The Hunt

Although the cargo bike is still a niche product on the market, these functional and useful bikes are getting quite popular these days, especially with families in bike-friendly cities and communities. The advantages are clear: No hassle in search for parking spaces, no air pollution, low operation costs, easy shopping and truly family friendly. Did you know that 90% of cargo bikes sold in Amsterdam are primarily used to carry children? And not to forget:  it’s a lot of fun riding around with a cargo bike. In Germany cargo bikes are the first choice for bike messengers transporting more than the usual letters, small parcels and a Großbrief. It seems the popularity of cargo bikes can’t be stopped. This gives rise to new manufacturers, new ideas and a lot of new and interesting cargo bikes.

The danish manufacturer OMNIUM based in Copenhagen and founded by Jimmie „Jumbo“ Bargisen is one of them. He obviously took the Bilenky cargo frame concept as a role model for the three frame models currently offered by OMNIUM — the OMNIUM Cargo, the OMNIUM Mini and the OMNIUM mini-max. The OMNIUM obviously made history in a small way and proved to be a strong, stable and fast winning bike during the 2013 Cycle Messenger World Championships in Lausanne. With a 1st and a 2nd position after 42 minutes of racing on a brutally hilly course with a 10km distance, stairs and 525m of elevation it seems that a new era in cargo bikes has arrived. All frames are manufactured in Taiwan, so expect client-oriented prices. The Omnium Cargo is a well fabricated double-butted chromoly steel frame that comes in 4 sizes and 6 different color options.

With a recommended maximum loading weight of 175kg including rider the OMNIUM cargo placed second behind the BULLIT with a max load of 180kg. The total weight including the frame, fork and the steering rod is about 6870g. The frame offers drop-outs for a derailleur gear system, a 1 1/8“ fork headset and disc options. With 83 × 50cm the rack area is huge and can be customized with a handful of woven inner-tubes so you can virtually strap anything, even bulky packages easily. Despite the high loading area and the cargo-like dimensions of the frame the bike feels light and fast with very agile and nimble characteristics. It rides so well and fast you easily forget sitting on a full-grown cargo bike.

There are different reasons why Michel decided to go with the top-model — the Omnium Cargo. First of all: it’s the biggest of the 3 available models and it gives the rider the most options. Second: Michel is a DIY’er. He loves customizing a frame and the rack area of the OMNIUM in particular with nifty details. Third: He just became a father. Thinking about carrying his beloved one with a cargo bike seems to be a very practical and beautiful idea. His frame was not yet available in November 2014 so there was plenty of time for Michel to think about the setup and calmly choose all the parts until the frame was ready to ship in February 2015. He also wanted to mix classic road, MTB and BMX parts from various decades as well as NOS and used parts with a focus on weight, durability and style. You can recognize this by scrolling through the specs list of this build.

The H+Son “Todestrieb” was a no-brainer for Michel. A cross laced and very solid rim with flash-welded rim joints. Strong and durable — that’s all there is to say. The polished crankset needed a bit of a sophisticated look, so Michel installed a Cannondale chainring with the typical coda pattern. The Magura Pro hubs are structurally identical with the DT 240 Disc. Same hubs, different label, light, reliable and a nice reminiscence to older MTB days. You can also save a few Euros when buying them at your favorite auction site. Michel’s build may be simple and low key. Only when taking a closer look you will find some personal tweaks and interesting features like the wine corks on the loading area.