Rangi’s Cargo Bike: A Birthday Gift to Himself

A flyer, a dream, and a plan

Hello cycling friends,

I think it was more than five years ago when I stumbled upon a flyer from Big Forest at bakery in Babelsberg. I looked at the brochure with curiosity, and my heart started to beat a little faster.

Back home, I sat down at the computer and looked at the Big Forest website. My excitement grew, and the desire was born: I want to build my own bike frame.

“What kind of bike should it be?” I asked myself.

It had to have lugs. And it had to be my first bike with disc brakes—classic and yet modern.

Honestly, I didn’t really know what kind of bike I wanted. And my basement was already full of bikes.

A love of bikes—and a clear goal

My problem is: I love and live bikes. And the desire to build my own frame was strong.

I had to figure out what I really wanted.

After watching countless videos and photos about framebuilding and visiting some shows, I wanted to build several differnt kinds of frames.  I clearly needed more time to decide.

Still, that wasn’t a reason not to book a course. The perfect date was easy to find: in 1.5 years I’d be turning fifty—and what a perfect gift to myself that would be.

Plenty of time to figure out what to build—and to save up the money.

A new idea: the cargo bike

Time passed, and about nine months before my course, Konrad from Big Forest Frameworks presented a cargo bike he had built for a framebuilding show. I was completely blown away—and suddenly I knew:

I want something like that.

I didn’t have a cargo bike yet in my collection, and I asked if I could build one like it. Robert and Konrad said yes, and my mental planning began.

Building week: plans evolve

A week before my birthday, the course finally began. And many of the plans I’d made before got tossed aside as I discovered all the exciting possibilities that steel made possible.

In my work as a car mechanic, I’m used to working with metal and other materials. But it’s something entirely different when you build something completely from scratch, with no customer requests or guidelines.

Some of the design details I only figured out in the moment—simply because I liked them best that way. Maybe sometimes I didn’t feel like sanding anymore, or I used a part from the scrap bin.

But slowly, my frame took shape.
And I’m proud of it.

The color, the ride, the joy

The Big Forest crew helped bring my color ideas to life. And when I received the freshly painted frame, I honestly had tears of joy in my eyes.

I definitely wanted to do the build myself and install all the parts I’d chosen. But without the knowledge and tools from Big Forest, it would have taken me a lot longer.

The day of the first ride came—and I was, and still am, thrilled with the bike.

It rides beautifully—on roads, forest paths, and gravel.

I haven’t done a big tour with it yet. But that’s coming. And I’m looking forward to it.

Best wishes from the road,
Peter (Rangi)

P.S. I’m already thinking about what to build next 😉

🔧 Course Details & Booking

• **Cargo Bike Frame Building Course – 10 Days**
  Learn fillet brazing techniques, design your frame geometry, cut, file, and braze your own custom steel frame. Perfect for those who want a clean, durable, and personally meaningful ride.
  Course location: Potsdam (near Berlin), max 3 students per session.
  All course info and booking options here:
  https://bigforestframeworks.com/en/cargo-bike-frame-building-course/