Delivery Bike

[Ian]

I saw an interesting machine in Nottingham city centre today, a rugged looking delivery bike with twin crossbars supporting an advertising board for "Pickwicks Sandwich Bar", outside of which it was parked with total immunity from the parking attendants. In the front wheel was a chunky looking hub motor, the power for which came from an aluminium box mounted on the twin crossbars, despite the fact that there are overhead wires for the trams I failed to spot a trolley pole so must assume there was a battery in the box. On the front of the bike was a large basket but attached to the rear was a huge trailer measuring at least 1.5m square and resembling a car transporter with two parallel tracks and a loading ramp which folded up to form a tailgate. I didn't see the bike in use but I'd guess that a loaded trolley is wheeled out from the shop and on to the trailer. Such a machine, which could probably carry as much as a small van must be immensely useful in an environment where anything with number plates that doesn't move gets an instant parking ticket. Sights like this are probably commonplace in central London but it is the first time I've seen an electric bike used as a delivery vehicle in the Midlands.

 

[nigel]

I also seem to remember there was talk about the GPO using electric bikes but have not seen any about yet nigel.

 

[flecc]

That was very unusual Ian, I haven't seen anything quite like that outfit in London.

We do have quite a variety of oddball delivery vehicles, pedicabs, and recumbent front advertising quad bikes in Central London, but most of the bike based ones aren't powered. The Burrows 8freight is quite popular fitted out in various special ways.

There's quite a lot of animosity from taxi drivers and others concerning the slow pedal powered stuff like pedicabs and freight bikes, and the powerful taxi drivers federation have made determined efforts to get pedicabs off the road, not successfully so far though. Cambridge, long thought of as cycle friendly has actually banned pedicabs from central areas on grounds of congestion, so the future of bike based heavy transport isn't too secure.

If the Royal Mail adopt some of the three and four wheel slow carriers they've been trialling, they could set a permanent precedent in our favour.
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[Ian]

That was very unusual Ian, I haven't seen anything quite like that outfit in London.

The bike itself was obviously a commercially made work bike with an electric conversion, the bike had a longish wheelbase but without the load platform of the 8freight, twin crossbars, the lower being about 9" below the upper with the advertising board between them, wheels I think were 24", rear hub gear and a front wheel mounted stand. The front hub motor was not a type I recognised and the battery box was well made, but did have a home-made appearance. The trailer was very well made but there were a few hints to the trained eye that it perhaps was not professionally built so I would guess the conversion and trailer were done by a skilful amateur.

If that person is reading this put your hand up and be congratulated!

 

[flecc]

Maybe the bike was Dutch or Danish. They both make a wide variety of unusual workbikes, and we only ever get to see one or two of the more popular ones usually.
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[Ian]

A photo of the bike

I believe this may well be the bike I saw.

http://www.hembrow.eu/P_C_Sandwich2.jpg

The basket was not on the trailer but everything else is as I remember it, including the aluminium box just behind the front basket. The picture is on the website of the basket maker who states it was made for a sandwich delivery company.

 

[flecc]

Well found Ian, so it was a special, The photo isn't clear enough, but could that be a Heinzmann? They look big in 20" wheels.

I don't know Nottingham, but I should think it isn't too hilly, considering the huge weight of that lot. If the motor's high powered it could help, but wheelspin uphill could be a problem with the drive on a small front wheel, especially in wet weather.
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