9 years ago, we had our first child, and my daily bike commute became long walks with a stroller. Then, I discovered a cargo bike that could properly hold a baby seat and my life was forever changed by the cargo bike life.
6 years ago, I believed everyone should have a chance to experience life outside their windshield, so I took a huge leap of faith and opened a cargo bike shop to help others find the cargo bike life. We closed/moved during COVID, and I took a job with Tern Bicycles in marketing and design to market the cargo bike life.
Yesterday was my last day at Tern, and today, I am launching Cargo Bike Life to build a community and resources for those who want to be part of something bigger.
Cargo Bike Life Directory
A directory focused on products like cargo bikes, bike trailers, kids’ bikes, and top-rated cargo bike shops. The goal is to provide a good place to see comparisons and spec details, but even more important is for end users to provide product feedback!
The products have some requirements, like electric cargo bikes must be certified to UL-2771 or UL-2849 (insurance requirements), trailers must meet some basic testing requirements, and kids’ bikes will not include training wheels and have hand brakes. I have a ton of products to add over the next few weeks! Several important cargo bikes, many bike trailers, a handful of kids’ bikes, and a huge list of cargo bike shops that require me to do some “virtual mystery shopping.”
If you don’t see a product that should be included, please comment below!
Education and Resources
Most people do not have a wonderful cargo bike shop in their town. They don’t know the best tips for having a great test ride experience, how to lock up their bike, or where to start teaching their kid how to ride a bike. That’s where Cargo Bike Life comes in—bringing that information to people worldwide, no matter where they are!
Articles, videos, webinars, (podcasts?!), and our newsletter!
Do you have a tip or story to share? Contact us so we can get it on here!
Reviews and Product Rundown
You will see many cargo bikes, bike trailers, and kids’ bike product reviews coming your way! These are from the point of view of a cargo bike mechanic and will have a minimum amount of at least 200 miles on the bike before a final review. When possible I will also post important how-to tips on popular accessories.
Cargo Bike Buyer’s Guides
One of my motivations for creating this site was that the bike industry media landscape is broken. Most “Best of” lists are actually lists of bike companies that use affiliate links where the publisher makes money if you buy through their recommended product link. While managing Tern Bicycles PR, I experienced multiple times being listed on a “Best of” list, knowing that the media outlet had never even touched one of our bikes or not being included because we didn’t want to pay the $2500 for a review ranking. These roundups aren’t authentic and lead people astray!
Once we have tested all the most popular cargo bikes, we will start working on buyer’s guides for products to help you cut through the fluff. You can start with the first version of the Cargo Bike Buyer’s Guide or Tern GSD Gen 2 Buyer’s Guide.
Cargo Bike Life Profile Series
We’ve heard from many people that the critical moment for them to start bike commuting, investing in a cargo bike, or trying to live a car-light life was seeing someone who looked like them or a story they could relate to.
The Cargo Bike Life movement needs more stories to share to inspire even more people to join this movement. Please share your story!
Social Shares
Let’s create motivating content that will be easy for you to share on social media with friends and your following to help them think about the cargo bike life. It may help you feel seen (hi, Cargo Bike Momma and Multimodal Mom! 👋) or motivate that friend who needs a little nudge to bike for coffee instead of driving.
Ways You Can Help
1. Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter
2. Share your cargo bike story
3. Follow and then tag @cargobikelifecom on Instagram or @bikeshopgirlcom on Twitter if you do something cool or see something cargo bike/kids biking related I should cover or share!
4. Comment. This is me taking a huge step into a void I know is there, but hearing from you all constantly about what you like, want, need, or hate would be nice 🥰
Thank You
I am here for the village—the community that helps me see I’m not alone in wanting a life outside the car drop-off line and that we can all work towards something bigger than ourselves to make the world a better place. Thank you for joining me on this journey!
I don’t have a cargo bike (yet), but love the idea of one. Follow lots of individuals on social media and look forward to gaining knowledge from this site. I have a Brompton, Trek touring bike, and a Gazelle e-bike and looking to add to the fleet. Good luck with the new site and look forward to your content in the future.
