Yesterday's Oprah Winfrey Show featured many great thrifty tips on saving money which you can find on Oprah.com. But one thing I couldn't find was where one of the thrifty mom's featured in a video clip got that cool bike which carries three kids infront. I've never seen a bike with bucket seat that could hold groceries, children, pets, etc., so I started doing some online research.
It turns out that this type of bicycle originated in Holland where similar cargo bikes are very common. Just about everyone in Holland rides a bicycle and it's not uncommon for Dutch moms to load their kids onto bikes with them.
The style similar to what the mom on the Oprah show clip was riding is very expensive, around $3000 and also pretty difficult to get. But there are three or four different locations that sell this type of bicycle in America, including Clevercycles.com and DutchBikeCompanySeattle.com. You can also trying doing a Google search for "Bakfiets" or "Cargo Bikes" and you'll find them.
I cannot afford a bike this expensive but while researching Bakfiets I discovered that there are many more European bikes that are useful for transporting older children that are available in North America. They are a bit pricey running between 750 and 2,000 dollars. But if you don't like the idea of spending $500 on a bulky bike trailer then a bike with extra seating may be worth the money. It's definitely cheaper then a car, car insurance, gas, etc., and of course it's good for the environment and most importantly your health!
