Cargo Bike Review - XtraCycle EdgeRunner Electric

Find it at xtracycle.com

Available in US bike stores, distributed by ebikes.ca in Canada as of Sept 2012

The EdgeRunner Electric is a purpose-built longtail cargo bike with a 26-inch front wheel and 20-inch rear-wheel. The frame is based on the design of NAHBS award-winning frame-builder Sam Whittingham of Naked Bicycles. The model tested was a pre-production prototype with disc brakes, a 24-speed Shimano drivetrain and a powerful eZee hub motor. It has a maximum hauling capacity of 400 pounds (181 kilograms. Notable standard accessories include a throttle, FreeLoader bags, basic lights and Kickback kickstand. All of the tail-end frame geometry is designed to the Xtracycle Longtail Standard, which provides a wide array of snap-in accessories for carrying children and specialized cargo, including the Hooptie seen in the photo.

Tell Your Friends

Hills are no longer an issue! Ride anywhere with as much as you want or need to carry. The Kickback kickstand is extremely stable even when parked with a load of kids or cargo.

Wish List

While you can’t feel the weight of the hub motor when you’re riding, it can feel pretty heavy if you’ve got to lift it over a few steps or a curb. I wish that building developers and city engineers would start to take into account cargo bike accessibility.

Ideal Rider

The EdgeRunner Electric suits families looking for a greener and more cost effective transportation alternative to motor vehicles. Access to ground floor bike parking is recommended. The swooping frame design makes it a good fit for both short and tall riders.

Overall

The EdgeRunner Electric carries a rider, kids and cargo real distances and up hills quickly with an amount of effort that can only be described as comfortable. The combination of a capable electric assist on a solid, well-designed, purpose-built long tail cargo bike makes this bike incredibly useful. And the range of available accessories from Xtracycle make the EdgeRunner’s intended uses flexible and varied.

I used the EdgeRunner to haul my children up a large hill to swimming lessons and to school over a couple of weeks. Usually leaving me gasping for air, this monster hill now posed no significant increase in effort thanks to the electric assist – even while carrying children. What a game changer! This system also shaved a combined 30 minutes off my weekly 26 mile (42 kilometer) round trip across the City of Vancouver and back. Best of all, when I arrived where I was going I smelled fresh as the effort required was that of a leisurely ride despite my traveling at an average 19 mph (30 km/h).

With a comfortable upright seating position, this bike is a real pleasure to ride. After a quick adjustment to the added weight of the battery and rear hub motor, the EdgeRunner feels surprisingly like a normal bike despite its approximately 7 feet (213 centimeters) of length. As such one must have a dedicated storage arrangement for this bike as it does not fit in vertical bike racks and is considerably wider and longer than a normal bike. Apartment dwellers may find this bike a challenge to store, especially those who need to carry their bikes up stairs. Those lucky enough to own a garage will have to carve out a space for it.