Spectrum: The Dutch cargo bikes with the friendly name Babboe offer lots of space and payload at a low price. Whether purely muscle-powered or electrically assisted: the Babboe bikes have what it takes to change urban family mobility in the long term.
Babboe: Part of the solution
The costs of mobility are well known: bad air and congested inner cities, aggression in road traffic and the consumption of landscape. And who pays for it? The general public, which of course is less and less willing to put up with such collateral damage. More and more people are realizing that they can not only be part of the problem, but also have the opportunity to contribute to the solution - with alternative forms of mobility, which cost the community nothing and also do not burden the individual - or the family budget - excessively.
Babboe demonstrates how to do this. The Dutch company, whose name derives from the Malay/Indonesian "baboe" for "nanny", is a prime example of what happens when long-established companies overprice their goods. Because in the present case, a group of parents decided in the mid-2000s to simply become active themselves instead of buying high-priced cargo bikes. The first model came onto the market in 2007; Babboe now offers an extensive range of cargo and family bikes with and without a motor. And the cheapest model from Babboe costs just 1.449 euros.
What do you do with a cargo bike? Driving the kids around, bringing home the groceries and – four-legged friends beware – driving the dog. The necessary ingredients determine the entire range, both technically and visually: if you see a black bike with a rich brown wooden transport box, it's almost certainly a Babboe.
Babboe: one size fits all
We can see how this looks in detail using the example of the Babboe Mini entry-level model – a cargo bike in a classic guise with a 20-inch wheel at the front and a 26-inch wheel at the back. With a total length of more than 2,30 meters, such a small van steers unusually at first; Due to the low center of gravity - the loading platform is about at the level of the front wheel axle - the bike is not particularly wobbly. When stopping, a wide two-legged stand is used, so that even a restlessly seated passenger does not have to get out for safety. The low step-through bike – the foot only has to be raised to the level of the bottom bracket axle – comes as a “one size fits all” from 157 to 198 cm tall, which is of course practical for a family bike. Seven-speed hub gears, full chain protection and roller brakes ensure low maintenance, although the brake system is more suitable for flat terrain given the high payload capacity. A driver weighing up to 100 kilos can transport up to 80 kilos in the loading box with the Babboe Mini.
80 kilos - that's an enormous amount, significantly more than the two preschool children allowed and can hardly be surpassed even with a purchase including a crate of drinks. The volume sets the limit here, especially since the transport box of the Babboe Mini is shaped like a small bathtub and is quite narrow at the bottom. In everyday life it is almost impossible to fill up the crate, whether on the way to the outdoor pool or on a bike ride.
And thats just the beginning! With the Babboe Transporter, which is still very inexpensive at 1.599 euros, the weatherproof wooden box (with hinged lid) can carry a total of 100 kilos, and with dimensions of approx. 90x60x50 cm, this is really a heavy-duty transporter on three wheels - two in the front, what a maximum stability. Here we are in the border area between private use and professional application.
The large Babboe Max-E with space for up to six children even allows a load of 150 kg in the transport box and 100 kg for the driver. So it makes sense that the manufacturer has limited the maximum support speed to 18 km/h for transporting up to seven people.
Babboe: Fair surcharge for the E variants
From compact cargo bikes to "heavy trucks", numerous intermediate forms make you want to do without a car in everyday life. Of course, the electrified versions, which now make up a good two-thirds of the range, are particularly interesting. On the one hand, this shows the cautious pricing policy - the premium for the Mini-E compared to the non-electric model is a manageable 900 euros. On the other hand, it becomes clear that driving pleasure and everyday traffic can also go hand in hand on the cargo bike. The Babboe Carve-E tricycle uses a clever tilting technique, which ensures fast, flowing progress with the sloping corners. Depending on the version, rear hub or mid-mounted motors are used; In view of the higher speeds, Babboe equips all e-cargo bikes with disc brakes. Incidentally, in Germany the "Mountain" models are particularly popular, which is probably due to the high-torque Yamaha mid-engine - sheer driving pleasure...
Apart from that, Babboe offers a lot of helpful accessories, such as rain covers and tarpaulins for the "passenger compartment" in the weatherproof plywood box. And one or the other disadvantage is pointed out with pleasing honesty: The non-electrified models are all equipped with battery lighting, which is of course a real cost factor - the hub dynamo is eliminated, as is the time-consuming laying of the cables. In view of the overall high-quality equipment and design of the Babboe bikes, this is of course not a real shortcoming. What matters more is that the low prices make these family vehicles a real mobility alternative, even if the period of use may be limited to kindergarten time - after that children are no longer allowed to ride. But maybe you don't want to do without the practical device anymore.
More information at www.babboe.de