I’ve been thinking about getting an eCargo bike for going for the weekly shop (about 5 miles away) and generally carting my three kids about. (3 months, 3 and 6)

The options I like the look of are the Rise and Muller and Urban Arrow, anyone had one and got any advice?

Considerations: I’m in Dumfries and there aren’t that many big hills, but it can be quite undulating and as soon as lock down ends I’m sure it’ll go back to raining 24/7/365

I built a cargo bike then put an electric motor kit on it. It’s been a life changer tbh, I went from just riding to work, 3 miles a week to riding everywhere with my twin boys and put about 5000 miles on it in three years.

Ive spoken to someone with a UA and they really rate it. You can get waterproof canopies for the kids which help. I made one for mine which means it’s an all year thing.

Test ride them if you can, and when you do don’t look at the front wheel! All the cargo bikes I’ve ridden are super stable at high speed I guess because of the long wheelbase.

Thanks Kevs, not sure about the practicality of test riding at the moment, but in an ideal situation I would.
What cargo bike did you adapt?

E cargo bikes are great.

I have a xtracycle free radical kit on a Kona sutra with a bafang kit on.

You need to speak to Ben kinetics I think . He’s Glasgow based.

I made the cargo bike itself….

I used the rear triangle from a BSO and made from the seat tube forward but I based it on the bullitt geometry.

I’ve got an analogue cargo bike and it’s been a game changer.
It’s lead to me selling my car and doing all my travel on public transport.

I went for the halfway option and bought a (cheap) trailer.

Then bought an OFO and put panniers on it.

As above, it’s amazing how much you can get done on a bike with the right luggage attachments. Tempted to electrify the OFO with the kit TJ bought and make it a real load lugger!

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Social distancing on a bike. #xtracycle #freeradical #kona #konasutra #notjustashoppingbike #bafang

A post shared by Terry Davidson (@trail.rat) on Apr 5, 2020 at 7:48am PDT

Cargo bike with the trailer. Who family fits on board and the motor still hauls us up the hill to the house.

Needs a convoi exceptionall sign 🙂

I went for a Longtail after riding a few different options.
Got a Yuba Spicy Curry with the Bosch Performance line and love it.

Easily carries more than I ever need to carry. Including my 4 year old and Mrs on the back occasionally.

What’s that front rack Trail Rat? looks like you could seriously load it up!

I managed to snap the bracket on my OFO so fabricated a new one, but it does affect the handling if it’s loaded heavily though, wondered about riffing a more conventional rack and panniers.

Thanks everyone. Think we’ll go down the complete bike route. Anyone with experience of the Urban Arrow or others?

Sanername

I’m pretty sure @benkinetics uses the risse Muller as his car.

He also has a demo fleet of cargo bikes and other wierd and wonderful things.

He’s also a font of knowledge on the subject.

Would be worth a drive up to his shop in Glasgow when the lockdowns lifted as they ain’t cheap

I have a Bullitt. It is brilliant.

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Tip trip

A post shared by brant (@shedfire) on Jan 8, 2020 at 5:14am PST

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Can you ship it? Yes we can. Jeans & shirts going to Norway, France, Holland & all over the UK today.

A post shared by HebTroCo (@hebtroco) on Apr 14, 2020 at 10:05am PDT

I would love one of these and really bought into the idea of biking everywhere when visiting family in Germany, but the price of them would make me terrified of leaving it outside Asda, even Tesco would be a bit scary

I would love one of these and really bought into the idea of biking everywhere when visiting family in Germany, but the price of them would make me terrified of leaving it outside Asda, even Tesco would be a bit scary

Cheaper than a car and a lot more identifiable if it was nicked though.

And without the battery I suspect they’d make the worlds slowest getaway vehicle!

I would recommend not bothering with an e cargo bike unless you’re in a hurry or a really hilly area. The extra weight compared to a normal bike is fairly manageable, just slower. I managed to slog mine up ditching beacon earlier today, 2 toddlers onboard and it’s only got a 7 speed alfine hub. Something with a little more gearing would be all you need. Can also convert it later if you find it’s too tough.

South downs way, earlier

If I had the space for one I would have one like the above – cargo out front

Have a look at Tern from MooreLarge. I’ve got an electric folder from them and it’s brilliant!

