I really like Christiania bikes. I see lots of them in CPH, but unfortunately (although I’ll be back in DK in December) I cannot bring one. On top of that I need one like, now!
I bought that and a trike. The seat will only be good for a few months, by then I hope I will have something else worked out.
Too bad I can’t bring a bike from Denmark. It would end up costing me the same as a used car.
Passengers have to be belted, and the various cargo bike manufacturers here all provide seatbelt solutions, all of which have to maintain EU standards (actually they have to maintain Danish standards, which I think are higher anyway).
Your argument about healthcare is technically valid, I guess, but as I mentioned above seatbelts are mandatory, and I have yet to hear of an accident involving someone falling out of the box. The cargo bike is seen as a safe and reliable means of transportation here - even the kindergartens use them all the time.
They are indeed expensive (though nowhere near as expensive as even the crappiest used car around here) and shipping costs would be very high I guess. It sounds like you have found a solution already - I really hope it works out.
(Going to Denmark, eh? You got me thinking about trying to organize a Danish December Dopefest - could be kinda fun I think)
Shipping will indeed make it extraordinarily expensive.
A Danish Dopefest… Great idea. Where in DK are you?
Hmm - I must have lost the “Location” field when my subscription stopped. I am in Copenhagen, but I have no idea how many other dopers there are in Denmark or where they are…
This might be the clincher as to why Christiania has apparently actively declined to sell bikes in the U.S.
Since bikes aren’t considered a “real” means of transportation like a car or motorcycle, the price for them is deflated in the American market. The Christiana bikes probably can’t be manufactured, shipped, and sold for Wal-Mart-level prices – $150 (approx. 750-800 kr) at best for this kind of product – and break even.
Could you even buy a used Christiania in Denmark for 800 kr?
Not a chance. A new one (including seat, seatbelt, fancy breaks & gears, etc.) will set you back around 15000 kr ($2700), and since they are extraordinarily sturdy (and quite popular) you would have to pay at least half of that for a 5-year old one. I guess if I were in the States I could get a car for that kind of money 
Yeah … you could get a “beater” (an old car that runs, but is often in need of repair) for $1350. 
I will be in Fynn and CPH. I’ll also spend some time Sweden.