When I watch these videos, I imagine 80% of the car traffic replaced with copies of you on your bike and realize how much better of an environment that would be for everyone.
Also on a powered bike like that, it will cope with wet and windy weather better than an ordinary manual bike. Pull on a good quality bike poncho and you are protected from the rain and unlike the problem I found when I used a bike poncho with my manual bike, the powered e-bike will push you forward effortlessly into any headwind. On my manual bike I found the additional wind resistance cycling into a strong headwind to be very hard work and it was mostly easier to just not wear it because of that.
@@tconnolly9820 it will sap the battery and lower your speed, but yeah, electric bikes can handle a headwind. If you're riding with a headwind, the limits on ebike power in the USA and Europe do make themselves known, so I will typically drop mine into a lower assist setting and aim for a slower speed, rather than trying to beat Mother Nature. Range anxiety is real on a 70 lb/ 30 kg bike!
@@Ilander86 Yes, of course the more resistance you face the higher the drain will be on any battery. Get into your car if you have one and you will use more fuel too driving into a high headwind. The same with hills. Good quality current generation batteries in both car's and bikes are appearing to be very resilient. I'm a 2m tall and 120kg man. I know just sitting on any e-bike is going to immediately reduce it's expected range dramatically from the official specs. If I buy a bike with a 100km range in its eco mode, I'll be expecting that to drop by at least 30km when I sit on it. You gotta be realistic. I'm in the market for an e-bike in the foreseeable future and I'm checking out the much reduced and limited selection of bikes in frame sizes I would be comfortable in without doing an impression of Krusty The Clown on something way too small. I'm looking at higher powered batteries with longer range for those reasons. I've had a combined weight of 230kg between myself, bike and accessories, trailer and cargo on pedal power only. Add the boost I could get from an e-bike on its lowest power level of 60% assist and that alone would be a huge increase in my ability to propel almost a quarter of a tonne with a lot less effort. The same riding into a hail storm wearing a bike poncho. Although if the wind is still blowing from the same direction on the return journey wearing that poncho, I'll be able to turn the motor off and pedal myself home with little effort being pushed home like a sail in the wind. Glass half full or glass half empty. I know which one I see.
I love this! We ordered an Urban Arrow to replace our second vehicle and shuttle kids to and from daycare/school. Largely influenced by you, NJB, and some friends who recently got e-bikes. We should be getting it any day now and I'm so excited. I've been seeing more and more cargo bikes around our city. Maddy's perspective is so great (I started following her when we made the decision to get the bike) - no one bats an eye when I take my Outback down the street to pick up that one item I forgot at the grocery store and I certainly do not need that much car for that errand. ;)
Congrats on the new bike!! I can vouch for it being fun; our family loves getting around that way :-) Though there are some downsides I've found: even our youngest has opinions on directions and best routes to take now and we end up going out so much more often because it's easier and more enjoyable than parking/car seats/buying gas 😂
Using this specific bike, a Load 75, for my daily commute of 65 kms. Works really well, now at 16.000 kms without any technical problems (besides slipping off a bridge into a creek on my way home from the bike store, the first paint scratches always hurts the most). Mostly I don't carry lots of stuff and I don't have kids but just riding a massively big bike is like this is so much fun. And - as a bike advocate - the bike is really a conversation starter. People are curious and the massive carrying capacity is a argument in itself as to why doing stuff with bikes is possible.
We missed a checkbox for Canadian content, can you go camping or haul a canoe with your cargo bike? Fun video Tom, just encouraging anyone to look at their bike regardless of what it is as way more capable than we give them credit for is important. Infrastructure might let us all down but our bikes won't.
There's a Canadian company called Wike that makes a canoe trailer. This probably could also tow the canoe but it would be super long and awkward on tight turns
As a very happy owner going on 3+ years of this bike’s smaller cousin the R&M Load60, I really appreciate this video and perspective. If one is considering this bike the ability to conveniently park at home and easily grab it for any ride is indeed imperative. The slightly larger road presence, coupled with being full suspension and class 3, definitely allows me to feel safer taking the line when necessary. I’ve had this bike fully loaded (close to 200 lbs, not including myself) and can power up hills pretty easily when needed. Parking at some destinations is occasianally more challenging, but you learn quickly how to adapt. I’ve got the closable/lockable front cargo box which allows one to use this exactly like a car/van by making multiple stops along the way. I keep multiple locks for different levels of security depending on the situation, trigger an alarm when needed, plus having insurance helps with peace of mind. I hope this is helpful to anyone considering ditching the car for a cargo bike. Cheers!
