So I ended up buying the ENVO Flex Urban from eBikeBC.
For the price it isn't bad, definitely the cheapest option I found for a cargo ebike that carries kids. It does the job.
I haul two kids with it using Polisport seats attached to the large rack - gets them to and from daycare, barely. I live in Nelson, BC - we have a ton of steep grades and the 36V battery can sometimes struggle. I would definitely recommend going with a 48V bike if you have a bunch of hills.
I like that both a front and back rack, as well as foot pegs, were included as part of the purchase price. ENVO also seems to have a ton of dealers in Canada, so service options should be available if it comes to that. We were also heavily considering an Aventon Abound. Chose ENVO because it was quite a bit cheaper, but you always get what you pay for
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Setup was simple enough, they have an online video on youtube.
My main issues with the bike are:
- Mechanical brakes are stock. For a bike that's supposed to carry kids, this is a truly headscratching choice from the design team. You absolutely have to spec hydraulic brakes on a cargo bike. Even the D35 has hydraulic brakes.
- Battery range is nowhere near what they advertise! I have never achieved more than 30km before running out of juice, and when you get to around 30% charge remaining the bike starts to struggle with power up hills.
- Fender stay was broken when shipped. Customer service was fairly responsive and sent a new part right away, props to that. They've been fairly responsive on the whole.
- Chain rubs against tire in 2 lowest gears. I have a strip all the way around the tire where you can see the rub. This was a setup issue from factory that I fixed.
- Fat tires. Not a huge fan of the 3" tires on the bike. I emailed and asked if I can decrease the tire size, they stated only a 3" tire would fit. That's unfortunate.
- External battery looks a bit silly compared to bikes with integrated.
- No child containment system (ie. MonkeyBars). We have two seats for now but my 5 year old will be too big for them next year. This would be a huge seller for ENVO so not sure why they don't have a simple containment system. When I asked ENVO they said one might be in development.
Even with the mixed experience on this bike I am still considering other ENVO Bikes like the D50. It's just tough to find independent reviews of ENVO bikes to help when researching bikes. All of the reviews on ENVO's website seem to be 5*, it almost like they are scrubbing bad reviews. I've also posted this review on the ENVO website (we'll see if it sticks around).
Hope this helps future customers.