Hauling Household Gear

Bicycles or tricycles fitted with simple boxes or freight compartments can also pull their weight for individuals doing day-to-day errands and shopping. As unlikely as it seems, a bicycle can easily bear up under heavy loads of groceries, recyclables, furniture or almost anything else a city dweller needs to move; all it takes is a minute or two of adjusting to the altered center of gravity. Indeed, in early 1992 a “cycle convoy” of seven cargo bicycles and bikes with pull-trailers moved the entire Transportation Alternatives office, including file cabinets, desks and computers, from SoHo to the East Village.

George Bliss has designed bikes that can accommodate a shopping or laundry cart with a simple hook. He also envisions renting out his freight cycles, like inexpensive, nonmotorized U-Hauls, on an hourly or daily basis. Ken Hughes of Mobility Resources in Santa Fe, NM, builds narrow, single-wheeled trailers that are ideal for apartment living; the trailer can be easily detached, enabling it to fit in a small elevator or be carried up stairs. Vander Tuin has sold a small freight bike fitted with a rack and trailer to a farmer near Eugene, Ore., who uses it for all his transportation needs, including composting and shopping.