At Larry vs Harry, we are obsessed with moving heavy things efficiently. Usually, that means looking forward - aluminum, electric assists, and other futuristic ways of getting things done. But sometimes, the best engineering solution is already there. This one in particular, was invented thousands of years ago.
When you look at a willow basket, you might see a picnic: Baguettes, wine, and a sunny afternoon. But if you were a worker in York in the 19th century, you didn't see leisure. You saw a shipping container. Before the world standardized on plastic crates and cardboard boxes, global industry was carried on willow.
For our new Bullitt Basket, we looked to York. And in doing so, we found not just a piece of industrial heritage, but a strange reunion between Denmark and England.
The Carbon Fiber of the Victorian Age
It's the 19th century, and York isn't just a pretty medieval city; it's the "Silicon Valley" of basketry. The city sat at the junction of the rivers Ouse and Foss, the perfect damp environment for growing osiers - willow. This created a unique supply chain for two massive industries: Railways and Choco
The North Eastern Railway, headquartered in York, didn't use willow just because it was convenient. They used it because it was high-tech. Willow is incredibly light, deceptively strong, and crucially, very flexible. This natural suspension made it the perfect shock absorber. The railway used willow hampers to protect fragile parcels - and even live homing pigeons - from the violent shocks of shunting trains.
Meanwhile, contemporary chocolate giants like Rowntree's and Terry's
The Last of the Line
It's the 21st century, and today the willow industry has almost vanished. But in the village of Ulleskelf, just outside York, John Taylor from JW Taylor & Son is still at the weaving bench.
John is a fourth-generation basket maker. His family business was established in 1867 - right at the peak of York's industrial boom. He has been weaving for 60 years, using the same techniques his great-grandfather used to supply the region's factories.
When we strap one of his baskets to a Bullitt, we aren't adding a fun retro accessory. We are equipping the bike with 150 years of logistical R&D. The willow flexes with the frame and it dampens the vibrations of cobblestones and gravel that rigid plastic boxes transmit directly to your cargo.
The Return of the Danes
There is one other little detail to this story that we love.
John is based in Ulleskelf. To our Danish ears, that name sounds oddly familiar. And there's a reason for it. The suffix "-skelf" comes from the Old Norse word skjálf - meaning a shelf, seat, ledge or bank.
The River Ouse, where John harvests his willow, was the exact "highway" our ancestors rowed up 1,000 years ago when York was Jorvik - the Viking trading capital of England.
The Vikings were master woodworkers and logistics experts; you don't cross the North Sea in an open boat without understanding how to build flexible, durable structures that can survive the elements. It seems fitting that the same river valley is still producing the best natural logistics gear in the world.
While this guy might look like a real viking, he's actually not! In fact that right there is a modern picture and not a cave paiting. And the scary looking guy is Larry vs Harry's very own lawyer.
History on Two Wheels
Harry first spotted this basket a few years back, when Jerry Rebbeck from the York based company Wheelwrights, was cruising through Copenhagen on his Bullitt.
Harry saw it, texted Jerry "Where do i get one of these", and the rest is history. Well it became a bit of delayed history due to Brexit - but it all worked out in the end. If you're ever thinking about a trip to the York area, you should check Wheelwrights out. Cause this is definitely the way to experience York.
We were first attracted to this basket because of it's looks, but we fell in love with it because it shares the Bullitt DNA. It is repairable. It is built to last. And it is made by a human who cares about the craft.
It's a functional piece of history, connecting the Viking age, the Industrial Revolution, and the modern Cargo Bike movement - from York to Copenhagen.
Welcome back to Jorvik.
