Reinventing the ride: Argo’s mission to make cargo bikes mainstream

What was the catalyst for launching Argo Cargo Bikes?

Ironically, it was a car accident in 2017. I was sitting at my bike shop with a notebook, sketching ideas while recovering, when I drew what would become Argo. I realised I could create a modular system that hooks onto existing bikes rather than requiring people to buy an entirely new £4,000 (or thereabouts) cargo bike.

But the deeper catalyst was frustration with the bike industry itself. I'd owned an urban bike shop for over a decade, specializing in commuter bikes, and I saw the same pattern everywhere - cycling companies speaking only to existing cyclists. Our shop succeeded by being welcoming to all humans. We hired incredible people who were good at asking questions and listening. And this approach worked.

But then, I kept thinking about parents who wanted to cycle with their kids, or people curious about car-free living, but felt intimidated by the complexity and cost. There had to be a better way. Perhaps translating the shop’s human centered approach for cargo bikes could be a success.

And customer feedback is exactly why the 2.0 product is so great. People told us what they wanted and we are working to deliver it.

Tell us about the business – what it is, what it aims to achieve, who you work with, how you reach customers and so on?

For our first product, Argo makes modular cargo bike conversion kits that let you "cArgo-fy" any standard bicycle into a front-loading cargo bike, what we are calling a "leader", think of it as a trailer…. But at the front, leading…  We ship flat-packed worldwide and can guarantee that it is the right size… that is of course, if your current bike fits you..

Our mission is making cargo bikes “normal” in the US and UK. Right now, they're seen as either commercial delivery vehicles or toys for cycling enthusiasts. We want them to be as mainstream as balance bikes became for children. We're also pioneering the terminology shift from trailers (which pull behind you) to "leaders" - front-loading cargo bikes that give you visibility and control, but that is not just an Argo thing, that is a whole category that simply doesn’t have the name nailed, till now. 😉

We have a dual-brand strategy. Argo is a product solution that will work for many people, while MyFirstCargoBike.com is our educational platform - think "What to Expect When You're Expecting" but for cargo bikes. Most people don't even know cargo bikes exist, so we're building the entire top-of-funnel that's missing in this market. I couldn’t shout this enough though, we want this to be for everyone looking for a cargo bike, not just Argo. I ran a bike shop, so I know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I’ll be the first to tell them that Argo isn’t right for them and direct them to a different brand if that is the one that will make their life way more fun and way more practical. I’m friendly with several brands in the US and Europe, because I love recommending the right cargo bike.

We reach customers through organic content, SEO, and community building. Our approach is very much anti-traditional bike marketing - we focus on real stories, practical use cases, and removing jargon rather than talking about technical specifications. As someone who owned a bike shop for over a decade, I know how intimidating bike culture can be.

How has the business evolved since its launch?

Founded in 2017, we started as a pure product play - selling conversion kits to existing bike owners. We've sold over 500 units across the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe, with revenue tracking toward £250,000 this year and expansion into the UK and EU markets amongst others.

The big evolution has been strategic. We realized the product is only part of the solution. The real barrier isn't price or quality - it's awareness and education. People literally don't know this category exists, or they're intimidated by bike shop culture.

That's led us to develop MyFirstCargoBike.com as an educational platform this year. We're also preparing our next product phase - launching Argo Fy 2.0 this summer with major improvements, followed by a complete cargo…. I’ll just say, watch this space. This new version represents a shift toward right-to-repair principles, eliminating proprietary parts so people can service their cargo bikes at local shops with standard, metric, cheap components. We definitely learned a great deal from our first cargo kit launch.

Tell us about the working culture at Argo Cargo Bikes?

We're lean by necessity and design. The culture is very much "make it accessible." Every decision gets filtered through: does this help or hurt someone who's never heard of a cargo bike? We actively avoid bike industry jargon and assumptions. If something feels intimidating to a parent in suburbia, we probably need to rethink it.

We also embrace the "Kaizen methodology" - smallest possible increments that still create momentum. Rather than overwhelming people with everything about cargo bikes, we break it down into digestible pieces. Especially, with myfirstcargobike.com, we are trying to make it easy.

How are you funded?

We're bootstrapped with some small debts. I raised £104,000 through our first Kickstarter campaign, which proved market demand and funded initial production. It grew from there, sales from the first time around have allowed me to build the company and prep for what is looking like a big couple of years.

The business model has to be deliberately capital-efficient to reach our goals. Our flat-pack approach means lower shipping expenses compared to traditional cargo bike companies, but higher costs for manufacturing. We're not trying to build a massive manufacturing operation - we're focused on design, customer experience, and market education.

What has been your biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome this?

The biggest challenge is that we're not just selling a product - we're re-launching a category. Most people have never seen a cargo bike, let alone understood why they'd want one.

Traditional bike companies can assume knowledge and interest. We have to start from absolute zero: "This is a cargo bike. Here's why it might be useful. Here's how it works. Here's why it's not scary."

We've overcome this by accepting that education is part of our business model, not a marketing cost. My First Cargo Bike isn't just content marketing - it's infrastructure. We're building the onramp that doesn't exist. And we want the category to grow; we’re just a part of the solution.

How does Argo Cargo Bikes answer an unmet need?

The cargo bike market has a massive gap between awareness and accessibility. There are brilliant high-end options for cycling enthusiasts, and basic trailers for budget-conscious families, but nothing that bridges everyday people into front-loading cargo "leaders."

We answer some specific unmet needs: fit (you can guarantee it fits, as your current bike does, so this one does - risk-free), affordability (£1500 vs £4,000+), and approachability (designed for non-cyclists). Most importantly, we provide education and community rather than assuming you already know what you want.

We're also the only company focusing on right-to-repair principles. When your cargo bike needs maintenance, you can take it to any local bike shop with standard tools and components, rather than waiting for proprietary parts or paying premium service fees. For instance, our previous engineer had a proprietary bolt made for our steering arm. The new version has been modified to all for a standard metric bolt to be used. The cost ended up being the same for us, so why not?

What's in store for the future?

Short-term: Argo Cargo Kit 2.0 launches this summer with significant improvements, followed by a Kickstarter in the near future for a different product, I don’t want to give away more than that, as there are some epic surprises coming when we are ready to go with that one.

Long-term: We want to be the company that normalized cargo bikes. Success looks like cargo bikes being as unremarkable as balance bikes or bike helmets - just another tool parents know about. As cheesy as it sounds, I really just want kids to have cargo bikes in their lives, that’s at the heart of all of this.

What one piece of advice would you give other founders or future founders?

Start with the customer's actual problem, not your solution. I spent years perfecting the Argo kit before realising the real problem wasn't product quality - it was that people didn't know the category existed.

Most founders, especially technical ones, assume their biggest challenge is building something great. Often the bigger challenge is helping people understand why they should care in the first place.

Solving a person’s real life problem while making enough money to survive is how a business is born.

And finally, a more personal question! What's your daily routine and the rules you're living by at the moment?

I was working construction project management to pay the bills while building Argo evenings and weekends. It's not glamorous, but it kept the business lean and forced prioritization.

I wake up to a cup of really strong tea, sometimes 3. I write for a little while, then play in the garden. I then set a single solitary goal for the day that I want to accomplish and then see if there are any fires, like email or articles that need to be done. Then I sit down and get to work. I try to make my breaks have some sort of meaning, so I genuinely disconnect for a moment before jumping back in.

Running all aspects of a company by myself can get really lonely, so I try to build in ways to connect. So riding bikes and being outside with my family is always the reward I’m really working toward.

Scott Taylor is the founder of Argo Cargo Bikes.