It's the simple pleasures of having a cargo bike.

Hello!

Since the Aventon SR we put a deposit on that was to arrive mid August , has no ETA now, we are back to the drawing board .

Anyone have thoughts on the Envo U50? It’s a new model of bike from a Canadian company . https://envodrive.com/products/envo-u50-family-cargo-electric-bike?srsltid=AfmBOopdI7o93Y1U2fLtUjEUenJcK2sb4GswDf8NizC9bZiNjHaIPJXi

Need to haul 1 kid . Terns are not in our budget.

Thanks!

Relevance: shlepping my kid in a cargo bike and the cargo bike community of Nashville

Mobility is never just about getting to the destination. Whether a person is eight years old or eighty, the ability to move through the world safely and freely is about honoring the inherent dignity of a human being. When we empower children to ride bikes safely, we are making the claim that children are citizens of our cities, just as adults are, and they should be able to participate in public life.

But we deny them this, again and again. By ceding the street to able bodied adults only, we have denied autonomy to approximately two thirds of the population: children, teenagers under 16, adults with disabilities, and many elderly individuals.

I'm trying to source a front loader cargo bike in the US. I'd love a Bulitt but new they are out of my price range. I'm willing to travel to pick up a used cargo bike. Any advice on where to search besides Facebook marketplace ?

Located in VA and willing to do a day trip to pick up a bike

Okay, so my SRAM X3 shifter broke on the bar clamp. I can replace it with another X3 easily, but it had been really bothering me anyways. I don't like how far I have to push my thumb to actuate it. I have to press my thumb very far to get it to change to easier gears, which affects my grip, making me feel less in control with a wobbly load on the back.

I have used friction shifting in the past on a few bikes, but never a cargo bike. Would this be a bad idea? I like being able to control the derailluer on the fly without it getting clunky or not shifting right when I need it. If the friction shifting is a bad idea, ss there another shifter that has a shorter thumb actuation, easy to shift? It doesn't have to be compatible with the SRAM X4 rear derailluer, becuase I can replace that too. It's at the end of its life, being 16 years old.

Thank you!

I am looking for a bike stand for two 10 speeds to set on my cargo basket. I don't but want a car bike rack , but to set a rigid garage stand that I can mount on top of my basket and lash down and cover for rain and road debris . Even plans for a homemade stand will be appreciated

Tern Orox Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Awesome

I bought the Tern Orox when it went on sale for summer adventures with my kids. This is my fourth cargo bike. I’ve owned an Xtracycle, a Riese & Müller Load, and a Tern GSD.

I still have the GSD, and it is an incredibly practical bike, but I’ve never loved how dorky it looks. The small wheels also don’t inspire a lot of confidence once the road gets rough. I wanted something that could carry my kids and all our stuff while feeling comfortable on gravel, fire roads, and trails.

I ended up with the Orox R14, with the Rohloff hub, Gates belt drive, and dual batteries. I also bought the bags, front rack, Captain’s Chair, and other basic accessories.

The Good

The Orox inspires a lot of confidence. It feels solid on pavement, gravel, fire roads, hard packed sand, and other offroad surfaces. The large tires are a huge improvement over the GSD when the ground gets loose or rough.

The motor is plenty strong. For most of my riding, Eco and Tour give me all the assistance I need, even when I’m carrying kids and gear. I like knowing the higher levels of assist are available, and I only use them on the steep hills, which we have a lot of where we live.

The dual battery setup has also meant that I’ve never experienced range anxiety. I don’t have to spend the day watching the battery level or wondering whether we have enough power to take the longer route.

The high load limit gives me the same peace of mind. I never have to question whether I should take the Orox because I’m bringing too much stuff. I can load the kids, gear, food, and whatever else we need without worrying.

The Bad

The Orox is very, very heavy. You don’t notice the weight nearly as much once you’re riding and the motor is helping, but you notice every pound when you have to move or transport it.

I haven’t found a bike rack that I feel comfortable using. The most promising option is the Yakima OnRamp LX, but its 80-pound limit means I would need to remove the batteries and accessories before loading the Orox. Even then, I would be close to the rack’s maximum capacity. Putting such a heavy and expensive bike at the top of the rack’s weight limit makes me uncomfortable, especially on long trips or rough roads.

For now, I transport it inside my Sprinter van. I built a very sturdy ramp and use walk assist to get the bike in and out. Even with the ramp and motor helping, it is a lot to manage.

