to take the bike’. Or if I say we need to go in a car, they’re like, absolutely hard pass!

We can tell you’re really passionate about this. Why do cargo bikes turn people into evangelists?

Such a good question. I think it’s because it’s like we’ve seen the light. Transportation and time with your kids and doing good for the environment and saving money: cargo bikes do all of these things.

And we want to share that message, to spread the word that cargo bikes are incredible.

The cargo bike is so liberating; it transforms your life in such a positive way. For me, it’s changed how I live on a day-to-day basis, how I engage with my kids and community. And I want to help other people transform their lives. So that’s why I proselytize this cargo bike lifestyle.

What about storage and parking? How do you deal with that, living in New York?

That’s one of the biggest obstacles to cargo bike ownership that I see in New York City. People don’t know where to park it. We just park ours on the street. There are tons of mopeds and motorcycles chained up in our neighborhood, covered in these nondescript motorcycle covers. So we followed suit and bought motorcycle covers for each of the cargo bikes; they blend in. And we chain them up with really high-quality locks. Plus, we have air tags on there and of course, they are insured. So yes, we do park them on the street, but we do the best we can, and have measures in place to minimize the risk of theft.

Someone once lifted the motorcycle cover and took my kids’ helmets and that’s it. Apart from that, I’ve never had issues. It’s a risk I’m willing to take because I don’t want the fear of theft to stop me from having a cargo bike in the first place; to me, that’s the biggest mistake I could have made.

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How do you use your cargo bikes? How do you decide which one to ride?

Which bike I take depends on how many kids I’m transporting that day. So, if I’m taking one kid, I often just take the Riese & Müller. If I’m taking two or more, I’ll take the Urban Arrow or the Madsen. I use the cargo bike to take my kids to the dentist and to play dates; we go to birthday parties; we go to the grocery store. We literally do everything that car owners do, but with a cargo bike.

And do you find it difficult to ride that cargo bike for everyday things?

I can take a cargo bike to go and get a massage, get my nails done, meet up with my girlfriends for dinner, or just take a ride around Central Park. It’s liberating. It allows me to make impulse decisions; to stop somewhere and change my plans. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s carrying cargo or just me – a cargo bike is never too much bike.

INTERVIEW

Tell us about your first cargo bike experience.

Biking wasn’t part of my lifestyle before we got our first cargo bike, but we travel a lot and we had decided to visit the Netherlands. My husband Jeff had gotten really into biking and was like, ‘The next place we go needs to have a cycling culture and cycling infrastructure so we can experience what it’s like.’ And I was like, ‘Sure, whatever.’ And so we get to the Netherlands and it is mind-blowing.

In typical Dutch fashion, our home exchange had, like, a hundred bicycles in their garage, including a Bakfiets.nl non-electric cargo bike. That was our introduction.

During that summer, we learned how wonderful and efficient biking was; going to the grocery, playground or workout classes. When we returned home, I said to Jeff, ‘I don’t want to go back to not biking’. So, we made an impulse buy – we bought our Urban Arrow.

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The cargo bike life works well in New York, but is it feasible to live this lifestyle elsewhere?

100%. You can be in a rural or suburban setting and still use a cargo bike. Even within New York, many of our distances aren’t close. We’ll bike an hour and a half to get to Brooklyn. That’s far, but it’s definitely doable. It doesn’t really matter what the landscape looks like as long as you have a route you feel comfortable and confident on.

In what ways does a cargo bike make your life better?

I spent a lot of time thinking about this and it’s hard for me to articulate. Again, my most important thing is the ability to have more ownership and claim over my time. That is so profound to me that I can’t even articulate how meaningful that is.

I also love that it has made going from place to place really fun. And I think that’s something that I hadn’t thought about before. It just was like, okay, you’re commuting on a subway or bus, you have to deal with it, it’s not going to be pleasant. But something that cargo bikes do uniquely is to take the time we spend commuting, which consumes so much of our daily life, and to make it fun and enjoyable family time. And you just don’t get that with a car.

I love that it reduces our carbon footprint.

Right? I’m very concerned about global warming.

I’m very concerned about what the world is going to look like for my children and my children’s children.

And I feel like cargo bikes are a step in the right direction away from car culture. A cargo bike can do almost anything a car can do. I’ve moved furniture.

I do bulk donations. I do bulk grocery shopping. I carry my kids. There is very little that an SUV can do that my cargo bike can’t.

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INTERVIEW 46

NETHERLANDS

News from the Cycle Path

How long have you lived in the Netherlands, and when did you decide to use a cargo bike?

I moved here in August 2011. I bought my first bike (a traditional black Dutch ‘omafiets’) a few days later, and when my daughter, Zena, was born, I started cycling with her. Then, when she turned four, I realised that it took me too long to take her to school on that bike, and as a freelancer I couldn’t afford to waste time.

So why did you choose a cargo bike?

I filmed a documentary with my partner Kate Vandy in 2020, Europe’s Cycling Revolution, in which we met families who were using them. I saw the potential, took the plunge and bought one and it was honestly one of the best investments of my life.

It’s a revolutionary tool for empowering women, and that’s why I try to convey its potential and the feeling of liberation that I experience every day thanks to it.

How did the idea of broadcasting the news from the bike path come about?

Every day, I would send a list of newsworthy topics to the BBC in London. I would drop my daughter off at school, send the proposals and then cycle to work. But I realised that, for much of that time, I wasn’t making the most of it, and when I saw a colleague (Adam Fleming) sharing a little news item from Westminster, I thought... Hey, I could tell the story straight away while I’m cycling!

What’s it like to be an influencer?

It makes me laugh because it sounds so far removed from my day-to-day life as a super busy working mum! But then I see how one of my videos on Twitter gets over 300,000 views in one day, and I think... It’s only because my daughter is adorable!

I don’t really consider myself an influencer because I don’t have anything to sell, but I do hope that with my first non-fiction book, Stories from the Bike Lane, I can tell people all the things that are hidden in this remarkable journey.

PHOTO BY HAROLD MORRIS

is also useful to keep the sound of the wind out.

Otherwise, it’s a similar challenge to any broadcast: cameras don’t usually cope well with snow, but the phones I record with are surprisingly robust.

Don’t you ever find it embarrassing to film yourself riding down the street?

Doing weird things on a bike is quite common around here, and everyone is too busy to pay attention to me. But when, for example, I’m commenting on a violent news story, or about sex, and I’m stopped at a traffic light with someone next to me, it’s true that I sometimes hold back and lower my voice to conform to the Dutch saying ‘doe normaal’, or ‘act normal’. But since I only have time for one take, I usually act normal: most people assume I’m doing a video blog, and no one is surprised any more.

What is the funniest thing about this experience for you?

