Worldbike is an international network of bicycle designers and industry leaders, and international development professionals, working together to provide transportation solutions and create income-generating opportunities for the world’s poor. All across the developing world, people use bicycles the way we use pickup trucks and school busses. However, the bicycles sold in developing countries are those designed for recreation and are ill-suited to carrying loads.

Worldbike designs higher-strength, longer-wheelbase bicycles with integrated cargo capacity. We conduct trial markets to determine the ideal price levels, work with the bike industry to get the best quality parts and frames at the lowest cost, and partner with international development organizations like Kickstart International to sell and distribute the bicycles.

In May of 2007, Worldbike was selected by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum to have two load-carrying bicycles in their “Design for the Other 90%” exhibit. The two bicycles selected are the Big Boda and the Worldbike.

The Big Boda: This is our lowest cost design, both in per-unit costs and in the startup capital needed for production. This simple bike frame retrofit extends the wheelbase of the ubiquitous Indian made roadster, allowing micro-entrepreneurs and bike-taxi professionals (known in East Africa as Boda Boda) to carry two adults, three children, or bulky cargo such as bread crates lower and with better stability. Loading times are faster due to the sturdy cargo racks and multiple tie-downs, and there are fewer accidents because the Big Boda’s long wheelbase makes it impossible to tip forward or backward. Using a Big Boda bread delivery entrepreneur can carry 20-30% more bread with the same effort, meaning that the additional 40% cost of the bicycle over a standard roadster will pay for itself in approximately 3-4 months.

The Worldbike workshop that produces the Big Boda in Kisumu, Kenya is approximately 300 square feet, proving that this poverty-fighting transportation solution can be implemented in the smallest, poorest developing world cities.

While the Big Boda improves the load-carrying capacity and stability of the roadster, it is still based on a product designed and engineered in the 1930’s. And while we in the developed world would consider the Roadster ‘quaint’ or even ‘retro’, with its rod brakes, twin top tubes, and its single, oversized gear, these same features make it unsafe, heavy, and difficult to pedal for the African bicycle entrepreneur. In fact, the Roadster is known in East Africa as the “Black Mamba,” because it is so dangerous. And the weak brakes aren’t the only problem. Simply put, the bike is heavy, but not heavy duty. The cranks are of soft metal and fall quickly into poor alignment, leading to knee problems. The pedals are cheaply made; many riders replace them with blocks of wood or simply stand on the spindles. The handlebars are narrow and hit the riders knees. The stock tires often hemorage and explode within a few weeks of purchase. And the seat is made of hard plastic, causing male health problems that some of the Boda Boda operators are willing to talk about openly. And, to make matters worse, there is no service model among East African bicycle stores. Bicycles are sold without a tune-up. Riders have to pay a street corner ‘fundi’ to tighten the bolts and make sure the bike is rideable. The power, speed, balance, and overall grace that Boda Boda operators demonstrate with this inelegant technology are truly inspiring. Just think what they could do with something stronger and safer.

Our answer to this challenge is the Worldbike, a new platform for developing world bicycle entrepreneurs. With a lighter weight, stronger frame, V-brakes for stopping power, an ergonomic seat and riding position, a seven-speed drivetrain for hill climbing and integrated cargo racks, the Worldbike is the bike people are calling out for in developing countries. Why hasn’t it been built before? Because American recreational customers are the singular focus of the bicycle industry. But things are changing. The Design for the Other 90% is one example of a growing awareness of the importance of developing products that can assist the world’s poor.

The Worldbike is available for purchase today. It addresses all of the drawbacks of the Black Mamba, offering safety, cargo capacity, and style. It’s just as narrow as a regular bicycle, which makes it nimble and effective in crowded cities, but it’s beefy frame and strong wheels will hold up on rutted mountain trails. It has been licensed to Tom Ritchey, one of the fathers of modern mountain bike, for his work distributing bikes to Rwandan coffee growers.