My Favorite Accessory
Ever have trouble maneuvering in tight spaces? Check out the CarryHandle.
A loaded up cargo bike with all the trimmings rides great out on the road, but it can be a bit of a lumbering beast when it comes to maneuvering in tight spaces (like coming home after a grocery run). The size of the bike is mostly unavoidable, but one thing I like to do is to use the kickstand to help give me a pivot point for reangling my bike. You don’t have to fully deploy the kickstand to use it to help swing the bike around and get you pointed straight through a narrow doorway. Instead, drop it down just enough that pressure is taken off of the rear wheel and then you can spin the bike a few degrees and hopefully clear anything you would otherwise scrape up against.
Standing on the left side of the bike while you do this also allows you to hold the front wheel brake lever down so you can lock up the front end and not have your bike roll away on you.
One of my favorite accessories that can help a great deal with this maneuver is our CarryHandle. When attached in a forward position on the rear deck it gives you a comfortable grip right at the midpoint of your bike. A Hooptie Bracket makes for an intuitive grab point as well, but those extra few inches can help make a big difference for the leverage you might really need.
Need more options for positioning your bike? You can even attach the CarryHandle on the sides of the rear deck. This method gives you even more leverage for tugging the bike sideways as you reposition.
Of course parking temporarily and lightening your load can help make all this a bit easier, too. But that may not always be feasible or desirable.
What else have you found useful about the Carry Handle?