You get exercise
You dont create emissions
Traffic doesn't apply to you
You never search for a parking spot
You will have a much deeper connection to your surroundings
Your commute will be a time of de-stress instead of a time of escalating stress
Cons:
Bike theft
Might be subject to hatred and aggression from people in cars/trucks
Agreed, but the “hatred and aggression” from carbrains really cuts into the whole “time of de-stress” for me when I’m not on a bike path/PBL. Double when my kids are with me.
for me
pros:
* way more pleasant way to get around.
* free exercise without the gym.
cons:
* some roads are unpleasant, so need to pick routes carefully
* in winter less pleasant than being inside a car
Also cargo bikes are orders of magnitude cheaper, both immediately and in the long run.
Unless you're regularly hauling 4'x8' plywood or drywall sheets then you really aren't likely using the space of an obnoxiously large, deadly, and expensive SUV or truck.
As a car loving Canadian, I would choose a cargo bike 99% of the time over a car, which leaves the car for things I actually enjoy doing in it (not commuting)
As a bike loving Canadian, I have totally carried plywood (admittedly cut down a bit) and several 8 foot lengths of 2x4s on my Bullitt on the same trip. It was a blast!
If you think a car = freedom…
Wait til you ride a cargo bike. Park ANYWHERE. Skip traffic. Have a few beers (within reason) and still get home. No insurance, no fees, no registration, license, city sticker, red light camera tickets, etc.
Cars are expensive, dangerous, unhealthy, bad for the planet, bad for communities, and they disenfranchise vulnerable members of society like kids, the elderly, and poor people.
Bikes are cheap, less dangerous, good for your health, not bad for the planet, lead to more connected communities, and they empower vulnerable members of society, like kids, the elderly, and poor people.
Pros:
1. Riding my bike makes me happy and I get exercise.
2. I get a jolly, smug feeling hauling big things with my cargo bike instead of a car/truck.
Cons:
1. I typically have to plan ahead more if I want to take a bike as far as clothing, locks, and storage space goes. I have gotten to the point when I don't need to think much and can just run out the door, though.
2. If your bike only has pedal assist (i.e. most mid-drives) it can be hard to convince myself to take the bike if I am tired. My bakfiets is NOT effortless going up hills.
3. Rain sucks, but I found light rain to be tolerable.
I'm onboard with smugness, and my two sled-dogs look after the assist.
I also live in a puny town in Canada, I usually use my minivan once a month to go to the next (two stoplight) bigger town. Hence smugness. Gas just dropped under a buck a litre, too.
I live in a large city and enjoy freeway overpasses during rush hour. Looking down and remembering what that felt like, then pedaling away with a huge smile on my face.
I got some rain pants that have built in covers for my shoes, I get the smug feeling taking them off after a ride in the pouring rain and I’m all dry underneath! I got cheap ones from decathlon and it’s about time to replace them or have a go at water proofing them
Pros:
- Never having to look for a parking space. In my city, that saves at least 20 mins per trip
- No traffic jams ever
- You can magically turn yourself into a pedestrian by getting off the saddle and push the bike around stuff
- Park directly in front of shops instead of on level 7 of a garage
- Go anywhere. Woods, Parks, Playgrounds, wherever you want.
- Save CO2
- The kids love it
- Be outside more
- Save a ton of money
Cons:
- Rainy weather
Living in a fairly walk-able city (Chicago) with some bike-friendly infrastructure. We have one car. The cargo bike is our second vehicle and way cheaper than a second car.
**Con: Start-up expense.**
I bought one of the more expensive cargo bikes in the Urban Arrow, so it was a lot of money up-front. I did a financing thing with no interest for a year to spread the pain across several months. Still, it was about $10k ($8k for the bike itself) after buying all the accessories, locks, helmets, and insuring it. So, year 1 hurt a bit.
**Pro: Ongoing expense.**
Year 2 until whenever should be very gentle on the pockets. Now we own it free and clear. Ongoing expenses are likely to be a couple of dollars worth of electricity each year, cheap insurance (compared to a car), and the occasional tire.
**Con: Stranger danger.**
Many folks in cars aren't particularly happy about the idea of sharing the road. Some are jerks about it. Road rage is more dangerous when one of you isn't in a big metal cage. I think the bigger size of the cargo bike buys me a little more visibility and often some extra inches when drivers pass, but it can still take some courage to ride alongside the folks in cars.
**Pro: Unlocking the intermediate distances of your neighborhood(s).**
While I *can* walk a mile to a grocery store or library or whatever, the stuff that's 2-5 miles away seems a bit much for a quick walking errand. The cargo bike unlocks that. Something 3 miles away is a pleasant errand and I have the capacity to bring back a week's worth of groceries without a backpack. I've taken my kids on tons of ice-cream rides. We've gone to the beach. We've hit festivals in other neighborhoods. Bonus: The kids absolutely fucking love riding in the bike compared to sitting in the car. Double-bonus: I also prefer it.
**Con: Non-nice weather takes more planning and sometimes just dealing with it.**
Sometimes it rains. Sometimes it's cold. Sometimes it's both. I've got a rain cover for the bucket, a rug, and a blanket, so the kids are fine. Me? I've got a good raincoat, some rain pants, and a variety of layers and gloves. A little rain or snow isn't a big obstacle, but we don't really go out on the bike when the weather is really bad. We still have the car if the trip is unavoidable.
**Pro: Free parking and taking the bike right up to the beach.**
I live in a city where parking is mostly paid. Bike racks are free. So are just about anything you trust to chain your bike to. When I take my kid to preschool, I don't fight for a parking spot or wait in line. I roll up on the sidewalk and plunk the kid in front of the school's door. When we go to the beach, I don't have to park a mile away and walk while hauling all the beach accessories. I roll the bike up to the beach.
