From daycare drop-off to the Bourgoyen
Our Nicolas, Nico to friends, Coudeville rides his Lovens cargo bike every day. He combines his commute with a stop at daycare and uses his bike just as easily for grocery runs. Practical, comfortable and surprisingly relaxing. Time to put Nicolas and his cargo bike in the spotlight. 🔦
Cargo bike life
Bike type: cargo bike
Brand: Lovens
Why a cargo bike? Simple. Because it works. For Nicolas, his Lovens Explorer is the perfect mix of practicality and fun.
“The riding experience is fantastic and it’s simply the most beautiful cargo bike on the market.”
He mainly uses his cargo bike for commuting, with a fixed stop at daycare along the way. But it is just as handy for groceries. Everything in, kids on board, and off you go.
Love at first ride
What convinced Nicolas right away? The powerful Bosch motor.
The strong support keeps every ride smooth, even with extra weight in the box. No struggling, no stress, just comfortable cycling every single day.
Nicolas’ cargo bike tips
Nicolas is convinced. If you want kids to choose the bike over the car, you need to make it cozy.
“Give your cargo bike an extra touch so your kids prefer it over the car.”
His golden tips:
- A cuddly toy on the bench
- A little reading corner for the ride
It makes every trip more fun and quickly turns the bike into the preferred way of getting around. Result: fewer “are we there yet?” moments and more excitement to leave.
Favorite route: nature without thinking
Every cyclist has that one route where everything just clicks. For Nicolas, it is this one:
“The bike path in Ghent from the Brugsevaart along the Bourgoyen, via the new cyclists’ bridge over the Watersportbaan to the Blaarmeersen.”
Fifteen minutes of pure relaxation with no stops and no thinking. Just riding and enjoying the surroundings.
What does Nicolas do at Joule?
As Co-founder and CFO, Nicolas works across finance, legal and public tenders. He deals with numbers, contracts and everything needed to help Joule grow in a sometimes complex environment.
What makes working at Joule so great?
For Nicolas, it is all about the people.
“With the vision 'to energize the workplace', you attract people with fully charged batteries. The colleagues are without a doubt the best part.”
Leaving for work with a smile every day and coming home with energy in the evening. The role itself is also a perfect fit, combining numbers with building the right foundations to help Joule keep growing.
Best Joule memory, or two
“I don’t even know where to start. Seven years at Joule means new memorable and sometimes absurd moments almost every week.”
These moments stood out for Nicolas:
- January marked the first time we delivered 1,000 lease bikes in one month, which of course was celebrated with glitter, Kidibul, music and party hats.
- The ceremonial farewell to ‘the tracker’, our old ERP system that was basically just an Access database. Complete with memorial cards, because what else.
Joule energy meter
How much energy does Joule give you on a scale from 0 to 100J?
100J. Reason: everything above. 🔋💥
This or That?
- Morning ride in the sun vs evening ride at sunset
- Having maintenance done vs fixing it yourself
- Bike ride as me-time vs bike ride as a workout
- Tram tracks vs cobblestones
- Leaving early vs arriving just on time
- Riding with others vs solo cruising
- Cycling along the water vs cycling through the city
- Electric assistance vs pure leg power
- One all-round bike vs multiple bikes
- Gloves on vs “it’s fine”
- Phone navigation vs “I know the way”
In conclusion
For Nicolas, his cargo bike is not an extra. It is a logical part of his day. It makes commuting easier, calmer and honestly just more fun.
And that might be exactly what bike leasing at Joule is all about. Solutions that work in real life. 💙
Looking for more bike stories? Discover which bikes our colleagues chose in other editions of Jou(le) & I:
- Jochen and his Gazelle
- Lauren and her compact QiO
- Jules and his VELO DE VILLE
- Elisa and her longtail Riese & Müller
- Tibe and his VELO DE VILLE
Thinking about starting bike leasing but not sure where to begin? Let us know. 👇🏻
As a mobility content specialist at Joule, Elke translates complex mobility topics such as bike leasing and mobility budgets into clear, accessible content. She helps HR teams and employees organize mobility more easily and get more people on bikes. She has a passion for language, communication, and fully charged bike batteries. Her constant companion is her Gazelle Ultimate C5 in Denim Blue Gloss, which she rides through Ghent in turbo mode. Her favorite bike route? Any route that leads to a coffee bar. Follow Elke on LinkedIn!
Alles verliep zeer vlot. Geen extra papierwerk, alles werd door Joules geregeld. Heel tevreden over de service.
Goede communicatie en uitleg. De persoon die het concept is komen voorstellen heeft dit duidelijk gedaan. De testritten waren ook goed georganiseerd.
Top ervaring! Klantenservice is top. Je kan er terecht met al je vragen en ze blijven altijd even vriendelijk. En ik heb best veel vragen gesteld. Levering was top. Zeker een aanrader voor iedereen.
Vlotte service, snel antwoord en zeer vlot in gebruik. De offertes van de fietsenwinkel werden snel verwerkt en overzichtelijk afgeleverd in een leasing-formule.
Heel gemakkelijk dat de technieker op het werk komt! De technieker was vriendelijk. Onderhoud was snel gedaan. Ik heb heel gemakkelijk de afspraak kunnen wijzigen. Ik heb daarvoor een heel vriendelijke en behulpzame persoon aan de lijn gehad.
