Limoges: cargo bikes invade the city

You may have already seen them, especially in the city: cargo bikes. With the development of the practice of two wheels, this type of vehicle for transporting children or shopping is attracting more and more inhabitants.

7:30 a.m., the day is just beginning to dawn. The agitation slowly spreads to the Trancart house. In this family, dad does not heat the car in the morning but rather his calves. From the garage, he extracts a strange device: a cargo bike. At the back, it's a classic bicycle, pedal, wheels, spoke. Up front, it's a whole different story. A bass drum rests on the frame which has been specially lengthened.

Four excited little helmeted smurfs come out of the house. Oddly, the fresh and morning ride that is looming to go to school seems to bring them joy. The body has four seats with belts. The older ones jump in and settle down. “Dad, you have to loosen up for me,” calls out the eldest, sausage-sliced ​​in the back.

"I can't climb". On tiptoe, the next-to-last stamps his feet before his mother picks him up.

Even the youngest, barely over a year old, is on the trip. The little ones are seated in pairs facing each other. And off we go for a 15-minute trip to school. No traffic jams on the road and rather cautious motorists who do not systematically try to overtake the little family.

On arrival, the children with rosy cheeks from the cold are delighted with the journey in this cabin on wheels.

“We don't have any problems parking, so it goes faster in the morning. We had chosen it for an ecological reason at the start and we really benefit from it in terms of practicality and speed” explains Augustin Trancart.

The only downside is the city's infrastructure, which has not been able to evolve as quickly as the trend. Bike lanes are lacking and dedicated parking spaces are frequently occupied by cars.

However, these vehicles are multiplying at high speed. In particular thanks to the “school” effect.

"When a customer buys it, in the same school we sell two or three in the months that follow," says Fréréric Larivière, manager of the Cyclable store.

“It's been a trend for 3 or 4 years in our region but this year it's accelerating, we've almost tripled sales. We are on about twenty copies. »

Customizable gear

In France the increase is even dizzying with 354% increase in sales in 2020.

These bikes are sold with bare chassis and full of accessories. There are versions with a box for craftsmen. And family versions with specific layout for children. Options with one bench or two depending on the number of children up to four toddlers. There are also supports for the little ones' cozy. The tarps avoid getting wet in winter.

Sellers obviously insist on the economic side. When replacing a household's second car, the comparison is worth making. It was by the site specializing in Weelz cycles. 4,500 euros for a new purchase for a top-of-the-range electric equipped version. Insurance premiums are much cheaper (around 300 euros per year). And where the bike is unbeatable is on the cost of fuel. Recharging the battery shows a paltry addition over a year.

The rules of conduct are the same as on a bicycle. Children must be helmeted and properly strapped in.

Accessible from 2000 euros for a non-motorized version, 3500 for a version with electric assistance, these bikes therefore seem to have a bright future ahead of them.