Sometimes what starts out as a weekend hobby can turn into a life-changing endeavor, and such was the case for Lawrence, a bro who at the age of 25 quit his job, built a cargo bicycle, and set out on a journey of over 3,100 miles (over 5,000km) from Romania to Kazakhstan.
The bike that Lawrence took on his adventure was a prototype for what is now ‘the modern Bringley cargo bikes’ from PorterLight Bicycles, and he chronicled his 3,100-mile journey in this quick clip (under 3 minutes) that’ll make you want to quit your job today:
We often see videos/news of people having a quarter-life crisis, quitting their jobs, and taking off on some grand adventure across the globe. It’s pretty rare though that we see one of these global treks turn into something bigger, that the journey itself was actually a catalyst for greater things.
In this case Lawrence Brand first sketched out a design for one of his PorterLight Cargo Bikes way back in 2008, and after completing his 5,000km journey across the world he hunkered down and launched London-based bicycle company PorterLight.
Here’s his story, from the PorterLight website:
In 2014 I built my first prototype Porterlight bicycle,
and took it on a 5,000km test ride to Kazakhstan.
I knew that it would take more than my London commute to test it was up to the job. So, in 2014, having built my first prototype bike in the corner of the livingroom in my warehouse apartment, I set off on the test ride to end all test rides.
With the bicycle in the hold, I flew to Bucharest, Romania. For the next 3 months I cycled 5,000km alone and unsupported through Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and then back into Kazakhstan finishing my journey by the Chinese border.
Kind of makes you want to quit working in that cubicle, huh?
For more information on PorterLight Bicycles you can follow that link, and Lawrence, if you’re reading this I’d love to score an interview with you about your adventure, so HIT ME UP ON TWITTER!