{"id":384,"date":"2011-04-08T23:21:00","date_gmt":"2011-04-08T23:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ssgc.co\/2011\/04\/cargo-bikes\/"},"modified":"2011-04-08T23:21:00","modified_gmt":"2011-04-08T23:21:00","slug":"cargo-bikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/singlespeedgoldcoast.com\/2011\/04\/08\/cargo-bikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Cargo Bikes"},"content":{"rendered":"
The owner of Cargone Couriers<\/a> sold his car and bought a cargo bike to do his courier runs on. You have to love anyone who sells his car and replaces it with a bike. So let’s celebrate the cargo bike in his honour.<\/p>\n First thing you need to know about the cargo bike is that you should call it a bakfiet. Reason being is it will make you look like a pretentious wanker to your friends, but a pretentious wanker who knows more about cargo bikes than they do. Go ahead now and lord it over them with your worldly bicycle knowledge.<\/p>\n Next thing you need to know is they’re crazy popular in Holland but will make you stand out like a streaker at a cricket match in Australia. I’ve seen one on the Gold Coast and one in Bangalow and that’s about it.<\/p>\n I don’t own one yet but sincerely wish I did. They’re on a long line of bikes I intend to own one day when fortune smiles on me. So, with no serious intent to actually buy one I have been casually pondering the opportunities available to purchase in Australia over recent times. Here is some of what I’ve learned.<\/p>\n First up is Cargo Bike<\/a>. If you Googled “cargo bike’ to get here you no doubt already visited www.cargobike.com.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cargo Bike sell a neat looking range of tricycle cargo bikes. Tricycle cargo bikes are generally cheaper and more accessible than their two-wheeled brethren. The problem for us Gold Coasters is you’d by unlikely to pass over the appalling Southport Bridge without incident. The shared footpath\/bicycle path is barely big enough to two normal bicycles to pass. If one of those bikes happened to be a tricycle cargo bike you’d be totally stuck. The bridges over Chevron and Isle of Capri and even worse. On Isle of Capri a cyclist can’t even pass a pedestrian without the pedestrian pressing themselves up against the rail. The road is the obvious choice but if your bike is half the width of a car and you’re relying on the dopey Gold Coast drivers to avoid you then you’re gambling with too much to lose. Lumbering across an accident hotspot like the Southport bridge with a wide load is not something I’d do for kicks.<\/p>\n If you can cycle around the Gold Coast without crossing a bridge (maybe you live down the southern end) and are desirous of some cargo bike options, consider this:<\/p>\n