Hello everyone,
Welcome to Issue #10 of Cargobike Culture!
On Saturday I sent out an email asking for help getting to the National Cargobike Summit in London. So many of you helped out, thank you! With donations and subscriptions, I was able to cover most of the Eurostar fare which was amazing. Special mention to new paid subscribers Lucy, Lloyd, Alain, Tom, Susan and Timothy. And the wonderful donation givers Kate, Matt, Frankie, Holly, Seb and Charlie.
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Ok, enough with the money and on with the cargobikes!
Less plastic, more cargobikes
Do you remember in 2019 when we were all worried about plastic? I felt that for a while, itâs all we talked about. Packaging-less retail stores were opening up everywhere, plastic straws got swapped for paper ones and grocery store plastic bags disappeared.
Then 2020 happened and it seemed that plastic, virus proof barriers in all their forms were in fashion again.
Well LOOS didnât forget. They got rid of the plastic packaging, and also the retail rule book.
LOOS is a mobile, plastic packaging-free shop. It was started in 2021 by a group of four founders, and is now managed by Jiske, Laurens and Saskia. I met up with Laurens at their HQ in Utrecht to find out more.
The concept
After meeting in a startup programme for social enterprises, the team knew they wanted to build a business which was based on sustainable practises. They were interested in plastic packaging-less stores, so the went to speak to someone who had already run a similar shop in Utrecht to find out what worked, and what didnât.
He told the team that one of the challenges was asking people to bring their empty containers across the city, on their bike, to visit the shop. Asking people to fit this into their regular shopping routines was a challenge. So LOOS decided that instead of asking people to come to them, they would go to the people. And the idea of their plastic-free mobile shop was born.
The business works on a system of regular routes which the team follow on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The routes are published on the website, together with the time theyâll be at each stop.
The stops are chosen carefully by the team. When I asked Laurens how they decided where to go, he said their list was developed through trial and error. LOOS itself is a prototype, theyâre testing the concept of whether this sort of business can work. So naturally, theyâve learnt a lot about what makes a good stop, and what doesnât.
It turns out the spots you think would be best (busy, lots of foot traffic) actually arenât. âWe quickly learnt that when people are doing a task, like taking the kids to school, walking to a big grocery store, they donât want to stop for us. People often suggest ideas for new stops, but we know they wonât workâ.
Theyâve found that the best spots are in calm locations, where people donât mind lingering and finding out about how LOOS works. And when they do, theyâre often very receptive. Laurens told me that they appeal to customers who care about sustainability and green issues. Surprisingly one of the biggest types of new customers is children walking past with parents. âChildren are so much more curious than adultsâ Laurens says. âThey ask their parent âwhat is that!â and then they come overâ. (I can testify to this with my own daughter who thought the whole thing was amazing).
The team stop where they can, but its mostly in open public spaces such as the plain near my house above. They have to have a permit from the City council for their operation, and interestingly they can only stay in a spot for as long as they can prove they have customers. So they canât just park up for the entire day, they have to keep moving.
But more importantly than the location, might be the consistency. Giving me a quick lesson in retail psychology, Laurens explained that the key to success for LOOS is becoming part of peoples routines. This means they have to be at the same spots, at the same times each week. Their customers need to be able to depend on them, and that comes through trust and consistency.
The Bike
Their bike, referred to affectionately as The Silo is built by Cycles Maximus, which I was surprised to find out is a British company, based in Bath.
The LOOS bike is based on the Cargo Trike model, which is formed of a trike and a separate trailer. The trailer connected to the bike via a 5th wheel coupling, much like an articulated lorry. This makes it surprising manoeuvrable and able to turn in itâs own length.
The LOOS model has electric assistance, which you really need as the team estimate it weighs around 500kg. The electric range is around 15-20km, which is fortunately the same length as a typical route. Laurens told me that you can cycle it without the electric help, but you really donât want too. And you better hope you donât meet as much as a speed bump.
Laurens, a trained electrical engineer built the âshopâ on top of the trailer himself. Itâs made of wood with corrugated plastic sides which swing up for rain and sun protection. A solution which isnât perfect, âYou need a good coat on rainy daysâ Laurens tells me.
As with everything at LOOS, Laurens explained that the trailer is a proof of concept at the moment. The trailer the team currently have is as big as cycling trailers get and itâs still not big enough. The team have to carry enough stock to have a wide enough variety to be attractive, and to increase âthe takeawayâ (the amount which each customer spends), they have to carry more varieties. All of this takes up more room, and adds more weight.
But a bigger trailer is looking unlikely. New EU regulations for cargobikes of all kinds is coming down the road cyclepath which is going to limit their total weight, amongst other things. This might mean that LOOS might have to begin looking at alternative solutions, including a van.
But for LOOS, the bike isnât just a gimmick, it offers a lot of really useful benefits. For one, itâs cheap. Whilst the team rent it currently, itâs a lot cheaper than buying or leasing a van. And whilst itâs obviously an extremely sustainable solution, it also allows them to be very mobile. If one of their normal parking areas is blocked, itâs quick and easy for them to find another space nearby.
And as as I mentioned previously, consistency is key. And nothing is more consistent than a bicycle. Thereâs no traffic jams to get stuck in, and are never delayed by road closures or anything else.
The goal for the team is to prove the concept, and looking into franchising the idea to help other entrepreneurs create sustainable, packaging free businesses like LOOS.
And what advice does Laurens have for you if youâre thinking of starting your own mobile shop like LOOS? Firstly âget in touch with us!â. And secondly âBuy a good coatâ.
Cargobike of the week
This issueâs cargobike of the week is a bike from Utrecht based florist FIORE.
What a great idea for an outdoor display solution! I'tâs easily movable, eye catching and you can use it as a cargobike too!
Other links of interest
More businesses on cargobikes
Last week we talked about the growing number of businesses and tradespeople using cargobikes for their work. This week, I saw another example pop up. This is Ignacio Niemeyer, a London based handyman with an amazing, customised cargobike.
My favourite customisations? The toilet plunger on the fork, the company branded wooden crate, and the tube of adhesive velcroed to the basket.
A better take on cargobikes from the Guardian
Remember that awful cargobike editorial from the Guardian last week? Well the Guardian published a couple of letters in rebuke this week, including one from cycling London plumber Shane Topley who we mentioned last week.
No cargobike emoji?
Ever wondered why theres a đ˛, đ´ââď¸, đ´ and đ´ââď¸ emoji, but no cargobike emoji? I have and I did a little research this week. Well it turns out there have been attempts before. To get a new emoji, you have to make an application to the Unicode Consortium. The applications are assessed, and so get accepted, others denied. You can see the list of previous requests here.
If your application is denied, you can reapply in two years. And for the cargobike application, thats April 2023. David Majarich is the ring leader for the whole shebang, so follow him if youâd like to see how things progress.
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