Why is the Bullitt cargo bike the best choice on the market? To understand its superiority, we must look back to its Danish origins, which influence its design and address the shortcomings of modern cargo bikes. The Bullitt combines the modularity and handling of a longtail with the impact resistance of Dutch cargo bike. Best of all, a Bullitt bike offers a ride so enjoyable that it can serve as your main go-to bike, whether you’re riding it empty or full. And so, whether you have kids or whether you have groceries – whether you’re a small business or family – a Bullitt is a lifetime companion. And, like any ideal lifetime companion, it’s smart, adaptable, pretty good-looking, and your safest bet.
It’s the Lightest!
Why are cargo bikes often so heavy? It’s a legacy issue. The two-wheeled cargo bike, originally a Danish invention, was adapted by the Dutch, who tend to overbuild their bikes into heavy machines. Take the Gazelle Toer Populaire, a regular Dutch bike, which weighs 50lb. Compare this to the Bullitt – which is a cargo bike, not a regular bike! – and it weighs in at just 45lb. In Denmark, this lighter weight makes Bullitt a favourite not just for cargo use but even for daily use, sans-cargo.
But the real difference shows in Dutch cargo bikes like the Babboe City and VanAndel bakfiets, which weigh around 130lb each without motors. These bikes are so heavy that Babboe even had to recall many units globally due to structural failures. Even Dutch options like the Urban Arrow, which uses lighter materials, still tip the scales at 110lb, making them cumbersome to handle.
Bullitt bikes, however, break this trend. Weighing around 45lb for non-electric models and 55lb for electric ones, they’re easy to lift over curbs or push up ramps. Bullitt’s strength comes from its origins in bike messenger services, making it commercial-grade and a global benchmark for durability. Unlike others, Bullitt frames are a single, solid unit—no bolts to snap under pressure. This superior design ensures a stronger, lighter, and more reliable ride than any competitor. More fun too!
It’s the Narrowest
The average bike lane in North America ranges from 1.2 to 1.8 meters wide. With an Urban Arrow cargo bike measuring 70 cm across, it occupies over half of this space, potentially blocking bicycle traffic behind it with no room to pass. Now, consider that the European Cyclists Federation estimates that bikes can be up to 50% faster than cars in traffic. Why? Because a bike takes up less space. This spatial efficiency is why companies like FedEx are investing in cargo bikes, avoiding the gridlock that traps delivery trucks.
But, FedEx chooses Bullitt bikes and they do so for a reason: a Bullitt is just 46 cm wide. Bullitt engineered this precise width after researching global bike lanes to optimize the ability for a cargo bike to pass and be passed. In other words, the wider the cargo bike, the closer it comes to inheriting the same problems as a car—problems that cargo bikes are designed to solve. And no one has solved this problem better than Bullitt.
Multi-position
As cargo bikes transitioned from Denmark to Holland, they not only became heavier but also adopted a default riding position that not everyone prefers (although we quite like it). The Dutch humorously refer to this as the “sit up and beg” position, where the back is straight, shoulders are squared, the neck and head are aligned, and arms rest relaxed on the handlebars. While this position offers great comfort, it is terribly inefficient for longer distances, hills, or fast and fun cornering. A prime example is the Urban Arrow, designed for flat terrain; climbing hills or increasing distance requires higher motor power and greater battery consumption. That’s fine for many, but others find less fun cranking up the power and more fun when the bike feels more like a bike. Unlike an Urban Arrow, with a Bullitt you can have it both ways.
Now, it does need to be said that bio-mechanically speaking, the more a rider leans forward over the pedals, the greater the power transfer to the pedals. Similarly, putting weight on the handlebars increases cornering performance. You might say that the more you begin to pivot forwards the more efficient you are but the cost is comfort. It’s a question of ratio! There are some who are happy to sacrifice all of their comfort for efficiency. A good example of this is a bicycle messenger for whom time is money. The faster the bike accelerates and corners, the more packages are delivered. But, somewhere between the bike messenger position and the Dutch sit-up-and-beg position there can be found other positions which can really nail the sweet spot. Bullitt bikes stand out as the only cargo bikes with no default seating position, allowing riders to find their ideal ratio. Prefer the Urban Arrow’s posture? No problem! Want a racing bike stance? Easy! Need something in between? Bullitt can accommodate all preferences.
Modular
The Bullitt cargo bike stands out for its lifetime of modular versatility. Unlike traditional cargo bikes designed only for kids, the Bullitt adapts to every stage of life—before, during, and after parenthood. Its non-raised chassis accommodates strapped-down items, rubbermaid bins, or a variety of plug-and-play options made by Bullitt that incudes cargo boxes, cargo bags, and several impact-resistant kid carrying boxes. This, combined with its exceptional lightweight design, makes it the ideal everyday cargo bike and everyday city bike.
This distinction highlights a cultural difference between the Dutch and the Danish. In the Netherlands, bike ownership averages 1.4 per person, akin to North Americans owning multiple car – one family van and another smaller vehicle for shorter commutes or errands. You might say that Dutch engineers design cargo bikes much like North American engineers design minivans: heavy and intended only to be used while kids are in the picture. In contrast, the Danes only own on average one bike per person. This puts a different set of burdens on the engineer designing cargo bikes. Instead of assuming this bike is solely for kids and will be sold once the kids are grown up, the burden here is to design a bike that provides a high degree of modularity for all stages of adult life. In this way a Bullitt is much like a longtail, only it is significantly safer.
Safe
If you’re buying a bike to transport kids then we recommend the guiding adjective should be the word “safety.” As we’ve observed in other blogs, this issue of safety becomes blurred in the North American context. Many who see bikes like an Urban Arrow understand that having an impact-resistant box that protects the kids is a critical aspect of safety. But, bikes like the Urban Arrow are extraordinarily heavy, and like the Danish, we in North America tend to buy one bike that is meant to be highly modular. The North American answer has been an invention called the longtail. The buyer who chooses a longtail over a bike like the Urban Arrow is doing so because the longtail offers modularity beyond just having children, and handling that compared to an Urban Arrow feels more reactive and thus safer.
But you could have the safest bike handling skills in the world and this still wouldn’t prevent an accident. This is why safety always begins with the impact resistant box. That said, handling is an important aspect of safety. And handling always improves the lighter the bike gets. This is why companies like Bullitt continue to raise their eyebrows at longtails and Dutch bikes like the Urban Arrow: you shouldn’t have to choose impact resistance over reactive handling; both are critical. The reality is that Danish cargo bikes have always combined these two long before the Dutch cargo bike vegan to control the narrative. At the end of the day, the longtail is a poor reaction to the Dutch designs and the Dutch design remains a poor reaction to a Bullitt’s design. Bullitt offers a ton of modular plug-and-play boxes that ensure your childs safety, and a multi-position, modular bike that is lightweight, narrow and handles extraordinarily well.