@Bikes0420 In the Pacific NW, USA waterproof shoes replace sandals. Rain pants replace shorts. Pull on the rain shell/hood and it's still better than sitting in traffic.😉
E-bike happiness: When it's safest "taking the lane" at a large stop light - Ebike tip for new riders not mentioned - - put it in a comfortable, powerful start gear and - THIS is the time to use some battery: put it in "turbo" /top assistance. If you have the right of way, size up the monster truck in oncoming left turn lane & communicate - they have been surprisingly polite & legal to me on a bike! (and I'm NOT even a 25-year-old supermodel) Communication is key. Excellent channel & style!! Thanks for her perspective from cargobikemama!
I commute 30km four times a week on my Load75. I love it. The extra size helps deter cars and I’ve fitted four side lights to the side to aid visibility for cross traffic. Would recommend the abs option. Whilst expensive it negates the risk of locking your front wheel.
I've had my eye on this bike for years and that's my biggest concern. R&M bikes are amazing - I I've had a Birdy folding bike for 25 years so I'm a fan already - but cheap they ain't.
yes! (hi, cargobikemomma's husband here :) - we lock our bikes on the street with Hiploks and motorcycle covers (and airtags). Had a lot of the same anxiety about this when we got our urban arrow 4 years ago, but honestly, if you have insurance and a good lock, (at least personally) i got a lot less nervous and worried and focused more on just enjoying each ride and all the experiences we've had. so if it gets stolen today, yeah that would really suck... but like anything, we'd just have to deal with it and move on. I love the quote: "worrying is praying for what you don't want". in the early days i used to run downstairs with every little sound, fearful that someone was doing something. now, i just don't even think about it anymore. honestly it would be pretty impressive if someone took the time to grind through a $500 lock for a bike with no battery or display unit and then tried to sell it or something. in Europe, where these bikes are way way more common and understood, and it's way easier for thieves to, say, just steal the motor bc they know what they're looking for, and can hop in a van and drive to Poland to resell... that's just not the case in the US.
Depends where you are and insurance, of course. I watched recent, same bike report after two years, 11000km use and only outside storage. Bike was still reviewed by its original owner, in Germany. Also, Bosh and some other motors manufacturers have GPS tracking chip build into the motor. If your bike will start to move without you on it, your phone will let you know.
Thanks for the e-bike content! I'm fairly recent to the e-bike community having purchased one a year ago.(Partly inspired by videos like yours!) Game changer for my hilly area. At that time, I had not ridden for 30 years and cycling was out of the question given my age and the hills I have to deal with. Now, I ride to a studio about 5 miles away four days a week, go to doctors' appointments, and do most shopping by bike. And most social things like lunch, etc. So much better! I have found that with a robust basket on the front stem and a large collapsable milk carton type basket on the back, I can haul most of what I need. We still use a car for the big Costco run, but TBH, that's partly because there is no safe infrastructure that will get us there on bikes. I think that if people do not need passenger capacity, there are ways of hauling a LOT of kit on a sturdy e-bike and avoiding the parking hassles that come with a box type cargo bike. However, if I didn't have a back up car and needed a ride to get my large dog to the vet, a bakfeit (sp?) would be the way to go!
Personally I think if you can afford an electric cargo bike you can probably afford a normal bike as well. I've bought good quality, running steel frame bikes for around $50, and two different bikes gives you two different ways to enjoy riding! 😃
honestly for a lot of people who only walk from their car to their desk or sofa most days (not a criticism, its easy to get into that routine even for people who would be very active if they had the time) just moving the pedals around while the motor does all the work would be a noticeable improvement. Personally when I got an e-bike for commuting I didn't think I'd do any cycling, but ive gradually found myself pushing harder and harder on my commute and turning the assistance down or off when im cycling around just to explore on my days off.
Honestly, if i was going to be on a bike in traffic, i would want to be on a Bakfiets. The big bike would make you way more visible, and the electric boost helps to maintain a good speed
Tom: I would love it if you visit Grin Technology in Vancouver. They make e-bike kits and have some industry-leading products like the Base- and Phase-runner controllers, Satiator charger and Analyst computer. You are fairly close.
I don't know if that's really his vibe. Grin does make good products, but they're more in the hack your e-bike space and Shifter, being a conventional cyclist most of the time, appears to be in the camp of legal, speed- and powe-limited e-bikes.
We have a tandem bike which is large like a cargo bike ,so parking it can be a challenge. Other challenges include : turning on gravel in tight turns, cycling in winter.
That particular bike costs the same as a small hatchback where I live, that said I believe it is part of a much better lifestyle. As someone who plans to retire soon I am not buying another car but rather an E cargo bike, my wife says I'm nuts but you know I think she'd say that anyway.
