Ben arrives on a bike, in Pedal Me pink. We jump in, cameras, tripod, Maria’s fry-up (to add a kilo). He cycles us to his hidden HQ, under a Bankside arch. Where we suddenly smell (but can’t see) fish.
‘Fresh from Cornwall, 3 times a week. Out before sunrise. We feed London’s restaurants faster, cheaper and greener, than any van can.”
He talks at the pace he rides. While in his ear, up to 60 riders are out there doing some good, for business, for themselves, for the planet.
Pedal Me is a people-powered, carbon-neutral, anti-slavery, cult cargo company where ‘everyone rides.’ This is one of 5 principles that have evolved as it’s grown from Ben and a mate back in 2017 to the funkiest and fittest delivery phenomenon in Europe, luring many a rider en route.
“Celia, from Barcelona. She had a nightmare start. Language. Logistics. Tech. Tyres. Punctures. People. A lot to learn, fast. But stick with people and they repay you many times over. She’s now the dream employee.”
Ben’s journey into the saddle was hardly a sprint. His first bike, a yellow & purple Raleigh Katmandu was a beast for an 8yr old. It followed him through uni and into his first job as chemist. Itchy feet got him a gig as a transport planner, where he started a school streets project to reduce traffic for Camden Council. Teaching people to ride bikes who had never tried. This is when he fell (emotionally, not physically) for wooden Dutch bikes.
Pedal Me bikes are jumbo mules on 2 wheels. Co-designed with Urban Arrow from Amsterdam, each rider can cart 150 kg (+ 150kg with a trailer), eased by electric and 14 gears. Sounds easy? Try the fitness test. Haverstock Hill with two adults in the front seat. It kills your quads.
“Riders drop 5yrs and 15kg when they work for us. They get to name their bike – mine’s Gonzo. They can take it home too, like a school pet, to use it at weekends, take the kids to school. Part of the family.”
Born in Bankside, under vast arches that were once rave central. Cedric, a 100kilo ball of innertube, guards the door. This is a home to die for. Ben shows us a heat map of human leg power, radiating out in every direction. We eavesdrop their app – it’s like pirate radio meets Discord at MI5.
Pedal Me is a mobile pillar of the Bankside community, racking up do-good deeds by the dozen:
“One rider took a woman giving birth at the roadside to hospital. Another helped a child in tears get home. We’ve come to rescue of a heart-attack and even assisted a police chase. And all our riders are counter-terror trained.”
We end on a dream, to steal one great idea from another BID, borough, or city.
“Pedestrianise Bankside. Bikes exempt, obviously. Large scale deliveries overnight. You’d create this amazing space that was thriving for business, pop-up markets on the street. Every day would be like a Saturday. What a place to work and live that would be.”
If you need to shift 300kg of coffee across town, arrive at your wedding with a carbon-free footprint or just want to ride with us and for us, ding our bell.
