Benno Boost E CX Cargo Bike – Tested for 700 miles

This product was selected for our Editors’ Choice Awards 2022, as published in Singletrack Magazine Issue 146 In the Editors’ Choice Awards we highlig …

By stwhannah

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Benno Boost E CX Cargo Bike – Tested for 700 miles

Great review, just a shame it costs so much, very much a niche (expensive) solution.

Great review.
My brother and his wife have very similar pair of machines. Used for commuting, shopping, school run, beach days etc. Now the New Zealand weather helps, but they are using them even more than they expected. So much so they are thinking of selling the old car they have and just hiring when they need.
Apparently biggest issue is parking them up – both security and Sheffield stands not being wide enough.

“Can it carry an average 24 year old as cargo? No.”
“More cargo carrying capacity than you can shake a stick at.”
[laughs in Yuba El Mundo and Urban Arrow] what are these rookie numbers!?
Electric Cargo bikes are amazing, and every household should have one. Just not that one.

I think this is the best bike review I’ve ever read. I really liked the dual-tester format of the hardtail reviews in issue 137 (“I’m rad and I thought this…”, “I’m maybe not quite so rad and I thought that…”), but this is a really entertaining step up.
Sorry, “we” think this is the best bike review.

@matt_outandabout We’ve not struggled too much with parking this one – I think it’s compact enough that it fits most places. I can see that the bucket style cargo bikes need a bit more space to park though – it’d be a bit antisocial to put one of them on the pavement! The only worry for me was leaving it in all the out of the way places that supermarkets etc choose to put bike stands. But with a substantial lock I learnt to relax a bit.

@brakestoomuch We are very happy to read your kind words!

Nice review, and nice bike. I sometimes wonder about getting something lighter than my old Yuba Mundo, but always staggered by price of these things – I thought my spending £1500 on a DIY electric (bafang mid-drive) cargo bike was a bit extravagent 7 years ago, but seems super-budget now

Up there in price with the Tern GSD. a side by side comparison would be interesting.
I’ve got those lights on a Canyon commuter. They’re expensive but I rate the front as pretty effective and the rear much more visible than you’d expect from the size (the lenses mean the centre LED is bright, side LEDs broad)- it’s a German-standards-compliant shaped beam, so gives light where it’s useful but I wonder if it’s designed to be at handlebar height and the low mount for it doesn’t really work?

Great review and a really useful insight into living with a cargo bike, something we’re looking in to!

Missed this at the time. Great review.

The other handy thing with a dropper, is getting your leg over it when fully laden. Mine is pretty much shopper/commute only and I find using the dropper to get on an absolute godsend.

I think If I had the choice again, this would be in the running. Looks very nice.