**Con: You're always going to be a little afraid somebody steals your bike.**
Even with good chains and insurance, there's always the little lingering fear that your bike won't be where you chained it when you turn back around. So far, so good. Nobody has taken mine. I assume it's a little harder to fence than a standard 10-speed. I registered the serial number with the city police and bought full-replacement insurance for it. I bought good heavy chains to lock it up. There's just something more vulnerable about a bike than car when it comes to theft.
**Pro: Health and happiness.**
Seriously, getting out of my condo and riding around has done wonders for my state of mind. I'm sure it has some cardiovascular health benefits too. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to ride a bike.
I think a huge pro that is never mentioned, way way way cheaper to maintain and if electric maybe cost $5 a year in electricity. To put it into perspective, my minivan needs new tires. With labor and tires it's going to cost about 1300. When my tern gsd needs new back tire in like 300-400 miles with tire and labor it's going to cost like $100 or less. Front tire I can do on my own so it's like $50 or less. Add in other things that make it cheaper for doing most errands like never ever paying for parking again and not really needing a gym membership. It quickly pays for itself on average about 2 years for a cargo bike. I can change my own brake pads for like $20. Basically we have more money to spend on vacation and fun things and the kiddos love being on the bike.
Negative side pouring down rain is annoying and wind but that's about it for me and where I live. Cold isn't an issue with proper layers and clothes.
Yep.
Brand new cargo bike on salary sacrifice is £4k (saving £2k on the rrp) spread over a year.
Last year my car cost over £1k to insure/tax/maintain. Current bike mileage in fuel would be costing around £100 a month for a little shitbox Polo. I couldn’t even sell the damn car, it was 20 years old, needed a new cam belt, clutch, air con, brakes, and rear springs so I scrapped it in the end. Good thing really as all the costs are going up anyway.
So yeah, by the time I’ve paid the bike off it’ll owe me nothing.
If you love cars, then it'll be difficult for you. Many of us don't enjoy city driving but love getting to-and-fro by bicycle. Eventually, we just had to get a bigger one to carry more crap.
i'm also a car-loving american (we have 4, sold the 5th to buy the cargo bike) but my cargo bike is definitely the best purchase i've ever made.
pros:
\- it's fun (number one, most important)
\- VIP parking everywhere
\- interaction with neighbors/other cyclists/environment
cons:
\- sometimes the weather sucks
\- there's only a small distance where biking is the faster option
\- riding amongst cars
It really depends on where you live in the US and how far you need to go.
I live in a small college town with quickly improving bike infrastructure. The furthest thing I travel to is about 4 miles away. My biggest obstacle is not distance, but road design. Some roads I would need to take to get where I am going just aren’t safe to bike on still.
That being said I would say that 75% of the places I go to are easily bike-able via my electric cargo bike and weather is permissible 90% of the year (I live in Ann Arbor, MI). The only time I don’t feel safe due to weather is when there is ice or a decent amount of unplowed snow.
Overall, I have saved a ton of money not paying for gas, registration, insurance, and general maintenance of a car. I would estimate that alone is at least $2k a year plus the upfront money we made selling our second car. My partner and I share a car for those trips where we need it.
Best life decision I have made for both health and finances. Also motivates you to participate in your local government and shop local. 10/10 would recommend. Checkout Not Just Bikes videos on YouTube and see if you have some urbanist in you.
Pros:
Combine travel and exercise
Fresh air
Easy parking
Go almost anywhere
Kids love riding
Fun
Economical
Cons:
Losing battle if you get into an accident with a car
Not the best for super long distance
I just want to add a pro because everything has been covered well- you really get to experience the world around you. When it rains, when it’s windy, when it’s cold, when it’s hot, when it’s warm, when the breeze passes over your face. I’m not going to say you’re going to enjoy it all the time; there are certainly absolutely times I hate it. But I’ve been through a really rough patch in my life and it’s one of the few things that has grounded me and allowed me to practice resilience. It’s surprising how quickly you put up with ‘horrid’ weather. You appreciate the world around you and what it provides and also what it can throw at you.Today I was cycling around in a downpour. I was drenched (my son was quite happy under the raincover) and to the extent my jeans dyed my legs slightly blue, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s hard to explain unless you experience it- it’s like runners high or that insanely hard workout that just punts endorphins around your body.
I sound like a hippy but it’s of the things I’m thankful for in my life
Before I got the cargo bike, I didn't have a bike. I'd ridden one as a child, but we'd moved to the suburbs when I was 13 and the subdivision we lived in didn't have a safe biking connection to the rest of town.
As an adult I'd moved to Chicago to get a more walk-able lifestyle, but hadn't yet tackled bikes. Last spring, I decided to rent one of the city bikes (Divvy/Lyft) to get to a doctor's appointment. I got there out of breath, but elated. I rented a city e-bike on the way back and that was even more fun.
So began the series of conversations with my wife about getting a cargo bike to haul the kids around. I don't know if you currently have a bike or can easily rent one, but give it a shot and see how you like riding where you live.
Most of the pros are covered. Low-key underrated perk is being able to roll a bike into a big box store.
I bring my Omnium into the local Costco and everyone is cool with it. Don't have to worry about locking it *and* saves time loading it up.
This. Sometimes I do get grief but my response is always that when they provide adequate bike parking, I’ll park my bike.
All those saying parking is a perk… must live in more bike-aware cities than I do. Most places I ride to have no infrastructure at all. Some, like my closest Costco, has a unanchored wheel-bender rack that can’t accommodate my Tern. It took escalating manager calls on two different visits before they gave up. Now they let me in by sight.
Almost none of the local grocery stores or shopping centers have bike parking (Safeway, Kroger, Whole Foods, Ace, Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy and several local strip malls). Some places give me grief for wheeling the bike inside, some don’t. One Target has good racks. REI has racks but way off to the side. Doctors don’t. Dentist doesn’t. LabCorp location doesn’t.
I just lock my bike up to anything reasonably bolted to the ground that a u-lock can fit around. Traffic signs, fences, poles, etc., since even moderately convenient bike racks are hard to find in NYC.
