Specialized teases details of Globe Bikes sub-brand Cargo eBike

Worth noting: The Fjallraven panniers Specialized is showing with this bike add - with the lid packs they aren't showing - $600 to the purchase price for four of them.
Phew, and $60 each just for the waterproof lid! That’s what I paid recently for my Banjo Bros folding grocery pannier.
 
It looks the Globe Haul ST will only be offered in the United States...

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Not a European thing. Nothing on the Canadian site either.
 
Specialized has had the Globe name for years. It used to be designated for their Dutch style bikes with IGH, upright position, racks, and built-in rear locks. Oh, and rear roller brakes, very low gearing with full chainguards. I fixed one up recently that was 25-years-old, repainting the fenders and installing a 750w cargo motor.
 

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Specialized has had the Globe name for years. It used to be designated for their Dutch style bikes with IGH, upright position, racks, and built-in rear locks. Oh, and rear roller brakes, very low gearing with full chainguards. I fixed one up recently that was 25-years-old, repainting the fenders and installing a 750w cargo motor.
Did you know the Haul ST was illegal in Europe? Canada does not allow Class 3 either.
 
The Haul ST is likely designed to compete with RAD and other similar bikes in the US market. Sometimes a huge demand for lower end stuff is just too tempting to walk from. For example, Bach is better than Hip-hop but doesn't sell as much. And a 250 watt hub-drive cargo bike would be a flop anywhere.
 
Let's make affordable ebikes, develop brand loyalty, get more people involved with and riding ebikes. Think that's called a loss leader. I'd be interested if I didn't already have 2 ebikes that will probably outlast this lifetime.
 
I was curious about this globe and went over to take a look on the spec site. I noticed the rear suspension is not triangulated, it is a square that suspends the rear wheel with two sets of parallel tubes and the frame is aluminum. There is going to be some flex in that and aluminum does not like to flex. I looked at the tern cargo bikes for comparison and they are triangulated. Be interesting to see how this pans out.
 
It is priced at $2700, $800 more that the RAD. It has a 700w hub-drive and is marketed to a demographic that has yet to adopt to bikes generally and cargo eBikes more specifically. The frame has a lifetime warranty for the original owner but the electrical has only a two-year warranty.
 
Could be test marketing in USA first ?
Could be supply chain issue ?
Limited supply on release .

Class 3 speed, 700w motor. Available throttle. Reading up on the bike's development and hearing from Specialized directly it looks more like they are targeting the USA market specifically.


It really only dips its toes into being a proper cargo bike, but if the USA market is the true target, maybe thats the smart play as for so many here in the US, cargo bikes are aliens from another planet. Witness the Skidloader and how popular it is, and it is similarly under-capable.
 
It is still just a 20" fat hub-drive. Like the $1200 ones. Hype aside. And the 'terms' or 'qualities' can be remotely altered so it sucks. We have seen that show before. The 'owner' does not control their dog. Someone else does.
 
It is still just a 20" fat hub-drive. Like the $1200 ones. Hype aside. And the 'terms' or 'qualities' can be remotely altered so it sucks. We have seen that show before. The 'owner' does not control their dog. Someone else does.
Yeah the whole OTA update thing is sold as a feature but we've seen real-world examples how it is the exact opposite. Specialized is touting the fact that OTA updates now never need a LBS/dealer visit which at least lowers the cost of ownership... but that also means Specialized is more able to negatively alter the bike without owner consent the way R&M has already shown can be done.

That hub is only there to keep the cost down. Mated to a 20" wheel it should give acceptable hill performance (unloaded, at least... thats where its inherent lack of capacity works in its favor just a bit). I consider it a necessary compromise for Specialized to enter the market and try and make a go of it. Not a given in the USA.
 
I would rather convert a full sized Yuba with a mid-drive, that I program and control.
 

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