Unusual: the corbicyclette, the hearse made like a bicycle

For the beyond, the Corbicyclette aims to become an alternative solution for more eco-friendly funeral processions.

Environmentalism sometimes extends beyond life; some people develop solutions to reduce our environmental footprint, such as humusation, a process that allows the body to become compost, while others choose cremation with the planting of a tree instead of burial with a headstone and maintenance in a cemetery. But now, a cargo bike is offering an alternative.

Farewell the hearse, hello the Corbicyclette!

Isabelle Plumereau from the funeral home Le Ciel et la Terre shares a simple idea: replacing the bulky thermal hearses with a triporteur-type cargo bike. And their official name is obvious: the Corbicyclette!

“I had been dreaming of making this idea a reality for several years” confides the creator of this original tricycle, “It had to be a bike large and powerful enough to carry this precious load, and a partner to adapt it by combining robustness, lightness, stability, with a gentle, pretty, comforting design”. 

To create her funeral bike, Isabelle P. called on the caravanmakers Carapate Aventure, run by Fabien Denis and Jean-Marie Reymond. “They immediately enthusiastically took on this challenge” she says.

A more eco-friendly funeral procession

The result is that this cargo bike is a triporteur, with a wide box at the front. Naturally, this vehicle is assisted by an electric motor. Because you have to push the bike, the person at the handlebar, the box, and the coffin. But the advantages are numerous: no noise, vibrations, or pollutant gas emissions. The bike features a steel frame, a plywood cabin, and is manufactured in Nantes.

Le Ciel et la Terre specifies that the Corbicyclette corresponds to “all funeral convoys, for transporting the coffin from the departure point (funerarium, hospital, home), passing through the crematorium or cemetery”. Funeral processions thus take on a new face: “on foot, by bicycle, roller skating…” suggests the organization!

Also read: Bicycle usage increased by 11% in 2022