DANIELLE GARCIA
Photo by Casey Hawkins.
The U.S. may be behind in the eco-friendly lifestyle compared to other European countries, but we just took one more step in a positive direction.
This September, one of the first American companies to make Danish-style Cargo Bikes, Urban Tribe Cargo Bicycles, will ship out their first round of bikes from our very own city of Denton. The group, founded by Dentonite Aaron Powell, already have their wheels in motion. Read on for more info and to find out how you can get your own Urban Tribe Cargo Bike with a steep discount!
Long-time entrepreneur, Powell took his family to Sweden and Denmark last year where they discovered a phenomenon in these northern European countries: tons of people biking their kids and groceries around in bicycles with built-in carts, everywhere they looked.
They loved it. As an avid cyclist himself, Powell immediately returned to the states to seek out a cargo-bicycle for his own family only to find that the bikes were practically non-existent or were priced at about $5,000 to custom-make.
Were these bikes not sold here because nobody wanted them, or because nobody knew about them? Powell wasn’t sure, but he began to tell friends and family about the cargo-bike, show them pictures and they seemed to really fancy the idea he said.
Thus the Denton-based company, Urban Tribe Cargo Bicycles was born. Word is already spreading fast through social media and other news outlets. While the company is based here in the best city in Texas, it ships nationally and has already taken orders from 16 other states such as Oregon where more than 17,000 workers in Portland choose to bicycle.
“I can’t change the lanes I can’t change the city, but I can make a product that makes it fun for families to get out there. ”
Powell and his wife have already put their own bike to use, taking the kids to and from daycare. His 4-year-old daughter he says, is no longer interested in taking the car. She loves the bike, chanting “cargo bike! cargo bike! cargo bike!.” The entrepreneur wants more families cycling in the country also.
“I can’t change the lanes I can't change the city, but I can make a product that makes it fun for families to get out there," Powell said. With a cargo bike, you can look at and interact with your children face-to-face unlike chauffeuring them in a car. It's a way for people to be outside, to be active and to be social with their family and community Powell added.
Photo by Casey Hawkins.
What if you want to take to your kids to daycare, but it is raining, you ask? Urban Tribe has got you covered (literally) with a built-in rain cover on the cart. The cyclist/driver however is SOL and will have to just wear a rain coat.
Be sure to pre-order your first cargo-bike at urbantribecargobicycles.com while they are still offering their 15% discount through August 31st. Your choices include a $1,675.00 standard cargo bike or a $2,260.00 electric version. A third bike model with just two wheels, more familiar to the traditional bike, is set to come out in January. Also you can visit their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to learn more about them.
Denton may not be Denmark or Sweden, but let’s embrace the cycling culture and keep pushing to make our cities more bike friendly thus leading to healthy, happier people with a cleaner atmosphere.