Compact by Design, Fun by Nature: First Impressions of the MONoPOLE No O1
A few years back, after several winters of time courier work, I teamed up with a few friends to co-found Corbo Course, a messenger coop based on the French Basque Coast. With cargo bikes constantly at my disposal, I often thought to myself that my own cargo bike should be something a bit different. (A.K.A. not just another Omnium or Bullitt.) Don’t get me wrong: both are great in their own ways, and over the past decade, I’ve switched teams more than once on which one is my favorite.
To be fully honest, I looked pretty much everywhere for something unique and fun to ride, but after a lot of searching, I ended up putting the idea on hold to focus on other things. That was until last year, when the MONoPOLE No O1 popped up on my radar. Interesting design, features, and a practical size, were more than enough to catch my attention.
After talking with the people behind MONoPOLE and building one up myself, I thought it was time to show you the bike I ended up putting together in a bit more detail. But just a heads-up, this isn’t a review! I haven’t even logged 500km on it yet, and proper review will come later this summer, especially since I’m planning to take it on some bikepacking trips.
But before we get into the build, let’s take a step back and look at what the MONoPOLE No O1 actually is.
As cities continue shifting toward more bike-friendly infrastructure, cargo bikes have emerged as the ultimate solution for getting yourself, and your stuff, around dense urban areas. But there’s still one big challenge: living spaces and access points in these cities are often tight and limited. The MONoPOLE No O1 answers to this issue with what they call a “Tool Bike”. A front-loading cargo bike carefully designed with a reduced footprint to better fit in compact spaces.
Designed in Switzerland and built right here in France, the No O1 is a great example of how the European cycling industry continues to develop smart, bespoke solutions that make urban mobility about more than just going from A to B.
So after a few dozen emails back and forth to finalize a plan, I drove down to MILC, a bike factory tucked away in the French Pyrenees, to pick up and build my MONoPOLE.
MILC is what you’d call a white label manufacturer, but more than that, they consider themselves as an end-to-end manufacturing partner. Handling everything from design and prototyping to logistics and assembly for other cycling brands. In this case, the design is Swiss, but the fabrication happens here, in France. And honestly, I’m all for it.
I showed up feeling a bit nervous, like I always do when stepping into a workshop. You never want to be in the way, knock something over, or slow down the usual flow of work by just being there asking questions. But right from the start, I was welcomed with coffee and given a workspace with tools to build my bike. Even though I had most of what I needed, a few parts of the process would’ve taken ages without Louis occasionally stepping in to lend a hand, especially with tools I didn’t bring. So again, a special thanks to Louis, Thomas, and the rest of the MILC team, for being so welcoming, showing me around, and sharing with me how passionate they all are for this job.
All in all, the build went smoothly, even with the rear dropouts that can feel a little intricate at the begging. The only real hiccup came the next day, when I had to redo the wiring inside the grip shifter because I didn’t quite figure it out the first time. Thankfully, the shifter cables going from the Pinion gearbox to your handlebars, are totally standard, and can be found in pretty much any bike shop.
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
MONoPOLE NO 1
Chainring and Cog 39T front CDX sprocket, 28T rear CDX pulley
Crank
C.1.12 Gearbox
Seatpost and Saddle
USE Ti seatpost, Flite Ti
Stem and Handlebar
DELUXE Ti Conbo bar
Wheels ILTB custom build
Tires Vee Tire Crown Gem 2.25”
For my build, I decided to go with just the frameset and a Pinion C1.12 gearbox, aiming for a full custom setup. When it came to options, I had the opportunity to choose a custom color, so I went with this “Silk Grey” paint (That’s the actual name of RAL 7044, but it looks more bone/off-white to me and that’s exactly what I wanted) and added their platform rack, which better suits the kind of loads I’m used to carrying from other cargo bikes.
As for the rest of the components, I asked my friends over at Randbezirk to build me a wheelset with (almost) the biggest tires I could squeeze into the frame. For the drivetrain, a Pinion gearbox usually means going with a carbon belt drive, which I happily did, and for the finishing kit, I went with a titanium seatpost, a handlebar-stem combo. Finally, for that one bit of bling: a pair of PAUL Klamper brakes.
So, what were my first impressions of the bike? Honestly, it might be the most fun cargo bike I’ve ever ridden. My build isn’t perfect, but it’s practically maintenance-free. The belt-driven steering and drivetrain, combined with the Pinion gearbox, allowed me to keep traveling with my van for weeks, even through near DAILY downpours. The bike stayed mounted on the rear rack the whole time, and thanks to the fully enclosed gearbox, the drivetrain stayed bulletproof: no issues, no corrosion, nothing.
As I mentioned earlier, the compact geometry makes for an easy, playful ride, even with these tires that might have the highest rolling resistance I’ve ever witnessed. And yes, maybe cable actuated disc brakes were probably not the best choice, but between the 180 mm rotors, and the usually light charges that I carry, I’ve had no problem stopping so far.
My only real complaint for now? The grip shifter! It still feels a bit like a kid’s bike, and while I know there are triggers shifter options out there to replace it, they’re upwards of $300. So for now, I’m waiting to see if I’ll eventually grow to like it.
As of right now, my main impression is how much I enjoy hopping on this bike for every kind of short trips. It genuinely feels like a toy in all the right ways. A premium toy, yes, but also something you can probably take in and out of the city for some quick weekend adventure with, again, close to no maintenance needed.
And I guess that’s what I have to test next. Ready for some adventure?
See you in a few months for a full review.
🎞: Kodak Color Plus 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: French Pyrenees
