Copenhagen Cargo Bikes!

***NOTE*** Publishing this all-time classic as a fan noted this Streetfilm has not been put on our Streetfilms YouTube account! ENJOY!!

When you first visit Copenhagen, the first thing you’ll notice after being mesmerized by the sheer number of cyclists on the roads is the eclectic kinds of bikes, especially ones that carry groceries, baggage, furniture or other people & children. As Copenhagenize’s Mikael Colville-Andersen happily points out: for many in his city, the cargo bike is equivalent to the SUV.

Thus, for this final chapter in Streetfilms’ 2010 Copenhagen Triology (check here: for previous vids on bicycling & pedestrian space) we present this quirky look at some of the types of wonderful bikes that are used by the public. We randomly spoke to folks gallavanting about town on their vehicles, attended the 2010 Danish Cargo Bike Championships, and got to speak with Hans Fogh, owner of Larry vs.Harry, a cargo bike-making specialty shop. The result here is really just a melody of vignettes, which only ever so slightly touches on the vast cargo bike phenomenon.

But most impressive comes just over one minute in, where you will witness one of the more amazing bike feats we’ve ever seen on film: a father transporting four children, a bike, a half dozen bags, on what can only be described as a cargo bike plus. It still makes us tired just watching it.

[Music] please as important as to have a car like I don’t have a tire because I have this if you have children so you put your children here or the channel of my daughter I put it there or the groceries it’s a city with 40 percent of the population who own cars only 40 percent so it’s it’s the way to get around that’s why we have so many cargo bikes this is our SUV and you know I have two kids I use my cargo bike to get them around it’s practical I have two families with two kits incoming 25% of these families have or have been owning a cargo bike so it’s it’s a lot of people it’s it’s serious in Copenhagen it’s it’s not just for fun awful for the nerdy people this is transportation that’s amazing yeah but in the back as well especially weight way back here oh my goodness well good luck [Applause] hello welcome to Copenhagen this is my cargo bike I used to drive my girlfriend around she’s crazy about it it’s absolutely wonderful I use it to taxi around people in Copenhagen at night it’s extremely comfortable I feel very safe lots of legroom and it’s also very comfortable because he’s got this great cushion he said it’s an old mattress but it feels very luxurious to me all right we’re producing this the cargo back the bullet we started two and a half years ago selling the bikes and so far I guess we’ve been selling yeah 500 bikes this white bike is my wife’s bike and she’s really looking good riding this bike and that’s a major part of riding the bike that is impressive I sold my car in Mexico I’m for the same money I got this bike and it has changed the way I move I use it every day there’s kids out in the summer here today you know they’ll they’ll buy a whole bunch of cheap bottles of water and fill up at their mum’s cargo bike with ice and stand out there selling it for 10 kronor we have the cocktail bike you can send a text message to this guy and he’ll come out with with mojitos and their strawberry daiquiris in thermoses for you we there’s a newspaper bike selling tourists you know for a newspaper the crepes bike where people don’t make their pancakes for you whatever you want everything and it’s just exploded this is one of the things like things that I love about Copenhagen is that we were thinking new about bikes what else how else can we implement bikes into the city Wow I was a carpenter before I started produced bikes for 15 years I only used cargo bikes for transportation logistically it was perfect I was the first guy out there I was the first guy home and I was the guy with the longest vacation for the summer time because they didn’t have to pay for the van it’s faster it gives you a lot of independence and I also think it’s because you also do exercise so at the same time instead of going to a fitness you ride your bike and you stay in shape [Music] [Applause] I’m so proud of Copenhagen and things going on like today’s cargo by relay race what was it like I think it was extremely fun but I’ve been tough you know I actually had that taste of blood in my mouth I always had this vision about I sold a car go back to sue and I just had this vision about all this elephant that they have to carry in the goggle bike [Laughter]