Cargo bikes come in all shapes and sizes. Few of them, however, combine personality and utility as well as a Metrofiets Cargo Bike, which pairs classic styling with heavy-duty carrying capacity.
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because they’ve been around since 2007. In fact, we featured one of their custom builds, the Pub Bike, which features a literal mini-bar atop one of their cargo rides.
Metrofiets hand-manufactures the front-loading cargo bikes, which they call “Long Johns,” modeled off Dutch bakfietsen (“box bikes”) and injected with a dose of retro American aesthetics. The stock design is called The Standard, which they came up with after a few years of building customized cargo rigs for private clients. They offer three complete models — Family, Motorhead and Bike Geek — each of which comes with the same long-bodied chromoly steel frame, oversized wooden tub (for your cargo), marine-grade parts, disc brakes and LED lights. Drivetrain and various other parts vary depending on the model (e.g. Family has a standard external drivetrain; Bike Geek has an internal drivetrain; Gearhead has electric-assist).
You can, of course, customize your own Standard model, throwing any of the cornucopia of options available from their order page. All bikes can accomodate riders between 4 foot 5 inches and 6 feet 7 inches, so entire families can, pretty much, use it, whether you’re a mom hauling multiple grocery bags, a handyman transporting supplies or a dad giving your young ones a ride.
The catch? These bikes aren’t cheap. Pricing for the complete Metrofiets models start upwards of $4,500. If you just need one for a short while, they also offer the cargo bikes for rent at $150 for every 24 hours.