I really want to get a nice 2 wheel front load cargo bike, but really can't justify it right now. I get by pretty well with my 4000w mid drive ebike and a kid/ cargo trailer(burley cub x).
Two questions. 1) Do you feel less worried about it being stolen because it's so big? 2) How do you think it'll handle in winter? Studded for sure. I have a great city bike that I put studded tires on, but I'm still terrified some days of the black ice and mashed potato snow in Ontario. I'm worried about the extra mass of a bike on top of that
I think it's size does make it a bit harder to steal because you can't just pick it up and throw it in the back of a truck, but it's so expensive I would definitely use a very strong lock system. I think with studded tires it would be fine in winter -- it has such a long wheelbase that I think it might be quite stable, but I'd like to try it myself in the winter.
Myself bought a R&M Load 60 last week. Just fantastic!!! But am I the only one who has problems with the very large turning circle to the left ??? Whilst turning to the right is OK???
Does anyone make a fat tire e-cargo bike? I'm in the upper midwest, USA. Winter = snow. So wide studded tires would be a must. Or how do normal e-cargo bikes do in the winter?
Thanks for the video! It sounds like an e-bike really could be the viable option to replace a car. What is the range of battery and how long does it take to charge it?
Thanks so much Brad. This model is pretty customizable, so you the range depends on how many batteries you have, how much weight your hauling, the hills and how fast your riding. I rode all day almost 75 kms for this video and it still got me home. It took a few hours to recharge.
Interesting review however there is some information that should be part of the review. What is dry weigh, is the 750 W adequate for riding up hills with a passenger and cargo, what is the length and width of the bike. I live in Nanaimo BC and there are a lot of hills in the city, if I ride the Nanaimo Parkway Trail there are hills with 8-to-12-degree hills to climb. The trail is paved but by the looks of the bike I would think that the bike would take up about three quarters of the trail width of the trail, that would be an issue as the tree line in many places is right next to the trail and there are very few places that there is no shoulder to ride. Thanks for the review.
The width of the cargo bike tested is narrower than most handle bars on mountain bikes, but also my EVO Old Man Fat Bike handle bars are wider than most ATV gates, ouch!
This wasn't intended to be a review of this specific bike, more just a look at how a cargo bikes can fit into our lives. If you're interested in the specifics, check out the specs here. But I can say, I hauled some pretty heavy loads up some pretty big hills and it handled it very well. www.r-m.de/en-ca/bikes/load-75/
Ebike question. My brakes wear out crazy fast, and my cassette lasted about a year. Is it a brand/quality issue? Or is it my riding technique? Or something else? I suspect it's stop and go of city riding, but I'd like an expert opinion.
I have done 3,500 miles on my ebike over the past three years and used 4 sets of brake pads. I always carry a spare set; have taught myself to change them (simple task with two tools).
You're going faster on a heavier vehicle. The dealer that sold me my bike told me up front that ebikes take more maintenance, require certain spare parts more often, and run through consumable items like brake pads more quickly. My ebike is from 2017 or 2018 and at 15575 km atm. I'm on my second front gear (changed around 9k km), third cassette, 4th chain, plenty of brake pads, third brake disk in the back, second brake disk in the front, third rear wheel (+ 2 more mantles) and second front wheel, and the battery has deteriorated from ~110 km range to around 70 km range. I have it serviced once a year and do smaller things myself like swapping brake pads, or cleaning and oiling the chain. I also removed air from the brake lines twice and topped up the brake fluid but fuck doing that again by myself, it sucks. So for me the ebike cost 3300 € and maintenance + replacement parts comes out to 150-300 € per year with the first couple years being cheaper than the others. If the battery or motor break I will buy a new one but until then I'm just riding it until it dies. Still a lot cheaper than a car. As for technique, it matters a lot. When you approach a spot where you have to slow down or stop, shift down. Then shift down one or two more gears. The electric motor has a lot of torque and forces on the cassette are highest when starting from a stop. I also ride it much more often and longer distances than I did my old normal bike, so of course it wears out more quickly. For braking, I was told to not let the brake slide. So you're either breaking with some force or not at all. When slowing down over 50 m or so, don't just brake slightly for the whole 50 m, brake a couple times with some force and a couple seconds in-between. I got no idea if that really helps though, it is just what I was told by the bike mechanic after my third set of brake pads actually still had some material but didn't brake properly anymore. I think it is a huge problem that most ebikes are still using mostly normal bike components. I've seen some components specialized for ebikes but we really need more of those. Especially brakes and cassettes seem too small for a heavier vehicle going at a higher speed than what they were designed for. Plus on a already heavy ebike it won't matter much if those components are slightly heavier whereas most normal bike parts are designed with part weight being a pretty big concern.
