Finally! After four months of pleasure and utilitarian riding, a review of our Bakfiets.nl cargo bike! (Spoiler: it is most definitely a keeper)
Our Bakfiets.nl long was delivered to our doorstep, quite incidentally, on April 3rd 2016, my birthday. Yay! “Bakfiets”, translated from Dutch as “box bike”, describes exactly what it is: insert a marine grade plywood box between the handlebars and the front wheel and you have this eight foot pedal-powered cargo vehicle.
Though I was anxious to take it for a spin, my initial intimidation (this is a long, heavy bike) coupled with the inclement weather (quite cold and wintry) was enough to stop me. My first ‘yay’ reaction turned to one of doubt: did we make the right decision? This bike doesn’t come cheap ($3500 CAD + tax)! Maybe we should have bought a heavily used car instead? Though we had test ridden the bakfiets in Burlington at Urkai in September 2015 —and instantly loved it— we’d held off on purchasing because of
the price tag (a few extra months also meant more savings)
we didn’t want to store it over the winter
I had yet to give birth to our own precious cargo!
Also, we simply wanted to think on it and make the right choice.
It only took a few rides and the arrival of warmer weather to assure me that we did. Though the outfit is a beast (compared to a standard bike), thankfully, it doesn’t ride too much like one— it is quite easy to maneuver. The steering is very responsive… so much so that I have to watch that I don’t make too sharp of a turn because it will quickly do a 90. Perhaps this is because of it being a small wheel that is further from the handlebars…?
The biggest surprise is the fact that it is hard to tell how much weight is in the box— the bike rides pretty much the same whether I’m carrying fifteen or fifty pounds of cargo, and, contrary to what one might logically think, it’s actually easier to ride with some weight. I imagine they are built to function this way and that the low centre of gravity of the bike helps enormously with this amazing aspect. I’d be interested to know just how much weight I have been biking around… but no doubt more than I should, the box seems to attract as much junk as I can throw at it!
So far the drum breaks have not failed me in the least— they are quick and reliable. I am hyper aware of (and very thankful for) this when stopping at the bottom of a hill, under load. That being said, the cables could use a tightening soon, as they have stretched out some.
Our bike has eight gears and is non-electric. The amount of gears to have is a choice that must be made before ordering the bike; Urkai recommended we go for all eight in order to benefit from the maximum range. (We’re glad we heeded the advice—we definitely use all of them.) The nicest thing about the gearing system is that it allows you to change gears even at a standstill; this has saved me a couple of times when I’ve hit a red light and forgot to gear down before an upcoming hill. We did have to adjust the gears after about a month of riding, as you would with any new bike (again, due to stretched cables). A quick Google search showed us how to do this very simple fix. If ever we choose to ‘electrify’ our bike later on, we can.
A heavy duty chain (sold separately) that locks into the rear wheel locking system keeps the bike safe. We are fairly confident that no one could easily walk or ride off with this bike, nor be able to hoist it’s heavy steel hulk into a getaway vehicle. Here is one instance where the weight of the bakfiets.nl works in our favour!
Though the bike is designed to be stored outdoors as it would be in the Netherlands (internal gears, encased chain, stainless steel parts, marine grade plywood, etc.) we did opt to buy an all-over cover. At the time of purchase, we did not have a garage in which to store the bakfiets, but more importantly, we didn’t want the seats to be soaked after a rain, or for the box to fill with snow over the winter.
The integral dynamo ‘running lights’ are also a welcome feature; there’s no need to remember to bring lights along or buy batteries. As long as you’re pedalling, the lights are on (and even remain on for awhile after you’re done). We did have an issue once when the rear light wasn’t working, but it turned out that one of the wires had come loose at the front light (we simply snapped it back in). It has not happened since.
The only thing that has come loose—and has continued to do so—is the hardware that holds the bottom rails on which the toddler bench sits. Three out of the four bolts have rattled out of the box completely. We contacted Urkai about this issue and they graciously sent us a couple more free of charge; since then, however, we have lost yet another… so I think we’ll just order a handful to keep in stock. We also bought a Torx key to keep on hand to tighten them at regular intervals (they’re an Allen and Torx combination).
Overall, we are enormously happy with our somewhat-enormous-bike! Though it is true that we cannot go as swiftly as with other bikes, nor uphill with as much grace (it is nearly impossible to stand up for extra propulsion because of its upright sitting position), the bakfiets is a solid, well-built, well-designed, fun, and virtually worry-free bike. It has enabled us to transport our infant around at a faster pace than walking, in an outdoor setting, on roads and trails throughout the city, and has largely negated the need for a car. As such, it has proven to be even more than a bike for us— and I dare say that it verges on the definition of a true “vehicle”:“a thing used for transporting people or goods, especially on land, such as a car, truck, or cart”.
Though many may have thought that we put the cart before the horse by investing in a bike instead of a car when our baby arrived, I prefer to think that we simply put the box before the bike… and it has made all the difference ;) So far, we can’t imagine our lives without it!
