A cargo bike was an absolutely essential purchase for me. My city's bike infrastructure is really bad, so my opportunites are still, unfortunately, restrained, but I've been able to avoid probably 50% of my previous car trips.
this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2025
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traingang
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My current ebike is a commuter model, the Lectric Xpress 750. Super agile and comfortable to ride but the lack of a strong rear rack means I can't carry a passenger or more than 25kg~ of small groceries. Now I'm going with an Aventon Abound LR cargo bike which should be able to solve both of those. Only the most awkward loads and long road trips should require renting a proper vehicle. Unfortunately we have shit biking infrastructure between towns even if I can navigate in mine pretty easily.
I went whole-hog for the family and got an Urban Arrow and it's a true car replacement (if there was like, one bike lane)
Very jealous. That's one of my dream models for utility, especially since my dog doesn't like his trailer.
Urban Arrow is nice but my dream car replacement is a Riese and Muller bakfiets
I'd be so worried about theft with a bike as expensive as theirs. I don't think I've ever seen one parked on the sidewalk or my university campus before.
The urban arrow is only a little less pricey and I'm less concerned about it getting stolen than my previous bike, a cheap road bike I inherited from my brother's girlfriend. The built in wheel lock the excellent attached chain lock are sturdy, if you remove the little screen it can't e-bike, and it's so massive that no one can pick it up and run away with it. Big bikes are much more difficult to steal. Sometimes I just leave it sitting out over night in my front yard.
Last Summer, wife and I sort of guessed the good times were over and we needed to buy all major purchases prior to Don's return.
The big purchases: an EV, a pair of eBikes, and a new computer.
I couldn't be happier to be sitting on all three right now.
I went the same route with the hobby supplies I thought I'd need and reliable transport. The economy has seemed so artificial to me since 2018 that I've only bought things which set me up for a cyber1930s lifestyle.
I'm 50-50 on buying a gross of solar panels just... because. But I can't afford it since my last three buys.
Fuck, I need to get one before it happens. Going to the bike shop this week for sure.
Upway is another great option if you aren't picky: https://upway.co/collections/electric-bikes . They resell unused or lightly used models as recent as 2025 at a huge discount, and at least here it's usually $49 in shipping costs with a one year warranty. I almost bought through them instead of Aventon's website but they didn't have the specific model I wanted.
Only get a model that has a torque sensor, not one with a cadence sensor. That's the key component for making them enjoyable. The torque sensor multiplies your pedaling power by 50-500% so it feels very natural but like you're a superhuman. The cadence sensor gives you a flat amount of power at each setting so it feels jerky and like the bike is riding itself. Hydraulic brakes over mechanical are a must, and a belt drive over a chain is great if you can find a model with it (Lectric ONE is probably the cheapest I've found new at $2300~) because ebikes are harder on both. 26" tyres feel much better than 20" ones unless you buy a cargo bike in which case you want the 20" ones for the lowest centre of gravity possible, while avoiding fat tyre models because they're harder to pedal if your battery goes dead. Folding ebikes have a weak hinge point that will break long before anything else on the frame does so I'd avoid those unless you need to do mixed-modal commuting or store it in an upstairs apartment.
I'd also only buy from the largest brands right now. The ebike industry is really constricting and brands like Rad and Juiced are going bankrupt. In terms of longevity and component quality I'd only buy from Specialized>Aventon>Lectric>Engwe>Velotric. Anything better than that and it risks being stolen, with only Aventon offering good security features at a low price point, while anything cheaper probably has components that aren't good enough for the extra stress on the bike. Lectric and Engwe have the best value.
what's upway?
Not much, how about you?
not much, what's upway you?
They're an outlet store with physical locations in New York and California. They take overstock bikes from dealers and lightly used personal sales, inspect them, and sell them for like half off the sticker price. Sometimes the shipping costs are too high for a particular bike but they've got a good selection of $49-shipped bikes.
Rad and Juiced are going bankrupt
Damn I'm shocked to hear Rad is going down, I see them everywhere
They grew too fast in the COVID era and have been doing layoffs for the past year, firing their CEO last month, while they try to pivot to US retail sales in a handful of cities. They've also faced a big lawsuit recently over a teenager dying on one. They seem fun but there's better competition for their moped-style bikes and better service networks with other retail brands like Specialized/Trek/Aventon so I can't see them lasting the supply shock from the tariffs.
I'm actually looking at getting a Specialized. I was going to get one last year but started redoing my whole wardrobe, getting laser hair removal, and other trans things after coming out.
I was really tempted to get a Specialized Globe Haul but couldn't justify the price difference over an Aventon Abound or the other cheaper models I was looking at. It seems super fun to ride for a cargo bike.