JT
It sounds like you have a great fleet of bike options! Thanks for joining 🙂
Subscribed and followed! Thank you so much for all your work in this space. Truly changing lives.
thank you 🥰
Congrats for your launch! We are journeying on the same path. I got my first cargobike on 2018 and got into bike sales in 2021. So many people are in discovery right now, it’s the perfect time to network put our many great dealers and brands on the map. Looking forward to what’s to come!
So wonderful to hear, thanks for joining us!!!
Yay! Congrats on the new launch! Your videos have helped me on my own cargo bike journey. One of these days – when I can get some kid-free time – I’ll send in my story.
Congrats, Arleigh, excited to see this!
I’m so glad that you are creating this much-needed space. I’ve always appreciated your inclusive approach because not every idea/solution/bike will work for every person. I learned a ton from you as Bike Shop Girl and at Tern, so I’m looking forward to continuing to learn from you.
Thanks for the great resource! I’m close to buying my first e-cargo bike (likely a Tern HSD S00).
I only got into biking five years ago after a medical event meant that I suddenly wasn’t allowed to drive for 6 months. I’ve had a great time with my city bike that has a rear rack & panniers, but I’d like to be able to carry more and have a larger area where I feel comfortable taking a bike. It seems like an e-cargo bike will fit the bill and help me leave the car at home more. Thanks!
Sold my car and just got my 1st e-cargo bike. I really enjoy your content which has been so helpful in this decision. Congrats and I am glad to support
Just got back from my trip to the mailroom and trash drop then a ride around our very hilly lake community on my Tern HSD P9 that I bought after chatting with you. Great bike which is quite useful.
Good luck with your new endeavor. Hope it is a huge success and brings you much satisfaction.
Thank you so much, Bob! Glad you are loving your HSD
My husband has been following you for a while as he was the one that started looking at cargo bikes after getting tired of hauling a Burley and our friends buying an Urban Arrow (which we now have, too). I hadn’t ridden a bike in 20 years but was tired of being left behind when he would take a kid out. I relearned how to ride, bought a Tern NBD, and have been loving it. Thanks for building a community.
Thank you for the comment 🥰
I’m so glad you love the NBD! That is a wonder bike that I wish more people knew about.
Hi!
Are you aiming to be US exclusively, or do you wish for international stories as well? I could submit a personal story via your form, but as I live in Finland I can’t add my location properly.
My kid is now a few months short of 11 years old, and they’ve been riding along on a cargo bike since the age of four days 🙂
Please share your story!! Enter your city and country is fine 🙂
Congratulations on your launch. This is going to be such a great resources, especially for people living in towns without cargo/family bike shops.
Good luck on your new site! I’d love to see an article comparing the importance of torque to motor size. We have a Tern Quickhaul P9 but my wife is struggling to get up some of the bigger hills carrying 2-3 small kids (trailer). I know it has a 250 watt motor and 65NM of torque so perhaps we should look at something with a750 watt motor or 85nm of torque?
Thanks for the comment! Yeh, 65Nm is good but not for hills with that much haul. How much weight is she dealing with including the bike, all humans, accessories, and trailer?
Thanks so much for creating this resource! Hard to believe we are less than three months into our cargo bike experience here in London UK; having bought our GSD at the end of March it’s become a staple of everyday life. My 4 year old loves riding in it, to the extent I can’t get him back on his own bike anymore… and despite having smaller options available for my daily commute, I find myself riding it 36km a day in and out of work as it’s so comfortable and practical.
I really appreciate your YouTube videos which were a real help when I was familiarising myself with cargo bike repair, and wish you every success with this new project. I’ve now made it my goal for the coming months to advocate more for family cargo bike adoption in this part of the world, and I’ll be sure to point them this way. I can recommend Fully Charged bikes in the UK who are a great family cargo retailer and would be well worth making contact with.
Thanks for sharing your story, Chris! Let me know how we can support your goal of advocacy!