When Larry & Harry brought the Bullitt to the world, its cargo area platform was a pretty straight forward win. Since 2008, the platform has been following the exact same geometry, allowing current accessories to fit previous generations of frames, and previous accessories to fit newer generations of frame. And if there's ever a hick up in the system - Larry corrects it (remember the Damper kit bracket?!).
Building the frame geometry was one thing. But the toughest part was yet to come. Larry & Harry needed to start building stuff that fit it. Think of it like an App Store - once you have the store, you need the Apps to fill it right? They had the platform, but not all the stuff that goes on it.
Of course they developed in-house accessories, sometimes too slow, for sure (if you don't get this one, you're not French and that's ok), and we continue to do so.
But it was around this time, when suddenly, magic happened. When you, Bullitteers and readers, made it happen. Sometimes out of frustration, always with brilliant creativity, Bullitteers came out with their own Bullitt "stuff".
Dealers started building their kids box (yeah, yeah we know, the canopy isn't tall enough for all), metal manufacturers started building boxes for business cases, Norbert decided to build a Beer Bullitt and the list goes on.
Out of this, a community was born. Facebook groups were created and Bullitteers shared their builds, how they fixed their stuff to the bike, Carryshit olympics started and the boundaries of what's possible on our beloved Bullitt were pushed to the max.
Some may think we're being lazy - but! This was exactly how Larry & Harry envisioned the Bullitt since the very beginning: Not just as a bike, but as a versatile platform, that could be tweaked and tinkered with. And we've loved seeing Bullitteers imagining their own way of using this wonderful bike.
Thus today, most of the stuff is already out there - and the hardest part has been to actually find all of it - cause there's just so much. Facebook groups like Bullitt Universal Owners or Bullitt The Dark Side, have long been the go-to when it came to finding these sorts of solutions - and we recommend everyone to go down these rabbit holes on your hunt for inspiration.
However, last week, a new platform launched: opencargo.bike. Assembling makers, community DIY plans fitting the Bullitt, all in one place. The goal? Simple: To show what Bullitteers are building for the Bullitt.
If you’re a Maker, or have made 3D files or anything that you think could benefit the Bullitteer Community, you can contribute to enrich the platform yourself! It’s free, and it's open for everyone.
And also to remind you, Bullitteer or future Bullitteer, that the best Bullitt you could have, is the one that you build around your life, whatever you'll use it for. And if you haven't tried created anything for yourself, we sincerely hope that this will inspire you to do so.
Here at Larry vs Harry, we value the Bullitt community, we're all Bullitteers, and it's important for us to be transparent in everything we do. Both for us, as individuals, and us, as Larry vs Harry.
Opencargo.bike is a passion project made on the side by Vincent, a long time employee, and a long time Bullitteer. And just like the makers who have built accessories for the physical Bullitt platform to fit their needs, Vincent built this online platform to fit his. We all support him, and the project - but it's unaffiliated with Larry vs Harry - it's built by a community member, for community members.
This is a moment to say thanks. Thanks to all Makers, builders, and Bullitteers, for making this cargo bike even better every day.
