Ground control to Major Tom

Yesterday I welcomed a new bike into the family. A Larry vs Harry Bullit cargo bike, affectionately called Major Tom in a brilliant red. I got to see this bike get assembled at my local bike shop, Pedaal, where I purchased it from—I even helped out (a little bit)! I asked the owners there if I could be present to film the experience for my YouTube channel, but mostly I wanted an excuse just to hang out with Timm, the co-owner of Pedaal and see what goes into a Bullit behind the scenes. 

Bike Specs

I had a few options for the bike that I could buy, and I decided to get the original Bullit. My build has an Alpine eight-speed hub and a gates drive carbon fibre belt instead of a chain. Really, the drivetrain is where most of the customization with a Bullit can be, aside from the cargo area. I decided to also get the honeycomb base for the cargo area. Somewhere down the line I'll be getting the side panels, as well asa seat, if not something a bit more robust.

I think the rest of the specs of my build are the same across all other Bullits: 203 mm disc rotors hydraulic brakes, the 20 inch front wheel and a 26 inch wheel in the back.

Doing the Build

The actual build didn't take long even with me present filming and occasionally asking (too many) questions. The entire kit comes in a series of boxes with beautiful graphic design done on both sides of each box. There's a massive box that houses the frame which you then later build the bike on top of, a box for each wheel, and a box for the cockpit stuff. Of course, there's also a beautiful little manual, which has all kinds of awesome graphics inside of it, as well as as a real sense of humour in the prose.

So with my camera out, I followed Timm as he walked through the build of the bike. It was a privilege to get to see behind the scenes, especially with someone who is so experienced with putting bikes together. It certainly would've taken me a lot longer to do the same task and on top of that, Timm was keeping up a conversation and being filmed at the same time. What a good sport.

The Ride Home

Of course, I had arrived at Pedaal on a bike, which meant I now had two bikes on my hands—the perfect opportunity to load up the Bullit with its first cargo load. I popped off the front wheel, and Timm helped me strap the Brodie to the front of the Bullit. I had brought some voile straps to attach the bike to the cargo area, and thankfully, Timm had a couple extra straps to make sure everything was buckled down tight.

The ride home was a little wobbly, but I'm sure you can imagine I was grinning like an idiot. It was no problem to ride. I have only ridden on a Bullit once before and I knew that it would feel quite different. I had to adjust a few things and get used to the feel of the steering and size, but before long it felt pretty familiar. Taking turns was a little bit scary, but I just took it slow. Of course I also had to remember that I was riding a much longer bike and that stopping at lights and stop signs is a little different too—especially when you have another bike leaning off the front of your cargo bike.

I got home, dropped off my stuff, and immediately headed over to my brother's place, where I stood astride my new bike in the middle of a dead quiet street, and rang the bell of Major Tom until my brother came to the window of his place and saw me. He opened the window and said "What the hell?" and I said, "Get your jacket. Put on your boots." He met me outside a minute later and I showed him the bike. "Hop on," I said. He obliged and I slowly pedalled up and down the street a few times just to see how it felt. Maybe not the most comfortable for a full-grown person, but totally manageable! The side-panels will definitely be required for life-sized cargo.

After that little stint, I turned around and went to head home. As I was approaching, I realized what's stopping me from a little ride around the neighbourhood—and I skipped dinner after all. So, I headed over to my favourite local cheap pizza place, grabbed a slice and sat on my new bike to enjoy another cold winter night.

I got home and I carried that thing up a flight of stairs. It was not easy. I had to turn it completely upright to carry it up, as our stairs have a landing with a turn. But it was possible, and I'm not too sore this morning. I’m hoping I won’t have to do that much more—if I can work out a storage solution below our apartment. 

Anyway, I'll see you around, ...I think my spaceship knows which way to go... 🚀