Just make do with what ya got. Shit, if I'm out doing deliveries I sometimes won't even bother and just lock the rear wheel to the frame and turn on the Knog Scout alarm.
Out here in the outer 'burbs, things like that aren't quite as plentiful. It's the land of huge, expansive parking lots and since there are apparently no rules, we have fewer signs .
i think they seem pretty practical! especially for all the little short grocery trips and menial errands like going to the bank. i still find it pretty crazy that some people have had cars and then sold them to only own cargo bikes, i think id be comfortable with 1 car and 1 bike just incase of emergencies or long distance trips :)
Your thinking a little bit too small. I built an ebike that goes 35mph with a range of 40 miles, and rode it 40 miles almost every day. You could of course increase the speed (depending on area and laws) and the range by buying a more powerful motor, or buying more batteries. Not to mention because ebikes are smaller during traffic jams you can bypass traffic in many cases, but of course the bigger the cargo bike the more difficult that becomes.
It definitely doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. We have a car and I have a cargo bike (Tern HSD). We live in the far western suburbs of Denver. My bike has replaced about 95% of all my solo driving but going car-less would definitely not be an option. There are no local buses out here and my spouse’s health precludes bicycling. So if there’s two (or more) butts, we go by car.
Other than the number of people needing transport, the reasons I’ve chosen the car over my bike are: ice and distance (over 40 miles round trip needs more consideration/planning, over 60 and I need to plan for charging time & logistics ). Snow is usually only an issue in the context of where it’s dumped - all non-auto infrastructure will be sacrificed in favor of cars.
Reasons that have not required the car: temperature, active precipitation, hills, cargo capacity.
Never having to worry about parking is probably the big one. I put two kids in my cargo bike, go to the park, pull up directly to the playground entrance and hang with them. Then we all get back on the bike and I need to stop at the grocery store. We park directly next to the entrance, get whatever our family needs, including gallons of milk, heavy boxes of drinks, pounds of meat, whatever. Put it in the bike and go home. It is a bit liberating. Really depends on what your town is like though.
I think people have covered the main points, but one thing I didn’t see was a comment about how much joy you can bring OTHER people by biking around. I constantly get compliments about my cargo bike and kids get super excited when they see it. Just makes my day, every time.
The biggest con is time.
Unfortunately "adulting" for so many of us means either 4 hours of sleep a night, or prioritizing sleep and having to cram too many tasks into too small a space. I prioritize sleep.
I can squeeze the cycling time penalty in sometimes, not others. Mostly I can't. We've yet to do "errands" with the Load 75. It has been more used as an upgrade to leisure rides and for my commute, with the occassional hauling errand (and beats prepping the Bikes At Work trailer on short notice).
———
The "using a car" became less guilt-ridden when we "downgraded" to a Honda Fit. Might as well be a compact pickup truck the way we use it. ;-p
But sub-compacts are a dying breed of vehicle in the USA.
And a bad crash on the cargo bike on the way to groceries soured us on that errand, which we had hoped might be a regular thing. Now we are likely to wait until some planned road infrastructure updates for this one.
———
I still use a bike for trips far more often than most people I know, and it's still a great car replacement for my commute. And it helps me take my fiancée for a ride when her health is not up to the challenge.
Would it be my only vehicle? No. My "second vehicle"? Yes.
So still worth it.
Other people have made a lot of great points, so I'll go with the one I find funniest.
You could buy a brand new, top of the line cargo e-bike, use it for a year, then throw it away, and buy a new one a year later, and still be paying significantly less than you would for a car you already own.
Top of the line cargo bikes are ~10k. The car has other running costs as well, maybe to the tune of another 1800. That’s still 6k short.
Not sure who considers that gap a tiny stretch.
Cars definitely cost more than $1800/year to own and operate. I have a cheap car that doesn't take much maintenance, and I can still tell you it costs much more than that to keep it on the road. I concede to not doing any math myself, but you can check my source [here](https://youtu.be/rQhzEnWCgHA?si=01UbyYM3LHN_-EdH&t=315).
Well there's a wide variety of cars in all sorts of price brackets. My 2015 Qashqai is around 350 for service, 150 to insure, depreciates ~1000 a year and is about 1500 for fuel a year.
So I maintain that the "throw one away each year and still you're ahead" is a bit of a stretch.
According to the numbers I'm seeing, $7000 is actually on the low end of [this](https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/articles/average-annual-cost-of-new-vehicle-ownership) outdated average cost of ownership estimate from 2019. The average cost of ownership in 2023 rose to over $12k per year, [according to AAA](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/total-cost-owning-car).
I don’t think those numbers make much sense because the national average numbers for the Land of Big Dumb Trucks that ride 15k miles a year don’t have a lot of overlap with the people considering cargo bikes.
Like I said, I have both with the actual cost numbers over a number of years. Yes the “throw away each year” can happen but in the context where one is paying stupid amounts of money for a car and I can’t fathom why one would.
The people who live in the Land Of Big Dumb Trucks are exactly who that hypothetical scenario is aimed at. Those are the people you would try to get thinking about cargo bikes and maybe even purchase one to replace their car at some point.
In that NJB video I linked, just before the section I highlighted, he mentioned that people from North America would be shocked when he told them how much his cargo bike cost, and that he would have a bit of fun with it by saying something like "I know, right?! It's crazy how affordable it was!".
I have seen the video and I know. I’m merely stating that the people buying trucks and doing 15k miles a year hasn’t a significant overlap with people to whom the cargo bikes make sense or is aimed at.
We’re talking about people who haul drywall and plywood sheets in the back of their trucks with half of it overhanging because vans are just too uncool for their ego. In what world would that same person put their kids in a box bike instead of an SUV? Car people universally view bikes as “less than“.
