On Sunday afternoon I took delivery of an Elephant trailer. Now no, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be towing baby elephants around Oxford, but bikes, and all by pedal power.

It can carry four cycles in total and was designed by Nick Lobnitz of carry-freedom-trailer fame and also the wonderful paper bike. The man is a genius.

The trailer itself looks quite big but actually it’s the same width as a cycle lane (or the width they’re supposed to be).

It has a steel tube frame with two wheels and the bikes get attached much the same as a car roof rack but can also be locked into the frame holder.

But the best surprise of the trailer is that if I blindfolded you and asked you what you were trailing, you’d never guess (it’s that light).

My plan is to deliver and collect our hire bikes; my aim, perhaps not surprisingly, is to use less diesel and get the company’s eco-credits up.

This go me thinking about other businesses in Oxford which have forsaken the automobile and instead trail their wares and services through the streets by bike.

My workshop sees many business cycles; for instance, we have carried out repairs on Yo Sushi’s delivery bike and Oxford University’s courier stable.

And Maggie Hartford recently highlighted in the Mail’s sister paper The Oxford Times those traders who still pedal their wares. Ice cream, cheese and vegetable deliveries all flourish from the Covered Market and, for the time being, Royal Mail still uses good old Pashley bikes to deliver letters and parcels.

Our local gardener can often be seen whizzing around, secateurs in pocket, spade under his arm, and while I can’t commend this behaviour, you have to love the sheer recklessness of the man.

The best story I have heard by miles was the alarm installation man who was called out recently by a friend of mine in Headington.

He turned up on a bike, more jolly and energetic than the usual tradesman in a Transit van, and, obviously energised by his early morning commute, instead of angered by the traffic, he was also bang on time.

His job seemed an impossible task, considering his equipment (he had no ladder!), but instead of making excuses, he asked my friend if he could borrow his.

An alarm installer without a ladder? But consider this – the “eco-factor” is his unique selling point.

Not only has he reduced his overheads but he will be in high demand by the eco-warrior customer, who not only expects eco-credentials but is also prepared to pay more for them. So if you think your business wouldn’t benefit from pedal-powered deliveries, think again.

The advertising sticks in your mind better than that on a van, and if you manage to carry a heavy or unusual load, you will get noticed.

Plus, if you think it will take you longer to get across town, then consider the times you get stuck in traffic.

Even picking up important clients can be done by bike; one avid Jericho cyclist I know picks up his business clients from the station on a tandem, using a trailer for luggage, all in the name of environmentalism.

Finally, if I haven’t persuaded you to do the heavy work yourself, contact Oxon Carts who will courier in and around the city, providing eco-friendly delivery solutions we can all enjoy.