She’s electric! My cargo bike is the future of city transport

IF you happen to see a blue flash zipping by at 30km with two whooping kids in the back and a smiling driver, it might be me cycling past you on my new cargo bike. Give us a wave!

After two years of research and indecision, I finally became the proud owner of a shiny blue Bicicapace longtail cargo bike. A what now?

You might be familiar with front- loading cargo bikes, where the passengers, bags and groceries are contained in a boxy structure in front of the cyclist’s handlebars. Bakfiets and Urban Arrows are popular types that may have turned your head as they zipped by.

A longtail cargo bike carries the passengers on the back seat behind the cyclist - it’s like giving someone an old fashioned backer, except this is a very comfortable version with padded seats, suspension, a railing to keep little passengers in place, and a platform for them to rest their feet.

When there are no little passengers, it converts into a carrier basket.

I’ve been cycling a bike since I was a child and when I had my own children, I started transporting them on a rear bike seat, but once you have more than two kids it’s hard to transport them together without strapping them into the car.

Annoyingly, I found ourselves using the car for short journeys of less than 5km; journeys that could easily be completed by bike.

Although my kids are proficient cyclists, I wouldn’t be confident shepherding them on their bikes on the road with cars thundering past. They may have the stamina to cycle a few kilometres, but the return journey is inevitably filled with protestations about tired legs.

So the reason for this big purchase was to transport my two kids around the place, and apart from buying my house it is easily the most exciting purchase of my life.

We’ve only had the bike for two weeks and have ratcheted up almost 150km - kilometres that ordinarily would have been driven by car.

Recent trips include visits to Leisureworld in Churchfield (sailing up Cathedral Road thanks to the electric assist), trips to Woodies to pick up plants and bamboo sticks, trips to the GAA club, and the endless trips to “pick up milk” that seem to occupy a considerable amount of adult time.

The kids think it’s the best craic ever. They spot things that they would never see in a car and we can stop and inspect if time and safety permits. See a heron? Let’s pull in and take a closer look. Want to avoid traffic? Let’s cycle along the Lee Walkway into town.

You don’t necessarily have to choose the shortest or most efficient route any more because the electric battery makes the whole journey easier.

You still have to pedal, you’re just ‘assisted’ by the electric battery which takes the huffing and sweating out of the journey. 

I was worried my fitness levels would drop, but if anything they’ve been raised by the increased amount of cycling.

The bike carries 190kg so you can transport up to three kids on the extra long rear carrier and lots of groceries in the front 80 litre bag. I’ve even given a lift to a 40-year-old woman!

If you don’t have a garage or a shed to store a bulky bike, a neat longtail bike is an ideal solution, being no wider than a normal bike and only ever so slightly longer. You can park it in your hallway!

I really think electric bikes are the future of transport. If you live in Cork city or its suburbs and are thinking you need to buy a second car, stop and consider getting an electric cargo bike instead.

If you find yourself doing frequent short trips by car, think about using a regular bike, electric bike or cargo bike instead.

If you do join the cycling crew and you see me zooming around on my new trusty blue electric steed - give me a wave!

An Cailín Ciúin

Do yourself a favour this week, and instead of spending an evening mindlessly flicking through TV channels or doom scrolling on your phone, book a ticket to see the charming movie An Cailin Ciúin/The Quiet Girl, which is running in Triskel Christchurch until Thursday night.

If leaving the house is too much of an undertaking, splash out €4.99 to watch it on Youtube, and be transported to 1981 and the gentle story of Cáit, a neglected child from a dysfunctional family who is sent to live with distant relatives for the summer.

If that sounds like an introduction to an ominous chapter of Irish history don’t worry, this is not a dark film, it is as beautiful and touching a film as you can get.

Without giving much away, Cáit blossoms under the care and attention of her foster parents, and slowly watching the healing power of kindness is a very moving experience.

It is lovely to listen to Irish being spoken in such an ordinary domestic way, and so much of the dialogue is accessible and easily understood, with subtitles for when your school Irish fails you.

Every shot is gorgeously crafted; the countryside and scenes of farm life are textured and real, the decor and interiors of the houses and shops will be familiar and nostalgic to many, but it is the tenderness of the performances that will stay with you.

Audiences across Ireland, the UK and Europe have embraced the film and it has taken more than €900,000 at the box office.

It might tip the million mark if the love and momentum for the film continues - the recent news that it will be Ireland’s nomination for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars will sustain interest.

If you go see it this week, you’ll leave the cinema with a lump in your throat, but the warm fuzzy feeling in your chest will last much longer.