Turn Any Bike Into a Cargo Bike
Turning your bike into a suitable replacement for a car is not necessarily an easy thing. Carrying stuff can be a challenge, and while bike racks and panniers or side baskets are decent for hauling stuff, they can be ungainly and hard to load. Cargo bikes are very functional, but are humongous, heavy and leave you in lurch if you just want to go for a stroll. A company called Noomad Systems provides an elegant solution. The Noomad A and C Systems replace your conventional bike’s single front wheel with a frame housing two wheels and a cargo area.
Not only does the Noomad add a large cargo area with a lower center of gravity than panniers, by making your bike effectively a tricycle, it provides a stable base for loading. They also sell a number of useful accessories like a kid’s seat, a large Ortlieb waterproof pannier made for the unit and even a rolling suitcase.
The Noomad’s wheels angle when turning like a conventional bike, and an auxiliary brake replaces your bike’s front brake. While we haven’t used the Noomad yet, it looks like it would handle much better than a similarly loaded normal bike.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Noomad is only available in Europe at the moment (we’re trying to see if it can be shipped to the states). Noomad offers models with different wheel sizes and prices start at €441 ($590), which relative to buying a separate cargo bike strikes us as a decent deal.