Best e-bike for towing a trailer (or cargo bike?)

[CaitlinD]

We have 2 kids (ages 4 and 1) and are debating between an e-cargo bike or an e-bike + trailer combo. We currently have an EG Athens 350 but it feels a bit gutless towing the loaded trailer up our short, moderately steep hill by our house. I took both boys for the first time the other day and had it in first gear and had to switch to HIGH near the top of the hill, and it felt like the motor was working very hard. And the kids are only getting heavier!

Our hesitations with the cargo bike are that once you get kids on there (at least one will have to be in a Yepp seat) the capacity for other stuff is greatly reduced. We love just tossing all the lunches and diapers in the back of the trailer with no strategic packing necessary. That said, we could be convinced by the right bike.

Any suggestions on what to look for in terms of motor, bikes to check out or other advice? We don't want to spend more than $3000 CAD all in.

Thanks!

 

[Dewey]

There was a thread talking about Canadian ebike retailers https://electricbikereview.com/foru...a-canadian-e-bike-retailer.26471/#post-177826

Most ebikes should be able to tow a trailer, I have a mid-drive Bafang motor and a Nexus 8 hub, I added a Shimano Nexus axle extension nut to attach the hitch to tow a chariot trailer and fitted pannier hooks and baskets for groceries.

Biktrix sell Bafang ebikes out of Saskatoon, their Stunner models are step through’s with plenty of power, mostly mid-drive or geared hub motors, and a throttle.

A trailer is easier to store than a box bike but if you can push your budget up a few hundred dollars you could get a Bertus Bakfiets box bike from Urkai to convert with a mid drive Bafang kit motor and battery, you’ll lose the chain case but could replace with a hebie chain glider like I did on my bike https://dutchbikes.ca/collections/bakfiets-nl/products/bertus-by-bakfiets-nl

Other resources for Cargo Bikes in Canada are:
https://www.cargobike.ca/
https://momentummag.com/cargo-bikes-guide-usa-canada/

And a great review site for child trailers is https://www.twowheelingtots.com/bike-trailer-comparisons/

 

[indianajo]

My cargo bike has bosses welded in the frame where you can install a front basket for the groceries diaper bag or whatever. They sell a "bread basket" which I bought but replaced with the battery mount shown left. This allows the cargo to not swing around with the handlebars.
I'm afraid their mid drive 750 W bosch would be a bit gutless, but the 1200 W hub motor I installed on the front can carry 330 lb up 15% grades at about 4 mph. Faster of course if I carry some speed into the hill. It is a yubabikes.com bodaboda. The frame for larger people is not a step through.
Total price with a 17 AH battery was <$2800. But I assembled it myself with aluminum brackets and angle.