Look around here. There is a pretty sophisticated cargo e bike scene in Portland and these guys are real pros.
https://www.splendidcycles.com John On Sat, Mar 16, 2019 at 10:26 PM Kolby <kol...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi all, > > Looking for some help/feedback on the topic of cargo e-bikes -- not > specifically whether they are a good idea or not, but about specific > designs currently out there and what I should be looking for. Here's the > background: > > I'm soon moving from Brooklyn to Austin, and as I'll need a second car I > figured I might finally get that cargo bike I've always wanted instead. I > have two younger kids and will likely have a commute of 15ish miles daily. > > As soon as I started looking around, I quickly realized that Bosch motors > are taking over the Cargo category. Even though I'd never ridden an e-bike, > this made sense to me. I mean, it's kinda fun hauling my kid, my gear, and > myself up hills on my Atlantis, but sometimes it's just joyless drudgery > and I'd rather be driving. So the ebike was interesting. (Several test > rides later and I think it's probably the best hope of getting most people > out of cars and onto bikes, but that's another topic! :)) > > So I started looking at the options. It just so happens that Surly released > a cargo e-bike this month <https://surlybikes.com/bikes/big_easy>: The > Big Easy, which carries 400 pounds and goes 20 mph. > > My LBS had a Big Easy for test rides, so I took it out. After 30 mins I > was having so much fun I called to say I need another 30 mins at least. I > went all over my neighborhood, and on "trails" in Prospect Park. I put an > adult friend on the back and we easily cruised up a hill at 15 mph. It was > a total blast, and it had a great ride and feel in all situations--it felt > like one of my own. It was kind of a bone shaker, but softer tires with > less air would fix that, I figured. > > Then I started looking closer at the Surly, and I disappointment set in: > the kickstand isn't a double (really!?), it uses quick releases instead of > thru axles on a bike that hauls 400 pounds (this seems unwise, right?), and > the extra battery is under the bottom bracket for some reason. Even more > annoying, Surly, true to the name, doesn't make it easy to add a kid seat > or lights. That would be understandable if it were cheaper, but it's $5k -- > the same price as the Xtracycle eswoop and the Tern CSD, both of which come > with lights, fenders, etc and assume you'll likely be adding a kid seat or > something else like that. > > Annoyed, I took the Tern and Xtracycle out for rides, but ... both had a > terrible ride quality IMO. I wouldn't enjoy either on a daily or even semi > regular basis. Mostly it's due to the fact that they only come in one size, > which of course just doesn't work. (The Surly comes in S, M, L.) > > Lastly, I took a look out a Riese and Muller (front bucket style). > Specifically, the Load and Packster models. They are quite expensive > ($7k+), however they're available used for about the price of the Surly and > others. They have suspension and the ride is both unfamiliar but also very > stable and buttery smooth. The downside of the Riese seems to be all the > moving parts that make the magic happen, or so it seems to me -- more > potential points of failure. And it also comes in just one size, which also > feels too small. But overall I liked it and could ride it for hours a day > happily, I think. > > (Note: the size and kinds of cargo that can be carried by the Surly and > the Riese & Muller really is different, but in my case both satisfy my > needs sufficiently that this isn't a factor for my decision.) > > So, RBW peeps, I realize that Cargo e-bikes are very UN-Riv, however, I > trust there are some open minded folks out there with good input or ideas > on how to proceed. None of these options are ideal -- far from it. But last > I checked Grant has no plans for a cargo e-bike, so I'm stuck with either > the lazy and unhelpful Surly, which requires a lot of mods but seems the > best platform; or the front loading Riese and Muller, which seems amazing > but is so different than anything I know or have had that it makes me > uncomfortable. > > Thanks for any help > Kolby > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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