My daughter finds it very funny when people greet us in the street, or to see how much I blush when they come up to me and say nice things. I can only say that, with so much division and conflict in society, it is very pleasant to do something that so many people like so much.

47

And how do you get on with the cycling activists?

It’s a huge honour to be so welcomed by this community, especially because I don’t consider myself a cyclist per se. I do a lot of things on my bike because circumstances dictate it (I know how long it will take me to get to places, I don’t waste time looking for parking), but I don’t stop to think much further. I am surprised, though, that it generates such positive reactions. Someone told me: “You can spend hours preaching about the benefits of cycling, but it only takes a few minutes of your videos to instantly convince everyone.” I don’t know if it’s true, but it makes me feel good to bring something inspiring to this world.

This interview first appeared in issue 44 of Spanish language cycling magazine – and International Cargo Bike Festival media partner – Ciclosfera.

TWITTER.COM/ANNAHOLLIGAN

CICLOSFERA.COM

NETHERLANDS

What is technically involved in filming on a cargo bike?

The weather conditions in the Netherlands are usually not optimal, so I have a rain cover, which

NTERVIEW BY ANNA CASTÁN

INTERVIEW

Scottish journalist Anna Holligan has become an online phenomenon thanks to Dutch News from the Cycle Path, in which she comments on and analyses international news while cycling around The Hague, where she works as a BBC correspondent.

UNITED KINGDOM

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FEATURE

“YOU’LL NEED A VAN FOR THAT, MATE” WORDS AND PHOTOS BY MAT SHREEVE

48

The graffiti was on a neighbour’s house next to a sanctioned street-art spot in Kentish Town, North London, where I commission local artists to paint murals. The tags and ‘throw ups’ on the walls were not part of my scheme; they had to go to make space for a new commission.

I roped in Ben Knowles of Pedal Me and Future Vehicles Company to help, who borrowed his prototype trailer back from our mutual friends at bike servicing company Fettle to act as our ‘van’, as well as friend and fellow Dad Luke Harman, who I often work with on similar projects.

It’s fair to say that when we arrived at the hire place with my Tern GSD R14 and a bike trailer, their team were a little perplexed. As a former tradesman myself, I have been guilty of driving large flatbed vans scandalously short distances in my earlier career (generally to the shop to buy doughnuts), so I knew where they were coming from with their default “You’re gonna need a van” response.

Pressure off Looking back on the day, I’m not denying that we could have reached a similar outcome with a van.

However, we would have had less time on the job, more costs and more emissions; not to mention more frowning whilst stuck in traffic. Instead, we had lots of laughs and buffed off lots of bad graffiti.

Planning it all was a challenge, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing!

And thanks to our antics that day, when I went to the pub later on, three separate strangers asked me what on earth I’d been doing on Kentish Town High Road earlier. I’ve become friends with one of them, a bike-based locksmith. When asked why he used a bike, he answered “I ditched my van years ago; too much time stuck in traffic!”

So, next time I’m told I need a van, I’ll definitely be using a cargo bike and trailer combination.

Does this story resonate with you? Had a similar experience? Email us on info@cargobikefestival.com

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INSTAGRAM.COM/SHREEVEMAT

UNITED KINGDOM

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49

The tides of opinion are changing, and until they do so en masse, I really don’t mind being a role model.

I’m just living in the most efficient way I know. We got the job done, had some fun and made new friends. And once we’d wrapped up, Luke and I both made it to the school gates in time to pick up our daughters.

ti s h 12 U :2 0 a n nl o d ad g e th ts e tr a p re ig s s ht u to re w wa or sh k er 14 O :0 LO ur g 0 U oo D M d fr ob ie ili t n d y G dr e o op rg s ia

by Y to exl jo ey in f ro th m 14 e ac Al :3 0 ti o to l do n be ne pa . T in he te d wa o n ll i s ! re ad y

However, on this occasion, with London’s notorious traffic in mind, there was ZERO chance of me falling back into my old habits. Plus, as working fathers responsible for school pickups, Luke and I needed to get the job done in the shortest possible time. The e-cargo bike and trailer combo was, to my mind, the most obvious way to get it done – ‘sticking it to the man’ while we were at it.

FEATURE

When Mat Shreeve went to hire an industrial-grade pressure washer to remove some graffiti, conventional wisdom – and the guy behind the counter – said he’d need a van to get it to the site. But serial eco-entrepreneur and cargo bike fanatic Mat doesn’t subscribe to that kind of conventional wisdom. Mat takes up the story:

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OPINION 52

Building Bicycle First Cities: A blueprint for streets filled with life Properly facilitating cycling and special bicycles, such as the cargo bike and tricycle, is a potential solution to many of the challenges faced by our cities: creating safer streets, improving air quality and public health, making our public spaces accessible, strengthening social cohesion and making space for greenery. And as urban planner Nanda Sluijsmans argues, an inclusive cycling boom offers our cities, towns and villages the opportunity to prepare for the future, making them strong and prosperous in the process.

WORDS & PHOTOS BY NANDA SLUIJSMANS

NETHERLANDS

OPINION

On average, around 80% of the space on Dutch streets is dedicated to cars, for driving and parking.

But cars are mainly stationary and when they are driven, it is often for short trips that could be walked or taken by bike. This vast claim on public space is unjust, especially given the challenges we face in the fields of climate, quality of life in cities and social issues; all of which also require space. Add to this the fact that more than half of the Dutch population does not even own a car, including everyone under 18, large groups of elderly people and people with disabilities. Not to mention the many adults who simply do not own one. In short, car dominance is outdated.

Instead, we need to put the bicycle first. Car ownership should make way for car sharing: a regulated service located in hubs on the edges of neighbourhoods. Putting the bicycle first would free up space to introduce greenery, spaces where people can meet and children can play. Streets would become safer, allowing more people to participate in society, on foot and by bike. Tenyear-olds could cycle to school on their own again, elderly people could go to the shops unaided and partially sighted people could use tricycles as mobility aids. More cycling is the solution to so much: not only to our climate goals but also to many social issues.

Residents in bicycle-friendly neighbourhoods are free to socially interact with each other on their bikes. The mobility transition to cycling breathes life into anonymous, inhospitable living environments, transforming them into vibrant neighbourhoods where far more people can participate.

Upgrading bike parking Putting bicycles and special bikes first also means ensuring optimal parking facilities. All too often bicycle parking facilities are only accessible via ramps. Perfectly manageable for a fit, able-bodied person with a two-wheel bike, but impossible with a tricycle or for those with limited strength.

But things can be done differently. Good bike shelters allow all bikes and trikes of all shapes and sizes to be parked safely and easily on the ground floor, right beside building entrances. It is vital that decent, secure parking facilities for all types of bicycles are available at all train and bus stations, city centres, shops, cinemas, offices and businesses.

