Niels Christian Weigelt is a construction engineer by day, but in his off hours, he and partner Anna Soerensen are exclusive Canadian distributors of Denmark’s Kangaroo bike, designed to transport kids through urban streets.
“In Denmark the streets are full of young moms transporting kids in cargo bikes to kindergarten, to the park or just to go shopping,” says Niels.
Here in Vancouver, you’ll see the occasional dad towing junior in a bike trailer, but these are mere playthings compared to the serious cargo transport Danes look for in a bike. (For a glimpse into Copenhagen’s cargo-bike culture, visit www.copenhagenize.com and search “cargo bike.”)
At $3,900 a pop, these bikes are more a lifestyle commitment than a weekend diversion. It remains to be seen how committed Vancouverites are to the bike lifestyle; Weigelt and Soerensen have conducted plenty of trial spins around the seawall, but are still waiting to score their first sale.