The two main shapes of cargo bike
Longtail cargo bikes look like a stretched-out normal bike with an extended rear rack. The weight sits behind the rider, the front end steers like a regular bike, and the whole thing is relatively easy to learn to ride. Longtails usually carry one or two children on the rear rack, often with a bench seat and handle. Popular examples include the Tern GSD, Yuba Spicy Curry and Cube Longtail Hybrid.
Front-loading cargo bikes, sometimes called bakfiets from the Dutch word for box bike, carry the load in a box or platform in front of the rider. The rider steers through a linkage or rod system. This shape is more stable at low speed, better for carrying two or three children facing the rider, and much more visible to other road users. Riese and Müller Load, Urban Arrow Family, Babboe City and Larry vs Harry Bullitt are the well-known examples.
A third category, the trike cargo bike, uses three wheels for added stability when loaded. Christiania is the classic example. They are less popular in the UK because the tipping-out-of-corners learning curve is real, but they are excellent for very young children and for riders less confident on two wheels.
Why almost every good cargo bike is electric
A loaded cargo bike weighs between fifty and a hundred kilos before you factor in the rider. Hills become a serious problem without assistance. Almost every cargo bike sold in the UK in the last five years has been electric, and for good reason. Bosch Cargo Line motors, in particular the newer HS variants, deliver the torque needed to start on a hill with a full load.
