How Germany became Europe's cargo bike hub

With the numbers in the article, Germany is ahead of the Netherlands even percentage-wise; although it is cargo bikes sold; the market in the Netherlands may already be closer to saturation.

Seems correct, so they became a hub by having 80 million citizens. Denmark have a population 14 times small, but the sales number for cargo bikes are only 4 times smaller and no subsidising.

Netherlands and Denmark have many more per capita and also much better infrastructure for cycling. I was in Germany this weekend and in some cities is quite a risk to ride a bike since there are definitely not enough bike lanes

Uhm yes, I (German) thought "How is it not the Netherlands?".

Exactly. Once you adjust for population size Germany is a (distant) third in Europe.

> cargo bikes are extremely common for transporting kids

Seems like a contradiction in terms?

In a way, maybe? Although weird small electric cycle/cars have been a thing for quite a while.

Well in Netherlands we also do have cars similar to kei-cars called brommobielen (micro cars). Canta is a good example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canta_(vehicle)

These things are allowed on some bike paths too.

My city (Karlsruhe) actually gives subsidies to anyone buying a cargo bike. Mostly they are used to transport kids. I, however, have to go up and down a stair to get my bike out (typically Gründerzeit house) . Further than that they are totally impractical if the one bringing your kid to kindergarten isn't the one picking it up. They are also difficult to park anywhere. However, to me this is the green version of the SUV . Makes not much sense but keeps your middle class happy... I guess there are worse trends

I have a custom electric-assist bakfiets and it's got a lock on the back wheel, and a very heavy-duty steel ring for an equally heavy-duty chain. The battery and display are removable. You're subject to vandalism of course, but this is Germany. Vandalism happens, but rarely.

Happily I have a little garden with street access, but I have parked all over Frankfurt and surrounds with no issues. I do a minimum of 32km a day on the school run (8km from home, there and back for delivery and collection), come rain, snow or shine.

Never thought I'd see the day that the BMW gathers dust.

Why is this more necessary for cargo bikes than for eg scooters which are similarly impractical to carry around?

> a carage

Is this a typo or a thing?

Ground level parking places for bicycles has been mandatory for new construction for a couple of years now. Obviously, that doesn't help the vast majority of people who live in places constructed before such ordinances were made. And while they usually need a place to attach a lock, they're hardly required to be theft-resistant. But it's a step in the right direction.

bikes in china were used because most people could not afford a car. now they can and bikes are almost gone from the streets. in the meantime in europe people are discovering bikes as a meaningful alternative.

chinese cities are larger, and travel distances longer, so bikes are less convenient making a bike revival in china less likely

Cargo bikes are more effective as a yuppie status symbol. It shows, "I could have spent this much on a car, but I chose to spend it on a bike instead."

Honestly, I don't really get it. I have a €50 used bike, a €100 used bike trailer, and for that matter, a €3000 used car, and don't see where a €1500 cargo bike, or €4000 e-Cargo Bike would bring into that mix. I regularly haul stuff in my bike trailer too. (And in the winter months, where it's dark, cold and wet, I just fall back on my damn car. I use it so little that I only have to fill up the 20L tank about once every 3 months.)

A friend of mine said the Nihola that they used had better balance and was more maneuverable than a bike with a trailer, but also better than other cargo bikes so not sure how much better in each case.

Cargo bikes work better for heavier loads, most trailers seem to be ~30 kg whereas cargo bikes do 100-200 kg. And I wouldn't want to have that much on a trailer because of what happens when braking when towing a brakeless load on a wobbly arm that's heavier than the tractor.

Trailers also bounce around a lot when empty at any speed and can fall over if you're eg crossing a curb while cornering.

One advantage is that a cargo bike is more social; you can keep eye contact with and talk with your kids.

I'm not an evangelist, but it's easier to load kids, and when kids are over three years old even the roomiest of trailers get cramped. In warm weather, riding on the back is really fun for the kids.

The trailer is better for foul weather, ice, and frigid cold, and really little kids. Cheaper, as you say. More of a hassle.

Neither option is bad. But I don't regret the cargo bike when I remember how excited the kids are to ride it.

Yes, the cargo bike is much better for transporting children, for the simple reason that the children are suspended on the same wheels as the rider. Kid trailers have two wheels, typically of smaller diameter than normal bicycle wheels. That's a double-whammy, because the trailer wheels don't follow the same track (they hit potholes the rider doesn't feel), and the impacts are harder due to reduced wheel diameter. Trailer suspension does not solve these problems. Aside from child hauling, trailers are harder to manage, assuming the load can instead be put directly on the bike.

I put over 7,000 miles on a Surly Big Dummy, much of it hauling my son from age <1 to 7. It was far safer and more comfortable for him than a trailer would have been. I've also ridden thousands of miles with a B.O.B. cargo trailer and a Tout Terrain trailer, and I would always choose the cargo bike if at all suitable to the conditions. The only thing I prefer the trailer for is hauling gear for trail maintenance.

The center of mass of a loaded cargo bike is lower than a normal bike with load. This makes them more rideable with large loads, especially if the load shifts a bit during transport, like a child that can unexpectedly move off balance.

I switched from bike/trailer to cargobike. First, I prefer to have the kids in front of me. I can see them and, more important, I can make sure that there is nothing sticking out onto the street, beeing mowed down by a car.

Second, I feel the cargobike is more compact. Yes, it is long, but not as long as a bike plus trailer.

Third, cars react differently to you, at least that's how i feel. Especially the bigger cars and SUVs don't try to cut you off as often as with a bike - probably because they think a crash could do way more damage.

But it depends. We don't own a car (because the traffic situation is really shitty and i start cursing whenever i have to drive) and the cargobike has turned into our daily driver (ha!), not only for the kids but also for shopping or just for getting from point a to b.

But if the trailer works for you, no need to switch. Different preferences, i'd say.

Added to the title, thanks