Reader’s Rig: Mads’ Hulsroy Utility Bike 2

Words and photos by Mads Hulsrøj Jæger (@hulsroy)

Hi, my name is Mads Hulsrøj Jæger, and I’m from Denmark. I’ve been into bikes since a kid, but I started cycling a lot longer distances around 2008. I’ve toured a lot over the years and raced cyclocross and road bikes in the past. These days, I enjoy local MTB trails and gravel riding with friends.

I started framebuilding in 2012 and have been slowly progressing through the years. I am an architect by education and utilize my skills in making bicycles for friends and designing stuff for Stayer Cycles. Hulsroy Cycles is a serious hobby project, if you will!

This cargo bike is the first bike I ever made from the ground up, but it has undergone quite a lot of iterations and changes/fixes over the years. I built it for my final project in architecture cchool as a part of a theoretical thesis about self-reliance, the importance of acquiring skills, and sharing knowledge (based on an analysis of the book Walden – Life in The Woods by H. D. Thoreau). The bike was a proof of concept. Loooong story!

I designed this bike having very little knowledge about framebuilding and I had to research a lot before I got started. This was the early days of frame building knowledge sharing on the internet (2013), but I still managed to find a PDF copy of The Paterek Manual and picked up brazing techniques from watching videos of Tom Ritchey and Steve Bilenky.

I finally invested in the kit needed and kept testing things out until I was able to lay down fillets. My good friend Mads Gundersen helped me through the process, and I owe a lot to his patience and craftsmanship. The bike was constructed using plywood jigs and only hand tools. Despite this, it’s surprisingly straight.

• Frame/Fork Hulsroy Utility Bike 2
• Rims Ryde Andra 40
• Hubs Shutter Precision dynamo (front) / Novatec (rear)
• Tires 20″ Maxxis Grifter (front) / 27.5″ Maxxis DTR-1 (rear)
• Handlebars Stooge Moto
• Headset Woodman
• Crankset Shimano XT
• Pedals Something platform
• Cassette 11-36 Shimano something
• Derailleur Shimano XT 10-speed
• Brakes Shimano XT
• Shifter(s) Shimano XT
• Saddle Selle Italia Flite woven
• Seatpost Zoom lightweight 29.8
• Stem Custom steel
• Frame bags Custom Wit Slingers (@witslingers)
• Other accessories Emmaljunga stroller converted into adjustable child seat

I use the bike for daily commutes, taking my daughter to daycare, and going to work. On the weekends, we take it to the forest and bring her little balance bike. Last summer was our first bikepacking trip together. Three days on gravel roads along the Danish east coast camping in our tent each night and cooking on our Trangia. Just me and her. Touring with your kid is hard work, but I can’t wait until we do it again.

I have done a couple of different variations of this cargo bike design since, and I hope to be able to continue the design development and one day offer it to others.

You can find Mads on Instagram @hulsroy and on his website, Hulsroy.com.

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