Ruminations
To launch our blog (aka Ruminations), Joel answers commonly asked questions:
Why Cargo Bikes?
Well…good question. Short and easy answer: because we like them. Long and complex answer: Because the world needs them in more ways than one. Over the next few weeks we will share the reasons we have decided to invest our own personal savings into a business that will promote a healthier way to live for ourselves, our city and our planet.
Reason #1: Traffic and Parking…A cargo bike instead of a car will avoid the usual traffic snarls and deliver you to front row parking on every trip. The extra time it may take to pedal a bicycle a couple of miles is mostly canceled out by the free, easy and nearby parking at your destination. A cargo bike on many local trips saves you money, saves you time, and gets you where you want to go, carry the things you need to carry- easily and affordably.
Reason #2: Riding a bike will save your life. We have an obesity epidemic in America today. One of the ways to reduce this obesity problem is by getting daily exercise. One of the easy ways to get daily exercise is to ride a bike for local transportation. With most trips for the average urban household less than a couple of miles, pedaling a bicycle instead of driving a car these few minutes a day can have dramatic results on your health in a positive way. While we at Splendid Cycles understand that a cargo bike may have limited applications for some, most households in a flat, densely populated city like Portland could replace many of their car trips to pick-up kids at school, or shopping trips, or simple errands with a cargo bike and help get the exercise we need for healthy lives. Riding a cargo bike instead of driving a car will help you live longer, live healthier, and live a more fulfilling life. Don’t think of it as work, but think of it as a fun way to get to where you want to go, carry the things you need to carry and to get exercise at the same time.
Reason #3: Our planet is being rapidly consumed in case you haven’t noticed. America, with only 3% of the world’s population consumes 25% of the world’s supply of oil. Is this moral? Is this fair to the rest of the planet or to future generations? The way our society consumes resources generally and petroleum specifically guarantees that future generations will have to deal with the problems we are creating today because of our neglect and arrogance. Sure, we still have likely only used ½ of our total known reserves of petroleum, but guess what? The next ½ of our petroleum reserves will deplete a lot quicker,be a lot more expensive, be a lot harder to get to, and come from a lot farther away than the first half. Simple arithmetic and economics will ensure that gasoline will continue to become more expensive because of its increasing demand and decreasing supply. Moreover, with the out of control burning of fossil fuels, global climate change will only exacerbate our already stressed society. We owe it to our children and grand children to act responsibly, lighten our footprint, and help to control resource depletion. So why not trade in that extra car for a cargo bike?
What’s the difference between Bullitt from Copenhagen, Metrofiets Cargo Bikes from Portland, and other popular front-loader cargo bikes?
A Bullitt at Splendid Cycles on average sells for $3400 to $3900 depending on the cargo and kid carrying arrangement. A Metrofiets Cargo Bike on the other hand costs $5500 to $6500. The disparity in price is significant, largely because the Metrofiets is made in Portland and each one is a rolling work of artisanship and somewhat original. Where the Bullitt is a fine bicycle, with fabulous 21st century designing and engineering (a Danish trademark) and production in one of the finest factories in the world in Taiwan, they are still a production bike. Through economies of scale, the price drops significantly with the Bullitt when compared to a Metrofiets.
Among production cargo bikes, the Bullitt leads the pack. Only the Bullitt combines 21st century engineering, advanced aluminum tube shaping, the best Shimano components, and the lightest cargo bike into a package that is an amazing value. Most of the other front loading cargo bikes from Denmark, Holland, and England seem a bit more old-school, clunky and heavy, and have inferior components and braking systems. They are also primarily made for flat terrain. As you know, our needs here are different. Most west coast cities are flat enough to ride cargo bikes, but a little too hilly to pedal around 100+ pound bikes with older less efficient drive trains, and brakes. The Bullitt is the first bike to come along that really is the complete package. It's versatile in how you can set it up (kids, cargo, traditional wood box or advanced kids carrier). It's the lightest bike on the market (stock bike without accessories installed weighs 52 lbs and on average with accessories installed weighs 60 to 65 lbs) It comes stock with hydraulic disc brakes on all models (that means the bikes can lock up the brakes with 2 fingers at 30 mph) and the best Shimano drive trains. So from an all out value, it is really hard to beat the Bullitt, they work really well, and will give decades of lasting performance and reliability.
The Metrofiets cargo bikes on the other hand, have no comparison. I am not aware of any other frame shop focusing on heavy duty front loading cargo bikes and building with the quality and uniqueness that the guys at Metrofiets achieve. Part of it is the diversity and bike building culture here in Portland. With more frame builders per capita than any other city in the world, peer pressure and collaboration combine to raise the quality of everyone’s work. I think another reason Metrofiets cargo bikes are so unique is the owners, Phil and Jamie. They desire to make the best bikes in the world that will last 50 years or more and turn heads everywhere the bikes go. I know of no one who walks into my little studio who is not immediately impressed and dazzled by a Metrofiets when compared to the very impressive Bullitt. Moreover, Phil and Jamie took almost 3 years to prototype their first bikes before they actually sold one to a customer. The bikes are well made, reliable, and without peer in my opinion. As for the ride, the rear 26" wheel/ front 24" wheel arrangement (most combine a rear 26" with a front 20") give the bikes an incredibly good ride. A Metrofiets cargo bike, however, is slightly heavier due to its slightly larger size and the fact that cro-moly steel is slightly heavier than aluminum.
One advantage I can see with the Metrofiets is their larger size, which will make for a more comfortable bike for 2 small children and a couple of bags of groceries. The Bullitt tries to keep things a little more compact so it is lighter and easier to ride. The Metrofiets at 65 to 75 lbs are a still a far cry lighter than the heavier 100+ lb front loaders coming out of Europe. As for components, again I only build them up with the best Shimano components that make the bikes easy to ride and will perform well for years. Because these bikes are custom, I can also build to order if you have specific tastes or needs. As for stock, I have 3 Metrofiets arriving into stock by the end of the July 2010. Not all are spoken for...and only two have paint schemes designated. The other will remain unpainted until I find a customer for it. The benefit of this is we can turn around an order in 2-3 weeks...instead of the normal 2-4 months for one of their full custom bikes.
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