Precious cargo: Workhorse bikes carry kids, groceries on human-powered outings, errands

Published May 29, 2012 in the Commercial Appeal.

Cargo bikes make it possible to carry large loads and even for several people to ride together. As bike lanes and bike-friendly pathways multiply in Memphis, these workhorse bikes are increasingly getting a workout.

Kyle Wagenschutz, the bikeway/pedestrian coordinator for the city of Memphis, and his wife share one car, and they have an 8-month-old son.

Typically, Wagenschutz travels by bike, and his wife uses the car to commute to work. Now that they have a baby, Wagenschutz needs a way to move him around when his wife is at work. "But not only do I need to move him, but also all his stuff (diaper bag, etc.) and anything I need to get while running errands (groceries, etc.). Carrying capacity is becoming a real issue, and a trailer really isn't sufficient to move everything I need to," he explains.

A friend in Washington was selling a Bakfeits, a Dutch cargo bike used to move children and goods, and Wagenschutz jumped at the chance to buy it. "My friend used it until his son started riding on his own and had nothing but rave reviews about it," he says.

The bike is at Wagenschutz's parent's house in Virginia, and they plan to deliver it on their next visit to Memphis. "I'm looking forward to getting it out, running errands or going to the park without the need to hassle with trailers or bags," he says.

Wagenschutz says anyone can ride a cargo bike. He has seen two- and three-wheel models. "They are longer than a standard bike, so turns are wider, more like a car. It takes some getting used to, but it's pretty easy to pick up," he says. "I've noticed a lot of new cargo bikes hauling kids around lately in Memphis. It's definitely something I see growing locally and nationally."

Christopher Shatley, 43, a registered nurse who works in the ICU at Baptist Memorial Hospital, may be one of those people Wagenschutz has noticed around town. Shatley works three 12-hour shifts, so he has four days off a week to spend with his 4-year-old twins -- a boy and a girl. Shatley lives in the Evergreen Historic District and likes to ride his bike on the days when he is not working.

Last October, he saw a cargo bike, which he had never seen before, at Midtown Bike Co.

"It was kind of pricey, but I was looking for a way to take the twins around," Shatley says. "They hated the bike trailer I had been using."

He purchased a Yuba with two child seats and an added cargo bag for $1,700. He looked at the cost as an investment, since Memphis is gradually becoming more bike-friendly.

"New bike lanes and the Greenline are the greatest things they've done since I've lived here," he says.

Because of the mild winter, Shatley was able to ride the bike consistently, taking regular trips to the Memphis Zoo, the Overton Park playground, Chik-fil-A and even Shelby Farms Park. Because of the bike's carrying capacity, he is also able to combine running errands -- like grocery shopping -- with his outings with the kids.

"It's been really fun," he says, noting that Midtown has lots of safe neighborhood streets.

One of Shatley's favorite trips is to ride through Overton Park to the Shelby Farms Greenline to the Woodland Discovery Playground in Shelby Farms Park and then to his mother-in-law's nearby nursing home. "The kids love it. We do lunch and feed the ducks."

The children add 75 pounds to his load, and he jokes that the first time he made the trip, he worried that he wouldn't get back.

"It's about a 24-mile round trip, and I burn 1,900 calories -- that's a whole day of eating," he notes, adding that riding the cargo bike has helped him lose some weight.

It also has made him consider giving up his car.

"In Midtown, the bike is all I need," Shatley says. "It's been more life-changing than I expected. At first I thought, 'I hope I use it.'"

The bike can easily be modified with different accessories.

"I can reconfigure it when the kids get older," Shatley notes. He's also considered adding an electric motor to increase the range.

He says the bike is slightly harder to ride than a regular bike, but it's easy to get the hang of, and he likes the workout. He can also attest to its safety. Recently, while he was on a ride with his children, a tire got stuck in a trolley track, and they all fell off. He scraped his arm, but the kids were fine. "They were a little scared at first, but a few minutes later they were back to normal, telling me that they were hungry."

Daniel Duckworth, general manager of Midtown Bike Co., and father of two girls, 8 and 12, rides a Yuba elMundo. The El is the electric-assist version.

"I picked it up about a year ago and have since racked up over 3,500 miles, miles I rode and didn't drive," says Duckworth, who practices a "car-lite mantra."

He uses his cargo bike primarily as an alternative to driving. The electric assist allows the bike to cruise at 20-plus mph while he pedals with the electric assist engaged.

"It essentially has the same average cruising speed as a skinny-tired road bike," he says, "except it is four to six times heavier than the average road bike."

The bike has a 400-pound payload capacity. Duckworth commutes to work and home, sometimes twice a day.

"Once I pick up my girls at school, I go on beer runs, grocery runs, Home Depot runs," he says. "It's the family wagon on two wheels that is a human/electric hybrid drive."

Midtown Bike Co. sells a variety of Yuba Cargo Bikes.

"They produce a whole host of accessories from Peanut Shell Baby Seats, passenger seat pads, passenger bars, rumble straps, running boards made from recycled milk jugs, to Go Getter panniers, which are the biggest saddle bags you can get, and more," says Duckworth, adding, "I have read about individuals starting businesses with these bikes."

The Yuba Mundo starts at $1,100; the electric model (elMundo) starts at $2,600.

It's also possible to convert a regular bicycle into a cargo bike. Christopher Reyes, founder of the arts support and production organization Live from Memphis, has a hand-me-down Gary Fisher bike that he converted to a cargo bike with the help of the Xtracycle add-on kit. There are a variety of kits, starting at about $300, that can equip any compatible bike to carry groceries, cargo of all shapes and sizes, and adult passengers.

Reyes modified the rear deck that clips into the frame of his bike so it can accept a longboard skateboard.

"It clips in and can be removed when I want to tow people around. I call it 'Memphis Surfing,' " says Reyes, who makes hand-painted skateboards that he calls Memphis Surfers.

He's had his cargo bike for more than five years and uses it for just about anything.

"I regularly carry photography, video and music equipment," he says. "I've carried purchases from the Midtown Home Depot to my home Downtown. I once carried Ghost River kegs from the brewery Downtown to a party in Midtown. That was probably the heaviest load I've ever carried."

Reyes doesn't own a car, although he has access to one that he drives on occasion. Mostly, his transportation is one of his three bikes.

"I prefer to ride, but I'm not against cars," he says. "I just don't want to drive one every day. I do think many people could replace a lot of their driving with biking."

Riding a cargo bike feels normal to Reyes now. "It's when I ride a regular bike that it feels weird; they always feel a little more zippy. A lot of people who try the cargo bike are wobbly at first, but they get the hang of it pretty quickly."