Man, almost makes me want kids so I could justify having one of these. But, for me, the kid would be an accessory to the bike, and that's just wrong. I'll stick to my regular bikes for now.
I have a cargo bike and friends of drinking age. Should they ever take up drinking, do I actually have to throw them into the bucket like a sack of rice, or can I just gently put them in? Can they just climb in themselves and take a nap? (Non-serious comment ofc)
You must be the mind reader! I'm thinking of going to Belgium from Canada. Where they pay for bike to work or helping with bike lease. And they say LJ cargo bike is the car replacement. But... Yesterday I removed R&M's Load/Load4 60 from bookmarks. Two reasons. One. Max weight of the cyclist is 110 kg. This is a joke if you are North American. I ride for commute on bike and longboard and I'm more than 110kg, yet nothing special person here. Second. Air front fork. Manufacturer of this fork wants full disassembly by dealer at least once a year before winter or every 150 hours. I asked local experienced rider how much it costs in GTA. 500 CAD. So, R&M is not for me. I don't want to waste my time and money on design failures. Oh, another thing about R&M LJs. According to one honest user who has put 11000 km on it (he goes to dealer for air fork service every 1500 km) the rear fender on this 10000 CAD bike is too short and not protecting back from back wheel splashes. But where are another LJ without those design failures...
This video wasn't intended to be a review of this specific model, rather just a look at how a cargo e-bike might fit into your life. I hope you find one that works for you, and thanks for sharing your insight!
- 5:55 It's legal for kids to ride bicycle on sidewalks but illegal for adults to do so, adults are required to ride bicycles in the road with cars? 🤨 WTF writes these laws? Have they ever even SEEN a bike in their lives? Are they conflating bicycle with motorcycles? 😒 I've been run over by an SUV in the mf sidewalk, there's no gd way I'm riding in the road if I can avoid it. 😠 - 6:16 If anything, it's WORSE to ride a cargo-bike in the road because it's bigger and heavier and less maneuverable, so it's harder to move it. The stupidest city-planning design I've ever seen is bike-lanes in the middle of the road surrounded on both sides by car-lanes going UPHILL or sharrows going uphill. What kind of lissencephalitic brain-damaged psychopath came up with that‽ 🤨 Just imagine trying to huff and puff and exert a lot of energy to slowly push your bike up a hill with angry, impatient, garbage drivers around and behind you. 😒 - 6:45 You'd RATHER be in a bike-lane? 🤨 I'm so sick of North Americans being satisfied with bike-lanes. Even a protected bike-lane is still TRASH. Hell, even a bike PATH (an extension of a sidewalk), up a curb, and even with a grass buffer between it and the road is still awful compared to COMPLETELY SEPARATE paths like in Amsterdam, Oulu, etc. Even sidewalks and bike-paths with a grass buffer and curb to avoid being run over are still running along the side of the road with all the pollution and noise. You may enjoy inhaling smoke and going deaf in a bike-lane, but _I'd_ rather a proper path through the parks and AWAY from roads. Jason of NJB and Pekka Tahkola have said that these sorts of separate paths are often actually more direct and shorter routes than going the long way around along the side of the road. - 10:14 Most of North America is awful for bike-parking. Even if you can actually find somewhere near your destination to lock it (like a road sign, let alone a bike-rack), it's still probably terrible either physically incompatible (won't fit or reach), or causing the bike to slide down or into the road to get hit by cars. - 16:52 Exactly. There have been plenty of times I decided to just not go to a store or whatever because I was in a car and it was too much of a hassle to try to navigate there through traffic and park and all the hassle of a car, even if the store was literally just right there next to me. On bikes however, it's not a problem, I can go wherever I want whenever I want and change my plans on a whim. (Well, mostly, there are still plenty of times I don't feel like stopping or trying to turn my bike around, but it's _MUCH_ less of a mental-obstacle than a car.)
Looks like the owner is still pinching on you to have a bike helmet on! What is the actual weight of this contraption, just clean? 100 pounds? I see a couple of different ways of looking at the exercise with an e-bike; It totally varies based on the subject rider. You were mentioning about the lowest setting on them and what you get from that. Alright. But you've got riders out there who are only going to use throttle or high PAS. They get fresh air and the bare minimum for the exercise. But even if a fit guy who rides regular bikes for exercise goes and dials up to 80% PAS or something like that, he'll very often be cranking to close to max effort at times or at least a heavy effort. He wants the speed. That's part of what you get from those, the added speed, which you only get by putting in lots of effort. It's part of the fun of riding something like this. Likewise for me sometimes I'll do a complete utility ride for a few miles on no power. Like it's a mental preset before you go where at other times you might call out a miles number or a point on the route to get to before you use any battery. So in that first case you get more than any regular bike for the exercise for that distance with, in my case, a 55 lbs. bike.