Businesses can show off their solar panels and recycled coffee cups, but that rings hollow when 80% of their employees commute by car. Instead, truly go for sustainability by ensuring that everyone uses appropriate forms of mobility. Get rid of incentives like company cars and instead focus on rewarding those using active travel modes through public transport travel allowances or taxfree bike-buying schemes.

Living in the future The mobility transition to cycling is of great significance in preparing our habitats for the future and solving important social issues. Let us truly put cycling first, in all shapes and sizes. Streets for cars can then become living streets where people meet, children play and where everyone, young and old, with or without disabilities, can get around safely. Where there is space for greenery, making walking and cycling pleasant even on hot days. As a result, people would become more self-reliant and healthier, and mobility poverty would be all but eliminated.

53

Neighbourhoods consisting of living streets are healthy and resilient; places where everyone can thrive and feel more fulfilled. The most prosperous cities and towns of the future will be those where people get around by walking and cycling. Let’s go for it!

Nanda Sluijsmans is an urban planner and landscape architect based in Leiden, the Netherlands.

NETHERLANDS

NANDASLUIJSMANS.NL

FEATURE 54

INVISIBLE

RIDERS

BRAZIL’S CARGO

BRAZIL

FEATURE

BIKE CULTURE WORDS & PHOTOS BY

TOM PARR

55

Despite both appearing in the early part of the 20th century, the cargo bike cultures of Brazil and northern Europe differ in one crucial way. In Europe, when the age of the automobile dawned, the cargo bike fell away, only to stage a comeback from the mid-2000s onwards. At the same moment in Brazil, when the car appeared, the cargo bike endured – it never went away.

“They were always here in the city,” states Ze Lobo. “Rio has had a huge cargo bike culture since the 1930s.” As Director of NGO Transporte Ativo and lifelong Carioca, as residents of Rio are known, Ze Lobo – pictured above – is more familiar than most with the cycling culture of Rio in particular, and Brazil in general. The affable campaigner, who set up Transporte Ativo in 2003, has been pushing ever since then to improve the quality of life in Brazilian cities by encouraging bicycle use and advocating for better cycling infrastructure and policies.

BRAZIL

It’s true, what he says: far from northern European streets, where in many places nothing less than a full-blown cargo bike revolution is taking place, a separate and little-known cargo bike culture – you could even go so far as to call it an ecosystem – exists. Thrives, even.

FEATURE

Unique Cargo Bike Conference My colleague Jos Sluijsmans and I are in Rio having been invited by Ze Lobo to speak at 2º Encontro Carioca de Bicicletas de Carga, a cargo bike conference organised by Transporte Ativo.

The event – only the second of its kind in Brazil – brings together cycling campaigners, bike courier companies, a handful of cargo bike manufacturers, journalists and figures from several departments of Rio’s municipality. Plus us, representing the International Cargo Bike Festival, here to speak about developments in the cargo bike world; although we are just as interested in learning all about Brazilian cargo bike culture.

In what ways are cargo bikes used differently in Brazil? What are the similarities? To what extent are Brazilians dependent on their existence?

And, importantly, what could the rest of the world learn from all of this? These are just some of the questions we have come to try and find the answers to.

56

Copacabana Ze Lobo’s neighbourhood, where he grew up and has lived his whole life, is Copacabana. It’s rightly world-famous for its beach – replete with wide, strollable boulevards and a protected cycle lane – but there is much more to the neighbourhood than sand, sea and caipirinhas. Behind the four kilometre wide beachfront, the Copacabana neighbourhood reaches back four to five blocks deep, hemmed in from behind by steep cliffs. Ze Lobo estimates that every day, around 300,000 Cariocas live and work within these confines, making it one of the densest urban areas in Brazil.

Back from the seafront is a bustling grid of highrise blocks filled with shops and offices, cafes and restaurants. Both wealth and poverty are on show; side by side. It’s vibrant, but the streets are choked with traffic as cars, taxis, vans, buses and trucks all vie for space. And although decent separated cycling lanes are present in some streets, cycling and walking are mostly relegated to last place in the hierarchy.

Cargo bikes at work Stand on any Copacabana street corner for more than a minute or two, though, and you are almost guaranteed to see a cargo bike (or more often, trike) weaving its way through the gridlock. It makes sense when you think about it – the cargo bike comes into its own when distances are short and driving is difficult. Transporte Ativo carried out research in nine different neighbourhoods of Rio which confirmed this: “We found that there are no cargo bike deliveries in the neighbourhoods of Rio which are not dense,” explains Ze Lobo. “But when you look at the city centre or the southern part of the city and the beach neighbourhoods like Copacabana and Ipanema, where it becomes dense, bikes appear everywhere. More density, more cargo bikes.”

Many of Rio’s cargo bike riders are individual freelancers – who own or co-own their cargo bike or trike, making a living delivering all sorts of goods from A to B. Many work delivering to and from the beach where ice, coconuts and souvenirs are in high demand. And as Ze Lobo tells us, it’s a precarious existence for many. “Most of them are self-employed,” he confirms. “No safety net, no insurance, no support. And the municipality doesn’t even know that they exist.” Ze Lobo also points out that many Brazilians – whether cargo bike riders or not – work under similar conditions, pointing to wider socio-economic problems. “It’s not just a cargo bike thing, it’s a Brazil thing. There are some groups in Brazil working to make things safer and better for riders. But they still have nothing to support them.”

It is also very common for businesses and shops in Copacabana – even small ones – to own one or two cargo bikes or trikes in order to carry out deliveries or services. These are often customised to fit highly specialised purposes. Laundry services with tall frames on the back of their bikes to hang pressed shirts. Veterinary practices which ferry pets to and from owners’ homes in bike-mounted cages.

A larger chain of mattress stores with half a dozen stores in Copacabana operates a fleet of long, wide trikes with specially adapted suspension.

BRAZIL

FEATURE 57

BRAZIL

FEATURE

Larger businesses are joining in As Ze Lobo gives us a guided tour of Copacabana’s cargo bike hotspots, it becomes clear that he recognises many of them, and their riders, individually. Despite this, he says it is difficult to estimate how many cargo bikes and trikes there are in the neighbourhood. He does tell us that there are around 11,000 deliveries a day by cargo bike and trike in Copacabana.

This tallies with the overall trend in Brazil, in which there has also been an uptick in the numbers of pedal-powered deliveries since the pandemic; the country was hit particularly hard and home deliveries saw an unprecedented spike. This came on the back of a wider shift over the last five or so years which has seen larger businesses setting up cargo bike and trike fleets to carry out their deliveries in neighbourhoods like Copacabana.