What about Circe Helios? or Morpheus? Could start out as cargo/kiddie bike, gain a stoker as they grow. They do triplets too.

https://www.circecycles.com/products/solutions/child-carrying/

Best thing ever. I’m running a scratch local delivery service for people in isolation using a Riese & Müller packster 80. Has a massive load capacity and does well in our Pennine hills. Pic on http://www.beatekubitz.com/#/cargodale

You can also get powered trailers which I’m considering for expansion as they’re lower centre of gravity so could stack higher. I may get chance to try out another brand too so watch this space.

I’m interested in the e-Bullitt.

Few German gov are offering a grant of 25% upto a max of 1000€ for any ebike bought by a business.

You can fit two systainer boxes side by side on a bullit.

We have a Tern GSD and it’s great but two kids and an adult pedalling is the limit for carrying people.
Pannier’s are huge, ex-PO box on the back and I might make a rack for the front.
(Swipe to pic 2)

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Grocery-getting by bike and as a family. @ternbicycles #gsd does the heavy lifting, I just carry #angelbakery #bread and #cakes #trekcrockett #backyardbivvy later.

A post shared by Thom (@thomthebike) on Apr 4, 2020 at 8:17am PDT

Have you got somewhere with enough space to store it? They take up quite a lot of room

I have a Surly Big Dummy, it’s 7 foot long and pretty wide due to the xtracycle U tubes coming out the side. I keep it in a very cramped garage.

I originally wanted to get a Tern GSD but they’re expensive and I wouldn’t be using it often enough.

Electrification would be very useful for me, and I’d probably use it more, though not clear how much more. It’s great for running local errands when parking by shops would be a pain. I keep the locks (and all the shopping bags and straps) permanently in the xtracycle panniers.

Hub gears would be massively helpful if you’re carting kids and cargo around and need to stop a lot. Otherwise getting going again needs prior planning. They are less efficient though, and heavy!

agree on hub gears.

I went belt and braces – i have a sturmey archer 3 speed rear hub – with a 10 speed cassette on outside.

because its electric and it has alot of weight – i need to keep the RPM so not to blow the controller so needs the gears.

TINAS – my front rack is a rear rack i repurposed and made some modifications to. The basket is out of IKEA – Great when your just nipping to the shop for a few beers or a pizza…. pizzas dont like going vertical in the panniers…….

I’m assuming you are looking at two wheelers rather than trikes? I much prefer the riding position and handling of cargo bikes that you ride on the front of like the Truck or Mike Burrow’s 8-Freight. Not many options but you can get an e conversion for an 8-Freight.

We use the Urban Arrows for work and they are well built and ride nicely. Be aware though that there is a longish distance from pedal to saddle so the riding position will feel unusual. They are pricey because they are so well built. Lots of options, we have a huge box on the front that you can fit a couple of adults into (if you wanted!).

Babboes are a cheaper option and worth considering. They do look more stylish and less utilitarian than the UA.

Bullitts are ok but the handling does take some getting used to. I find the UAs much easier to handle. Once you have got the hang of them though they are fine. It’s the setting off that feels strange.

Last time I spoke to John at G&G he was talking about doing the Ridgeback E-Cargo – uses Shimano E-8000 motor. Give him a shout?

think about where your going to ride.

i can get my longtail through the cycle path gates on my most used paths. thats why i bought a long tail.

Bakfiets will not get onto the cycle path

was a decider for me.

Bakfiets will not get onto the cycle path

I’ve not found a single cycle path my cabby won’t get onto. Going up big curbs are tricky (but would be on anything, a 20″ wheel that you have no ‘lift’ on is a pain). Worst case scenario you can fold the basket (which I’ve never had to do) or lift the rear round a bit. It can get through this rather narrow opening, for example.. https://goo.gl/maps/pU9hVMQvWa6YqR6D9 and this one https://goo.gl/maps/cpkSVPDAWyahw3kU6

For me, if its for carrying small kids, I wouldn’t even consider a longtail. Chucking 2 kids in the front, in a windproof, dry space full of their books & toys over a winter commute makes things much more pleasant.

For hub gears, I’d be wary of anything with nexus on the back – this may be less of an issue with an e-bike but mine doesn’t have as much gearing as I’d really like. Also roller brakes start producing interesting smells on larger hills when you’re >200kg all in

trail rat makes a good point. I can’t get a cargo bike with a big front carrier through my local shortcut, that would make a big difference to journeys locally. My bike has about an inche clearance either unloaded. If its loaded with the normal tarp style reusable bags either side (up to 2 on each side) then it brushes the metalwork. It’s just ok though

The other thing is think about the size of your kids and what you carry. My 7 and 8 year old would need a fair bit of space to fit on the front. Longtail bike works better for me. Make sure you get a good stand and some mudguards