The Car-Replacement Bicycle (the bakfiets)

When we were moving back to Canada, we knew we'd need a car, but we couldn't afford one after the move. Thankfully, we found an electric bakfiets, and not only did it take the place of a car, it also saved us thousands of dollars in the process.

Thanks to @Propelbikes for providing some of the footage used in this video. If you'd like to purchase an electric bike or bakfiets in New York or LA, check them out:

Thanks also to nrbi who provided footage of a cargo bakfiets in action in Toronto:

NJB Live (my bicycle livestream channel):

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References & further reading:

Short history of the cargo bike
The cargo bike: Undervalued all-rounder with promising future

Belading DC_2 per bakfiets. Vliegtuig PH_AKJ Jan van Gent, op Schiphol, onteigend door Duitsers mei 1940

Een bakfiets van warenhuis Metz & Co., Keizersgracht 455, in een rijwielstalling.

Bakfiets met kinderzitjes

Een bakfiets van A.P. de Zwart Czn., Stadhouderskade 61.

Met Floriadepark; Europaboulevard

Linksvoor Nieuwe Achtergracht 29-31 en daarachter de voormalige brood- en meelfabriek Nieuwe Prinsengracht 55-57

Op de voorgrond de Nieuwe Prinsengracht, gezien vanaf het dak van gebouw Ceres.

De toegang aan de zuidzijde van de Coentunnel.

Overzicht straat - Frederik Hendrikstraat

Welcome to AutoShare

What is 5-Year Cost to Own?
Kelley Blue Book

What Is the Total Cost of Owning a Car?

Kinder- und Warentransport-Pedelec, von Urban Arrow, 2019 in Frankfurt am Main (modified)
By Bigral - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

Waste receptacles or dumpsters bearing the “BFI Canada” logo (a division of IESI-BFC Ltd.) Photo taken at Calgary, Alberta, Canada (modified)
By User:Seerig - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

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Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:48 The Bakfiets
1:31 Mikey likes it!
2:18 The history of the cargo bike
2:55 The modern electric bakfiets
3:40 The bakfietsmoeder
4:13 Bakfiets as a second car
4:48 The money talk
6:14 Nebula ad
6:27 The stuff we hauled
7:10 Commercial bakfietsen
7:57 The twitters
8:49 But the streets aren't safe
10:00 Bakfietsmoeders of the world ... UNITE!
10:35 Patreon shout-out

#bakfiets #cargobikes #carryshitolympics

[NotJustBikes]

To be clear: bakfietsen are awesome, but don't buy the brand we did (Babboe); they have serious reliability problems. There are better brands out there, like Urban Arrow.

Since YouTube descriptions have a character limit, I'm posting this here: thanks to the following orange-pilled Twitter users who contributed photos of their bakfiets hauls:

@AM_Drost
@Akilou_Q
@AmericanFietser
@Archidux
@BIKABOUT
@BikeBikeYYC
@BikeGillian
@BrianShannon123
@CJ_Malesky
@CREVITN
@CargoBikeDaddy
@CargorooBike
@CycleCalm
@DIsaac8
@DaveLikesBikes
@Davevdbwpg
@DougSchickler
@FBorgal
@Gaspard_PO
@Gerannosaurus
@IhmistenK
@JRogers202
@JeppeButhler
@JerppaM
@JohannSchnei
@Jono_Kenyon
@KipBurgess
@LenaGReynolds
@LorenParry
@Luciensheppy
@MattSwoon
@MichaLaeuft
@MikeCword
@NikitaCunskis
@Ollie_Cycles
@ProfAnneLaura
@RemoteLongitude
@San_person
@VelotaffeurN
@WHands80
@ZacheryEllis
@ZealousRanter
@_JeLuF_
@aizpurunen
@ajaycapers
@alikulovz
@alongthepike
@bafe
@bakfietsdc
@bike4climate
@bikey_mike
@bromptonymous
@brroubrro
@brroubrrou
@cargobk
@casmatix
@christine_gotth
@ckuosman
@corineterlouw
@ct_degroot
@cwood1855
@drdagly
@eigengott
@electricfelix
@elles80333252
@etataurov
@fyxl
@genepedia
@geodarcy
@geologiser
@gjmf
@hansthetruth
@hfxcargo
@hiavata13
@ianwalkerwpg
@ievalange
@ilyanep
@ipickmynose
@irenecrisologo
@jbuckca
@jeffnovich
@johne_erhardt
@josh_orita
@justinvanriel
@jwetz
@matiasavallone
@maurakdudley
@mikoyne
@mpusto
@mrwulf
@noneck
@oli_obk
@optimal_taxer
@pekkatahkola
@peteretlewolff
@philboutelle
@plepe
@quixoticgeek
@rikahlberg
@robertorfischer
@roule_galette
@samoli
@sdwilsh
@squeed
@stejormur
@suicicoo
@sustainawave
@thehobbet1
@tomroes
@torrinswanson
@twowheelsjosh
@tzed250
@vocame
@wevegotwheels
@wittenbrinck
@zacdevries

[nindiegamer]

1:53 No wonder kids always ask the dreaded "are we there yet" question while in a car. Actually being able to perceive your surroundings and soak in the journey goes a long way to making it more enjoyable.

[corynardin]

I love how you added in the part about the childs perspective. It seems like adults rarely consider things from that viewpoint. Both literally and figuratively.

[multipoep]

I work part time as a mailman here in the Netherlands. Since we got those bakfietsen there have been no more round trips to the depot, I use it for groceries (don't tell the boss), and since it's electric I can be on the other side of town within minutes without effort. I once carried 150 kg of mail in it, felt a bit heavy but it beats making 4 trips to the depot in the burning sun

[Jesthor]

The children's perspective absolutely makes sense. I remember that I always wanted to sit in the loading area of a shopping cart but was put in these awful backfacing child seats. Probably the same thing.