To anyone riding a bike in traffic, get a mirror for your bike! It makes you aware of whats coming behind you the whole time and makes your ride wayyy safer! Definitely worth the few bucks you're going to spend on it!
Agreed! It's a must-have. I let my son borrow my helmet with a mirror for his 17-mile bike commute, and he lost the mirror. I now feel blind without it. I almost can't stand to ride without it, so I'm replacing it as soon as possible. It makes a huge difference.
I switched from a traditional bike to an e-bike in 2019 and then an e-cargo Urban Arrow Family in 2020 for everyday use and will literally never go back. Once my kid is too big to want to be hauled around by dad, I'll likely switch to an e-cargo with a smaller capacity like a Babboe, but, as someone who can't drive, the e-cargo has given me the closest approximation to the freedom of mobility experienced by North American car drivers that I've ever had. Thanks for all the videos, Tom!
I think ebikes are amazing machines to alleviate the downsides of car dependency. I love my Magnum Cosmo X and I use it a lot. I've put over 2k miles on it since getting it in the spring. I've ridden a manual bike to work in the winter, but I do plan on getting a studded tire for me ebike so I can keep trekking through the snow in the winter. I love the idea of cargo bikes. They are a great tool to get around car dependency and start to enjoy the ride itself and not just the destination.
My friend’s dad rides a cargo bike to work everyday and loves it! He usually takes his dog with him in the front, too - which adds cuteness points! I’ve ridden in the front of it. While not comfy, it was fun seeing the city that way - even as an adult!
Some of the advantages brought up are just a "electric bike" thing. I ride an electric bike and it is really great. For example the "owning the lane" effect mostly comes from riding a vehicle with relatively high and steady speed, with decent acceleration, that doesn't slow down or make you struggle. This means there is a predictable flow and cars can drive around you easier, or just stick behind you because you're going 25 km/h in a 30 zone instead of 18 km/h that would invite them to overtake. I have ridden a (non-electric, rented) cargo bike before and found it to be nice to ride and great for transporting the thing that I wanted to transport, but ultimately a bit cumbersome to ride around corners as well as hell to park. I also could not own a cargo bike if I wanted to because parking bikes in the underground (car) parking garage is not allowed by Bavarian state law and a cargo bike would not fit through the "air lock" and corridors to the (badly planned) bike room. If you don't have to ride your kids to school with it, an electrically assisted bicycle and some good bike bags will allow all of this without most of the downsides. I can only recommend it. There are also bike trailers you can use to transport the occasional large item - and most of the time you just ride around without the trailer. "I need this larger vehicle so I can haul stuff" is the quintessential American truck problem, so avoid it: If you actually haul your kids (or dog) around on it, then it is awesome, but don't buy a vehicle that's larger than what you need.
"parking bikes in the underground (car) parking garage is not allowed by Bavarian state law" That has to be one of the dumbest laws i've heard in awhile.
Great video. My favourite points were: 1. If you love doing something and want to do it more keep it close at hand, there should be no steps before you can get up and go. 2. Electric bikes do encourage more extra trips when the weather is nice and longer rides in general so if you don't ride daily you'll probably break even on the fitness side. 3. The bike industry has invested a lot of time and money into making the perfect bike and tire combination for every slight variation of surface material (asphalt, hard pack dirt, slightly wet dirt, mud, gravel, sand, snow) but you don't have to own 6 different bikes if you don't want to.
Hi Tom, just wanted to thank you! Thanks to your videos, I've been inspired to take up cycling in my city of Philadelphia and it's been a lot of fun! I even got your book from my library and have been really enjoying reading it! Keep up the good work!
@@Shifter_Cycling You were a big part of me starting some commutes on my bike as well in Raleigh, NC. Doing 3-4 commutes a week with my bike now around 5 miles each way. I don't love when my bike lane just dashes out, spitting me into traffic at a busy intersection but I've gotten over the hump of anxiety about taking the lane and have come to truly enjoy going by bike and miss it when I drive. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement from a lot of the videos you've made!
Thanks Tom for highlighting what a game changer the cargo bikes can be, I have come to the realization that I really didn't need to own a gigantic pickup truck just to drive around myself and maybe my kids and the odd costco run so I sold my Ford F series pickup and bought a front load cargo bike to replace it and it is working fantastic, we still have my wife's small hatchback for out of town trips but we have easily replaced 2/3rds or more of our regular errands with the cargo bike we are happier the kids love it and have lost a few Lbs to boot!
