Meet the strange looking brain child of David Mahan, which recently won the Fixed Gear Gallery "Grocery Getter Contest." He took an old Van der Kolk & Sons Flying Dutchman collapsible bike, cleaned it up, and then he fabricated a basket, designed to hold a large Rubbermaid tote perfectly and complete with a new steering linkage, that attaches between the two original frame members; extending the overall structure. Additionally, he included fold down caster wheels on the back half of the basket so, with the rear frame section removed (containing the seat, drive train, and rear wheel), it can be used as a shopping cart inside the store. This is the most elegant cargo bike concept I've seen, when it comes a dedicated shopping-centric purpose, and possibly in other common scenarios.
Let's go step through the trip to the grocery with this unnatural beauty:
- Ride to the store
- Deploy the basket's caster wheels
- Detach rear frame and lock it up outside
- Take your newly transformed cart inside and fill it with loot and checkout (while enjoying strange looks)
- Reconnect the rear frame and fold up the casters
- Ride back
- Remove the tote full of your loot from the bike's basket, and bring it on inside
- Unpack and replace the tote
This really inspires me to take a look at familiar objects and think of a way to make them more useful, efficient, and practical -- why not get the most out of the things you use the most?
I really wish David would put this kit into production, but until then, I think I'll be working on my welding skills and bribing guys at my university's shop to let me make my basket. We'll see.
Source, photo credit: fixedgeargallery.com
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