Lug+Carrie customer turned Community Manager, Harriet, reflects on a year of getting around Brisbane by bike!
I wouldn’t exactly call myself a cyclist. I biked to school as a kid and briefly used a pushbike for commuting in 2016. Amsterdam’s cycling culture got me hooked during a visit in 2018, but I figured it was just an Amsterdam thing. During the COVID lockdown, I was given a used bike trailer for my daughter. She loved it for two outings, then hated it. After having a second child, getting around with both on a bike didn’t even cross my mind.
Fast forward to 2023 and some close friends were raving about their e-cargo bike, which they’d bought as a ‘second car’ a few months earlier. A test ride with the kids had me absolutely hooked. Recently separated, I needed to buy a car…could a bike really be a replacement? My environmental conscience was drawn to the idea, but practicality nagged. Chatting with my friends, they said they’d heard of a subscription service ‘Lug+Carrie’…and suggested I give it a go.
In June 2023, Navin from Lug+Carrie personally delivered our new Tern GSD, “Kiwi” (a happy coincidence for this New Zealander!). The kids and I were pumped. The first daycare pickup turned into a scenic detour via the river and Story Bridge. Soon, “Bike!” became one of my youngest’s first words. Within a week, we were hooked. Last Friday, on our one year anniversary, we officially ticked over 3000 kms! That’s an average of 8kms every day, I’m pretty proud of that.
So, I’m sitting here reflecting on the year and how much a bike has changed things for our family. My environmental conscience definitely feels lighter, but it’s been so much more than that…
A life change on two wheels
This wasn’t just about transportation; it’s been a whole lifestyle shift. Getting around is so much more fun than it has ever been with kids. Gone are car seat battles, replaced by running jumps onto the bike. The kids, engaged with their surroundings, point out sights and chat amongst themselves and with me. Traffic jams and parking woes have vanished, and there’s no more paying for petrol or parking! This cost of living crisis, it’s real, and my transportation costs had decreased dramatically. Sure, I still used Ubers and borrow friends’ cars for weekends occasionally, but the cost of that is nothing compared to car ownership which, according to Bicycle Network, is $9000 a year on average.
Unexpected Community
One thing I didn’t anticipate was that I’d meet a whole bunch of other riders who would become our friends. You tend to strike up conversations with cargo bike riders because they stand out. There happened to be a bunch at the daycare my children went to, and so we organised to go for rides on the weekend or meet at the playground. Earlier this year, I hurt my back and a member of this supportive community offered to pick my kids up and take them to daycare/school on the back of their bike. This community feeling really struck me and led me to contact the Lug+Carrie team, sharing how much I loved what they were building and asking if there was anything I could do to support the team. And in November, they brought me on as their Community Manager!
Exercise without the mental load
The bike has become my go-to for everything – school runs, work commutes, groceries, meeting friends as well as adventures with the kids. The mental and physical benefits were immediately noticeable. Riding along nice bike paths or quiet back streets instead of sitting in traffic clears my head and gets me moving. I used to do a lot of running but, since having my second child, I’ve found this more and more difficult (and my body doesn’t work like it used to!). Since having the bike, it’s the first time I haven’t had this constant niggling feeling that I need to find time to do exercise. Having the bike in turbo mode isn’t hard work at all, but you’re always moving. It’s kind of the same level of exercise as walking everywhere. It’s enough to feel good and remove exercise from my mental load…a win win.
Short trips, big Impact
The positive environmental impact was one of the main reasons I subscribed to Lug+Carrie. Most car trips in Australia are under 5km, easily doable on a bike with battery assistance up to 25km/h. Without the bike, I likely would have been in a car for those 3,000km. Here’s the massive difference that’s made:
3000kms by:
- E-bike: ~1,800g of carbon emitted
- E-car: ~627,000g
- Average car: ~732,000g
That’s nearly a ton of carbon saved! (It’s actually 0.8 tons, but we’ll say “nearly a ton” because it sounds more awesome). Check out the Bicycle Network’s report on e-bikes for more on the environmental, health, and financial benefits of e-bikes.
On the fence about making a Good Move?
Not sure about whether an e-bike is going to work for your life? Do what I did…try a Lug+Carrie subscription. It’s low risk (a $48 deposit and 4-week minimum subscription) so you can give it a go and see what you think. Even better, find a Lug+Carrie Good Mover and use their referral code to get a month half price. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be looking back one year in with absolutely no regrets!