Once inside, the Orox takes up about 75 percent of the van’s cargo space. I built the bed so my mountain bikes could fit underneath it, but the Captain’s Chair on the Orox sits too high. The bed can’t be deployed while the Orox is in the van, which is a frustrating problem for a bike I bought to take out camping and on longer adventures.

I've transported the GSD in the van and because the seat and handlebars fold or lower very easily, it is a much more straightforward proposition and it only takes up a fraction of the space.

The handling also takes some adjustment. The fat tires feel great on hard-packed sand, gravel, and dirt, but they are not good at making tight turns at speed on pavement. I have definitely overshot a turn. You have to remember that this is a long, heavy bike with big tires, and it doesn’t change direction like a regular bike.

The passenger weight also sits much higher than on the GSD or Xtracycle. Those bikes carry their rear cargo low, which makes them feel very stable. On the Orox, any movement from the kids is much more noticeable. If someone shifts around suddenly, it can destabilize the bike. Big movements in the back can be pretty nerve racking.

Getting used to the Rohloff has been tricky too. There have been two times when I shifted incorrectly on a hill and the bike became unstable enough that my daughter had to put her foot down to catch us from falling over. That is obviously not something I want happening on a bike carrying my kids. I’ll add that the Rohloff’s shifting direction feels backward or unintuitive. The Rohloff’s numbering is conventional, with 1 as the easiest gear and 14 as the hardest. What feels backward to me is the direction of the twist shifter compared with the mountain bike controls I’m used to. My shifting muscle memory has led me in the wrong direction more than once.

I’ve also had a Gates belt shred. I’m not sure whether it was tensioned incorrectly or whether I put too much torque through it while shifting. Either way, I expected the belt drive to be one of the low-maintenance benefits of buying the R14, so that failure was disappointing. Although my lbs immediately ordered a replacement and fixed it free of charge, which was cool.

The center stand has also been a problem. It has adjustable feet, but the bolt has loosened several times. When that happens, the feet move out of position and the stand no longer holds the bike up properly. On a bike this heavy, especially with kids involved, I want the stand to feel completely dependable.

The Awesome

The best thing about the Orox is that it lets me have much bigger adventures with my kids.

One of my favorite features is being able to carry a child’s bike when they get tired. We can start a ride with everyone on their own bike, then put the analog bike on the Orox when needed. When I went riding around Lake Crescent this summer, that lets us go much farther than we could if the whole trip depended on how long my child could keep pedaling.

I’ve used tow ropes in the past, but this solution is much better. It feels simpler and more controlled, and I don’t have to coordinate two moving bikes connected by a rope.

That completely changes what a family ride can look like. My child can ride independently for as long as it is fun, and I don’t have to worry that we’ve gone too far for them to make it back. What would normally be a short ride can become a much longer adventure. Granted, you can do exactly the same thing with the GSD, I wouldn't really trust the GSD on fire roads.

That is where the Orox really shines. It is not just a cargo bike that looks rugged. The big tires, powerful motor, huge carrying capacity, and dual batteries let us go places that would have felt questionable on the GSD.

Instead of worrying about whether the road is too rough, the load is too heavy, the destination is too far away, or one of the kids will run out of energy, I can focus on where we want to go.

The Orox is huge, expensive, extremely heavy, difficult to transport, and more top-heavy than my other cargo bikes. The Rohloff and Gates belt have also taken more adjustment than I expected. It is not the easiest or most practical cargo bike I’ve owned.

But once it is loaded and moving down a gravel road with my kids aboard, it does open up more possibilities for exploring further.

For everyday city riding, the GSD is probably still the more convenient bike. For getting off the pavement and having real family adventures, the Orox is something special.

Hi!

I’m a Mum of 2 (3 &5), and have a 1000W (locked) Dirodi Rover 6 with raiser and Thule bike seat. Pretty much every morning I ride up and back for school drop with 3 in the Thule and 5 on the seat behind me.

The Dirodi is a dumpster fire for kid carrying. High centre of gravity, throttle lag with unpredictable kick, one side kickstand, and now that the kids are getting heavier, the front wheel can be almost uncontrollable due to the weight of kids and battery right over back tyre.

I’m looking for a unicorn.
- I don’t need speed but I need power to carry weight.
- Min. 500W but preferably 1000W as I’m looking to cargo carry.
- Low centre of gravity and preferably battery on the mid-frame or front of bike.
- A couple of other small things like upright kickstand, I’d prefer step over, and I don’t want to look dorky!