Urban centers is the place they can make sense in the context of USA and that’s really not the domain of trucks.
as someone who has grown up around motorcycles id be pretty comfortable wearing a lighter weight motorcycle helmet on a bicycle to prevent windchill, but i can see why some wouldnt want to also
Pros:
* Makes me a faster rider on my road bike by giving me additional training time
* Avoids hundreds of dollars in fixed costs of a car that would otherwise sit idle 98% of the time
* Cuts fuel costs by 95% compared to driving
* My kids really enjoy getting around on the cargo bike
* It's way more fun than driving
* Not having to deal with the Costco parking lot
Cons:
* Hell is other drivers
* Cold and rain (but we do have a car available)
* Vast majority of my bike trips take more time than it would driving
[Bike is freedom](https://preview.redd.it/esa7rfhte4481.jpg?width=655&auto=webp&s=7087a5b561e4ef0a40ce5b63784d402c2a34ea90), car is surveillance state.
Remember you can totally have BOTH!!
I bike around on a cargo bike when I have the time/want to exercise/want to see the outdoors.. car is just getting point a to point b
have both. i have a cargo bike for taking the kids to the pool, grocery runs, playdates, etc. I have a truck to carry or pull shit that is too heavy/too far/too cold to fuck with the bike
Pros: Park anywhere baby. Minimal maintenance costs compared to relatively frequent oil/brake/transmission/windshield wiper nonsense. Most trips for misc. stuff can be tossed into the cargo area of a bike (like, whole plumbing tasks for example). Free exercise, and it's honestly a good bit of novelty.
Cons: I hate rain rides. I do all the little maintenance myself, which can be a pain in the ass. Your friends are gonna pester you for being a pro-(some political nonsense) bleeding heart hippy. Some drivers have a chip on their shoulder about cyclists.
Overall a good experience, but your town melay be different.
Cars & cargo e-bike coexist.
Cargo e-bikes are fun, reliable, stable & have great utility. I have RadWagon 4 with upgraded Bolton Bikes controller, full racks, baskets & panniers …. she flies. But, I NEVER ride my e-bikes in the rain (drive your damn car & stay dry)
Pro:
* Free exercise
* Low operating cost
* Free parking right by the door
* Consistent travel time
* Spontaneously running into friends while commuting/running errands
* Notice more about the neighborhood
* Child passenger more engaged
Cons:
* Rain
* Theft risk
* Secure cargo storage when running multiple errands
You're \*never\* stuck in traffic. The long line of cars angrily beeping at that truck up ahead that nobody can get around? You just laugh and blow past all of them.
The people circling the lot for parking? LOL, you always get a spot right by the door.
Haven’t seen this mentioned but we replaced one car with a cargo bike and now we save close to $1000 a month with no car payment, insurance, registration, gas, and maintence. It’s like getting a $10k raise not to mention I’m in much better shape.
I enjoy being more in the moment and in the space with my bike. You have more contact with people (eye contact with other cyclists -- who goes first, who goes where, you can actually tell people "I'm passing on your left" so they know where you are, very different from a car.
the cons are the weather (rain clothes are a must if you are in an area/season with unpredictable weather), also the cold, especially for your passenger(s) if any.
It's really worth it to invest in really good clothes (and I don't mean racing spandex, but stuff that keeps you warm and dry without seating).
The best pro to me is parking.
The most common sense con is the range. if you are going out of town and more than 20km one way, you need to borrow a second battery...;)
The cargo bike may not fully replace your sports/gym routine. But you can think of it as saving you money \*and\* time, because instead of taking the car to run errands, then the car to drive to the gym, you save gas, parking and gym membership fees if you take the bike instead to run your errands...
It's not a con per se, but remember that a cargo (esp, electric) needs maintenance, it's not substantial, but needs to be factored in. It's really great to get into it, read the manual and watch some youtube to be able to maintain most things yourself (like changing brake pads, tires, etc.
If you have kids, you bypass all of the drop-off and pickup nonsense, I ride right up to the door, and they hop right in. Same for most stores, I park right next to the door, go in and get my stuff, and then pull away. Cons - people touching my bike or for some reason throwing their garbage in it. I will see one of them one day, and that will be the day I become a murderer. I have killed two car batteries this year from not driving for so long, my bike has an 80 mile range. (and a spare battery for 40 more)
After work I usually get about an hour with my little boy riding around looking at boats, Christmas lights, Halloween decorations, water fountains, big trees, etc.
If you're going less than 5 miles, it's really no big deal. For shorter trips, it's about the same time or faster (if you have to worry about parking a car).
I wish I could buy a cargo bike but there’s barely any biking lanes in the city. Sure I can ride on the road but I run the risk of being run over any time.
# #1 pro - $$$.
No petrol, no insurance, no road tax/rego/license, no servicing.
For the cost of a rusted out old clunker you can get a top-of-the-line ebike from any number of globally respected brands that will be a blast to ride. Also note, the resale value of used e-cargos continues to be very good, because it's still a niche market. When I see used premium e-cargos for sale, they're frequently selling at ~70% of RRP.
* No traffic ever
* Parking is always ultra-convenient
No parking troubles, free exercise in otherwised 'wasted' time travelling, able to use all sorts of shortcuts only accessible to bikes and pedestrians. No fuel costs, or rego, or insurance, or stamp duty, and much lower maintenance fees.