Good balanced report. For some people, cargo bikes are a good fit. The expense, storage and parking are problems as you point out. A regular bike with racks, panniers, baskets, etc. can carry a lot of stuff. That might be a solution in many cases. Less expensive and more flexible.
Yeah, if you're bringing a kid/dog or kit (e.g. trades gear) for work around with you at least a couple times a week, a cargo bike totally makes sense. Otherwise, the standard bike is probably suitable since a trailer can be more easily stored separately. Or you could rent a car. 😅
There are other kinds of cargo bikes that might be a better fit. Mid-tails, long-tails or cycle trucks have a lot of capacity with a shorter wheel base that is easier to maneuver and park.
Depressing that the summary (rightly) is IF you can find a way not to get you bike stolen it will be good for you I understand police don't care about a $100 bike being stolen but this is the cost of a decent car and given we have an obesity epidemic, anything that gets people away from driving to a McDonald's should be protected. Other thing about cycling is if you are cycling you can view yourself as healthy and make better decisions... makes me sad!
I have the very same bike with a slightly higher speed limit (45km/h limited), but the design doesn't really allow it (37-38 is cruising speed). That's pretty much the only downside I think. I have 14 gears, but never ever use the lower 5 and standard loaded starting is at 7th gear. Different gearing in the front is not possible with the current design. In the back it's allready the smalles cog. We dithced one car for 2 electric bikes, I still have the company van for longer distances or really big loads, but the RM takes the same volume load as my fathers SUV 😀
I dunno if I'd ever get one of these kinda cargo bikes, especially cuz my kid is already old is old enough to ride his own bike already and LA probably won't be easy to live car free in for decades, but a mid/long tail cargo bike seems like a good middle ground (station wagon vs minivan comparison) and I feel like that could totally fill 80% of the use-case and be a lot more reasonably priced and easy to maneuver. I like how Shifter seems to cover a lot of angles that aren't usually thought of with urbanism, like limited space/income, family use, etc.
A good option might be something such as the Lectric Xpedition which costs around $1400. It you add their large basket on top of the built in rack and XL panniers with running boards on the sides of the rack that gives a ton of storage for around $300 more. All in you are looking at about $1700 plus tax. A lot more people can afford that than these really nice, but pricey cargo bikes that are $5000 and up.
Ironically despite being into urbanism, I am a huge fan if garages. Not for putting your car in, but for working on projects and storing little used items or gear. The beauty of a bakfiets is that if i lived somewhere with good bike infrastructure, I could have a one car garage instead of a two car, and still have plenty of room to put stuff and the bike in the garage
I got myself Urban Arrow Family almost two years ago. And now I'm almost never ride my regular bike. Cargo bike feels so much better! And you always have an opportunity to make a detour to a store to pick up something for myself or my family. I highly recommend cargo bike to everyone. Have a large dog - cargobike. Love Home Depot trips - cargobike. Have kids - cargobike. Love to party - cargobike your packies to and friends back from the party
An important part of the pedal assist is you can turn it off completely for that extra fitness. With a cargo bike, that's a lot of extra weight, meaning if you wish to go touring or bikepacking on a normal bike your fitness overhead is already there. Not into the cargobike, but i have a surly bridge club i am building into a utility monster, def considering a pedal assist conversion to access the hills in town and as a way to get to and from some bikeparks without having to worry too much about the ride home (carless)
Repairs and maintenance are the missing challenge. I know one bike shop near me has a hydraulic lift for these kinds of bikes, which should give you an idea for how different they are to work on. My long tail bike was more manageable, thankfully.
I love bicycling. I complete 5,000 to 6,000 miles a year. It is intriguing to consider using an e-bike like you are featuring. However I live in the southeastern United States. While we have a superb greenway it doesn’t take you to needed destinations. The motorists are hostile. We had three fatalities this past summer. The ultimate challenge is 90 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures with 90+ humidity. I’m all for the vision you share and I am hopeful we can achieve it but in my circle of friends they accuse me of being delusional. Thank you for sharing this message.
Speaking of accessibility and deciding to use a bike, I've found that putting my bike between the garage door and a car means I have to move my bike if I want to get the car out and thus I'm more likely to just take the bike.
I actually feel a good regular ebike with a bike trailer for kids and cargo is much more versatile and cheaper than a cargo bike. If you have a kid it is more comfortable too in bad weather.
I have a choice of 3 different trailers and if you only need an actual cargo bike for once or twice a week on average then you can get a very good trailer for €150 +/- that is very flexible and practical. I use a large dog trailer for most of my shopping because it's fully enclosed and will safely carry a huge amount of shopping or anything else.
