"(...) It was raining heavily and he arrived soaking wet. We hung his socks on a radiator and made him soup, dried him best we could... He arrived on a bluebird Bullitt"
The beginning
Rob was a self described "fanatical forest rider in the early 80's" - back before mountain biking was really a thing.
He spent many days in the forest in Hainault/Epping on a Peugeot canyon express, then a Rory Obrien custom build (it's purple if anyone has seen it, was lost it in a house move). Together with his bike commutes to London, and some road riding - It was pretty much all he did.
In late 1999 he had moved to the west country and was selling wood fired hot tubs - but he wanted something to sell next to it... In Robs words, "Something wholesome, something that changed your view of the world".
Soon after, that opportunity presented itself to him, and took him back to his biking roots:
"One day, I saw a newspaper (remember them?) article which included a question from a woman who biked everywhere with her one kid. She was expecting another and had realised (in a panic) that she couldn't take 2 kids on her normal bike. Her riding life was over."
Or so she thought, but the answer was there... a longtail that could take a 2nd child seat. Rob got to know the importer & helped him bring longtails to the UK.
One day he got Rob to ride a front loader "and that was that - I was hooked. Hot tubs went out, cargobikes came in. It was almost a religious conversion to the front loader, and I have been selling cargobikes for 20 years now. The Bullitt since about 2013. "
The workshop
"The workshop is based in the outskirts of Bristol, it's a good space that has changed over time. I only do cargobikes - so being a bit out of town means that we can afford not to dilute our offering, we specialise, and offer a very good service for supplying parts and we look after some excellent cargobike brands."
Bristol itself has lots of different layers of bike culture - and increasingly that involves cargobikes, not just for business but for family transport too.
Rob has always had customers coming a long way to try different cargobikes, to learn more about what's possible and to find out what's best for them. "It's important to buy what you need and what suits you, rather then be sold the one cargobike that salesperson has. People need to touch, feel and ride a bike."
Bristol & Yate
While Rob does know local cargobikers, he describes Yale as still being very car dominated, and the main cause being poor cycle infrastructure. It's changing though.
In Bristol lots of Bullitts are being ridden, Omniums and Urban Arrows too - and many different longtails too. Rob says that cargobikes are becoming more represented on the streets every year, and that cargobike owners usually stay cargobikin'. "Older owners & customers usually move from the super practical when they have young kids, to something more sporty like the Bullitt, once the kids have gotten a bit older".
Disaster relief & The Pedal Collective
Bristol has different established bike couriers, including The Pedal Collective, riding Bullitts around Bristol. Together with them - after many years of trying - Rob helped organise the first European edition of the 'Disaster Relief Trials' in 2025. A test of rider and machine, recreating the role of cargobikes in a disaster scenario. The event, was well attended by different types of cargobike riders, and had actual disaster relief professionals involved, a great cross over. "That's what's good about the Bristol cargobike 'scene', its very inclusive and its growing. We're very happy to be a part of that".
Picture credits: @twoevstops (not the ugly collage, that's our fault, but the beautiful pictures are his! Go check him out)
Rob meets Bullitt
"I had a visit from a chap, he was passing by, he was looking for a house in the local area and popped in. It was raining heavily and he arrived soaking wet. We hung his socks on a radiator and made him soup, dried him best we could... He arrived on a bluebird Bullitt. That was my first physical encounter with a Bullitt. I got a demo bike in soon after and have sold them ever since. I met Hans (Harry), at the cargobike convention in 2014 and chatted frame stiffness around a fire... although he doesn't remember...
Sooo, we've kinda grown up together...
In the last few years i have really fallen in love with Bullitt again. It's a solid workhorse with the right amount of riz. I have one as my daily, and it still excites me to ride. "
Rob Talks Bullitt
For Rob, the main selling point of the Bullitt is its flexibility:
"If you want a sporty cargobike on the cheap, you can buy a frameset - and with a box of old parts, the addition of some specialist bits, like a new front wheel, you have a bike that you can change your life with.
Move kids, shopping, partner or even your house. It's a sports-utility ride for people looking for something exciting, different and useful. You can make it as practical as you want, or as light and racy as you can... and still carry a dog or a weeks shopping home with it. If you want a motor there are several good options, also colours, specs. Just enough to make your Bullitt different, but not too many to make ownership too complex..."
Now that's what we like to hear!
To round off, we asked Rob a couple of questions about Bristol, Bullitts and bikes.
What is the wildest or most unique custom build you've ever done on a Bullitt frame?
"We helped build a Bullitt for an Italian chap with a disabled son. It was wonderful to give a method of release to a parent. Riding a bike was something he did for himself, and with some help, his limited-mobility-son also really got to enjoy. An enabler, smiles all round - a beautiful thing.
We've build a few bikes to try things, different gearing systems, tried Enviolo and more recently, building up a E6100 with the 3x3 nine hub gear system, trying different tyres, brakes etc. These builds are alongside our standard demo bikes, we try to show off things on a Bullitt, that owners can spend more money on with us and, own :-) .
A self build Is a double whammy of pleasure for us. We get to try out what we sell and create something interesting for customers to see."
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve seen a customer carry on their Bullitt?
"VELOCIOUS, a long standing cycle courier and sometimes customer, posted this iconic pic of him cycling a sofa up the steepest hill in the centre of Bristol:
Impressive stuff...
On a day to day basis, The Pedal Collective couriers in Bristol always amaze me with their instagram feed.
It's incredible what can be moved by bike...
Then there are the mothers and fathers that since i started, have been the backbone of my customer base - riding their cargobikes to the nursery and back through all weather. They're not all riding Bullitts, but they're wonderful people with wonderful machines doing wonderful things - changing their local world one ride at a time."
If you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking about ditching their car for a cargo bike, what would it be?
"Be realistic... and don't go cheap, you need to be practical. Even if you "just" replace your 2nd car with a Bullitt, you're still winning! The good thing about the Bullitt is that it's a proven design, it has great spares availability and is a sporty all rounder. It's not cheap but actually not massively expensive for a quality item. If you can marry up the realities of your life with the capabilities of a cargobike - and there are quite a few good ones to choose from - then your life will be different from that moment on.
We are here to help you with that...."
If you're in the area and looking to get your hands on a cargobike, swing by the UKs oldest cargobike shop. Try us, our competitors and everything your cargohearts desires out. There are few people as qualified as Rob out there to help guide you.