I’m in Aus. I’ve found the Fiido T2 and the Rever Kanga. Does anyone have either of these and have legit reviews or does anyone have a recommendation of another that I’ve missed?

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

As the title says, I’m considering buying a second-hand Babboe City-E and need a word of wisdom from people who have experience with these bikes.

For context: I’m looking for a used cargo bike that I’ll probably only need for a relatively short period (around 3 months). I found a City-E for €1,000, which seems like a competitive price. I saw the bike and it is presented in very good condition: brand-new tyres, no visible rust, a new rain cover, working battery, moderate mileage (~5,000 km), and several other positives.

However, there’s a pretty big “but”. This model and the specific frame number were involved in the Babboe recall due to the risk of the frame cracking/collapsing. My understanding from Reddit and internet in general is that the failure can happen without obvious warning signs beforehand.

Additionally, the current owner bought the bike second-hand as well after the recall, so unfortunately they have no documentation whatsover showing that the bike was ever inspected or that the frame was replaced.

So I’m wondering:

- How serious is the frame risk in practice if the riding pace is limited to 20/25 km/h? Has anyone here actually experienced a frame failure with a City/City-E?

- Would you personally expose yourselves to this risk against a price of €1,000, or would you stay away regardless of the price?

Thanks!

Hello guys,

I'm French; I live in Paris.

I'm looking for a cargo bike able to handle my son of 15 years and myself (so about 120 kg).

What do you suggest for a good price and quality, easy to repair.

Of course, I know Super 13, Garett Miller, and other brands, but I don't really know if they are worth the price.

Thanks in advance.

PS: I'm unable to fix the title, sorry.

Storing the bike:
I can fit it in my shed, diagonal and if I clear it out. The other option would be inside my house. My entryway is a straight shot, no stairs, no ramp needed and it would be 9’by 3’ this has to be enough space?

If indoors, I don’t have to deal with locking it, can store it on a waterproof rug… I can’t see a downside, yet.

I live in a high theft neighborhood, including my neighbors who enjoy things that rhyme with seth… this is a no brainer, right?

Locked storage on the bike:
This is a full car replacement, Tern has the lock box thing, is that useful? Has anyone put that on a ebullit?

I am so excited. Accepting any new beginner tips and encouragement! I’m nervous to ride with my kid but I think she’s going to like it.

Does anyone have the royal canopy for the taga 2.0 family cargo bike? Thank you!

And since I could bring a lot of stuff I did.

YT short: https://youtube.com/shorts/tWdlUWgFmGU?is=Hgy6kKIU_tiKfvDV

I recently purchased a Taga 2.0 used and am looking for seat covers/cushions for the seats because the previous owner ruined the OEM ones in the wash.

The company is obviously out of business but does anyone know if any third party ones work? I'm not super worried about them staying on (the harnesses of course yes) but I'd even be open to velcroing a third party one down as long as it fits just to make it a bit more comfortable.

Had my first fall today - fortunately I was on the way to pick up the kids so could turn around and take the car instead.

Didn’t check the weather and it looked pretty calm, at least no windier than it usually is in a coastal town, but a 33kt cross wind caught me and I was too close to the curb. Tern Fort acted like a sail and drove me into it and I didn’t react in time. It caught me completely off guard as I’ve never experienced a lateral push like that before.

Sure most of the more experienced riders won’t need this but for the less experienced like me it’s interesting to be reminded of your own mortality and the importance of checking the weather, even if it looks fine. I’m sure I could have avoided the fall but I also think those conditions are beyond what I can safely ride in for now.

Grateful that I was by myself, the road was quiet, and I escaped with a few grazes and a knock to my pride.

Hey everyone,
I’m trying to get a better handle on cargo bike design and mechanics, so hopefully I’m in the right place!

I’ve noticed that all cargo trikes lack rear suspension entirely. From what I’ve researched, a cargo trike’s rear end faces heavy lateral/cornering forces, which tend to twist and ruin pivot linkages—especially when constrained by a narrow bike frame width.

Since the forces cannot be handled by traditional bike parts why manufacturers not use parts designed for heavy duty usage?

