4 reasons cargo bikes are worth it.

I love my bike.

You might have noticed that already.  :)

But sometimes I feel a little sheepish when people ask how much it costs, and where they can get one of their own, because technically I don't really need a full cargo bike. I could make do with a trailer to haul kids and groceries, and possibly attach it to a used tandem bike to make sure Daniel does his fair share of the work. That said, there are reasons that I keep telling people "here's where you can get one - do it right away!"

Here's why in my heart of hearts, I think spending the money on a dedicated cargo bike is worth it.

1. They're geared for the job.

If you pile a bunch of pannier bags and hitch a trailer to a basic 7 speed bike, you're going to find out very quickly what your legs can handle. The weight will make all but flat roads a major challenge. Now, I'm not saying that you won't feel the weight if you load down your cargo bike, but they're BUILT for moving weight. The gears are set up to maximize turning your effort into motion. I find it just as easy to pedal my Virtue Schoolbus as it is my 3-speed Wicked Witch bike.

If she had a cargo bike, would Toto still have escaped?

2. They can take it.

Weight? What weight? You can load a cargo bike with whatever you dare, and rest easy that the spokes (probably) won't pop. The frame won't fail. Your axle won't bend. You're good.

3. You can carry more...

people, food, plants, bricks, other bikes. You can't load a standard bike with as much as you can a cargo bike. You can load a standard bike a bunch with front and rear panniers, but if you have a bakfiets with cargo rack and panniers, you can transport more kids than a standard Camry.

4. You'll use it more.

When I had a trailer, it was a pain to set up. It handled funny. It required a lot of work, and I didn't like having my kids that far behind me. My cargo bike is easy - I roll it out of the shed, put the kids in, and away we go. Also, maybe this is just me, but if I spend a bunch of money on something, I feel more motivated to get my money's worth out of it.

Speaking of money's worth - the Kindle edition of my book, Hard Core Poor, will be marked down to $1.99 from June 13th to June 20th! That's 51% off - whatta deal!

But what? You want a paperback copy instead? If you buy the paperback through this link and use the code Q7QRAE5N, you can get a $2 discount on my $9.99 book. (That code is effective immediately)