[Pancakegr]

I'm a bit infatuated with this channel because, the more I work and learn about society, the more I desire a simpler lifestyle and despise paying more for things I don't need. I don't think anyone in their right mind can watch footage from Amsterdam and not come away with a feeling that, even though we've come so far in many modern cities, there is still so much more to be desired.

[BannedFromTheaters]

Yep, Dutch person here and can confirm that the electric aspect has made the popularity of the bakfiets skyrocket. Almost nobody used one when I was a kid and it was considered kinda lame if your parents had one. It's funny how making something more convenient and practical to use can sway public opinion so much in just two decades. They're everywhere now!

[musosiimo]

Bakfiets owner from the south of the UK here. After seeing these bikes in the Netherlands I was bold enough to buy an Urban Arrow in early 2020 (good timing, right?) and completely agree with you on every point here, not least that it's probably the best thing I've ever purchased. I've never found myself unable to carry things in it and giving lifts to friends, relatives and especially relatives' children is great fun. Of course, I'm lucky that we have a sufficient amount of acceptable cycle infrastructure in my city that I can make significant parts of my journeys off the roads or on segregated cycle lanes, and steep hills are little problem with the motor turned up to full assist and low gear, even with a big load. The bakfiets obviously started paying for itself from day one as I could replace the urban car journeys that weren't possible on my regular bike, but to top that I was then able to sell my rattling, unreliable diesel and lease a small electric car for the modest milaege of interurban journeys that can't be done pratically by other means, giving a further cost advantage and a much more reliable and cleaner four-wheeler as backup. Aside from the excellent build quality, ease of use and practicality, the Arrow is also one of the most beautiful machines ever designed.

[DarioVolaric]

It is my belief that having a car centered city also contributes to antisocial behavior. While commuting in a car, you are 'safe' inside a metal box where nobody can reach you. You can yell abusive language at other people, flip the bird at them or even run over someone and drive away. But in a city where you are forced to socialize with others by walking, taking a bike or even public transportation, it changes one's behavior to be more social and respectful towards each other. Sure there are still the occasional egos out there who don't care, but overall I believe this is one of the main reasons why the culture in Europe is so different form the USA. Many people who visit here say that people here are a lot more friendly. I am convinced it's because of the way cities are built and how we get around.

[alia-cscr]

I've been watching this channel since December 2021 I think. I always kinda agreed, but still thought my area was unsuitable for cycling. Then I noticed a lot of people biking around and I decided to go to the city square on a rented bike. I was surprised how easy and fast it was. Also cheaper than getting an uber.
Then my car broke and I finally bought a bike. I went from being car dependent to only needing the car for minor trips like big grocery shopping (most I do by bike) or visiting another city if there's no train connection. It's actually really pleasant to be a casual cyclist, I suddenly have great stamina with zero effort, even if I only ride 20 minutes a day.

[sarmadhussein]

We live in Iowa City, Iowa (US). We sold our second car in March before we had our baby and purchased the Urban Arrow bakfiet with the baby seat. The bike replaced 97% of our in town transportation and our infant seems to love it and hate when we put him in the car. It was very bold decision but it has been one of the best decision that we ever made:)

[omnipotent_arcanis]

I had the most interesting conversation here in Toronto about bikes in general. An older woman stopped at a coffee shop and we got to talking. She wanted to bike more as costs of fuel are going up and the cost of parking is so high. As we spoke she said the most paradoxical thing. As a driver she hated bikers as she was always afraid of hitting them. On a bike she is terrified of motorists as they never seem to pay enough attention. I showed her the video on Dutch infrastructural bike paths. She asked why we do not have that. All I could say was a lack of imagination and a lot of fear.

[YouTube]

i would be the adult sitting in the cargo box

[wiesorix]

Wow, that kids-in-the-back-of-the-car perspective is quite eye-opening. It's something I would never have thought of.

[GreenGearStudio]

I'm in a team that builds an exoskeleton for someone who can't walk. Whenever we're outside for training, we put all the monitoring equipment inside a bakfiets. These things are absolutely fantastic for following robot pants around town

EDIT: So, this comment blew up. It even got screen-capped on our group chat

[victorialuxxe]

2 minutes in and I’m already in a new perspective. My daughter cried because she had to ride in a different car last week & she couldn’t see out of the window. I didn’t realize how boring and sucky that must feel as a kid

[barihenry]

Great video as always! Growing up, I remember thinking of myself as "bad with directions", because I could never exactly remember where places were in my area, nor the names of the local suburban neighborhoods. My SUV-driving parents would blame it on me simply not looking out of the window enough and not paying enough attention (as if the ugly landscape of asphalt and strip malls was particularly worth paying attention to). I remember it being something I was very self-conscious about. But almost immediately after I started riding my bike to school and the mall, I could make a mental map of my area very easily, and my anxiety about being "bad with directions" faded.

[steffenberr]

One of the main efforts in the redesigns of Dutch train station is to include more secure parking for cargo and expensive electric bikes. This was a big topic of discussion for the beek Elsloo station I’m working on

[thetokutickler]

When I was a kid my parents would always criticize me for not knowing my way around town despite them driving me around so much. It's like, I DID memorize the back of my mom's car seat XD

[thereisnoneedtocallmesir]

Pro tip for students in Amsterdam (though other options like this might also be possible), I’m a member of the ASVA (Amsterdamse Studenten Vakbond)(the Amsterdam Students Union) for €12, 50 a year, and one of the many things they offer is that you can lend a bakfiets for free for the first 2 days and rent it for cheap after that. While that is not why I became a member, it can DEFINITELY be useful when you gotta move something really big