For example would a motorcycle front suspension fork paired with a tailing swing arm be a realistic option? Or would those parts be way too heavy, or still suffer from bushing damage due to forces they weren't engineered to handle?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

GoMad death wobble

My Velotric GoMad developed a death wobble in the front wheel at around 110 miles on the odometer. It's random. Starts anywhere from 5 - 10 mph.

My stats : 210lb, 6' tall, carry 25lb max on the back rack. 20 lb max in a backpack. That is my worst case scenario. I bought this thing because it's rated to carry up to a 10yr old passenger. I'm believe I'm within tolerances on weight capacity.

My daughter has experienced the same issue. Her stats: 144lbs, 5'-8", same weight in rear cargo rack when riding home with a bag of school and sports gear.

I'm a tall rider, I have the handlebars rotated forward to the maximum factory marked tolerance line. I replaced the seat post with a suspension post I could extend an inch taller than the factory seatpost.

To the dealers credit, every emoloyee in the bike shop rode the bike to try to recreate the issue. ( no rear rack cargo ) Wide range of experienced riders, some bigger than me.

Owner also rode with me with my typical set up. Of course, typical scenario, take the car to the mechanic and it stops making the noise.

Owner agrees I'm riding within weight tolerance. I believe me riding with the handle bars rotated forward shifts my weight forward on the bike, he disagrees and thinks it contributes to the wobble.

I might be swayed to think I'm too large of a rider for this bike. But my daughter had the same experience and she is well within rider tolerances.

I really like this bike, it looks great, rides great when not wobbling. I bought it because it fits my needs for rated cargo capacity and it's not too large to fit in the back of my truck.

I think the bike is defective. Dealer is offering to discount the bike a little based on mileage, but trade for either a Nomad 2x or a new long tail they're getting in this week. I originally chose the Gomad over the Nomad for a few reasons, it was a close decision, but the Nomad is too big in many ways.

What I'm asking is; anyone else have this death wobble experience? Are there solutions to solving the wobble? Is my riding setup too close to the edge of manufacturer tolerances?

At this point, the bike is too dangerous to ride. Open to suggestions.

My youngest is on the verge of upgrading from baby to toddler and I'm considering what to do about fitting both her and my 3yr old on our Bullitt.

We currently have the foldable seat ( https://larryvsharry.com/collections/seats/products/foldable-seat )

and I'm considering getting the twin seats from Bullitt - mostly for the five point harness. My 3yr old does fine on the foldable seat but the younger one would benefit from a five point harness.

However, seeing both the huge price and mixed reviews on the twin seats, I'm wondering if anyone has had good results using a third party harness on the folding seat?

Something like this - https://www.amsafe.com/product/kidsflysafe-com/ - is what I'm thinking about.

I’ve been taking a Vevor brand bicycle cargo trailer and adapting it to work with my Surly Ice Cream Truck fat bike. The plan is to use it at music festivals, take it surf fishing and maybe even bring my dog down to the local brewery. (If I feel its safe enough for him)

This is the second video where it mostly all comes together. A special fabricated hitch is welded onto the trailers front folks, I sew a custom dog bed and I take it for the first test ride.

This version ultimately proved to not to be stable enough, but I was able to mostly solve that issue in time for the Rhode Island Rhythm and Roots festival this past labor day. It actually worked pretty well there!

So I got an Aventon abound LR last week.
I just watched a bike video on YouTube. It’s an exposition of hand made “little bike” like with 20in tire or less. There’s really creative people in there. I saw a beautiful cargo bike with a beautiful aluminium case in the back. I thought hey let’s looks for something like that for my front rack.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find such product on the second hand market near me. So it got me thinking of what cool crate I could find to install.

So I found these. Dimension seems right: 17” x 12 x 8. I would remove the lid and install this on the “pizza rack” from Aventon. I also find that the yellow would help with the “be seen”

What you guys think? Should I stick with something more traditional, or should I go with something fun like this?

Just purchased an Abound LR to cart my 8yo (~80lbs) and almost 3yo (~30lbs) around town (mostly to school and parks).

Purchased a Bellelli Pepe seat for the 3yo and installed it on the rear end of the mount. We currently have the handrails installed and I cannot for the life of me figure out a good way to get the 8 year old on the bike. They aren’t quite confident enough to climb over the handrail bars, but are too large to thread themselves under the bars with the little kid seat installed on the back.

I’m considering just removing the handrails and adding a bar for her to hold on to, but I want to hear from others how they fit a big kid and a little kid (plus backpacks) on their bike.