Big Galloot Bikes

It’s a jungle out there

biggalloot — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:34:44 +0000

60 Minutes aired this program last week. It was the usual story about the regular conflict that occurs every day on our roads between cyclists and motorists. Take a look and check out all the cool cargo bikes in Amsterdam!

Car-free holidays with cargo bikes

biggalloot — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:41:34 +0000

Car-free holidays are pretty easy if you have a couple of cargo bikes. School holidays are always a challenge for us with three very active boys, and we wanted to keep it local & minimise the travel. Boys love camping and there are plenty of options in South-East Queensland, but with such hot weather, the beach was beckoning. So we came across Coomera Houseboat Holidays, and seeing it was a slow week for them, we had no trouble in making a last minute booking at half-price rates!

We packed the cargo bikes up, complete with a Quiver Caddy loaded with surfboards and life jackets. An easy downhill ride to South Bank station, via the Lucky Duck cafe, and then we caught the express Gold Coast train to Coomera. A comfortable and air-conditioned trip, we were off again on our bikes in less than an hour. The Gold Coast City Marina was an easy four kilometre ride from the station where the Houseboat crew met us with astonished looks – apparently we were the first family to ever turn up without a car!

Big Galloot makes first appearance at the Brisbane Organic Growers Fair

biggalloot — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:57:28 +0000

It was a lovely Spring Sunday morning but there was no holding back pre-dawn preparations for BBQ Bike. Yep…. BBQ Bike – the latest personality to join the Big Galloot fleet. Visiting relatives didn’t deter the frenzy of last minute adjustments that had to be made before exposing unassuming folk to the wonders of the cargo bike… completely retrofitted with esky, gas bottle and two-burner camping stove.

The whole fleet was there, including the traditional box bike fitted with a homemade cushion for the bench seat (all materials sourced from our good mates at Reverse Garbage). The exercise was a bit of a taster for us – we were really there to attend the Food Connect stall – the bikes seemed to be a real conversation starter, especially with the dads who couldn’t wait to test drive the kids around the block. The smiles on those faces were priceless! Who knows, we may even get a couple of sales from the day

We’re up & running!

biggalloot — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:46:14 +0000

Stability while loading and unloading children is a major hurdle and no other bike (besides the Dutch bakfiets) handles these tasks with such grace and confidence.

The start of a new Social enterprise started last week with the establishment of Big Galloot Bikes. Our newest venture to get Cargo Bikes of all shapes and sizes out on the streets of Brisvegas.

The bikes are the coolest things on two wheels, and they carry stuff. Lots of stuff.

I estimate that probably 70% of car use for residents who live within 4 Km of the CBD is to go less than 4 km…….. and it would be just to pick up something pretty small. A child, buy the milk, grab a coffee, pick up the bread, drop the dry cleaning off, etc. With a waterproof cover, there is no excuse not to experience the joy of riding in the rain. We’ve tested this one out over the last year and it gets the tick of approval from our youngest member of the family, Elsie (shown below). We’re now a familiar sight on the streets of West End and the enthusiasm for our vehicle has encouraged us to invest in a few so that we can customise them for people wanting to ditch their cars and get into cycling for a purpose.