Building Dreams on Two Wheels: My Journey with Vanguard and the Perfect Cargo Bike

In this instalment of the blog we turn the keyboard over to Rob Williams, friend of Vanguard Cycles, who recounts the tale of a dream cargo-bike build.

Our meeting
I think I first met Vanguard's Greg on a ride he organised, one spring. The pace, climbs and banter was spot on. I learned he had been running Vanguard Cycles and teaching wrenching at the local college.

The first time I had reason to call on Vanguard's service was when I'd had a little crash on a wet drain. I'm pretty confident with most bike jobs. I do not, however, own a hanger alignment tool. Post-crash inspection is also one of those jobs where I don't think you can beat experience. Experience that someone like Greg has.

The Project
Since before even my daughter was born I'd been dreaming of a cargo bike. I tried a box bike and a couple of Omniums on a trip to Paradise Cycles in East London. I was instantly hooked on the sporty ride feel of the Omnium Minimax. I relayed my delight to Greg, as a fellow bike nerd. To my surprise he offered to source the frame from the distributor (Paradise), and suggest we build it up in the Vanguard shop. I knew right away I'd be a fool not to take him up on the offer.

The frame arrives and I get a message: "I just opened your frame box to check it wasn't just scaffold pipes", followed by "the finish is...outstanding". To say I was excited was an understatement. On a cold December evening, Greg welcomed me into the shop. After plying me with a double espresso, we got to work.

Vanguard supplied the frame, mudguards, kickstand and child seat bracket.

The bike is equipped with a Shimano mix. Running 1x11, Deore M5120, Deore XT M8000 11-42 cassette and Deore M6100 brakes.

Greg's expert help made light work of tricky jobs like replacing the front brake hose, which isn't long enough on stock. 

Greg also helped me to face and chase the bottom bracket. Of course, we all know how critical this is to a smooth running ride.

Vanguard also supplied the Supernova E3 Pure HBM dynamo light. 

The wheels were hand built by myself. The rear is a DT Swiss 350 hub and Pillar Rainbow Double Butted spokes. The front, Shimano Nexus DH-UR708-3D hub and Sapim Strong spokes.

Greg slogged on this bike with me, as if it were his own. I am so grateful for his help and time, sourcing and building this project. My daughter loves it. We have covered over 500km of nursery runs and errands that would otherwise, most likely, have been done in the car. As fun as it is, it (as with any other cargo bike) is an incredibly useful tool.