Just when you thought you had seen everything in the Copenhagen bicycle culture, the Sperm Bullitt appears on the cycle tracks of the city. Yes. The Sperm Bullitt. This is brilliant. If you’re cycling around Copenhagen, keep your eyes peeled for this bike.
Nordisk Cryobank (European Sperm Bank)is one of Europe's leading sperm banks and the company was looking at environmentally-friendly alternatives to how they could transport their sperm samples to the fertility clinics around Greater Copenhagen.
The company's CEO, Peter Bower, says, "The first idea was how we could deliver to the fertility clinics in a C02-friendly way. Shortly afterwards followed the idea of a custom-designed bike with a cooling system. Now, six months later, we can cycle around the city on our sperm cell bike."
The text on the side reads Become a Sperm Donor in Danish. The bike is more than just a rolling billboard for the company aimed at increasing awareness of the need for donors to help childless children around the world. Inside the head of the giant sperm cell is a cooler compartment designed so that the metal containers with sperm donations can fit snugly inside and be kept cold. CEO Peter Bower rides the bike himself around town and he is constantly stopped by curious passersby who want to take photos of it or ask questions about the unique design.
"We're always looking for new donors so it's a fine bonus that the Sperm Cell Bike gets peoples attention.", says Peter Bower.
The Sperm Bike is, like the company's sperm donations, a Danish product and constructed around the Danish Bullitt cargo bike from Larry vs Harry.
Producing the Sperm Bike was no easy task. It was constructed by the Danish company 10 Tons - who specialise in zoological and botanical models as well as paleontologic reconstructions, including full-size whales and dinosaurs.
With the tail, the bike is 2.9 metres long and fully-loaded with... um... sperm... it weighs 50 kg. About the same as my cargo bike with two kids and a bag of groceries. Here are some photos that Copenhagenize took of the Sperm Bike last month:
An Aside from Copenhagenize... Why a Bullitt?
That it was a Bullitt from Larry vs Harry that was chosen for the Sperm Bike is not that surprising. From a marketing perspective, it is fascinating to regard how the brand has become cult so quickly all over the world. A loyal following of customers is something that any company dreams of and many bike brands have such a group. What I find interesting is why the Bullitt breeds so much creativity. There is enormous creativity regarding cargo bikes in Copenhagen but what we're seeing is that the iconic Bullitt is being used for purposes out of the ordinary. Here's a list off the top of my head:
- The Cocktail Delivery Bullitt.
- The Karaoke Bullitt in Berlin.
- The Surfing Bullitt.
- The Newborn-Baby Transport Bullitt.
- The Bike Repair Bullitt.
- The Childrens Bedroom Bullitt.
- The Nike Shoebox Bullitt.
- The Summer Wading Pool Bullitt.
- The Fixie Bullitt.
- The Windmill and Solar Bullitt.
- The Rowboat Bullitt.
- The Santa's Sleigh Bullitt.
- The Daddy's Sleigh Bullitt.
- The Stereo Bullitt from Klara Geist.
- Still awaiting documentation (detailed and photographic please) of the Stripper Pole Bullitt in Dublin.
