Innovation and environment friendly the Taga
There is this website called newslite.tv which picks ups many creative ideas from around the world. They kind of undersell themselves with the by-line “it barely qualifies as news”, yet brings very entertaining topics. This morning my wife sent me a link to a new bicycle cq push chair, box-bike, grocery cart. We recently took on biking, as in pedaling across the island, followed quick stops at the grocery store. I even go to meetings or take my video and still cameras in my back pack and pedal around. Love it, get lots of fresh air and exercise, but have to admit that sometimes I would need a bit more carrying space when I try to fit a bunch of specials from the store into my back pack.
So here is the introduction of some very creative thinking that came from that little country that I still call home at the north sea. As a kid I remember our baker making his rounds twice a week with a box bike in which he carried his assortment of breads, cookies and pastry and especially on Saturday’s we made sure we were hanging somewhere around the house when he brought two dozen of his French bread pistolets. A bit of butter and some fresh cut ham and cheese (on special occasions with a touch of Apple Stroop (butter) in between and a $100 dinner of Chateau Briand and Pommerol with Chateau Petrus and main lobster as appetizer could not compete.
His baker’s bike looked like this one, which if you type in BAKFIETS in Google Images, you’ll find dozens of clever variations that recently are seeing a huge revival in European cities.
And that’s where TAGA fond its inspiration for this magnificent innovation of an old friend: A pushchair which can be converted into a child-carrying bicycle in just 20 seconds.
It is credited as an urban vehicle to suit your transportation needs and has become a hit with eco-friendly mothers across the world.
The universal appeal of the bike is actually uncanny, but not surprising. Taga was born as a global application of green energy and innovation. It was created by an international team with expertise in a wide range of fields, who had however in common parenthood, passion for bicycles and a desire for a product like this in their own lives.
City squares resemble old van Gogh and Vermeer scenery paintings
Cycling is a huge part of Dutch culture and cargo or carrier bikes, three-wheeled vehicles with wooden boxes in the front, are very popular as a way to travel with kids these day, sometimes even 3 or 4. The idea behind Taga was to take the carrier bike concept a couple of steps further and adapt it for the rest of the world.
At a price tag of about $2,250 a Taga Bike rivals India’s tiny Tatra automobile in price, but it appeals to eco friendly parents and the savings are obviously in the use. At one point it looks like a ‘normal’ pushchair but after a bit of twisting, folding and flipping becomes a fully functioning bike with a child-seat on the front.
While I love the engineering feat which is the pushchair-bicycle, I foresee one glaring problem in my case… I have no plans to have a young child anytime sooner or later.
I guess my wife sent me the link as a hint as there is one 10 month grand child and another one on the way. And guess what…their parents don’t do bicycles!