I love my cargo e-bike. It's got the rear rack and panniers and front basket, instead of the bakfiets bucket style. I live in a really bikeable city (for the US) and I've been taking it for errands several times a week. In fact, since I brought it home earlier this month, I've put 100+ miles on it and don't think I've taken my car for anything shorter than a 10-mile trip. I was even an extra for a movie this week, part of a "bike floatilla"! Every time I'm out for a ride I actually see tons of cargo bikes (both e and acoustic), so I don't get as many looks as I was worried I would get with this massive and pretty distinct bike (Aventon Abound). I'm excited whenever I see someone else cargo-ing too. It's interesting how you talked about it being easier to take the space in a cargo bike. I didn't realize that it's often a confidence thing to take the lane space (I'm pretty new to the cycling world) but you're totally right. On a normal bike I'd be like, "ooh no, I'm an inconvenience to drivers" but on this bike I just stay in my track and the cars can figure out when to get around me. Again, probably a privilege of living in a very bike-friendly city with generally pretty conscientious drivers. But the overall visual (and actual) weight of my bike does feel a bit more commanding. Very much agree about bike parking. I carry multiple types of locks because I can't always get close enough to the rack/staple/etc. to use my preferred U-bolt. And using the motorcycle cover helps a lot with feeling like my bike will be less flashy when parked and dampen people's curiosity about rooting around in the panniers/etc. Also just important because it's the PNW and I'm riding a bike with electricity. 🤷🏻♀️ Oh, the night I was a movie extra, i made friends with one of the other extras and we were able to ride the same way home together for safety. He had kitted out his bakfiets with LED lights, a blacklight, disco lights, and speakers in the back, so we rode home on the quiet streets with Fred Again playing, like a mobile DJ, I felt like one of the cool kids. I need to get some speakers and lights for my bike for silly stuff like that. 😄
Tom, I've been watching and waiting for you to experiment with an e-cargo bike, and we're all fortunate that you managed to use a great one to really understand what the best case scenario could be. As a parallel with cars, we might be tempted to label this particular long john e-cargo bike (bakfiets) an Escalade SUV, ie more than most people can afford or need. In other words excessive. I'd avoid that kind of comparison and really think of this more like a hatchback VW Rabbit in 1976. It's really practical!. And no, it's not as nimble as a single seater go cart or a two seater 1975 Porsche 914, but after you've been able to carry some kids or haul some stuff, you recognize that a compact hatchback (or bakfiets) is an extremely practical transportation tool. I really think the e-cargo bike is going to be the Climate Crisis weapon in transportation. If I asked you evaluate dozens of electric bikes, mopeds, cars, or even trucks including their Life Cycle Assessments which inventory the production, transportation, and operation emissions of a vehicle over its whole lifetime, and give up EVERYTHING else you'll need to be at 2 tons CO2e/year in 2050 under zero carbon, I think more people would eventually decide they want food, clothing, shelter and an e-cargo bike instead of an EV car and gun to fight off everyone who knows you're massively over the planetary limits. A few more thoughts. E-Cargo bikes are also available in e-Cargo trike mode, tadpole and delta. Tadpole should be more stable, though upright trikes are usually too high and tippy to be used at traditional e-bike speed, until you design in tilt, which starts to get complex, but is completely valid. So a good runner up to an e-cargo bike might be an e-recumbent trike (tadpole), with a rear rack, panniers, and optionally, a trailer for more cargo. This is often the recommended cycling choice for older folks who have some health or disability challenges, but they really work well for anyone and everyone as a car replacement. Please go connect with a recumbent trike specialist who carries ICE, TerraTrike, or HP Velotechnic. Discuss that the Load 75 helped demonstrate a valid car replacement because it's world class, and ask them to rent/loan you a world class e-recumbent trike for an extended review. You'll hear or maybe even internalize some self doubt about visibility, and a qualified recumbent sales person should be able to equip you with flag & lighting to curb that initial fear. Then you'll find that magically, most cars give MORE passing room when driving past a trike where there is no separated infrastructure. And despite every person's reaction being that I can't see, you, they actually all saw you and noticed you to come and tell you, "I can't see you." It's a mind fake you need to get over. Of course, integrating with traffic (for a left turn for example) on a low trike can be dangerous, so you cannot ignore your responsibility to make yourself seen, or as some motorcyclists say, ride as if they can't see you, with extra defensiveness in where you place yourself. If the Load 75 seems too unwieldy for parking or integrating with transit, then take a look at e-Muli (German) and similar compact cargo bikes. I built a 6'4" long e-Muli clone with bamboo and I take it on the train in San Diego. If we're truly wanting to imagine a world where public transit covers all our mid to long distances, and micromobility and active transportation covers all the short to mid distances (e-bikes really extending things a LOT), and thus an actual sustainable future where we can shrink transportation emissions to the scale that it becomes the minority contributor rather than one of the largest, then we need to untap the tremendous potential we already have today. Thought experiment: We undergo a terrible global economic meltdown due to Climate Disruption and are scrambling to adapt quickly to a new incredibly low floor in terms of available means to duct-tape and bailing wire our society enough to still provide some mobility. What does is it look like? I'd look to post WW2 Japan where Suzuki and Honda fashioned small engine powered bicycles, or Germany and England where microcars were used to compensate for resource and monetary shortages. Knowing combustion engines are out of the question, they'll be human and battery powered this time. But instead of recovery from a war or single climate induced economic hit, we'll be experiencing multi-generational degrowth required as we struggle to reinvent ourselves as a zero carbon society. IMO, we really need to plan wisely for our austere future.
