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Cambridge is famed for its cycling, so it’s no surprise that the city has a budding number of businesses choosing to deliver by bike.
New directory Brought by Bike features several goods and services you can get delivered more sustainably, from cheese to clean laundry.
Helena Downey was inspired to create the catalogue in December 2020 after her street became part of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood.
Keen to cut down on cars further, she decided to use couriers and tradespeople travelling by bike – but it took a while to track them down.
Helena wrote: “Rather than wishing that somebody else had set something like Brought By Bike up, I decided that I would have to do it myself!”
And there’s never been a better time to launch it as home deliveries have skyrocketed during the lockdown.
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Online grocer Ocado reported a 40 per cent increase in sales in the last three months, while – a postal first – Royal Mail began trialling Sunday deliveries in March.
But Brought by Bike shows that greater demand doesn’t have to equate to higher emissions in all cases.
The directory lists more than 200 businesses and growing.
Here are the Cambridge goods and services you can access on two wheels if you live in the listed postcodes. For other areas, check out the Brought by Bike website.
Bespoke Cambridge
Bespoke Cambridge offers hand-crafted carpentry and joinery services.
Their green delivery methods are in keeping with their environmentally-friendly ethos, and they specialise in built-in furniture manufacture. Find out more here.
Services available by bike to: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
Foodstuff
Foodstuff aspires to be “an ethical Deliveroo”: it delivers from the best independent food brands to local foodies.
“The only chains we’re into are bike chains,” the website says.
Aromi, Fitzbillies and Taj Tandoori are some of the excellent local eateries you can tuck into with zero emissions.
Delivery by bike available to: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
Full Circle
Full Circle is a zero-waste, plastic-free shop offering refills on a range of pantry items, household products and toiletries. See more here.
Delivery by bike available to: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
Kevin Sampson – Painter & Decorator
Kevin is an experienced painter and decorator, who switched to using a bike instead of a van a few years ago, as he found it to be more efficient and less polluting,
He is available for interior and exterior painting jobs around Cambridge, and can provide his services by bike to: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
Overstream
Overstream is a social enterprise that provides training and employment for people with experience of homelessness.
All profits are used to support the work of Wintercomfort, a Cambridge-based homelessness charity. Find out more on their website.
They offer cleaning and gardening services, although only the gardening is carried out by bike to: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
Oxwash
Oxwash uses their own fleet of cargo bikes to collect your laundry and then wash it using their own state-of-the-art low-impact washing technology.
Services are available by bike in Cambridge to CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
Stir Bakery
Stir Bakery make a wide range of sourdough and other slow-fermented breads, viennoiserie and cakes in their Cambridge bakery.
They deliver by bike within a two-mile radius, to some or all of these postcodes: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
(Image: Keith Jones)
The Cambridge Cheese Company
The Cambridge Cheese Company’s shop is stocked with delicious cheese from both local dairies and further afield.
Tucked away on All Saints Passage, they also sell a range of charcuterie, condiments and olives in re-fillable jars.
Delivery by bike to postcodes starting with CB1 1, CB1 2, CB1 3, CB1 7, CB2 1, CB2 3, CB2 7, CB2 8, CB3 0, CB4 0, CB4 1, CB4 2, CB4 3
The Flower Project
The Flower Project was created by Clare Cook to be an environmentally conscious floristry business, sourcing British grown flowers as far as possible.
As well as CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, they deliver to CB24 postcodes – covering Impington, Histon, Milton.
Check if you can get bouquets by bike on the website’s map.
Waterland Organics
Waterland Organics is a small, family-run fruit and vegetable business who have their own farm in the fens. They deliver weekly organic fruit and veg boxes.
Delivery available by bike within Cambridge: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
Find out more on the website here.
