Business Opportunities Weblog

Box Bikes Become Car Alternative

By on January 13, 2013 in Featured

According to The New York Daily News, a big-bucks bicycle is turning heads – as well as corners – on the city’s streets.

Wacky-looking box bikes, with room for the kids, groceries and laundry, are proving a wheel hit with families eager for a healthy alternative to the car.

“So far, it’s been spectacular,” said Mary Brosnan, 36, of Kensington, Brooklyn, who bought one of the bikes over the summer to ride with her two young sons. “I wanted to find a way to get some exercise and make it fun and interesting for them. This was instead of a gym membership.”

The bikes, which come in different shapes and sizes, stand out due to the roomy cargo areas attached to their frames.

The $2,650 price tag is more than Brosnan spent on her first car – but she decided it was a price worth paying.

“You don’t need a car with a bike like this. Most people live their lives within 10 miles of their home, and it’s all you need,” she said.

European-style bicycles have been making inroads in the U.S. in recent years, with box bikes the latest example.

“They’re a really emerging market,” said Eric Kamphof, 36, of Toronto-based Fourth Floor Distribution, the largest importer of box bicycles in North America.

His business supplies them to eight stores across the country, with three in New York, including Rolling Orange.

Photo by Marino for News.

bicycle earth-friendly energy costs transportation

Rich Whittle has added 6,226 posts to Business Opportunities Weblog.

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  • http://www.cyclingforbeginners.com Cycling for Beginners

    Bikes are a hot item these days — start noticing how many commercials (for a wide variety of products and services) you see with some bikes thrown in. Bicycles are somewhat unique in that they are “green”, help you stay fit, and can help you save money too (gas, tags, insurance, etc.).

  • http://wahm.business-opportunities.biz Angela Shupe

    That’s a really interesting bike but I couldn’t imagine paying that much for one. I paid less for my pickup. I think a more cost-effective alternative would be to buy one of those kid trailer-like covered seats that they sell for use with bicycles instead. The kids can be strapped and it is pulled behind a regular bike. They probably could also carry some clothes for washing or groceries just as easily, too.

  • Chris

    It is not an outrageous price to pay for a high performance bicycle, for something that can be done just a green with a bike and trailer, as previously mention, thank you Angela, it way too much. If you have ever attempted to safely navigate a extra-long wheelbase bike, with remote steering and a shifting cargo in the middle, you will quickly learn there are better ways to get killed.
    A regular bike with a trailer is much safer, easier to handle, and can haul more stuff and cheaper!
    Just one more yuppie idea, that only non-thinking people would really get behind.