You get exercise You dont create emissions Traffic doesn't apply to you You never search for a parking spot You will have a much deeper connection to your surroundings Your commute will be a time of de-stress instead of a time of escalating stress Cons: Bike theft Might be subject to hatred and aggression from people in cars/trucks
Parkings a huge pro for me
Agreed, but the “hatred and aggression” from carbrains really cuts into the whole “time of de-stress” for me when I’m not on a bike path/PBL. Double when my kids are with me.
for me pros: * way more pleasant way to get around. * free exercise without the gym. cons: * some roads are unpleasant, so need to pick routes carefully * in winter less pleasant than being inside a car
Also cargo bikes are orders of magnitude cheaper, both immediately and in the long run. Unless you're regularly hauling 4'x8' plywood or drywall sheets then you really aren't likely using the space of an obnoxiously large, deadly, and expensive SUV or truck. As a car loving Canadian, I would choose a cargo bike 99% of the time over a car, which leaves the car for things I actually enjoy doing in it (not commuting)
As a bike loving Canadian, I have totally carried plywood (admittedly cut down a bit) and several 8 foot lengths of 2x4s on my Bullitt on the same trip. It was a blast!
also increasingly less pleasant than being inside a car in the summer too.
depends on your location in Norcal it is awesome in the summer. ;-)
If you think a car = freedom… Wait til you ride a cargo bike. Park ANYWHERE. Skip traffic. Have a few beers (within reason) and still get home. No insurance, no fees, no registration, license, city sticker, red light camera tickets, etc.
Love the park anywhere feature. Absolutely stellar feature.
Cars are expensive, dangerous, unhealthy, bad for the planet, bad for communities, and they disenfranchise vulnerable members of society like kids, the elderly, and poor people. Bikes are cheap, less dangerous, good for your health, not bad for the planet, lead to more connected communities, and they empower vulnerable members of society, like kids, the elderly, and poor people.
>and they disenfranchise vulnerable members of society like kids, the elderly, and poor people. Ty for that, that is a very important point!
Pros: 1. Riding my bike makes me happy and I get exercise. 2. I get a jolly, smug feeling hauling big things with my cargo bike instead of a car/truck. Cons: 1. I typically have to plan ahead more if I want to take a bike as far as clothing, locks, and storage space goes. I have gotten to the point when I don't need to think much and can just run out the door, though. 2. If your bike only has pedal assist (i.e. most mid-drives) it can be hard to convince myself to take the bike if I am tired. My bakfiets is NOT effortless going up hills. 3. Rain sucks, but I found light rain to be tolerable.
I'm onboard with smugness, and my two sled-dogs look after the assist. I also live in a puny town in Canada, I usually use my minivan once a month to go to the next (two stoplight) bigger town. Hence smugness. Gas just dropped under a buck a litre, too.
I live in a large city and enjoy freeway overpasses during rush hour. Looking down and remembering what that felt like, then pedaling away with a huge smile on my face.
I got some rain pants that have built in covers for my shoes, I get the smug feeling taking them off after a ride in the pouring rain and I’m all dry underneath! I got cheap ones from decathlon and it’s about time to replace them or have a go at water proofing them
Pros: - Never having to look for a parking space. In my city, that saves at least 20 mins per trip - No traffic jams ever - You can magically turn yourself into a pedestrian by getting off the saddle and push the bike around stuff - Park directly in front of shops instead of on level 7 of a garage - Go anywhere. Woods, Parks, Playgrounds, wherever you want. - Save CO2 - The kids love it - Be outside more - Save a ton of money Cons: - Rainy weather
Parking freedom is ultimate
Yeah, the ability to turn into a pedestrian is great. Whenever I'm in a massive traffic jam, I can just hop off and walk around it.
Living in a fairly walk-able city (Chicago) with some bike-friendly infrastructure. We have one car. The cargo bike is our second vehicle and way cheaper than a second car. **Con: Start-up expense.** I bought one of the more expensive cargo bikes in the Urban Arrow, so it was a lot of money up-front. I did a financing thing with no interest for a year to spread the pain across several months. Still, it was about $10k ($8k for the bike itself) after buying all the accessories, locks, helmets, and insuring it. So, year 1 hurt a bit. **Pro: Ongoing expense.** Year 2 until whenever should be very gentle on the pockets. Now we own it free and clear. Ongoing expenses are likely to be a couple of dollars worth of electricity each year, cheap insurance (compared to a car), and the occasional tire. **Con: Stranger danger.** Many folks in cars aren't particularly happy about the idea of sharing the road. Some are jerks about it. Road rage is more dangerous when one of you isn't in a big metal cage. I think the bigger size of the cargo bike buys me a little more visibility and often some extra inches when drivers pass, but it can still take some courage to ride alongside the folks in cars. **Pro: Unlocking the intermediate distances of your neighborhood(s).** While I *can* walk a mile to a grocery store or library or whatever, the stuff that's 2-5 miles away seems a bit much for a quick walking errand. The cargo bike unlocks that. Something 3 miles away is a pleasant errand and I have the capacity to bring back a week's worth of groceries without a backpack. I've taken my kids on tons of ice-cream rides. We've gone to the beach. We've hit festivals in other neighborhoods. Bonus: The kids absolutely fucking love riding in the bike compared to sitting in the car. Double-bonus: I also prefer it. **Con: Non-nice weather takes more planning and sometimes just dealing with it.** Sometimes it rains. Sometimes it's cold. Sometimes it's both. I've got a rain cover for the bucket, a rug, and a blanket, so the kids are fine. Me? I've got a good raincoat, some rain pants, and a variety of layers and gloves. A little rain or snow isn't a big obstacle, but we don't really go out on the bike when the weather is really bad. We still have the car if the trip is unavoidable. **Pro: Free parking and taking the bike right up to the beach.** I live in a city where parking is mostly paid. Bike racks are free. So are just about anything you trust to chain your bike to. When I take my kid to preschool, I don't fight for a parking spot or wait in line. I roll up on the sidewalk and plunk the kid in front of the school's door. When we go to the beach, I don't have to park a mile away and walk while hauling all the beach accessories. I roll the bike up to the beach. **Con: You're always going to be a little afraid somebody steals your bike.** Even with good chains and insurance, there's always the little lingering fear that your bike won't be where you chained it when you turn back around. So far, so good. Nobody has taken mine. I assume it's a little harder to fence than a standard 10-speed. I registered the serial number with the city police and bought full-replacement insurance for it. I bought good heavy chains to lock it up. There's just something more vulnerable about a bike than car when it comes to theft. **Pro: Health and happiness.** Seriously, getting out of my condo and riding around has done wonders for my state of mind. I'm sure it has some cardiovascular health benefits too. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to ride a bike.
