Cargo Bike Mum
When Simon first floated the idea of purchasing a cargo bike I thought he was mad. At that point, we had a new addition to our family and our bike rides had been on pause for a while. Key reasons for the riding pause were logistics (how do you put a baby on a bike) and the other reason was lack of time (babies needs attention.)
We owned ebikes and enjoyed going for leisurely rides with our daughter. He saw it as a way to get us all out on family adventures, but I viewed it as a very expensive gimmick. After a few months of Simon sending me cool cargo bike videos, and many long persuasive discussions, we went to test ride one in Auckland... and it was SO much fun. I could see our little family spending time together out, and about in this whale of a bike. After some internal debate and rich discussions, we bought one that day and I couldn't wait for it to arrive!
My first real ride on our cargo bike was to take our daughter to ballet, and I have to admit I wondered if we made a terrible decision! I was so nervous riding this beast on the road with the cars. It required a little more leg power than our old throttle ebikes so I was a hot mess when we arrived at our destination. I had to find a park and lock it securely, a big responsibility with our new expensive investment! And lastly, I really like to fly under the radar and not attract attention. Well, our new SUV is definitely an attention seeker (with many people not having seen such a bike before) which made me feel very uncomfortable! Despite the doubts and uncertainties: the ride was so incredibly smooth, our daughter loved it, and we had so much fun together. Riding a cargo bike was a completely new experience, and skill to learn. I just had to persevere and give it time.
Fast forward to today: I have gone from being sceptical, and pessimistic, to the person who loves our cargo bike the most. It has been the best purchase ever for our little family. I feel so much more connected to my children and our community. We go on so many adventures, and see so many things that we would never do in the car. Riding the bike makes me fitter and healthier, and I feel I am contributing a very small but valuable part to building a better world for our children. I am now a proud cargo bike Mum and can't wait to share more about this lifestyle with you.
