Bakfietsen, Dutch for “box bikes,” are bomb-proof, do-it-all urban machines. Load up the kids (as many as three!) and there’s still room to spare for the family’s grocery needs in the bak.
The front box has an impressive 180-lb recommended carrying capacity, and the rear racks can handle another 70 lbs.
Strong wheels, durable tires, a low-maintenance 8-speed Shimano Nexus internally geared hub that offers a huge gear range, a drum brake for all-weather stopping, stainless steel fenders, front and rear generator lights, and an option for a rain canopy round out the package.
The close to $3,000 sticker price may discourage some, but Bakfietsen are a legitimate alternative to a family’s vehicle. Certainly for multicar families this would make a reasonable replacement for one mobile. The end of gasoline or vehicle insurance expenses and the low maintenance fees make Bakfietsen a great choice for a family’s partial carectomy.
These rigs are available in the
See Also: Bikes Rule in Amsterdam and Utilitarian Pedalling
Photo from Rain City Bikes
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Brilliant idea, but you have to make sure people have a viable alternative before you implement changes like that, otherwise you’ll have a lot of extremely [and rightly] frustrated and angry citizens. If they don’t have the option of taking the bus [for instance the public transportation system in my metropolitan area is nothing short of horrendous], then no amount of changes can or will extract them from their cars, and having to pay what will seem like a fine for needing a place to put something that poor infrastructure and public transportation causes them to need will not be conducive to a brighter outlook in the general public towards transportation-oriented changes.