---
title: "Assembling a Babboe Big cargo bike yourself, what to expect"
language: en
topics: ["Amsterdam", "bike", "creating", "daddy", "environment", "howto", "mobility", "review", "sport"]
full_article_url: https://willem.com/en/2019-06-25_assembling-a-cargo-bike/
---
# Assembling a Babboe Big cargo bike yourself, what to expect

*300 euros cheaper, but it costs you hours of careful work.*

> When I ordered my Babboe Big in 2019, self-assembly was 300 euros cheaper than ready-to-ride delivery. It took me hours of work with countless nuts and bolts, so a busy parent may prefer the assembled option.

The bike arrives flat-packed in many boxes: wheels, frame parts, the wooden cargo box and a semi-assembled rear end. Pick a spot where everything can stay put, because the build takes hours.
Keep the screws in their bags: each is marked with a letter the manual refers to. Study the drawings closely, many parts are nearly symmetrical with only tiny differences, and a mistake means disassembling later, as I found out myself. You need wrenches, hex keys and a screwdriver; the less common 15 mm wrench is included.
Joining the front and rear frames exposes the limits of the factory precision: squeeze in both supplied filler plates for a tight fit, positioning them with a piece of wood and a hex key, never a metal hammer, or you damage the paint.
There is no cable management: route the brake cables with your own tie wraps and check that nothing obstructs the swinging cargo box. Fully tighten the box bolts only after final assembly.