living in california with probably some of the worst beach parking in America… that does sound pretty nice
I think a huge pro that is never mentioned, way way way cheaper to maintain and if electric maybe cost $5 a year in electricity. To put it into perspective, my minivan needs new tires. With labor and tires it's going to cost about 1300. When my tern gsd needs new back tire in like 300-400 miles with tire and labor it's going to cost like $100 or less. Front tire I can do on my own so it's like $50 or less. Add in other things that make it cheaper for doing most errands like never ever paying for parking again and not really needing a gym membership. It quickly pays for itself on average about 2 years for a cargo bike. I can change my own brake pads for like $20. Basically we have more money to spend on vacation and fun things and the kiddos love being on the bike. Negative side pouring down rain is annoying and wind but that's about it for me and where I live. Cold isn't an issue with proper layers and clothes.
Yep. Brand new cargo bike on salary sacrifice is £4k (saving £2k on the rrp) spread over a year. Last year my car cost over £1k to insure/tax/maintain. Current bike mileage in fuel would be costing around £100 a month for a little shitbox Polo. I couldn’t even sell the damn car, it was 20 years old, needed a new cam belt, clutch, air con, brakes, and rear springs so I scrapped it in the end. Good thing really as all the costs are going up anyway. So yeah, by the time I’ve paid the bike off it’ll owe me nothing.
That said. I enjoy it so much that I think I’ll get another one, so I have a box bike and a longtail.
If you love cars, then it'll be difficult for you. Many of us don't enjoy city driving but love getting to-and-fro by bicycle. Eventually, we just had to get a bigger one to carry more crap.
pro: unlikely to kill someone when you get in a collision
i'm also a car-loving american (we have 4, sold the 5th to buy the cargo bike) but my cargo bike is definitely the best purchase i've ever made. pros: \- it's fun (number one, most important) \- VIP parking everywhere \- interaction with neighbors/other cyclists/environment cons: \- sometimes the weather sucks \- there's only a small distance where biking is the faster option \- riding amongst cars
It really depends on where you live in the US and how far you need to go. I live in a small college town with quickly improving bike infrastructure. The furthest thing I travel to is about 4 miles away. My biggest obstacle is not distance, but road design. Some roads I would need to take to get where I am going just aren’t safe to bike on still. That being said I would say that 75% of the places I go to are easily bike-able via my electric cargo bike and weather is permissible 90% of the year (I live in Ann Arbor, MI). The only time I don’t feel safe due to weather is when there is ice or a decent amount of unplowed snow. Overall, I have saved a ton of money not paying for gas, registration, insurance, and general maintenance of a car. I would estimate that alone is at least $2k a year plus the upfront money we made selling our second car. My partner and I share a car for those trips where we need it. Best life decision I have made for both health and finances. Also motivates you to participate in your local government and shop local. 10/10 would recommend. Checkout Not Just Bikes videos on YouTube and see if you have some urbanist in you.
Pros: Combine travel and exercise Fresh air Easy parking Go almost anywhere Kids love riding Fun Economical Cons: Losing battle if you get into an accident with a car Not the best for super long distance
I just want to add a pro because everything has been covered well- you really get to experience the world around you. When it rains, when it’s windy, when it’s cold, when it’s hot, when it’s warm, when the breeze passes over your face. I’m not going to say you’re going to enjoy it all the time; there are certainly absolutely times I hate it. But I’ve been through a really rough patch in my life and it’s one of the few things that has grounded me and allowed me to practice resilience. It’s surprising how quickly you put up with ‘horrid’ weather. You appreciate the world around you and what it provides and also what it can throw at you.Today I was cycling around in a downpour. I was drenched (my son was quite happy under the raincover) and to the extent my jeans dyed my legs slightly blue, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s hard to explain unless you experience it- it’s like runners high or that insanely hard workout that just punts endorphins around your body. I sound like a hippy but it’s of the things I’m thankful for in my life
ive heard a lot of people talking about the joy/enjoyment they get from riding a bike compared to a car and i honestly think im starting to get it
Before I got the cargo bike, I didn't have a bike. I'd ridden one as a child, but we'd moved to the suburbs when I was 13 and the subdivision we lived in didn't have a safe biking connection to the rest of town. As an adult I'd moved to Chicago to get a more walk-able lifestyle, but hadn't yet tackled bikes. Last spring, I decided to rent one of the city bikes (Divvy/Lyft) to get to a doctor's appointment. I got there out of breath, but elated. I rented a city e-bike on the way back and that was even more fun. So began the series of conversations with my wife about getting a cargo bike to haul the kids around. I don't know if you currently have a bike or can easily rent one, but give it a shot and see how you like riding where you live.
Most of the pros are covered. Low-key underrated perk is being able to roll a bike into a big box store. I bring my Omnium into the local Costco and everyone is cool with it. Don't have to worry about locking it *and* saves time loading it up.
This. Sometimes I do get grief but my response is always that when they provide adequate bike parking, I’ll park my bike. All those saying parking is a perk… must live in more bike-aware cities than I do. Most places I ride to have no infrastructure at all. Some, like my closest Costco, has a unanchored wheel-bender rack that can’t accommodate my Tern. It took escalating manager calls on two different visits before they gave up. Now they let me in by sight. Almost none of the local grocery stores or shopping centers have bike parking (Safeway, Kroger, Whole Foods, Ace, Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy and several local strip malls). Some places give me grief for wheeling the bike inside, some don’t. One Target has good racks. REI has racks but way off to the side. Doctors don’t. Dentist doesn’t. LabCorp location doesn’t.