58

“Big companies are starting to see that they can deliver much faster, easier and cheaper by bike than with small vans,” says Ze Lobo. Notable examples are the supermarket chains, the largest two of which each maintain fleets of over 200 cargo trikes in Copacabana alone. And crucially, with this formalisation comes an improvement in working conditions. “Riders working for these companies have the same conditions as any other worker in the country. They have a contract, they pay taxes and there is protection and insurance from the company.”

BRAZIL

FEATURE

Invisibility But if pedal-powered logistics is on the rise in the city, what need is there for a conference promoting it? “Cargo bikes are really common, but municipalities don’t see them,” replies Ze Lobo emphatically. “They are invisible – the city has no plans for them.” In other words, Transporte Ativo is campaigning for recognition of all cargo bike and trike users; from the precarious freelancers all the way up to the businesses switching their delivery and service fleets.

Two things are conspicuous by their absence in Rio’s cargo bike culture: female riders and cargo bikes being used for personal mobility. Look around at the working cargo bike and trike riders and it’s rare to see a woman among them. “There are indeed very few women riding cargo bikes here,” acknowledges Ze Lobo. “Our gender split for cycling overall here in Rio is around 8%. So there are far fewer women cycling than men. Here at the beach, where you have a safer network of cycling infrastructure, this rises to around 25%. But in the city centre, only 3% of the people cycling are women.” Behind these numbers is a lack of both social and traffic safety, and although Transporte Ativo and others are campaigning valiantly and hard on these issues, it feels like Brazil is still a long way from solving either.

Falzoni is known throughout Brazil for her energetic, engaging YouTube videos under the moniker Bike é Legal (with the double meaning ‘cycling is legal’ or ‘cycling is cool’, depending on how you look at it).

Having travelled all over Brazil looking at the various cycling cultures which are to be found in the cities, she has discovered that there is a wealth of diversity to be seen in the country’s cycling culture. Context is key; it is different in every city, but the cargo bike is a constant.

“In Manaus, the distances are short but it’s hilly and the traffic is really bad,” relays Falzoni. “It’s the capital of the Amazonas region but there are no trees in town, so it’s very hot. It’s one of the worst cities in Brazil to ride a bike, but people still ride cargo bikes there.” As well as hosting a brooding cargo bike scene of its own, the north-western city of Manaus has in recent years also become a centre of the Brazilian bicycle industry. Around 600,000 bikes are now built every year in the city – a fact many put down to the tax breaks given to the bicycle industry by local authorities to stimulate the sector. The vast majority of these bikes are for the domestic market; Brazil’s protectionist trade policies make it difficult for businesses to either export or import, while the Brazilian tax code classifies bicycles as toys, slapping onerous taxes on them in the process.

59

BRAZIL

Not just Rio Ze Lobo is also keen to point out that the cargo bike is not a phenomenon purely confined to Rio. “Many cities in Brazil have had this culture for a long, long time.” São Paolo-based cycling activist Renata Falzoni – also in Rio for the conference – concurs, reeling off a dizzying list of Brazilian cities where cargo bikes are a common sight. “Coastal

cities often have a huge cycling culture in Brazil.

Take Fortaleza and Santos-Guarujá; cargo bikes are everywhere there. There’s a city called Afuá which is on a traffic-free island and there everybody does everything by bike. The streets are narrow there so you see a lot of people using thin trikes to get around, especially people selling things and people who are less mobile. That city; it’s amazing.”

FEATURE 60

Cargo bikes are essential So, what can the rest of the world learn from Brazilian cargo bike culture? That seems like the wrong question; there are a multitude of differing cargo bike and cycling cultures which exist in the country, each of which has grown organically according to need. For me, the key takeaway would be that cargo bikes are adaptable to many different contexts, urban layouts, social, economic and weather conditions. If they can thrive here, they can thrive almost anywhere; just look at the context and adapt.

growth; addressing some of Brazil’s ingrained social and environmental issues in the process. The results of a true recognition of the value of cargo bikes could be spectacular: a comprehensive, protected network of cycling infrastructure; a significant improvement in the working conditions of cargo bike freelancers and the myriad benefits that come from reducing numbers of polluting vehicles.

But in Brazil, like in many places around the world, the reality is that there are many political, cultural and economic obstacles in the way of fulfilling this potential.

It’s clear that cargo bikes are integral, essential even, to the way many Brazilians live and work.

This is despite an almost total lack of recognition or regard from the authorities here. Thanks to the efforts of Transporte Ativo and others, that is beginning to change – the presence of officials from the municipality at the conference is a hopeful testament to that. But there is no getting away from the fact that the potential of the cargo bike is far from being fulfilled in Brazil.

No way back “It’s difficult to change – it can really take a long, long time to change,” observes Ze Lobo. “So, we have to work locally. Maybe we can change our city, our neighbourhood, some companies’ minds, and make things better for these people. It’s not easy, but each small initiative can make a big difference.”

BRAZIL

Government policy designed to explicitly support cargo bikes on several different fronts would empower citizens and communities while incentivising businesses to use them. Unlocking their efficiencies would help boost economic

“In the future, I think we are going to have more and more cargo bikes. It’s inevitable. Not only for commercial use like we see today, but for personal mobility too. And maybe it’s not only going to come from the municipality’s efforts but because people start to see that it’s better for them. You can solve your gridlock problem in one minute: just go by bike.

Then I think there’s no way to go back.”

TRANSPORTEATIVO.ORG.BR

FEATURE

Walking through the neat, air-conditioned office, we are ushered into the nerve centre – the workshop, where half-finished bike frames hang from wellorganised racks. Here, three employees hand-build every single bike and trike, using an array of heavyduty industrial machines, jigs and moulds to bend, cut, hammer and weld. Transforming steel tubes and plates into up to 350 cargo bikes per year.

“The bike is almost 100% produced here,” Eduardo tells us. Parts like dropouts and rear racks – usually bought in from elsewhere – are also all made in situ. This allows Palácio dos Triciclos to make their own more durable and longlasting versions, suited to the often-rough roads and heavy loads the bikes will deal with. Their philosophy goes: build it better and you don’t need to deal with repairs. Heavy-duty car suspension coils – used to cushion the loading area – sit in piles waiting to be welded into place. Components and tyres are assembled onto frames. And everything is smoothly finished and painted here too.

The Barretos have plans to expand to new premises in the next few months, which will allow them to buy in more raw materials, taking advantage of lower prices. The extra space will also allow them to build and store more bikes to sell off the shelf – right now every bike is built to order because there is nowhere to store them.

And last but not least, since the family apartment is above the current building, the new place will – finally – allow Renato, Tatiane and Gabriel to achieve a better work-life balance. After 25 years, that’s not too much to ask.

