It doesn’t come as news to most of us that bikes are the most efficient form of transportation ever devised. Most of the bike use in the United States is for fitness or just pleasure cruising. About as utilitarian as we tend to get is bike commuting or running occasional errands.
In places where bike use is strongly supported (i.e. Europe) or where economics precludes widespread use of costly vehicles (China, et al), bicycles are commonly used to transport cargo.
“Work bikes,” or utility cycles, while not unheard of in the U.S., are not in common use. Bikes can be adapted to carry more than 800 pounds on flat terrain. Of course acceleration is a bit slower, but once cruising speed is reached, the overall effort isn’t much more than an unencumbered bicycle. On more hilly or rolling terrain, up to 300 pounds can be transported in relative comfort.
The Bay Area groups who assembled the parks for Park(ing) Day used various work bikes and trailer configurations to transport all of the necessary equipment to the park-sites. Those committed to a car-free existence have done cross-city moves via bicycle. A well-equipped work bike can tow a refrigerator, stove, bed set, or couch.
Work bikes come in many shapes and sizes. There are the front-load types off add-ons, similar to those found throughout Amsterdam. These are popular both for hauling gear and loading up the kids and cruising around. More common in the U.S. are the one-wheeled B.O.B trailers (available with a shock-spring for off-road hauling) and the Burley trailers.
These and other models are covered by Metaefficient. Also, for a site completely devoted to the topic, check out the Bike Trailer Blog.
Via Metaefficient. Photo courtesy of Bikes at Work.
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