How refreshing to hear someone who has a pretty good handle on the upcoming implications of global warming. You also seem to have a good handle on the variety of options to fit people’s needs and lifestyles. (Muli - excellent flexibility)
I am a full-time cargo e-bike person living in SLC but Calgary is my home. I haven't had a car in 6+ years. I used a pedal bike exclusively until May 2022. I am not exaggerating when I say that this bike is life changing. I travel to Santa Monica frequently and rent a bike when I am there and love riding there too. Just do it!
This was a great Video Ive been riding E Bikes for over 5 Years now Even got Shot of my Car , Im 66 and it keeps me fit and I can travel for Miles in fact the only thing that holds me back is the Battery but Im working on it Good video
Well presented. I purchased a small cargo bike that can be stored vertically for space reasons but more so because of waiting for total hip replacement. I was able to ride where I couldn't walk. I couldn't do either for a couple of months after. Since recovering from that a few things woke me up to pedal assisted cargo bikes. You can still ride anywhere even if your muscles have been weakened. You can ride to the supermarket door and get a weeks worth of groceries but since having the bike I'm looking for excuses to ride somewhere nearly every day. As my leg improved I started using lower assist levels and noticed a big improvement in muscle strength. Probably because I was riding more often. But also when you mentioned health and fitness there is a vast degree in mental and memory health. I noticed this when sedately sitting at home. I never realised that when cycling your brain is working overtime with awareness and analysing every moment on the bike. To emphasise that try doing some mental math that is a little complicated whilst riding. Thanks again for the video and highlighting things most people don't think about initially.
Ahh...you know, wearing bright neon clothing instead of a BLACK shirt on a BLACK bike would probably make you feel a bit safer. I wear a neon green jacket or a long sleeve neon shirt when I ride my bright yellow Madsen cargo bike to make me as visible as possible for those who feel the need to talk on the phone while driving.
I'm so terrified of trying electric assist... I'm scared about buying an electric assist bakfiets and hating how it feels, because it would be such a huge bummer to have such a useful bike that I don't like riding. I'm also scared that I might love it and start to neglect my acoustic bikes and stop trying to ever climb hills. I really just need to feel the geometry of an acoustic bakfiets on a hill. I'm not worried about the extra weight on a climb, but the weight distribution looks like it would make climbing painful
R&M has some gorgeous bikes! Unfortunately they are well outside of what I would think of as the consumer ebike market and are well into the enthusiast market. If you're willing to drop at least 5K for something to ride around town- and goodness knows, if you're willing to do that, you'll probably want to take out an insurance policy- then that's awesome. I do hope to see more features that are accessible to more people, because getting something good at an accessible price I think is the biggest barrier for entry, and many folks looking at ebikes in particular might otherwise not ride at all, and that's a real bummer. Great video and feature though, looking forward to more!
@sreeser3512 If you're talking about cars, certainly, but ebikes typically don't have nearly the same kind of accessible financing options. Culturally, while one won't wince at buying a $30K vehicle, a $5K+ bike is just not for general consumption. The $10K+ bikes are for an incredibly thin slice of riders.
Hello @Shifter, I have a idea for a video! How to transport animals {like a cat, dog, mouse} by bike? Is even that possible? Thanks for the great videos you make and have a nice day!
In my experience, cars will give you more space if they perceive your bike as bigger. I ride a compact transporter E-bike now - and all of a sudden cars will pass me with more space than before although the bike is not wider in reality.
7:15 - I feel like some cargo e-bike company should man up and get Sam Pilgrim to test one off road. Granted, it's not like they're built for the stuff that he does, but a lot of the bikes he experiments with aren't built for what he does.