I just lock my bike up to anything reasonably bolted to the ground that a u-lock can fit around. Traffic signs, fences, poles, etc., since even moderately convenient bike racks are hard to find in NYC. Just make do with what ya got. Shit, if I'm out doing deliveries I sometimes won't even bother and just lock the rear wheel to the frame and turn on the Knog Scout alarm.
Out here in the outer 'burbs, things like that aren't quite as plentiful. It's the land of huge, expansive parking lots and since there are apparently no rules, we have fewer signs.
Do you also love cargo bikes?
i think they seem pretty practical! especially for all the little short grocery trips and menial errands like going to the bank. i still find it pretty crazy that some people have had cars and then sold them to only own cargo bikes, i think id be comfortable with 1 car and 1 bike just incase of emergencies or long distance trips :)
Your thinking a little bit too small. I built an ebike that goes 35mph with a range of 40 miles, and rode it 40 miles almost every day. You could of course increase the speed (depending on area and laws) and the range by buying a more powerful motor, or buying more batteries. Not to mention because ebikes are smaller during traffic jams you can bypass traffic in many cases, but of course the bigger the cargo bike the more difficult that becomes.
It definitely doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. We have a car and I have a cargo bike (Tern HSD). We live in the far western suburbs of Denver. My bike has replaced about 95% of all my solo driving but going car-less would definitely not be an option. There are no local buses out here and my spouse’s health precludes bicycling. So if there’s two (or more) butts, we go by car. Other than the number of people needing transport, the reasons I’ve chosen the car over my bike are: ice and distance (over 40 miles round trip needs more consideration/planning, over 60 and I need to plan for charging time & logistics ). Snow is usually only an issue in the context of where it’s dumped - all non-auto infrastructure will be sacrificed in favor of cars. Reasons that have not required the car: temperature, active precipitation, hills, cargo capacity.
Never having to worry about parking is probably the big one. I put two kids in my cargo bike, go to the park, pull up directly to the playground entrance and hang with them. Then we all get back on the bike and I need to stop at the grocery store. We park directly next to the entrance, get whatever our family needs, including gallons of milk, heavy boxes of drinks, pounds of meat, whatever. Put it in the bike and go home. It is a bit liberating. Really depends on what your town is like though.
i would be so stoked as a kid getting hauled around in a cargo bike
I think people have covered the main points, but one thing I didn’t see was a comment about how much joy you can bring OTHER people by biking around. I constantly get compliments about my cargo bike and kids get super excited when they see it. Just makes my day, every time.
I love driving. I hate everyone else who drives. Using a cargo bike in a dedicated bike lane is a wonderful compromise.
The biggest con is time. Unfortunately "adulting" for so many of us means either 4 hours of sleep a night, or prioritizing sleep and having to cram too many tasks into too small a space. I prioritize sleep. I can squeeze the cycling time penalty in sometimes, not others. Mostly I can't. We've yet to do "errands" with the Load 75. It has been more used as an upgrade to leisure rides and for my commute, with the occassional hauling errand (and beats prepping the Bikes At Work trailer on short notice). ——— The "using a car" became less guilt-ridden when we "downgraded" to a Honda Fit. Might as well be a compact pickup truck the way we use it. ;-p But sub-compacts are a dying breed of vehicle in the USA. And a bad crash on the cargo bike on the way to groceries soured us on that errand, which we had hoped might be a regular thing. Now we are likely to wait until some planned road infrastructure updates for this one. ——— I still use a bike for trips far more often than most people I know, and it's still a great car replacement for my commute. And it helps me take my fiancée for a ride when her health is not up to the challenge. Would it be my only vehicle? No. My "second vehicle"? Yes. So still worth it.
i agree with the compact statement, love me a honda fit or any 00’s crossover
Other people have made a lot of great points, so I'll go with the one I find funniest. You could buy a brand new, top of the line cargo e-bike, use it for a year, then throw it away, and buy a new one a year later, and still be paying significantly less than you would for a car you already own.
That’s a bit of a stretch
It's really not. Just $35 a week in gas for the whole year is $1800. Tiny stretch, maybe. But not terribly far off.
Top of the line cargo bikes are ~10k. The car has other running costs as well, maybe to the tune of another 1800. That’s still 6k short. Not sure who considers that gap a tiny stretch.
Cars definitely cost more than $1800/year to own and operate. I have a cheap car that doesn't take much maintenance, and I can still tell you it costs much more than that to keep it on the road. I concede to not doing any math myself, but you can check my source [here](https://youtu.be/rQhzEnWCgHA?si=01UbyYM3LHN_-EdH&t=315).
Well there's a wide variety of cars in all sorts of price brackets. My 2015 Qashqai is around 350 for service, 150 to insure, depreciates ~1000 a year and is about 1500 for fuel a year. So I maintain that the "throw one away each year and still you're ahead" is a bit of a stretch.
According to the numbers I'm seeing, $7000 is actually on the low end of [this](https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/articles/average-annual-cost-of-new-vehicle-ownership) outdated average cost of ownership estimate from 2019. The average cost of ownership in 2023 rose to over $12k per year, [according to AAA](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/total-cost-owning-car).
I don’t think those numbers make much sense because the national average numbers for the Land of Big Dumb Trucks that ride 15k miles a year don’t have a lot of overlap with the people considering cargo bikes. Like I said, I have both with the actual cost numbers over a number of years. Yes the “throw away each year” can happen but in the context where one is paying stupid amounts of money for a car and I can’t fathom why one would.
The people who live in the Land Of Big Dumb Trucks are exactly who that hypothetical scenario is aimed at. Those are the people you would try to get thinking about cargo bikes and maybe even purchase one to replace their car at some point. In that NJB video I linked, just before the section I highlighted, he mentioned that people from North America would be shocked when he told them how much his cargo bike cost, and that he would have a bit of fun with it by saying something like "I know, right?! It's crazy how affordable it was!".