PALACIODOSTRICICLOS.COM.BR

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BRAZIL

Palacio dos Triciclos “So, who builds all of the cargo trikes we’ve seen in Copacabana?” I’m in conversation with someone at the 2º Encontro Carioca de Bicicletas de Carga and ask the question, which has been bothering me since I arrived in Rio. The cargo bikes and trikes we’ve seen were decidedly non-European.

“They do,” answers my companion, pointing across the room to a family of three; mother, father and teenage son.

Jos and I are introduced to Renato and Tatiane Barreto and their son Gabriel, whose family business Palácio dos Triciclos (Palace of Tricycles), is based an hour north of Rio in the city of Nova Iguaçu. A large proportion of the cargo trikes and bikes we’ve seen in Rio are indeed theirs, they tell us. As we pose for selfies, they invite us to visit their factory, and a couple of days later they welcome us warmly and show us around. Eduardo Bernhardt, Ze Lobo’s colleague at Transporte Ativo, agrees to come along and translate – although we sense he is just as interested in seeing the factory as we are.

Renato started the business 25 years ago, having learnt his trade as a young bike mechanic and frame builder working for others. Initially, most of Renato’s customers were smaller companies and individual buyers: the freelancers and small shops of Copacabana. But as time has gone on, and in line with the trend Ze Lobo highlighted, larger-scale customers have come to dominate. In fact, larger businesses now make up 80% of the Palácio dos Triciclos order book.

FEATURE

WORDS BY YULIYA BELINSKAYA PHOTOS BY ANASTASIA ROZHYNSKA, MISHAEL OSIPOV, MYKOLA KOVTUN AND CARGOCULT

62

Wheels of Resilience: CargoCult’s Unexpected Journey

UKRAINE

Yuliya Belinskaya is one of the three founders of CargoCult in Kyiv, Ukraine. Back in 2021, amid the pandemic, she started the cargo bike delivery company alongside co-founders Karina Agakhanova and Oleksii Khvorostenko.

But as Yuliya explains, although CargoCult have designed, built and used their own cargo bikes a lot since then, things didn’t quite work out exactly how they had expected.

FEATURE

Yolk, a reliable companion We have built three cargo bikes at CargoCult and the second – nicknamed Zhovtok, or Yolk for its yellow colour – emerged as a valuable teacher for cycling volunteers. At least 27 people have made their debut cargo bike ride on Zhovtok. From the very onset of the war, CargoCult embarked on delivering crucial humanitarian aid, enlisting the help of volunteer riders eager to make a difference however they could. Nearly all of these volunteers could ride our cargo bikes with ease from the first attempt; proof that this mode of transport is reliable and accessible to a wide range of people. Zhovtok has proven itself to be a dependable companion, weathering the harshest conditions of two brutal winters.

But the story doesn’t end there. Amid the autumnwinter 2023 blackouts, Zhovtok’s role evolved.

The e-battery from Zhovtok became a beacon of light, illuminating homes during power blackouts.

Additionally, when our Carla Cargo trailer arrived, Zhovtok took on a new role as the towing vehicle for this three-wheeled partner. Together, they became an essential component of the Brave Bikes initiative (see page 63).

What started during the pandemic as a commercial endeavour has transformed into a powerful problem solver. CargoCult found its calling: performing a multitude of tasks, many of which extend far beyond our initial intentions. From the essential task of delivering food to those in need, to facilitating the transfer of donated bikes from a warehouse to a workshop, right up to literally saving lives, the organisation and its cargo bikes have proven themselves beyond any doubt.

However, Buriachok’s significance goes beyond its utilitarian role. In these tumultuous times, it serves a more profound purpose: maintaining the psychological well-being of our community. Even amidst the backdrop of war, children continue to grow, people still celebrate marriages, and life perseveres. Oleksii’s children have developed a deep affection for this cargo bike, finding joy in their daily journeys to kindergarten or the park. In doing so, Buriachok underscores the multifaceted role of cargo bikes, proving that they are not just practical tools for transportation, but also powerful instruments for recreation and psychological resilience.

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We are still uncovering the myriad opportunities that cargo bikes bring with them. Since we began, our three cargo bikes have travelled 14,200 kilometres in total; seven times the distance between Amsterdam and Kyiv. Here, I’m going to delve into some of the extraordinary stories of our cargo bikes, their riders and the impact both have had.

The heartwarming Beetroot We were able to build our third cargo bike, affectionately named Buriachok, or Beetroot – again due to the colour – thanks to the generous backing of the International Cargo Bike Festival.

This invaluable addition to our fleet has proven its worth by serving as a reliable backup for our trusty Zhovtok, especially when the demand for simultaneous deliveries surges. Unfortunately, both Buriachok and Zhovtok have had their share of mishaps throughout the year, reflecting the challenges posed by keeping a cargo bike fleet operational despite inadequate infrastructure.

FEATURE

Our veteran Chestnut Now back to our very first cargo bike - Kashtanchyk, or Chestnut, which was named by Misha, the son of my co-founders Oleksii and Karina who was four years old at the time. When he saw the green cargo bike for the very first time he said, “It’s Kashtanchyk!”.

In the midst of the global pandemic in 2020, we introduced Kashtanchyk, which was designed to serve our commercial aims. Little did its creators know, but this innovative vehicle would soon prove its benefit during turbulent times of the war in Kyiv amid Russia’s aggression.

Kashtanchyk emerged as a lifeline, helping transport fruit, vegetables, essential food items and medicine to where they were needed most. It became an irreplaceable asset when bridges were closed and a fuel shortage gripped the region.

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Fast forward to June 2023 and the story of Kashtanchyk takes an even more remarkable turn.

This humble cargo bike found a new purpose in the hands of Mishael Osipov, a dedicated cycling volunteer based in the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. His story is one that demands special attention.

Between March and November 2022, Kherson was occupied by the Russians. Mishael stayed, enduring the harsh realities of this nine-month occupation; his small furniture workshop was looted and pillaged by Russian soldiers. But the real challenge came after Kherson’s liberation, as the city faced the daily threat of heavy shelling, a danger that persists to this day (November 2023 – ed). Despite the adversities they faced, a resilient community – including elderly and disabled people – stayed in the city, and Mishael took it upon himself to assist the most vulnerable among them.

Kastanchyk and Mishael It was during this time that we came across Mishael and his extraordinary self-made bicycle trailer, which he used to carry heavy goods to those in need. Witnessing his efforts, we decided to dispatch Kashtanchyk to support him. Shortly after the Russians blew up the Kakhovska dam in June 2023, killing at least 58 people and flooding around 600 km2, Kashtanchyk made its way to Kherson.

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Kashtanchyk’s primary mission was clear: deliver humanitarian aid to those unable to take care of themselves. Alongside that mission, the cargo

bike also helps to provide essential materials for repairing windows and doors in homes that have borne the brunt of shelling.

