Utility Cycling - New cargo bike company in Philadelphia

Just thought Id show you all a few pictures of what we're putting out here in Philadelphia. They are built to fit one at a time by hand and come as a complete bike including wooden cargo platform and a one color powdercoat for about $1200. Capacity of 300 pounds.

If youd like more info, just ask at sales@phillycargocycles.com

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Neat design! What size are the tires?

Cool bikes.....What about kickstands? Do you build the whole frame or start with a used rear triangle?

The front wheel is 16" and the rear is 26". The rear end is a recycled chromoly mtb. The rest is new 4130 chromoly seamless tubing.

Looks good- looks like you'd need a good kickstand- not the normal kind, but the ones like on the Worksman Low Gravity bikes. Otherwise, loading stuff on there and taking off would be a 2-person job. I'd suggest a box bakfiets style as the default container. Or maybe a platform sized to fit a jumbo Rubbermaid tub, the kind with a lid.

Looks good- looks like you'd need a good kickstand- not the normal kind, but the ones like on the Worksman Low Gravity bikes. Otherwise, loading stuff on there and taking off would be a 2-person job. I'd suggest a box bakfiets style as the default container. Or maybe a platform sized to fit a jumbo Rubbermaid tub, the kind with a lid.

Yeah, the kickstand is an issue. The nicer 2 legged kickstands work to some degree, but not with super heavy (>150 pounds) loads. I have a design for a serious 4-point bakfiets-like center stand, but at this point it would add about $150 to its cost, so Im trying to simplify it a bit. THe easiest way to load it without a kickstand or a helper is to simply lean it against a wall or something.

In response to your suggestions, there really is no "default container". I will work with you to create a solution to carry whatever youd like. In the past this has included a kid trailer body, a child's car seat, some tie downs for dogs, even a keg! The cheapest thing, which is included in the price, is a flat 2' X 30" wooden platform, this allows for many different carrying options.

I like the design.

I think for $1200 I'd expect more of a cargo platform than just a rectangle of unfinished (and very heavy) plywood though.

Do you know what handlebars are on the green (and red) bike(s)?

very cool, and much more reasonably priced than a bakfiet, glad to see this sort of cargo bike being made on the east coast... how much does the bike end up weighing sans cargo? how does it do on hills? do you think electric assist would be reasonable on something like this? sorry to pester with questions, but one last, you mentioned dog tie downs, how does that work? is that the two dogs in the one shot havent jumped ship?

Never rode a fully loaded cargo bike. I suppose it is harder to stop than a regular bicycle. According to Sheldon Brown's articles on tandem breaking systems, drum brake (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tandem-brakes.html) is recommended. How much would be the price increase to equip your cargo bicycles with drum brakes in both wheels?

I like the platform deck. It'd be easier to carry larger, bulky items that would be difficult on an Xtracycle or Bakfiets. Overstuffed chairs, mattresses, desks, whatever... I really like that.
I'd like to see a 20" front wheel, but that's just me. I did some quick math, and if you made the platform 2' x32" you could get six pieces out of a single sheet of plywood with no scrap.
@Ryan, if you used 1/4" plywood the platform would be a little over 4 lbs. Double it for 1/2". Pretty light to me.

Sorry for my nitpicking. I like 'em! They been selling good? It's hard to beat the price.

I like the design.

I think for $1200 I'd expect more of a cargo platform than just a rectangle of unfinished (and very heavy) plywood though.

Do you know what handlebars are on the green (and red) bike(s)?

Well, at that price I am basically throwing in a platform free. Which, by the way, is in fact finished with deck-quality stain and sealer. The wood platform adds only a few pounds in that configuration. The base price also includes a "backboard" like the one on the bike with the dogs.

The whole idea is that I can help design a platform that will carry whatever youd like! However, like I said, the flat platform is most versatile. Lie diggidy_dylan said, you can strap huge things to it, like furniture, complete bikes, etc.

The handlebars are standard Wald brand cruiser bars. They are super comfy and make it really easy to handle a fully loaded bike.


very cool, and much more reasonably priced than a bakfiet, glad to see this sort of cargo bike being made on the east coast... how much does the bike end up weighing sans cargo? how does it do on hills? do you think electric assist would be reasonable on something like this? sorry to pester with questions, but one last, you mentioned dog tie downs, how does that work? is that the two dogs in the one shot havent jumped ship?

I have yet to weigh one of the bikes actually, but Id say around 45-50 pounds with the simple platform. They do just fine on hills! I spec them out with 21 speed Shimano mountain bike drive-trains with a good selection of LOW gears. As long as you've got the cardio for it, you can spin 200+ pounds up a hill without much trouble. I have looked inot electric assist in the form of a motorized rear hub, and some of th eofferings from Electric Rider seem really promising! It would be super easy with the format of these bikes to mount the batteries under the platform and make a clean installation. ALL thats needed is a customer who wants it! The two dogs in that picture are mine and my housemates, they just ride along with no attachment. They are very used to it and it took almost no time to train them since instinctually dogs arent super excited to jump off a moving platform, theyd much rather sit or lie down. I have, however, attached some D-rings to the platform and used a short length of rope with clips at each end to secure to a standard dog harness for security.


Never rode a fully loaded cargo bike. I suppose it is harder to stop than a regular bicycle. According to Sheldon Brown's articles on tandem breaking systems, drum brake is recommended. How much would be the price increase to equip your cargo bicycles with drum brakes in both wheels?

The bikes come with V-brakes, which in my experience has been enough to safely stop even a fully loaded bike. I can PM you with a quote for those wheels in a day or two after some research.

These don't look like a very easy thing to ship?

These don't look like a very easy thing to ship?

Within the US. How about overseas?

These don't look like a very easy thing to ship?

Tandems, long wheelbase recumbents and other cargo bikes like the Big Dummy get shipped all over the world without issue. You'll end up paying a premium for the over sized dimensions, but if you really want the bike it shouldn't be a show stopper.

Tandems, long wheelbase recumbents and other cargo bikes like the Big Dummy get shipped all over the world without issue. You'll end up paying a premium for the over sized dimensions, but if you really want the bike it shouldn't be a show stopper.


Correct. I have yet to attempt to ship one, but you can of course ship nearly anything! It would be pretty expensive I imagine, but certainly possible.