pdw company car

I've been pretty serious about bicycles for transportation since I limped my VW Jetta to the junkyard and sold it for $50 in 1996. I took the $50 and bought some city tires for my Giant ATX 890 mountain bike, and started commuting to my job on the other side of town. As the years have gone by, I've riden tons of miles on several bikes in half a dozen cites. One thing has always remained the same: I've had to carry stuff with me. A change of clothes, food and drink, etc.

I bought a Timbuk 2 messenger bag in about '97. Started off great, I could jam a 12 pack in there, or my books for school, but I always got jabbed in the back by things like CD jewel cases, etc. It also wrenched my back.  I had to switch to a backpack after I hurt my shoulder in a crash in 2001. A backpack allowed me to carry more weight comfortably, but it too had it's limitations. I mounted up a succession of front racks around 2005, and while teaming the rack and a bag allowed me to carry pretty much everything I typically needed, there were always laundry days, and big shopping trips that had me digging out my trailer.

A couple years ago, I started dreaming about getting a cargo bike. I had an Xtracycle for a while, but it was one of the things I sold to help finance PDW. For the last year I was seriously considering a long cargo bike like a CETMA,  but our current house doesn't have a garage to store bikes in, so we have to put them in the basement. The basement is pretty big and secure, but to get stuff down there you have to go down some stairs and hang a 90 degree turn. Any bikes that go down there have to have a short wheel base. So I kept looking.

Last fall at the OBCA show here in Portland I stopped by to visit with Joseph Ahearne. One of the things he had in his booth, was his first prototype of a Cycle Truck. Now I know what you are gonna say "Schwinn made cycle trucks in the 40s, and people in Europe have been using them every day since." Yes, you are right. What Joseph did was apply his own knowledge and experience to the design. What he came up with a versatile, lightweight Portland version. After he made about 5 or 6 prototypes I put in an order for one and it showed up last Friday. Carrying it up and down my stairs is not so bad. I ended up with the "Work Cycle" version which will allow me to carry over 100 lbs. The rack is integrated with the frame, which keeps your steering from getting weird when the bike is loaded. The center stand keeps the bike stable to load it up when it is parked.

Below are a couple of pictures of the bike that is now my daily commuter. It's going to get full fenders, a cargo deck and a PDW sign on the frame, but you get the idea. After all, it isn't really PDW style to wrap a PT Cruiser or a Hummer for some passive marketing. But a cycle truck, now that is how you put out the vibe that urban cycling is where it's at!