Thanks! FWIW the kickstand on the (Tern) Short Haul (that we own) also drives me nuts. I ponied up for the double-sided one, and it’s still pretty wobbly front-to-back — enough so that I have almost dumped my toddler on the ground several times. Cat has knocked it over, too. The beefier stand on the GSD really does seem better.
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We have a Tern GSD. The best part is chatting with my sons while we ride. Things I would add to it are a usb port to charge my phone from my batteries and a blinking light option for the lights that comes standard.
For some reason, if I unweight the front wheel I get speed wobbles going over 10 mph. That said, we hit 40 on most rides down our hill. We’re rounding 1000 miles on it, mostly 2.5 mile trips to and from school, and love it.
I think the small wheels are fine as it keeps our center of gravity low and lets us really carve at high speeds. I tried a yuba and reisse and muller before landing on the gsd. The tubas front end was too flexy and imprecise feeling while the r&m put my kids in the door zone, and cost $4k more. If I did it again I might go r&m so I can chat with the boys easier, but am stoked on the tern.
The three best aftermarket purchases I’ve made for it are a second battery, a bunch of 3d printed air tag holders, and a super reflective jacket from Proviz.
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That’s a really slow speed for speed wobble! Only when back weighted (kids) + front unweighted — or any situation with front unweighted?
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I’m at almost 6000 km with it. Trough all kinds of weather, temperatures and salted winter roads. My service interval is that I just bought som sram butter to do a first maintenance on it. Since I feel it is REALLY overdue. I have no issues with it trough all this. No play, no creaking and still feels smooth. It might be that the performance is slightly decreased from this long without a service, but it sure doesn’t feel like it! Truly impressed!
And the stand is awesomeness! I would recommend getting the extender. Since it locks out I have so much confidence in it. My usual way of starting my ride is to get on while it’s on its stand, and flick it forward with my bodyweight as I start pedaling. Feels kind of cool, and since the back wheel is off the ground while I sit on it I can change ringte correct gear before I set off.
If I take my hands off solo or with kids, it will start to wobble. That said, a teeny bit of input is all it takes to eliminate it.
Overall i love the bike…its the most fun I’ve ever had biking and it’s where me and my son have our best conversations and adventures around the City.
Also, drivers smile at us ALL the time. It’s a totally different experience.
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OK, if we’re doing long tails with dogs I’m doing a second post. This is several years ago and both are chasing deer or squirrels in heaven. They are on Walkie Dog system. Which is an amazing system if they are still made.
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Has anyone Bought a Thing from Upway? Limited local used inventory where I live because people hang onto these things forever (a positive, to be sure).
Hey, I’ve got a Momentum Pakyak E+ which is amazing. No kids (yet) but my fiance sits on the back when we go out and about in central London. I’ve got just about two adults on it and it can manage that ok but becomes a handful on handling - but I’m sure it could happily take two kids.
I know the cargo rack on the rear can take 2x child seats and they fit simply with Thule seats as I looked for future planning. It has a great front rack if you use the back for passengers but you can convert the rear into more carrying space and space for fork mounted buckets too. Tons of extras options like a second battery to make the range enormous (I charge once a week).
So far super reliable, only issue is it got stolen (and I replaced like for like immediately for the same thing I love it so much. I’ve even managed to attach a fork mount to the cargo cage to transport my road bike when I need a trip to the mechanic.
Momentum is just Giant’s e-bike brand so they are well priced vs Tern/Specialized but above the decathlon/radpower alternatives - but should have good availability globally and good for spares/Upkeep.
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I’ve been watching this thread but not replying until now. My family has had a v2 Yuba Spicy Curry for about ~6 years and generally I have good things to say about it. We have just about all the accessories and generally I’d say they all work well, although the sideboard/step thingys do kindof rattle unless you get them just right. Everything else has been largely flawless (including our kickstand by the way - I hadn’t realized that others had issues).
There are times that I’ve wished we had an urban-arrow style bike as the kids get bigger - just for the lower center of gravity, but the storage space seems prohibitive…..even for a family with a double garage that is largely devoted to our fleet of bikes. I admit the whole rig is pretty big/heavy when loaded up with a 5 y/o and a 7y/o, but I’m still comfortable with it. My wife is too but I think its getting a bit more intimidating for her as the kids get heavier.
I recently wore through the sidewall of the original tires, which I believe were a 1.9 in the back and a 2.0 in the front….replaced both with 2.4s for a little extra cush (with tannis armor in the rear for added security). Looking forward to seeing how it rides….but that will likely be in the spring as we’ve got 10cm of snow where I live now.
We have 2 Benno Boosts (previously we had a Hagen bucket bike, kidsoutgrew it).
Since they haven’t been mentioned - the Benno Boosts are nice: on their 5th generation, 24” wheels, solid frame, good Bosch drive train, decent set of accessories. We bought the second one from upway at a great price, the experience with them was good.
Oh, and we have a class 1 and a class 3 (45kph / 28mph). I really like the faster version especially without the kids. Makes flowing in traffic easy.
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If you get a chance to write-up any testing notes, that would be really fascinating! Also any updates on front-running candidates?
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This was a fun thread to read over. Our building’s basement storage only has room for regular-wheelbase carry-up/down-stairs, so we’re sticking with kid-commutimng on acoustic bikes.
