Bikes

The portland-designed Joe Bike almost single-handedly dispels the notion that a bicycle can carry little more than its rider.

Built on the high-tensile steel frame of the Boxbike – a facsimile of the short-box Dutch-designed bakfietsen – the Joe Bike’s reinforced frame features a modular cargo platform with custom brackets designed to accommodate several unique cargo carriers: a traditional wooden cargo box; a low-level tread plate-covered cargo platform, or an upper-tier tube rack. Whether you haul groceries, tires, people or puppies, you can swap the bike’s cargo carriers with little effort using a single four millimeter allen wrench.

The Joe Bike features an accommodating Dutch-style riding position, which offers excellent visibility and comfort. With its centralized, low center of gravity, the bike inspires confidence at almost any speed. When tested, the bike’s stability actually improved as the load weight increased.

Riding comfort aside, utility is where this steed truly shines. The wooden cargo box excels at transporting children between the ages of one and six (depending on the size of the child) in a position that allows the rider to interact with them easily. Children sit comfortably in a box that is confined enough to feel safe, yet high enough for maximum visibility – and they don’t have to stare at mom or dad’s backside.

For oddly shaped or boxed cargo, the multi-tier platforms offer a multitude of options for transporting almost anything you would ever want to carry on a bicycle. The top tube-style rack provides multiple tie-down points, while the bottom rack’s tread plate-covered platform helps when transporting heavy loads that might not be terribly secure on their own, all while keeping road debris from soiling your cargo.

Photograph by Keri Towsey-French

For transporting older children and adults, buyers may wish to consider the optional passenger-carrier platform. While slightly front-heavy when fully loaded, it provides ample room for two children or an adult, and its porteur-style box effectively separates cargo and passengers.

A bike built for serious hauling requires serious steel, but the Joe Bike displays a character that is both refined and playful. The Joe Bike presents an excellent combination of capability and comfort, offering the most versatile platform for cargo carrying that you’ll find in any single bike.

The stock Joe Bike comes complete with the front cargo box (with fold-down bench seat and seat belts), the custom double-decker cargo racks (attached independently) and a heavy-duty rear rack. The bike with disc brake, Shimano dynamo-powered front headlamp, brake-actuated rear light and full fenders features a SRAM mountain drive with FSA cranks, Sturmey-Archer XRD rear freehub with 70mm roller brake, front Shimano Alfine, Hebie Bi-pod (four-point kickstand available at additional cost), built-in wheel lock, mirror and bell. Customers can also pick their frame and rack colors at no additional cost.

$2,699 for the three-mode cargo configuration, SRAM mountain drive, all accessories and custom two-color powder coat finish; passenger-carrier and porteur-style rack/basket attachment adds $300; Ecospeed electric assist adds $1,349 plus battery cost (customer’s choice; Lithium Iron Phosphate pack as tested: $900); total cost of the Ecospeed-powered Joe Bike as tested: $5,248.

www.joe-bike.com & www.ecospeed.com