Freight bicycle

From Trashwiki

A bakfiets is a tricycle with a large area in the front of it for transporting cargo. It is also called a freight bicycle.

Freight bicycles, carrier cycles, freight tricycles or cargo bikes are human powered vehicles designed and constructed specifically for transporting large loads. Vehicle designs usually include a cargo handling area consisting of a steel tube carrier, an open or enclosed box (cabinet), a flat platform, or a wire bracket basket. These are usually mounted over one or both wheels, low behind the front wheel, or between parallel wheels at either the front or rear of the vehicle. The frame and drivetrain must be constructed to handle loads several times that of an ordinary bicycle. Other specific design considerations include operator visibility and load suspension.

[edit] Common Usages

Common usages include:

• delivery services in dense urban environments
• food vending in high foot traffic areas (including specialist ice cream bikes)
• transporting trade tools, including around large installations such as power stations and CERN
• airport cargo handling
• recycling collections
• warehouse inventory transportation
• mail (The UK post office operates a fleet of 33,000 bicycles, mainly the "Pashley" MailStar)

Because of the strong economic advantageous realizable by widespread proliferation of freight bicycles, Oxfam has designed the OxTrike and established local production at community workshops in non-industrialized countries for use in non-industrialized countries worldwide. Dangdang, China’s biggest online bookseller, uses 30 bicycle courier companies in 12 cities to deliver goods and collect payments.

[edit] External links

• Worksman; New York city builder of freight and industrial bicycles
• Producer with a broad variety of freight bicycles
• Blog about workbikes and freight bicycles (English/Dutch language)
• Magazine in which several good commercial freight bikes are mentioned
• Transportation Alternatives
• Making Workbikes for the Neighborhood by Greg Bryant
• longjohn.org: website about Danish Long John bikes
• Freight bicycles for the Third world
• Velorbis - Danish distributor of the Long John and Short John

Media Coverage:

• Classic Cycles Built in Queens
• Full cycle: Group of (Indiana) homeowners snapping on helmets for Re-Cycles! program
• Couriers pedaling full speed ahead Pair's delivery service firms are finding their stride amid an uphill job market
• Building a Better Bike Lane An interesting article featuring freight bikes