FAQ: What are the main types of cargo bike that you carry?

We carry a range of different cargo bikes in store, but they usually fall into these four main categories:

Utility bikes (Tern HSD/Vektron, Linus Ember/Felix, Benno Ejoy/Scout/Remidemi)

An electric utility bike is to us is any bike which has a rear rack, and a frame mounted front rack. These bikes are best for someone who doesn't need to carry a huge amount of stuff, but still wants the ability to carry significantly more than you usually could on an a regular bike. These bikes can come in a folding form with small twenty inch wheel sizes, or can come in a package that looks very much like a regular bike. It all depends what your preference is really.

Mid-tail Cargo bikes (Benno Boost E, Riese & Muller Multicharger)

Mid-tail bikes are a step up in size from utility bikes. They can usually carry a full grown adult or one or two children on the back, whereas the utility bikes generally you need to have a child seat and can only carry a smaller child. Despite this, Mid-tails still feel and ride much like an ordinary bicycle since the overall length of the bike is very similar. These bikes are great if you are wanting even more carrying capacity than a utility bike, but are still wanting a responsive and regular looking bike.

Long-tail Cargo bikes (Yuba Spicy Curry, Tern GSD)

This next category of cargo bike is our most popular for carrying children. It's called long tail, because essentially, it looks like an ordinary bike, with an extended, integrated  rear rack, which can accommodate one to three children. Very similar to the mid-tail, except with an even longer rear end, and a smaller rear wheel. This style of bike has been really popular in New Zealand because compared to Front-loaders or Trikes they feel like you're riding an ordinary bike, with a significantly increased carrying capacity. This has made them the quickest for people to adopt, and the most popular car replacement we carry. The small rear wheel on these allows the load to be lower down. This is very important on full size longtails as it makes it much easier to balance heavy loads without feeling top-heavy.

Front-Loader Cargo bikes (Yuba Supermarché, Riese & Muller Load 60/75 and Packster 70)

Front loaders are two wheeled cargo bikes that have a big box in front of the handlebars but behind the front wheel. They have a steering linkage which travels from the handlebar up to the front wheel, allowing you to control the front wheel from further back. They're really nice, because even with the smallest children, you can put them in the front, securely seated with y'belts. You can put even small babies in a car-seat pod all safe and securely strapped in. Kids love being in the box, because unlike the long tails, they have their hands free, so they can eat their lunch, draw and read books. Front-loaders are also very capable at carrying lots of non-human cargo, such as dogs, groceries, harware or washing machines, and handle very well with or without a load due to their centered weight distribution and low center of balance.

Check out the rest of the FAQs if you have any further questions about what these seperate styles are capable of and how they meet your cargo requirements.