• Used by professionals or individuals, cargo bikes are more and more numerous in the city.

  • In Toulouse, two entrepreneurs have created Botch Cargo Bikes, a cooperative that uses old fashioned mountain bike frames to transform them into custom-made and customizable cargo bikes.

  • With this upcycling approach – making quality new with recycled –, the two Toulousains have the idea of ​​making the cargo bike an object of social utility.

While vintage bikes are on the rise and are taking over city center bike paths, in the cellars of French individuals are sleeping thousands of outdated mountain bikes.

After being the top of the top in the 1980s and 1990s, these two all-terrain wheels no longer find buyers.

Worse, they end up in garbage cans and recycling centers.

They still caught the eye of a duo from Toulouse who decided to embark on the design of cargo bikes and to get out of the rut these hyper-resistant steel frames, discarded because less bankable than other old bikes.

"In France, 1.5 million bicycles are thrown away each year and 10 to 15 million end up in garages," recalls Thomas Gras, one of the co-founders of Botch Cargo Kites who had the idea of ​​giving a second chance. to some of them.

It was when he became a delivery man a few years ago in Brussels, where he was a student, that he “fell in love” with the concept of the cargo bike.

After having been a journalist in Russia, back in France, he refined his project before embarking on a tailor-made cargo bike workshop project.

In the meantime, with the help of the health crisis, this mode of travel had found new followers, whether they were entrepreneurs or simple individuals using it to transport their children.

The implementation of Low Emission Zones has also prompted some to think about how to get around town.

Tailor-made and customizable

After training as a cameraman and cycle mechanic, he crossed paths with Jean Lagard, a boilermaker by training.

After practicing their skills by assembling old mountain bikes and children's bikes, the two enthusiasts decided to move up a gear and created their company at the beginning of the year.

Italian craftsmen provide them with the front part.

And they take care of everything else.

“We collect most of the frames from the Maison du vélo but sometimes some people want us to use their old mountain bike or that of their father because this bike has a history.

After they choose the size of their cargo, long or short, the color is also customizable”, continues Thomas.

In their workshop in the Minimes district, the two partners of this cooperative select the frames, recalibrate them, weld and then assemble the different parts before their customers come to take possession of them within two to three months for around 2,200 euros depending on the price. models.

But they also have the possibility of delivering them in frame kit format to be assembled yourself or at the workshop and available within one to two months.

And they are new, even if they are composed of parts from recycled bicycles “because we redo everything”.

Some of the users wonder about electrifying it, but most prefer to keep it unassisted.

A tool of social utility

Since their launch, they have sold them to craftsmen who work in the city center but also to two-wheeler enthusiasts, whether they are from Nantes, Paris or Toulouse.

“Today there is a basic trend.

In 2020, 11,000 pieces were sold, an increase of more than 300%.

The bike does not replace everything, but the cargo bike is the equivalent of a van or a small car for everyday use.

It's a great tool of social utility, it must make a place for itself and our objective is to flood the streets with cargo bikes", concludes Thomas, who ultimately wants to relocate all the manufacturing elements to France, when a large part of cargo bikes today are produced on the other side of the world.

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