Who Are eCargo Bikes ACTUALLY For?
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2024
- Specs and ride experience on Velotric's newest Packer 1 eCargo bike. Serious utility, but who should actually get one?
Velotric Packer 1 (affiliate link):
velotricbike.info/3PSFt0D
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www.thebikesauce.com/ - Zábava
Thanks Nolan. This brings back good memories. I’ve yet to knowingly chat to a Tesla driver but I chat to e-bike riders all the time. Having this instead of a second car should be a no brainer for anyone with access to suitable storage. Some of the upmarket competitors like Tern and Riese and Muller have more stable handling and you will routinely see small women with children riding these brands in bike friendly city. The Urban Arrow is a front loader that is also popular with women.❤
I LOVE IT!!! More e-cargo bikes!!! Hahah.
My kiddos are big enough that I can only take one at a time, which is fine because they now go to different school. I even make my middle schooler ride home on it, as long as I park far enough away from the doors that no one sees her. 🤣
Something you didn’t mention that people should consider when getting this kind of bike: you need to be prepared to fix basic things on your own, which likely means investing in tools and education. With the bike being so big, if something happens and it’s unrideable and you can’t fix it yourself, you’ll be up a creek and will likely have to spend a lot of money to have a mechanic come to you.
All that said: still waaaay cheaper than a car, and more fun, too!
Dam, that’s right! Bike mechanics don’t do house calls 😆. ..well some do. Thx Abi
I live in Portland and work as a bike mechanic at Go By Bike (North America’s largest bike valet.) we park 8-15 of these e-cargo bikes every day and work on them regularly. One strong note of caution: have a plan for when (not if) you get a rear flat. Because rear drive cargo bikes, especially with all that rack stuff in the way and disconnecting the motor, are a major hassle just getting the rear wheel off.
💯
Love the video! Just got our first cargo bike and one thing I noticed is once the kids start moving side to side (dancing to music) it does cause some shimmy that can get scary. Another thing to add, it can be difficult to find a place to unload the kiddos when you get to a congested school drop off area.
10/10 worth it to get out of car drop off!
Yes! I definitely have to remind them no leaning side to side 😆
My Packer came with a bent derailleur hanger also. Velotric paid for me to have the LBS fix it.
Purchased the Packer 1 to replace the car. The ride is 20 miles roughly a day.
I replaced the seat with a big suspension wide seat. Added an inexpensive turn signal system and horn. Uses the Costco black and yellow bins both 12 gallon and the 24 oddly perfect. Front basket is getting a clear shield attached that just gives some sheer.
If anyone is having control issues it's your height and shoulder strength. It says "shorter" folks can ride this and they can but it's gonna be more strain on the shoulders. Unfortunately this means raising the seat making it possibly uncomfortable.
The magic of this thing is its customizablity...there's welded reinforced screw points all over this thing. Literally look around it if you have this model. You can tow who knows how much weight on a trailer. The top rear points under the seat have points you could add or fabricate things for. My brains been coming up with mod ideas since I rolled it in.
Security is honestly going to be your biggest issue. Change out the peddles with easy remove ones, lock it with a Foldylock and at least one other large lock. Take the seat with you of lock it. Your trying to make it unworth of stealing because of the process. Make it so even if they cut your defenses, they have to carry it in a hauling truck to get away. This bike is heavy BECAUSE it's so long it takes more personal attention. After that fails track it with Find My App or another GPS.
PRO TIP: Register it with your insurance. This should be cheap, protect you from certain costs and police will have more "invested interest" in having it returned.
I ride my Kona dew with a burley bee and a Bluetooth speaker and it gets my kid to school. That being said, this thing looks fun. Thank you for sharing!
I love my Lectric Expedition Cargo bike. It does take a minute to handle the weight and length but once you do , it's a lot of fun. I use it mainly to go get carry out. HA! Great review!
my dad has that bike and loves the shit out of it. hits publix with it a few times a week. he's the leader of a boomer ebike gang and when the goes thrifting he has to take the lectric to haul the shit those guys buy.
plp interview sent me here. cargo and ecargo need more love.
Haha nice!
We have considered one of these cargo ebikes for kid-hauling but just don't have a garage or anywhere suitable to store it. Some friends have an inexpensive one they just keep outside and it hasn't been stolen yet, but, that isn't ideal.
Is it an air or coil fork? Could you up the psi or swap coil to match the weight the extra weight? Or is the fork not adjustable. Personally for me on a cargo bike a rigid fork with 3.0 or even 2.8 tires in the front would be the better option.
Glad they put a 26” wheel on the front. Two kids on 20” wheels is a nightmare especially when hitting small bumps (which feel like huge bumps) on the 20’s.
Wonder if the wife would prefer a front load 3, wheel cargo for more stability.
This bike is soooo cool but I agree that it will likely have a narrow customer base. It does seem to be a great fit as a second transport vehicle in place of a car for a young family. I'd love to see other examples of this bike in action.
So much want!
These makes lot of sense to be the second car or even the only car in urban areas. Kinda weird that parking a car is more "safe" than parking a bike 😅
You'd be amazed how many of these roam Minneapolis year-round.
Great video as usual Nolan!
are kids not allowed to just not allowed to walk to school alone anymore? wait.. am I old now? can I say back in my day things now?
Haha I think we might have been the last generation to do that. Back in my day, we rode our bikes to school starting 3rd grade!
Not available in Australia but eCargo bikes remain very expensive. Buyers need to be evangelical after paying that much. I built a cargo bike when my twins were young. Lots of fun but not without its problems eg. storage, handling, attention etc. At some point they want to ride their own bikes which limits useable life for families.
It seems really strange to have the thumb throttle on the left side.
Thumb shifter is on the right
Until they can ride on their own!
I don’t get why they don’t ship bikes with the rear derailleur removed. I’ve also had bikes shipped to me with bent hangers and this seems like a no brainer solution.
Many companies do this, but it puts the burden on the custom to install (not everyone is comfortable with it)
Honest question: why do so many people drive their kids to school? Can't kids just take the bus?
At this point, why not get a Vespa/scooter. This is less bike and more motorbike it seems
Yes, I'm beycling picky here, but when you ride this thing without pedaling, it would be fair to not call it a 'bike'. It's an electric cargo moped. That's arguably still better than everybody defaulting to using cars, but as a cycling enthousiast, calling this a bike just feels wrong.
Pedaling at 0 RPM? .. I mean it's got cranks. 😆
Yes it does, but if we're being honest, those cranks are there more for the regulations, than for actual pedaling.@@TheBikeSauce