But we have friends who love bucket bikes (Urban Arrow, Riese & Muller) and longtails which at least seem to have thinner storage footprint. My kid also loves riding on my friend’s Xtracycle. IF you can fit that long of a tail, the thing has great space on back for kids and other stuff. (My friend in the pic is 6’4”). Way longer than any Tern, but also probably has normal pedal threads.
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We’ve got 2 terns (hsd and gsd) in a single car garage with the car, for us that was clutch. One corner each, it is tight but possible.
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I would be happy to share notes when we begin testing! My other half does not ride in Winter and is the one who needs to feel comfortable. I’m pretty confident that we’ll end up on another Tern but unsure if it will be a used GSD or a Quick Haul Long. We’re constrained by a ~110 degree turn from a narrow walkway onto a patio through a ~36” door (sorry, freedom units, I swear I use metric for mass and volume) — which imposes some hard constrains on length. And the Terns use their length very efficiently.
Storage will probably be harder than selection. Indoor not a realistic option. Outdoor pretty exposed. Covering our Short Haul with a waterproof nylon thingie has worked OK, but the bigger more expensive and mechanically complex electric versions may not tolerate neglect as well.
How old is your older kid? You might be able to carry them both on the Quick Haul. Our daily driver for 2 kids (now 2.5 and 5) is a bakfiets, but we kept our Tern HSD (bought in the 1-kid days) for when a different parent needs to do pickup. It can hold them both just fine for commutes. Our current setup is Clubhouse bars + Yepp Maxi, and there’s about 6.5” of space for the preschooler to sit in front of the Yepp. When they outgrow that, they should both fit in the Clubhouse for another couple of years.
Just an option to keep in mind in case the stairs & storage situation aren’t great with the heavier bike for your other half.
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3.5 and .5. The “.5” is driving our timing. We have let’s say 4-5 months before it will be (warm for the test-driver and) reasonable according to my perspective for the little one to be on a bike “safely”. I think the Quick Haul (non-long) has the same frame as our Short Haul, so we ought to be able to test that config already for space consumption. Though I am hoping one of the longer models will fit the space. Even the QH is heavy enough that my feelings on dragging it up and down stairs constantly are not positive. And if it’s already doomed to live outside, might as well have extra room for groceries, beach gear, etc.
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We have the GSD with clubhouse and bars - it has made a total vehicle replacement for groceries and hauling our 4 and 7yo on their daily commutes on a very hilly island. Can’t recommend it enough, if you have the parking space. Adorned with heating pads from Adafruit and a USB Xmas light string it makes for a fun/warm ride for the kiddos year round in our near freezing/dank humid winters in the PNW. 2k miles in and I’ve replaced brake pads.
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A few minor observations from outdoor storage of a Tern and a R&M in front of a small east coast row house. We have real winter but it’s a bit milder and shorter than Chicago, and we ride almost year round except for a few days here and there.
- A belt drive is less maintenance, but a chain is totally fine, just needs a little more washing and tending.
- A fully loaded cargo bike (child seats, rear rack, wheel covers, etc.) actually keeps a lot of rain from falling onto the drivetrain and electronics. We have a cover for the bakfiets and its padded seats but otherwise don’t cover them to save time. We use a towel to wipe down the hard Yepp seat after rain.
- Our electronics have been pretty sturdy in 5 years of outdoor storage! Nothing shorted out, etc. Cold is a challenge though.
- Below 15F, the fancy head unit stops working so we have to remove it after parking, otherwise you’re riding with no assist.
- Below 15F, the Enviolo shifter can freeze and you’re in whatever gear you’re in.
- At 10F, the Abus chain lock froze and needed hot water poured on it to melt (we don’t regularly ride at these temps)
But it’s all still worth it to avoid having to drive!
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This is really helpful, thanks! I have also seen surprisingly good chain resistance to outdoor storage with unremarkable KMC chains, using Silca’s Synergetic lube and wiping the chain down pretty often. It’s the brakes and some bolts that have been beat to hell
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I love longtail bikes for a few reasons. Firstly, I happen to run a bike shop in London that sells these bikes. We sell Tern, Veloe, Bike43, Estarli, Bicicapace, Benno and more. In all that time I’ve never sold one to a customer that genuinely regrets it. We see them zooming past up and down the hill, waving etc. The only regrets I’ve seen are people that didn’t buy one sooner, or bought the cheaper one instead of the best. This has sometimes happened with the Quick Haul Long vs The GSD. The GSD is just better. The ABS on the new S10 is an absolute gamechanger too - I thought it would be a gimmick used only in emergencies, but it completely changes the confidence in how you ride in the wet. Give it a go.
There’s no doubt that the Tern GSD is the best out there, but it doesn’t mean it’s the best for your family. Other options can be a bit more fun (Hello Tern Orox!) or stylish (Like the Veloe Multi in any custom colour you like!).
Anyway, I’m aware that Escape collective fans (like us) are all over the world, so this isn’t an advert for my shop (though if you’re in London, pop by!), so if you have any questions about cargo longtail bikes that you think could be answered by someone who rides about ten different ones each week, then @ me, and I’ll do my best to answer.
The one that is a bit of a sleeper hit is the Bike43 - it’s superb for 3 kids or bigger kids, or even with the other parent on the back sometimes too!
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