As Mishael pedals through the streets of Kherson, he does so wearing body armour and a ballistic helmet, with a tourniquet tucked away in his pocket.

One day, during a Russian air attack, he happened to be in the right place at the right time. Spotting a man with a severed leg, Mishael’s swift response, and the tourniquet he had on hand, saved a life.

Hope The journey of our fleet is a testament to the remarkable versatility of cargo bikes in times of war. When we started CargoCult, we could scarcely fathom the range of scenarios they would come to be used for. Our experience stands as a shining example of how – even here in the midst of a war – cargo bikes can turn the unimaginable into reality, bridging gaps and offering hope when it is needed most.

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Carla Cargo & CargoCult: a perfect partnership In November 2022, a significant donation arrived in the form of a Carla Cargo bike trailer, generously given by the people of Kiel, Germany. Since its arrival, the trailer has played an indispensable role in CargoCult’s charitable initiatives, ushering in a new era of possibilities.

Foremost among the trailer’s contributions is its capacity to deliver substantial volumes of humanitarian aid to hospitals and those in need. But the trailer’s impact extends further. It has played a pivotal role in Brave Bikes, a humanitarian project whose mission is to transfer around 1000 bicycles donated by the people of Amsterdam to the people of Ukraine. However, before these bicycles could reach their recipients in the newly liberated territories, they required thorough repairs. In response, the Social Workshop, led by my co-founder Oleksii, sprang into action, with volunteers gathering weekly to repair and restore these bicycles.

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One challenge remained: moving these bicycles between the warehouse and the workshop. The Carla Cargo trailer emerged as the ideal solution; able to transport up to four bicycles at a time, it streamlined the logistical aspect of the initiative.

In the nine months since the initiation of this project, a remarkable 150 bicycles have been repaired and transported to various regions across Ukraine; a noble demonstration of the power of collective goodwill.

WORDS BY TOM PARR

PHOTOS BY CHRIS CATANESE, CHRISTIAN REINHOLD

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From Down Under to Dutch Delight FEATURE

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FEATURE

Chris Catanese’s journey: how cargo bikes unlocked an adventurous way to be a car-free, disabled parent.

It’s a long way from the bustling streets of Melbourne, Australia, to the picturesque village of Voerendaal in the southern Netherlands. But it’s there, far from his Australian roots, that Chris Catanese, his Dutch wife Michelle and their two children Issa (6) and Oscar (2) have found a new way of life – one that involves cycling, cargo bikes and a deep connection to the environment. Their journey has been marked by adversity, resilience and a profound transformation in how they interact with the world around them.

Growing up on the east coast of Australia, Chris Catanese’s childhood was filled with bicycles and the boundless freedom they offered. “As kids, everything that we ever did was just by train and bike,” he recalls. “That was just how we lived. When we were growing up, the way that we rode around all over the place back then was just all very, very normal.” It was a time when children could roam freely on two wheels.

Yet, as Chris reflects on his own children’s upbringing, he’s acutely aware of how times have changed in Australia. It’s clear that he is nostalgic for the freedom he once enjoyed as a child, which has been eroded by safety concerns and the dominance of car culture.

In the run-up to Christmas 2019, medical examinations uncovered abnormalities in his lungs, leading to fears of lung cancer. Although scans revealed it wasn’t cancer, the abnormality was attributed to another condition, Sarcoidosis, which causes scarring on the lungs.

Despite the diagnosis, Chris soldiered on, working to assist fire-ravaged communities. It wasn’t until 2021, during the global pandemic, that he reached a turning point. Chris contracted pneumonia and was hospitalised. It was during this time that he and Michelle began contemplating their future. They had a growing family, and Chris’s health was taking a toll. It was a moment of reflection that led them to make a life-altering decision.

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For much of his early career, Chris worked in various branches of government in Australia, living a life that largely revolved around car culture. Until 2019 that is, when the ‘Black Summer’ shook the country.

Widespread bushfires ravaged large swathes of Australia, leaving many communities in ruins and landscapes scarred. Working in the utility industry, Chris found himself on the front lines, helping communities devastated by the fires.

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A turning point Around the same time, Chris began experiencing health issues that would alter the course of his life. He developed painful symptoms resembling rheumatoid arthritis, which severely affected his spine and mobility. When he sought medical attention, doctors discovered that he had a hereditary condition. This life-altering diagnosis was about to be followed by another unsettling revelation.

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Together, Michelle and Chris set their sights on a move to the Netherlands, with an eye on the positive lifestyle implications that were to come with that. Their journey towards this new beginning – embracing a car-free lifestyle – began with the lease of a cargo bike in Melbourne, a pivotal decision that would redefine how they saw mobility.

The family moved to the Netherlands in April 2022, first in Vlaardingen, a 20-minute ride from Rotterdam, before settling further south in Limburg a few months later. They bought two Riese & Müller e-cargo bikes, purchases that immediately gave them flexibility and widened their horizons. “I would have never taken my kids into Melbourne with a cargo bike, whereas when we were in Vlaardingen, I’d take my kids to Rotterdam after school just for the heck of it. It’s so easy to just ride in and park somewhere at the front door. And Rotterdam is one of the most industrious cities in Europe, and the biggest port.”

In Limburg, the cargo bike became the key to a transformed lifestyle, offering Chris and the family a newfound sense of adventure; a way to navigate their new environment with ease. Chris says that now, every trip they make becomes an exploration of their surroundings. “When we go somewhere, it is an adventure. We just kind of head out the door in a certain direction and follow the bike routes.

And in that way, the whole area has been unfolding, kind of as a week-by-week discovery. Depending on where we go, we just bite off ride-sized chunks, fitting in adventures between naps, snacks and kids’ activities.”

Moreover, the cargo bike allowed Chris and his family to lead a more active lifestyle than they ever could in a car-centric world. “I could do the school run in a car, but then I would be a disabled guy who’s inactive at home, drives the family around on errands, then comes back home to be inactive,” Chris reflects. In contrast, the cargo bike gave him a chance to be active outdoors and bond with their children while exploring the world around him.

Chris’ experience with cargo bikes is not unique.

Within the cargo bike community, he has found that many share a similar sentiment. “It is this transformative thing, and I do think the term gateway drug is appropriate – a gateway to a more sustainable lifestyle in all its different aspects,” he explains.

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The family now lives a car-free life in a region known for frequent rain and hilly terrain. Despite this, they’ve discovered that a car is no longer a necessity in their lives. “Every single element of your life starts to be reframed when you get outside of the cage,” Chris concludes.

Outdoorsy and active Chris Catanese’s journey from a car-centric lifestyle in Australia to a car-free existence in the Netherlands has been one of setbacks, adaptation, and the quest for a more sustainable and fulfilling life. One in which the role of the cargo bike should not be underestimated. “With having young kids and a disability,” he concludes, “there’s this really beautiful side to cargo bikes: that you’re out there and you’re still active. I now lead a life which is ten times more outdoorsy and active than when I was outdoorsy and active and healthy, but living in a car society.”

