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Cargo bikes in Austin
Imagine: Zipping to the market for groceries. Pedaling to work. Cruising to a concert at Auditorium Shores, all without parking hassles or traffic nightmares.
If you’re going to live down town in one of Austin’s fancy new condominiums, you’ve got to have a bike. Better yet, you’ve got to have a bike with lots of room to haul stuff.
To promote that urban bed and bike lifestyle, Rick Westervelt of Constructive Ventures, the developer behind condo projects including Pedernales Lofts, Saltillo Lofts, Spring, Barton Place, Este and Twentyone24, has unveiled a fleet of cargo bikes.
The bikes, outfitted with gigantic carry-all bins in front of the handlebars, were designed and built in Amsterdam, that capital of bikedom, for transporting groceries, children and pets.
Last night, Westervelt and other bicycling advocates hopped on the rigs and cruised to the new park next to Palmer Events Center. To prove just how useful they are, he filled the bin of the bike he was riding with a box of tools (just in case!) and a cooler full of drinks.
The 7-speed bikes have front caliper brakes and rear disc brakes, plus a pedal -powered generator that runs head and tail lights. They cost about $2,500 each.
Constructive Ventures bought 10 of the bikes as a way of getting people thinking about commuter cycling and urban living. One of the reasons Westervelt gets the whole bike thing is that he grew up in Portland, one of the most bike friendly cities in America.
“Downtown living is new for many people in Austin, so we want to show them how to make the transition to downtown fun and sustainable,” he says. “Running errands on a bike is a big part of this.”
Constructive Ventures will display the bikes at various downtown retail locations — Austin Java (12th Street at Lamar Boulevard, City Hall and 1608 Barton Springs Road), Uncle Billy’s at 1530 Barton Springs Road, Little Woodrow’s at 520 W. 6th St., Progress Coffee at 500 San Marcos St., and the Constructive Ventures office at 2124 E. 6th St. This fall, it will give the bikes away in a series of free drawings. Starting in mid-August, people will be able to register to win a bike at http://www.austincargobike.com.
“They’re weird and a little ungainly, but easy to steer,” Robin Stallings, director of the Texas Bicycle Coalition, said after test driving one of the bikes.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: cycling
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By BAW
July 18, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this
Is Mellow Johnny’s going to carry bakfiesten?
By jaime
July 21, 2008 6:38 AM | Link to this
I want one!
By Pam
July 21, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this
BAL — Just spoke with Craig Staley, manager of Mellow Johnny’s. No plans at the moment to carry cargo bikes, but he agrees they look cool and there might be some interest.