Copenhagen Ferrari
Yes, yes, yes. We all know I like my cargo bike. And that I'm happy to blog about it. Especially now that I have a new red Bullitt. I couldn't resist this shot the other day. I rode past a Ferrari and thought I'd take a photo of the 21st Century version. Urban Manpower for Liveable Cities vs Horsepower for the sake of Horsepower. I love Larry vs Harry's new foldable racing seat on which the kids sit, and the new custom side panels.
I sold my white Bullitt to Mads, who runs Ekeko.dk - a sustainable development company that imports clothes from Bolivia. So the bicycle went to a great home. 
There is goes. Just a metal construction with some rubber bits, but one that has served me well. And the latest text message from Mads reveals that he loves the bike.
A 'No Trucks' sign with an alternative in front makes much more sense.
It really is quite cool riding around the city on this bicycle. In the course of a day I'll end up talking to 5 or 10 people about it. From teenagers to elderly ladies. At stoplights or outside shops. I've never had a bicycle that generates so much conversation.
11 thinking out louds:
So, a question, not necessary a relevant one in a nation with civilized infrastructure. What's the ride like on rough roads, and how is it going up and down curbs?
I ask, because I ride a Big Dummy, and one of the joys of that bike is that your butt is not nearly on top of a wheel, and it has quite a lot of ground clearance, so one can improvise routes where they are lacking, and largely ignore the effects of (most) potholes. But, the low flat cargo platform on the Bullitt is a lovely thing.
Part of the goal is to figure out what to tell people who express an interest in a cargo bike. In the US, beginning the conversation with "$2000 stock, but with the Dynohub, lights, Brooks saddle and the chaincase..." tends to not lead to much more conversation. The Bullitt is similarly expensive for local tastes. One local bike blogger has decided that a Madsen is the best entry-level suburban cargo bike, at least for the US, and I agree with her. Cheap enough, good enough, solves the how-do-I-carry-little-wiggly-kids problem. If you're going to get other people on bikes hauling stuff, it's the easiest choice to sell.
Most affordable, and how I got started on a cargo bike, is the Xtracycle extension. It's less compatible with wiggly kids (but wiggly kids are only wiggly for a few years).
I didn't even notice the ferrari in the first picture until I read the text.
Lovely bike really, but it seems that women (or anyone) with long skirts can only drive the "Maranello Bullitt".
Here in California, where all the technology wizards have a Ferrari, the new cool car is actually the electric Tesla. Maybe I should take a picture of my Electra near a Tesla roadster? :)
My opinion is that cars should go the way horses went, and be preserved for pleasure. Before cars, cities were filled with horses, and it replacing horses with cars was actually a big improvement (in big cities, horses died of exhaustion on occasion, and sometimes were left right there for days!). Nowadays, horse are happier, and so are we, by having them in specialized locations, and in much fewer numbers.
Now, it's the time for the next improvement, and replace cars with bikes. We can them keep only the best one in hangars beside tracks designed for maximum enjoyment, and leave them out of our city centres, where they do not belong.
So, in a way, the Ferrari logo is quite appropriate!
When we were at Velocity in CPH I bought the first Bullitt of Budapest for our cycle courier company. It is an orange Clockwork, and we painted its box orange. Beautiful!!! People in Budapest LOVE IT! Every cyclist and every second pedestrian admires it.
We are testing the Bullitt at work. The other day, our courier locked and left it between a bar and an office building, and when he went back to his cargo, he found a glass of cool mineral water with lemon on the top of the box, on a coaster(!).
What a tribute! :)
I have a similar picture with my Velomobile. An interesting footnote to my picture is that there are 2 bags of groceries in the Velomobile when this picture was taken.
Ferrari with Mango Sport
Not Ferrari standards.
Your boasting suggests a feeling of inadequacy.
I think it's a great cargo bike, to be sure, but your comparison is off the mark.
Red Bullitt, Red Modena. Decisions, decisions.
Some who have read my comments here might have got the impression that I'm anti car. Far from it. Myself I've owned a Porsche 356 (I'm sitting in its driver's seat right now), Triumph GT6, A few FIAT 124 Spiders (I can change a head gasket at curbside in a half hour flat. Practice makes perfect), ALFA GTV (curse you SPICA) and a Maserati Biturbo. Even driven a few formula cars against the clock. Most of my computer games are racing sims and have been highly active with those in online competitions in the past.
I have one bicycle book on my shelves in this room, but a number of technical car books.
I'm with Pierre, cars are great toys; just get 'em out of the cities and onto appropriate playgrounds.
They're rather expensive toys though, so to whoever might blanch at the price of a Bullitt they can take a gander at the price of a Modena, or even a Nuova 500.
Better yet, take a gander at whatever they are tossing down the black hole of automotive taxes and insurance premiums annually. If you drive and can replace a car, or even merely curtail its use significantly, even moderately expensive bikes are effectively free.
@kfg:
well said! I occasionally have ranting moments when I think cars are simply evil, but really they are just another thing - wholly inappropriate for daily transportation, but keep them separated and they are of course great fun.
Sigh (wistful). I'm going to get a Bullitt, one day, one day...
(once I figure out the logistics of getting it to Australia for a reasonable price!)
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