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Cargo bikes as a gateway drug However, the cargo bike holds even deeper significance for Chris. With his respiratory and spinal conditions, he found that cycling was actually

medically prescribed as part of his rehabilitation.

“There’s this automatic assumption that if you’re disabled or mobility restricted,” explains Chris, “that a big car is always the right weapon for you, but that’s a misconception.” On the contrary, cycling provided the fluid movement his body needed, alleviating his pain and improving his mobility. Unlike a car, which would exacerbate his symptoms, the cargo bike became a means of not just transportation and exploration, but also of rehabilitation. “I’m also prescribed to take it easy on myself,” he continues. “So that’s why an e-assist bike with suspension is absolutely the best way for me to get around.”

FEATURE

The Dutch adventure While in hospital, the idea of relocating to the Netherlands began to take shape in Chris’ mind. He messaged Michelle, who was back home with their daughter and pregnant with their son. As Chris puts it, “I think it was pretty much something like, ‘Hey, do you reckon we should just actually go to the Netherlands?’ And Michelle being pretty much like, ‘Yeah, that’s a good idea’. There’s something about when you go into the hospital in a certain kind of critical condition that can just open up thoughts that you might not have really consciously had before, stuff you haven’t seriously delved into.”

FEATURE

LION BEAT

DECARBONISING CULTURE

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WORDS BY TOM PARR

PHOTOS BY LIONBEAT

UNITED KINGDOM

How London-based Lionbeat are pioneering the use of cargo bikes as decarbonised culture delivery vehicles

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“Do you know this word: propinquity?” asks Jean-Claude Charnier. “It’s about kinship, being close. To my mind, this is what cycling propagates because you know, if you’re in a metal box with glass windows driving around everywhere, you’re not actually close to anyone outside.”

It may just be an anecdote, but it’s illustrative of what Lionbeat – Jean-Claude’s think-tank and consultancy – is very much in the business of

As Jean-Claude explains, Lionbeat is all about championing Bass Culture – rooted in Caribbean Sound System culture – for community benefit. “The way I put it is that Bass Culture starts from Sound System Culture and incorporates it. So, whereas Sound System Culture undeniably came from the Caribbean, Bass Culture is a British phenomenon which incorporates the Sound System Culture that those Caribbean communities brought to the UK, synthesised with European dance music, and incorporating music from African diasporic communities too. It’s a totally inclusive but unmistakably Black aesthetic of music, made for big sound systems and live stage shows. Typically, it’s music with a message, too. In Rasta philosophy that’s called Word, Sound and Power.”Lionbeat is pioneering ways of bringing that music and Lionbeat

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Jean-Claude (pictured, p70) is in the middle of an anecdote about a chance encounter. Riding home from a gig in South London recently, he met a community leader he knew, Nicholas Okwulu of Pempeople, by chance en route. Both of them were riding cargo bikes. “We just sort of bumped into each other and, you know, that engendered a conversation. This is the sort of thing that simply doesn’t happen when you’re driving a car. You’re not able to stop and take advantage of that serendipity, that propinquity.”

delivering. BASSISbikes - as Lionbeat’s cargo bike platforms are known - deliver connection and foster culture – decarbonised and on a human scale, to events across London and beyond.

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Lionbeat is pioneering ways of bringing that music and culture into the community, and in the process circumventing many of the conventional barriers that often prevent that from happening. “The cargo bikes allow us to get this kit into really unusual places cars and vans just can’t go,” confides Jean-Claude. “You can’t just drive into a park in London and set up equipment; you can’t do that.

And the same goes for many on-street settings.

Whereas with the cargo bike, there’s simply no question. Nobody is even going to seek to challenge you. When you marry these technologies to this platform, the cargo bike, it becomes something that is simply allowed to occur.”

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The community benefit aspect is an absolutely central plank of the project – for which Lionbeat works with a number of community groups, charities and local authorities. “First, we do the outreach into the communities,” explains Jean-Claude. “And those encounters can then provide us with the human resources – people skilful enough to ride

the bikes, but also to have the smarts to set up and to operate the equipment.” In fact, it takes an array of technical and artistic skills to build, operate and maintain BASSISbikes. Bike mechanics and audio technicians are the obvious ones that come to mind, but you can add carpenters, fabricators, 3D and graphic designers, video and post-production editors, promotions, marketing and photographers to a list that goes on.

In short – by operating this platform, Lionbeat brings into being a constellation of skills, training and employment opportunities which would otherwise simply not exist. And it’s not lost on Jean-Claude that this plays into a wider context.

“When you’ve got Transport for London and a Mayor like Sadiq Khan mandating that 30% of deliveries by 2030 need to be zero-emission, it’s plain to see that cargo bikes can play a big part in that growth. And you can definitely tie that to an economic imperative for the kinds of communities we work in.”

As Jean-Claude illustrates, alongside this expansion in accessibility of place has come accessibility for more people to get involved too. “At some point, the heavy equipment meant that Sound System Culture became quite patriarchal and actually kind of excluded women. Whereas with a cargo bike, I would say it is a mode that facilitates everybody being involved. You don’t need to be big and strong to ride an e-assist bike, you know? So we don’t have to be selecting riders for physical strength or that kind of thing. If you consider that culture is the technology modes as well as any sort of media outputs, BASSISbikes are such an efficient way of delivering Bass Culture. Almost anybody who can ride a bike can work with us!”

Professionalising operations Four years into the project, Lionbeat is increasingly professionalising operations. Commissions from London Marathon Events and residencies at Goldsmiths University and cultural institution Somerset House attest to that. “We are now at the point where we can very confidently deliver our service for clients. You set everything up. You’re adapting things on the fly, and there’s such a depth of experience now that nothing really fazes us. You realise how versatile the systems are as well. That’s truly the advantage of the platform itself being on a bike; all the equipment is easily accessible and it’s all battery operated so you can quickly set it up.

And then the beauty of it is that at the end of the day, you can quickly repack it. You’re gone and you don’t leave a trace.

INSTAGRAM.COM/LIONBEAT

Lionbeat are also experimenting with and incorporating multimedia technology into their repertoire. In one recent project, OUT THE DARKNESS – pictured, p72 – Jean-Claude used state-of-the-art technology to project images onto walls and railway arches in South London. Working with Dhona Lumiere, a projection mapping expert from the Maldives, a nation imperilled by climate change, Lionbeat produced a showcase using BASSISbikes. OUT THE DARKNESS featured music and video from British Ethiopian producer Hylu, a screening from filmmaker Keifer Nyron Taylor and a film produced by another British Jamaican, Max Cyrus, a poet, whose film eulogises Stephen Lawrence, a Black teenager murdered by racists in South London, thirty years later. This pilot demonstrated the capacity of BASSISbikes to dediesel large-scale, outdoor spectacles.

