Trek Launches Fetch+ Range Of Electric Cargo Bikes

It’s got to be seen as A Good Thing when a big bike manufacturer starts making cargo bikes. These are straight up car alternatives, and bringing them out of the world of niche enthusiasts or committed eco-warriors will place them in full view of the general public. The easier it is to find and buy a cargo bike, the more normal it will seem. The more normal it seems, the more people will do it. The more people do it, the more bikes there are on the road, and the more other people will join them. So, what is Trek bringing to the cargo bike party?

There’s a ‘longtail’ cargo bike, plus a ‘bucket style’ cargo bike. They’re very much focussed on kid carrying, with a lot of practical considerations given to how you carry kids plus school bags, or supermarket shopping.

Fetch+ 2

• Price: £4500

The Fetch+ 2 is the longtail bike. You can carry two children on the back, and Trek has developed a range of optional plastic panniers for the front and rear. These allow you carry shopping, but the rear ones also act as a place to keep your kids’ legs tucked in and out of the way. There are drainage holes, so you can rinse out any sticky after school snack spills. The Fetch+ 2 is equipped with the Powertube 500 battery.

Fetch+ 4

• Price: £7200

The Fetch+4 will carry up to five kids, four in the bucket, and one if you put a seat on the back. The bike comes with two reclining seats in the front as standard, with harnesses, and you can add extra seats if you need them. There’s a big rain cover for the front bucket, making it an all weather transport option (at least for the kids – you’re on your own while pedalling!). The Fetch+ 4 is equipped with the Powertube 750 battery.

Both bikes use the new Bosch SmartSystem and CargoLine motor, giving 85Nm of torque. There are four modes, that includes a top ‘cargo’ mode designed to assist with heavy loads, even on steeper climbs. You can adjust the settings using the Flow App, and check your remaining range, plus a load of other features. There’s also a touch of extra theft protection, which will disable your ebike when your phone is not within range of the bike. It also contains a motion detector that will sound an alarm if the bike is being moved a lot, as well as sending a message to your phone. There’s also a function to prevent your bike from rolling backwards.

Both bikes come in a one size fits most, but the Fetch+ 4 comes with a dropper post – a feature we added to our Benno cargo bike during testing, as it makes swapping between riders nice and easy, and also adds stability when starting and stopping with a heavy load.

We’re hoping to get the Fetch+ 2 in to test, so we can see how it compares to Benno we had. Price wise, it looks like both will bring a decent competitor to the market. These will be available through a host of Trek dealers across the country, who offer financing through Klarna and Santander. You’d probably be looking for finance for a car, so for many it’s an important consideration when buying a cargo bike. Hopefully this launch will see a few more bikes like these at the school gates.

While you’re here…