Cargo bike sales soar as UK petrol prices surge | Cycling | The Guardian
Higher costs in motoring, environmental concerns and ease of movement are spurring a boom
Sarah Butler
“It’s just fun,” says Killian O’Brien who bought a cargo bike a year ago as a way to go green and reduce costs by getting rid of the family car. “You feel good being out in the fresh air and getting exercise without consciously exercising.”
On his trips to do the shopping or take his daughters to gym classes near his home in Stretford, Greater Manchester, O’Brien now sees more and more folk riding similar set-ups while non-riders are always coming up to ask questions. “We get lots of conversations. Especially if the kids are in the front looking cute, or the dog.”
Cargo bikes usually feature a tub or platform that can be used to carry goods or people, balanced on two or more heavy-duty wheels. O’Brien is among several thousand private individuals who have bought one in the past year, helping almost double sales in the five months to the end of May, according to the Bicycle Association.
