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TECH NEWS

Butchers & Bicycles Mk.1 cargo bike launches in January

Copenhagen-based company set to launch first cargo bike next year

Cargo bikes are nothing new, but the Butchers & Bicycles Mk.1 from three Copenhagen-based designers aims to make riding them less unwieldy and cumbersome, and more fun, by using a tilting design that makes it ride just like a normal two-wheel road bike. 

The work of three designers and engineers, Morten Mogensen, Morten Wagener and Jakob Munk, the cargo bike gets its name simply because they’re based in the meat packing district of Copenhagen. They say the reason for designing the cargo bike is because they feel cargo bikes “ have so far lacked the joy of cycling.” So they've set out to design a cargo bike that rides like a regular road bike. Here's a video of the cargo bike in action:

The cargo bike market is well served already. There is the similarly Danish Christiania tricycle, first introduced in 1978, and the Bakfiets. But unlike the Christiania - the rear section, saddle and rear wheel tilt and pivot when turned through a corner and the steering front wheel of the Bakfiets - the Butchers & Bicycles Mk.1 has a design that tilts the entire cargo bike over so it can take corners at speed with no risk of toppling over. Much like a normal road bike.

Key to the bike are pivoted parallelogram arms at each front wheel. These allow the main chassis of the bike to pivot over through turns, while the wheels remain parallel to the bike so it can lean easily. It doesn’t hold you upright like most cargo bikes. Judging by the video it looks to produce a very easy riding style. It’s not the first time such a design approach has been adopted, the German Veleon cargo bike is vaguely similar.

It’s said that 25% of families in Copenhagen with two or more children own a tricycle. They’re not just used for transporting small children, they’re also well suited for deliveries and courier duties, able to lug heavier and bulkier loads than regular bicycles. We’re already starting to see more on UK roads, but there’s a long way to go before they become a regular fixture.

The bike in the video is seen with a belt drive, and it will take a Bosch motor and battery if you wanted. It’ll be available in January 2014 says the company, no word on pricing or UK availability at this stage. Check them out at www.butchersandbicycles.com

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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11 comments

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Jelmer | 10 years ago
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I wonder if it is better compared to my Babboe City? What is the turning circle of that work of art?

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Jelmer | 10 years ago
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Can I test ride it?

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jarredscycling | 10 years ago
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Pretty cool but doubt i'll be seeing them around Arkansas anytime soon

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mikese13 | 10 years ago
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I ride a christania bike, and going around a corner on that is sometimes a little hairy! so to have a bike with tilt action would be pretty awesome. The kids will think of it like a new kind of thrill ride! Maybe I'll wait till this comes out til I upgrade.

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Carl | 10 years ago
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Nice one to put the kids in the front...I imagine they'd find it quite exciting.  41

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kamoshika replied to Carl | 10 years ago
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My favourite quote from my daughter, since getting a Bullitt to transport her and her little brother around, is "it's like there's a funfair everywhere, and we're on a really long rollercoaster!"  1

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Matt eaton | 10 years ago
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Looks good, but maybe a bit over-enginered for carrying your shopping home!

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kev-s | 10 years ago
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looks great!! the only downside i can see is if you live in a terraced house like me i doubt it will fit down the hallway to the shed in the back garden  20  20

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kamoshika | 10 years ago
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Looks like a really interesting concept, and certainly like it would be more fun to ride than most of the existing three wheeled cargo bikes, but I've got a Bullitt and I would argue with anyone who says that they "lack the joy of cycling"

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IHphoto | 10 years ago
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There's also the two-wheeled Bullitt by another Copehangen outfit, Larry vs Harry, already used for courier purposes. I ride one every week and it has a pretty close on to road bike position, with of course, considerable more heft.

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tom_w | 10 years ago
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I'd like to give one of those a go, reckon you could have a lot of fun trying to get it to drift on a wet corner!

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