The family bicycle is widely regarded, in this country at least, as a runabout to potter around the local park with the kids; driven largely by fashion, we overlook practical options in favour of those built for outright speed or off-road ability. It is surprising then, that an appetite for a new breed of family bicycle is emerging not from the enlightened heartlands of cycling in continental Europe, but the land of the car.
Taga 2.0 has been designed specifically to address the needs of the modern family and to say it has been well received is an understatement; over $5m was raised following a crowdfunding campaign that offered the bike for only £595. The recommended retail price when it goes on widespread sale will be under £750.
The team behind the Taga 2.0 concluded that many family bikes on sale today were originally designed to carry cargo, not children. They are often unstable, expensive and lacking the features desired by both parents and kids.
The Taga 2.0 places the kids in the front so you can explore the world together, but that’s just the start; the stowage area of the bike can be configured in any number of ways and to suit kids of every age.
The Taga 2.0 has pitched itself against family bicycles that cost the same as a secondhand car. It’s cost of less than £750 could prompt an uptake in cities that would have a transformative effect on our collective quality of life.
Imagine school run congestion, and the associated road danger, replaced with a procession of sturdy bikes – their cargo boxes brimming with kids. And if you worry your thighs aren’t quite up to the job of carrying the combined weight of up between two and four kids, there are electric motors available as an optional extra.
Most people will be unable to spend thousands on a cargo bike, while at the same time running a car. But for those who can turn to public transport, rental vehicles or a car share club when needed, they can make financial as well as environmental sense.
Giving up a car in favour of a family bicycle
Giving up a car in favour of a cargo bike and in the process saying goodbye to insurance, VED, petrol, resident permits, parking charges and fines, servicing costs and devaluation – not to mention the gym membership you’ll no longer need – can save the average city driver over £3,500 every year.
Elsewhere in Europe, the bicycle is considered a practical alternative to the car and cargo designs are used to carry loads of up to 250 kg. In Britain, faced with a growing number of parcels, the Post Office has phased out bicycle deliveries. By contrast, and in a perfect illustration of the European attitude towards cycling as a mode of transport, in Germany they developed a larger and stronger cargo bicycle to cope with the extra demand.
Such cargo bikes tend to be, by their nature, big and heavy and relatively slow. The Butchers and Bicycles MK1 aims to challenge the perception of how fun and easy riding a cargo bike can be without compromising usability.
Butchers & Bicycles is the young business based in the meatpacking district of Copenhagen (hence the name), behind the MK1 – a cargo bike designed to retain the performance and fun of a conventional bike.
The Mk1-E uses the same ‘built-to-tilt’ system that features on the rest of the range, but it also boasts a powerful Bosch eBike electric motor and an integrated parking stand that’s easily operated from the rider’s position. The cargo box seats two children aged up to around seven.
Carrying kids by Christiania cargo bike
Cargo trikes are being bought in increasing numbers in London, not only by businesses looking for an environmentally-friendly way of bypassing the congestion charge, but by parents looking for a practical and fun alternative to the car for the school run.
When it comes to transporting young children by family bicycle, especially on the school run, there are various options to choose between. By far the simplest and most popular is the child seat fitted onto the rear rack, but on a standard bike it is not possible to carry more than one child in this way.
In Denmark many families with two or more kids, have turned to the Christiania. There is a choice between a standard-sized model, which can fit two to three kids, and a longer version, which can comfortably seat four to six. The box where the kids sit is in front, so everyone gets a good view, while the rider can keep an eye on the kids.
The Madsen Cargo Bike is like any other bicycle features an extended frame equipped with a tub large sturdy enough to carry 250 kg. The advantage it has over the trikes is that it’s easier to store and park if space is tight.
The ethical choice
The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.
The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.
James
MK1 looks fun and defiantly looks like you could get your knee down round them corners.
Tony Hadland
Just one little point – a cycle with three wheels is by definition a tricycle, not a bicycle!
Mary Fisher
the Post Office has fazed out bicycle deliveries
NO! It has PHASED out bicycle deliveries!