Culture delivery vehicles However, the cultural outreach aspect of the BASSISbikes is just not confined to a given event location. Jean-Claude says that they also bring culture to the communities they pass through on the way to and from their destinations. “We leave base playing music. And then we get to the destination playing music. And we’re setting up playing music.

So, the point is; from the moment a BASSISbike is rolling to the moment it gets locked up it’s been a decarbonised culture delivery vehicle. Because it’s able to move through communities in a unique way.”

“I was playing some particularly wicked Dub the other day; it was in South London somewhere,” says Jean-Claude by way of example. “And this little girl with her mum – she must have been about seven – she just sort of saw me coming; heard me coming.

And then, with that total lack of self-consciousness that children have, she starts pulling this meanlooking face and doing this little dance in the street, dipping her hips behind her knees. And her mum just looked down and burst out laughing and was just like, really proud of her. And it was a really sweet moment. That kind of encounter – particularly in South London that happens all the time, you know? That’s Bass Culture for community benefit right there, delivering joy.”

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As Jean-Claude articulates, the BASSISbike platform is not static; it’s in development. A number of major upgrades are in the pipeline for 2024. “At present, we’re using the loading area of an Urban Arrow and Soundboks speakers,” he says. “But now

we’re also working with fabricators to design and fit out custom coachwork and speaker cabinets for the bikes. It’s an exciting prospect – that we’ll be able to better accommodate and deploy all of our hi-tech audiovisual equipment.”

FEATURE

Why cargo bikes?

Sound System Culture has always had mobility at its core. But until now, the sheer weight and bulk of the equipment – speakers, amplifiers, turntables and metres of cables to connect them all – has made transport by car, van or truck a necessity.

Unthinkable that it would have been possible by bike. That has all changed with the coming-ofage of two technologies: the e-cargo bike and battery-powered, wireless speakers. Jean-Claude’s innovation has been to join the dots; seizing on this opportunity to operate an entirely new kind of system which allows access to almost any kind of outdoor – or even indoor – space.

OPINION

THE BATTERY PARADOX Could the extraction dilemma provide an opportunity for the cycling industry?

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Extraction transition

As the mobility industry scrambles to find ways of decarbonising transport, there is a widely accepted consensus that we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground. But while transitioning away from fossil fuels to an economy based on clean energy is now seen by most people as vital, there is a paradox at play. The transition also relies on the extraction of large amounts of minerals such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese and nickel to produce items such as lithium-ion batteries and solar panels.

As with fossil-fuel mining, a particular area of concern around this extraction for the clean energy transition is the impact on communities near mining sites. These communities, especially those in the Global South, often bear the brunt, with women and indigenous inhabitants tending to endure the most unfair treatment.

INTERNATIONAL

Examples include excessive water use and labour exploitation surrounding manganese mines in South Africa; inhabitants – usually women – forced to walk for hours for water they could previously fetch in their villages. Meanwhile in the ‘Lithium Triangle’ bordering Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, water pollution, environmental degradation and intimidation of indigenous protestors have been documented. Mines following good practices are out there, but these examples of malpractice are by no means the only ones.

OPINION

Bike industry

Despite being smaller in size compared to the automotive industry, the cycling industry’s presence as a player in this situation is growing. And with the exponential rise of e-bikes in recent years only looking set to continue, the responsibility the industry bears grows with it.

Cycling is rightly used to looking at itself as a climate solution.

The narrative around cargo bikes in particular – that they replace conventional vehicles for urban trips – has been shown time and again to be true; for both business and personal mobility. Taking a fossilfuelled vehicle off the road eliminates a pollution source. Substitute an electric vehicle (EV) for a cargo bike and you can expect an energy-use saving of over 90%.

For renewable energy-charged EV batteries, that 90% of saved energy can be used elsewhere, potentially substituting fossil-fuel-generated electricity. When people switch to bikes for urban trips, every EV that doesn’t get built because the demand isn’t there means one less 450kg EV battery (average weight). These are real impacts; the ‘Reduce’ of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…’ in action.

While the cycling industry can justifiably feel virtuous about this, it does need to face some of the negative issues surrounding its own extractive mining for batteries. Yes, it is on a whole different scale to the EV industry but as e-bikes grow in popularity, it is vitally important that attention for impacts to people and planet is baked into this growth.

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Fairphone example

One example of how things could be done differently comes from the electronics industry. Fairphone, a Dutch manufacturer of modular, repairable and durable smartphones, is committed to reducing electronic waste and responsible, transparent sourcing of conflictfree materials gathered under fair labour practices. The newest model comprises more than 70% fair and recycled materials.

Within the cycling industry, several initiatives are already moving in this direction. Examples include Cleantron’s repairable, modular e-bike batteries with a ten-year guarantee, and Roetz Bikes’ circular manufacturing method; giving a second life to used bike parts and materials too good to be discarded.

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Cycling industry knowledge-sharing initiatives are also popping up.

Shift Cycling Culture is a not-for-profit movement aiming to accelerate the shift to responsible production in the cycling industry through storytelling, collaboration and developing capabilities. Meanwhile the Cycling Industry Sustainability Expert Group, jointly led by industry associations Cycling Industries Europe and CONEBI, focuses on circular economy and responsible raw material sourcing.

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How the cycling industry achieves all of this is up for debate. Change is always difficult, but knowledge can be shared and business models can adapt. Plus, with growing scale, measures to avoid and mitigate negative impacts will become more affordable.

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The cycling industry must address these challenges head-on and grasp this opportunity to positioning itself at the forefront of these efforts; ahead of the automotive industry. Not only is it critical that the transition away from fossil fuels and oversized vehicles is also a just transition – it’s also good for business. The question is not whether the cycling industry will be able to afford to make changes, but whether it can afford not to.

PHOTOS BY CURIOSO PHOTOGRAPHY / PAUL ALAIN HUNT

Design is an area with room for improvement. Producing durable, repairable bikes makes sense on many levels. It is good for the reputation of individual manufacturers, gives consumers value for money and prevents an unneccesary cycle of demand, over-extraction and over-production. Reliable bikes can also help convince people who do not ride bikes to switch to cycling for urban trips.

WORDS BY TOM PARR

A just transition There is gigantic potential for e-bikes – especially e-cargo bikes – to help reduce impacts on people and the planet. We should strive to make sure all of that potential is realised. But let’s do this right. Ethical procurement is increasingly possible, and best practices are improving all the time.

ILLUSTRATION BY KARIN VEENENDAAL

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