Moin Moin from Kassel, Germany

[Carsten Diekmann]

Moin Moin*,

I want to focus on what you can actually do with a cargo bike – putting the "life" in Cargo Bike Life. Both personally and professionally, I’m especially interested in shopping and running errands of all kinds. Here are some typical questions I’d love to discuss:

When and why should I use a cargo bike?

• What are the no-go’s?
• What motivates me?
• What changes my perspective?

What do I expect at the destination?

• What infrastructure do I need (more than just parking)?
• What makes my life easier?
• What slows me down?
• What annoys me the most?
• What earns my loyalty and makes me spend more at a store?

What do I expect at the starting point?

• Can you be both a tenant and a cargo bike owner?
• How can I simplify things, like finding a good parking spot near my home?

Sharing: A good solution or just a transition phase?

• Where would I like to rent a cargo bike (near stores, public transport, or home)?
• How should sharing work to avoid extra trips or long/expensive rental periods?

How do I manage multi-stop routes?

• How do I secure purchases I’ve already made?
• How do I plan an efficient route?
• How can I combine multiple modes of transport (walking, cycling, public transport, etc.) in one trip?
• What do I need at transition points (e.g., work, train station, city center, shopping mall)?

What cargo bike requirements are often overlooked on the route?

• What are my experiences with the bike’s length, weight, or turning radius?
• What design standards worldwide already consider cargo bikes?

I’d love to hear more questions or ideas – feel free to share them in the comments or send a message. I’d like to discuss each topic in separate threads and I am particularly interested in your personal and authentic perspectives. The goal is to find ways to make things like bike parking or bike design really better. And for me, the needs of the user/customer come before the needs of the provider/manufacturer.


A few words about me

I live in Kassel, Germany, one of the country’s most bike-unfriendly cities, with only 7% of trips done by bike. I will turn 55 this year, and besides me and the cat, my soulmate also lives here (who will surely give me a disapproving look when she reads this).

Bikes have played a bigger or smaller role in my life over the years, but now they’ve become my profession. I used before to evaluate locations for grocery stores, and now I focus on improving conditions for cycling customers as a location advantage – contributing to the mobility transition.

At the age of 10, I was already a geographer at heart and later through graduation. Questions like "Why am I at this location?" and "Why do I want to go to a other location?" fascinated me. Exploring destinations and finding, develop and promote the right vehicle to get there is the logical next step for me.

Right now, I still use a bike trailer, but this year I’m planning to buy a cargo bike. So, for now, most of the photos I share will feature my small city bike or my Hasebike trike.

Looking forward to exciting discussions!



*I am a Northwestern German expat in Hesse.