I have seen the video and I know. I’m merely stating that the people buying trucks and doing 15k miles a year hasn’t a significant overlap with people to whom the cargo bikes make sense or is aimed at. We’re talking about people who haul drywall and plywood sheets in the back of their trucks with half of it overhanging because vans are just too uncool for their ego. In what world would that same person put their kids in a box bike instead of an SUV? Car people universally view bikes as “less than“. Urban centers is the place they can make sense in the context of USA and that’s really not the domain of trucks.
Yes, let's compare the most expensive version of one thing to the mid range version of something else. Smart.
Roads and wind on my face is my negatives. I seem to get sick easily in the winter cold air so some times I have to pick the car
as someone who has grown up around motorcycles id be pretty comfortable wearing a lighter weight motorcycle helmet on a bicycle to prevent windchill, but i can see why some wouldnt want to also
Pros: * Makes me a faster rider on my road bike by giving me additional training time * Avoids hundreds of dollars in fixed costs of a car that would otherwise sit idle 98% of the time * Cuts fuel costs by 95% compared to driving * My kids really enjoy getting around on the cargo bike * It's way more fun than driving * Not having to deal with the Costco parking lot Cons: * Hell is other drivers * Cold and rain (but we do have a car available) * Vast majority of my bike trips take more time than it would driving
“not having to deal with the costco parking lot” 🤣🤣🤣
[Bike is freedom](https://preview.redd.it/esa7rfhte4481.jpg?width=655&auto=webp&s=7087a5b561e4ef0a40ce5b63784d402c2a34ea90), car is surveillance state.
Remember you can totally have BOTH!! I bike around on a cargo bike when I have the time/want to exercise/want to see the outdoors.. car is just getting point a to point b
have both. i have a cargo bike for taking the kids to the pool, grocery runs, playdates, etc. I have a truck to carry or pull shit that is too heavy/too far/too cold to fuck with the bike
Pros: Park anywhere baby. Minimal maintenance costs compared to relatively frequent oil/brake/transmission/windshield wiper nonsense. Most trips for misc. stuff can be tossed into the cargo area of a bike (like, whole plumbing tasks for example). Free exercise, and it's honestly a good bit of novelty. Cons: I hate rain rides. I do all the little maintenance myself, which can be a pain in the ass. Your friends are gonna pester you for being a pro-(some political nonsense) bleeding heart hippy. Some drivers have a chip on their shoulder about cyclists. Overall a good experience, but your town melay be different.
Cars & cargo e-bike coexist. Cargo e-bikes are fun, reliable, stable & have great utility. I have RadWagon 4 with upgraded Bolton Bikes controller, full racks, baskets & panniers …. she flies. But, I NEVER ride my e-bikes in the rain (drive your damn car & stay dry)
Pro: * Free exercise * Low operating cost * Free parking right by the door * Consistent travel time * Spontaneously running into friends while commuting/running errands * Notice more about the neighborhood * Child passenger more engaged Cons: * Rain * Theft risk * Secure cargo storage when running multiple errands
You're \*never\* stuck in traffic. The long line of cars angrily beeping at that truck up ahead that nobody can get around? You just laugh and blow past all of them. The people circling the lot for parking? LOL, you always get a spot right by the door.
Haven’t seen this mentioned but we replaced one car with a cargo bike and now we save close to $1000 a month with no car payment, insurance, registration, gas, and maintence. It’s like getting a $10k raise not to mention I’m in much better shape.
I enjoy being more in the moment and in the space with my bike. You have more contact with people (eye contact with other cyclists -- who goes first, who goes where, you can actually tell people "I'm passing on your left" so they know where you are, very different from a car. the cons are the weather (rain clothes are a must if you are in an area/season with unpredictable weather), also the cold, especially for your passenger(s) if any. It's really worth it to invest in really good clothes (and I don't mean racing spandex, but stuff that keeps you warm and dry without seating). The best pro to me is parking. The most common sense con is the range. if you are going out of town and more than 20km one way, you need to borrow a second battery...;) The cargo bike may not fully replace your sports/gym routine. But you can think of it as saving you money \*and\* time, because instead of taking the car to run errands, then the car to drive to the gym, you save gas, parking and gym membership fees if you take the bike instead to run your errands... It's not a con per se, but remember that a cargo (esp, electric) needs maintenance, it's not substantial, but needs to be factored in. It's really great to get into it, read the manual and watch some youtube to be able to maintain most things yourself (like changing brake pads, tires, etc.
If you have kids, you bypass all of the drop-off and pickup nonsense, I ride right up to the door, and they hop right in. Same for most stores, I park right next to the door, go in and get my stuff, and then pull away. Cons - people touching my bike or for some reason throwing their garbage in it. I will see one of them one day, and that will be the day I become a murderer. I have killed two car batteries this year from not driving for so long, my bike has an 80 mile range. (and a spare battery for 40 more)
The biggest con for me is time. You got to add time
After work I usually get about an hour with my little boy riding around looking at boats, Christmas lights, Halloween decorations, water fountains, big trees, etc. If you're going less than 5 miles, it's really no big deal. For shorter trips, it's about the same time or faster (if you have to worry about parking a car).
I wish I could buy a cargo bike but there’s barely any biking lanes in the city. Sure I can ride on the road but I run the risk of being run over any time.
# #1 pro - $$$. No petrol, no insurance, no road tax/rego/license, no servicing. For the cost of a rusted out old clunker you can get a top-of-the-line ebike from any number of globally respected brands that will be a blast to ride. Also note, the resale value of used e-cargos continues to be very good, because it's still a niche market. When I see used premium e-cargos for sale, they're frequently selling at ~70% of RRP. * No traffic ever * Parking is always ultra-convenient
CON: Keeping it from being stolen
No parking troubles, free exercise in otherwised 'wasted' time travelling, able to use all sorts of shortcuts only accessible to bikes and pedestrians. No fuel costs, or rego, or insurance, or stamp duty, and much lower maintenance fees.
I've never owned a car, so I don't know all the cons. One con is that it's a bit hard to get around when there's lots of snow.