Is that still a bike? The latest transporter from Riese + Müller has a full-suspension chassis, a motor and space for up to three people. It also costs over 5000 euros and is around two and a half metres long. Key data that is suspiciously close to that of a used small car. At the same time, the carbon footprint is so dramatically better than that of a car, even with "dirty" electricity for the battery, that politicians have taken notice of bikes like this cargo pedelec. The Federal Ministry for the Environment has announced a competition "Climate Protection in Cycling", which sounds somewhat absurd at first, because cycling certainly does not have the greatest potential to become even more climate-friendly. However, what is meant is climate protection through the targeted promotion of cycling. And this is where cargo bikes are increasingly coming into focus: companies that use cargo bikes in logistics can be subsidised, as can cargo bike rental systems. For example, the "I'm replacing a car" project, which ended two years ago, subsidised e-cargo bikes at courier companies with public funds. Parcel services such as UPS are also experimenting in several cities with large e-cargo bikes for the so-called "last mile" from a distribution point to the front door. The city of Munich is currently going particularly far with its subsidisation: Commercial enterprises there receive a 1000 euro subsidy for the purchase of a cargo pedelec - and another 1000 euros if they can prove that they are getting rid of a conventional company vehicle.
The Load could be one of the few vehicles to benefit from such a regulation, as the range on offer is limited. Single-track cargo bikes with plenty of payload and an extra electric boost are a small niche that has so far mainly been filled by the pedelecs used by postal delivery companies. However, unlike the Load, these have a high centre of gravity and do not encourage you to push the speed limits. Front-mounted low loaders like the Load, on the other hand, are stable on the stand and the load is in view - no wonder that such bikes have so far tended to roll through the cities as child transporters rather than small lorries.
The quirky design alone, with a small front wheel steered by a linkage, is enough to tempt you to take a test ride. But first there is a staircase in the way on the course. It would be an insurmountable obstacle for single riders, as the bulky length and unladen weight of a good 40 kilos require helping hands.
Then the blue monster is ready to go and only wobbles a little as the ballast sandbags plop into the load tray. 30 kilos of ballast is as much as cyclists take with them for some desert stages and much less than the manufacturer allows. But even these 30 test kilos are a perfect argument in favour of the motor assistance. In the middle support level, the bike purrs forwards more effortlessly than an unloaded carbon tuning bike. Pedelec experts may debate whether rear or centre motors are preferable. With a special bike like this, the additional power that brings the transporter up to cruising speed without long snaking lines is simply inspiring.
The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 3/2016. You can read the entire issue in the Trekkingbike app (iTunes and Google Play) or order the issue in the DK shop.
You can download the individual articles as PDF files here.
