Ann M.
Well-Known Member
Born in Holland where cycling is a passion, Dutch company Ariel Rider is always thinking of creative ways to make the riding experience comfortable as well as practical. It’s the little things that make a bike special and they’ve done it twice over, introducing two new models for 2017, a compact Cargo bike, the C-class and the retro café racer styled Cruiser, the N-class.
The lime green Cargo bike caught my eye first, with a little shorter wheelbase than the typical stretch cargo bike it’s easier to balance and steer, particularly for a smaller rider. It’s built to haul up to 300 lbs of stuff but the shorter length reduces issues with the back of the bike swaying while riding over uneven roads or around curves. Their secret was building the rear rack as part of the frame so it’s structurally more rigid, following the curves of the rest of the frame. Hidden beneath the rack is the battery pack that powers this bike.
Ariel Rider figured you better like the saddle and nothing off the shelf fit their specs for a classy but comfy leather seat so they designed their own. It’s leather with just the right amount of ergonomic gel to cushion without being spongy. You get the durability and looks of leather without a painful break in period like some leather seats. And yes, they have their own custom hard case that locks (Upper center part of the pic).
Now this is a cargo bike, so check out the generous sized bamboo rack on the front. There’s a special cut out for that all essential cup of coffee (cycling & coffee are synonymous, right?!) Notice this rack doesn’t have left or right sides, they’re open to haul bigger flat boxes, like a nice sized pizza. Detachable bungee cords with 2 attachment points are used to snug items in place with a short lip in the front to keep them from slipping off.
Central to the Cargo bike is a Brose motor that generates 90 N/m of power, plenty to cruise around town and up steep hills with a full load. Ariel Rider is really focused on creating reliable, quality bikes, so they work with engineers and designers to create their own controllers & batteries for all of their line. Brose is one of the few mid drive motor companies that doesn’t lock in its bike companies to their brand battery as long as the manufacturer meets certain specs. That allows companies like Ariel Rider to have a custom top tube battery on their N class Cruiser and a rear rack battery on the Cargo instead of a bulky down tube battery.
Well, you can tell I was impressed with the products and the passionate attitude of the folks at Ariel Rider. It’s in the blood of everyone in the Netherlands where there are almost twice as many bikes as people – 30 million people and about 50 million bikes! More about their new N-class Cruiser a little later.
The lime green Cargo bike caught my eye first, with a little shorter wheelbase than the typical stretch cargo bike it’s easier to balance and steer, particularly for a smaller rider. It’s built to haul up to 300 lbs of stuff but the shorter length reduces issues with the back of the bike swaying while riding over uneven roads or around curves. Their secret was building the rear rack as part of the frame so it’s structurally more rigid, following the curves of the rest of the frame. Hidden beneath the rack is the battery pack that powers this bike.
Ariel Rider figured you better like the saddle and nothing off the shelf fit their specs for a classy but comfy leather seat so they designed their own. It’s leather with just the right amount of ergonomic gel to cushion without being spongy. You get the durability and looks of leather without a painful break in period like some leather seats. And yes, they have their own custom hard case that locks (Upper center part of the pic).
Now this is a cargo bike, so check out the generous sized bamboo rack on the front. There’s a special cut out for that all essential cup of coffee (cycling & coffee are synonymous, right?!) Notice this rack doesn’t have left or right sides, they’re open to haul bigger flat boxes, like a nice sized pizza. Detachable bungee cords with 2 attachment points are used to snug items in place with a short lip in the front to keep them from slipping off.
Central to the Cargo bike is a Brose motor that generates 90 N/m of power, plenty to cruise around town and up steep hills with a full load. Ariel Rider is really focused on creating reliable, quality bikes, so they work with engineers and designers to create their own controllers & batteries for all of their line. Brose is one of the few mid drive motor companies that doesn’t lock in its bike companies to their brand battery as long as the manufacturer meets certain specs. That allows companies like Ariel Rider to have a custom top tube battery on their N class Cruiser and a rear rack battery on the Cargo instead of a bulky down tube battery.
Well, you can tell I was impressed with the products and the passionate attitude of the folks at Ariel Rider. It’s in the blood of everyone in the Netherlands where there are almost twice as many bikes as people – 30 million people and about 50 million bikes! More about their new N-class Cruiser a little later.
