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LionTail, the Capitol Hill business run out of a custom built bike trailer

LionTail_Mobile

(Image: Henry Kellogg)

City planners aren’t the only ones helping make bicycling easier for Capitol Hill residents these days —Henry Kellogg took a break from his UW Mechanical Engineering degree to start mobile bike business LionTail Cycles, which installs cargo bike and electric boost systems.

Kellogg, who is based in Capitol Hill and runs LionTail out of a custom built bike trailer, said his goal is to get as many people as possible to make the switch from cars to bicycles.

LionTail has two major products in its catalog: cargo bikes, which Kellogg sells as new bikes or as a conversion service for existing bikes, increase carrying capability. Kellogg said he usually sells the larger bucket-seat bikes to parents.

“I’ll get an email, from almost always a younger parent — usually near Greenlake,” he said. “They have young kids and they ask me how they can get their kids around.”

Kellogg brings his bike trailer to the customer, dropping off the new bike or giving them a test ride and performing the installation.

“I’m on a bike trailing a trailer, often trailing another bike,” he said.

Kellogg said the most common customers for his electric-assist systems are working professionals looking to make the commute easier.

“It’s important for people to show up without being sweaty,” he said.

Kellogg offers a range of systems (including systems from Seattle’s own Clean Republic), some of which can put a rider at the sprint speed of a professional cyclist, and some of which simply give a boost to the user’s pedal power.

Though Kellogg said “there’s a learning curve to riding one of the cargo bikes,” he said electric bikes are pretty intuitive when people take test rides.

“People just try them out and they have a huge grin after they’re done,” he said.

“My intuition is that the electric bike is going to become one of the most popular bikes in Seattle,” he added.

This entry was posted in News, etc. by Sam Heft-Luthy. Bookmark the permalink.

About Sam Heft-Luthy

I've lived on Capitol Hill since age 0.5. Now I'm channeling that Hill experience into my work as 2013 CHS Summer Intern, where I'll be reporting on community happenings, art, music, and just about everything going on around the neighborhood.
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Northgate Nan
Northgate Nan
10 years ago

Young children, infants being put out in traffic on the road behind a bicycle with little between them and much larger heavier and faster vehicles. How do you suppose the physics pan out on this one?

KTC Frank
KTC Frank
10 years ago
Reply to  Northgate Nan

I think you’re mistaken….the delivery trailer isn’t intended for passengers. If you look closely at the picture, there’s a bike being towed behind the trailer. The child seat on this bike looks pretty standard (ie mounted on the bike directly behind the rider).

Northgate Nan
Northgate Nan
10 years ago
Reply to  KTC Frank

Copied from the above article:

“I’ll get an email, from almost always a younger parent — usually near Greenlake,” he said. “They have young kids and they ask me how they can get their kids around.”

What significance is a standard child seat mounted on a bike beyond a seat for a child with the pretension of safety?