Tern GSD/HSD: Do you load it into your car? How does it fit?

[Scramjett]

Hello all,

I'm contemplating replacing my current Tern Node D7i with something electrified but also with some carrying capacity. I was looking at either the Tern GSD or HSD and was intrigued with the handlebars that can fold down for loading into the back of a van/SUV (I'm future proofing for the day I upgrade my car to something a little "taller").

Are there any GSD/HSD owners here who often load their bikes into a car/SUV? If so, what kind of car is it and how does it fit into the back? Do you need to lower some or all of the second row seats (assuming no 3 row vehicles can fit it)? If you own, or have tried both, how do each fit into your car? Is it a good fit or a struggle?

Thanks!

 

[Seraye]

Hello, I was easily able to put the Tern HSD, with panniers and a front rack, into the back of my Honda Fit. I had to move the passenger seat forward. I left both wheels on but had to remove the saddle/post and fold the handlebars down. A slightly longer car would hold it better.

 

[Scramjett]

Hello, I was easily able to put the Tern HSD, with panniers and a front rack, into the back of my Honda Fit. I had to move the passenger seat forward. I left both wheels on but had to remove the saddle/post and fold the handlebars down. A slightly longer car would hold it better.

Thanks for the reply! You had to move the passenger seat forward but did not need to fold it down?

Also, does the front wheel turn 180 degrees to fold down the handle bars like my Node does?

I haven’t bought the bike yet. I’m actually still on the fence and contemplating maybe going with a long tail cargo bike now that I know I’ll be working from home 4 days a week going forward.

Thanks again!

 

[Seraye]

Hello,
Yes, I did have to fold the handlebars down just to lower the height -they fold down like the Node with the wheel turning in 180, so - I had to turn the wheel in to shorten the length of the bike. I also work from home but having the HSD makes me look for excuses to run errands. It holds so much but doesn’t feel like a cargo bike. It is just very fun and sporty but very Comfortable to ride - I have been cycling for many years and have been through dozens of bikes and even have owned a number of ebikes and this one so far is by far my favorite commuter ever.

 

[Scramjett]

Hello,
Yes, I did have to fold the handlebars down just to lower the height -they fold down like the Node with the wheel turning in 180, so - I had to turn the wheel in to shorten the length of the bike. I also work from home but having the HSD makes me look for excuses to run errands. It holds so much but doesn’t feel like a cargo bike. It is just very fun and sporty but very Comfortable to ride - I have been cycling for many years and have been through dozens of bikes and even have owned a number of ebikes and this one so far is by far my favorite commuter ever.

Thank you very much for the feedback!

 

[Bicyclista]

In mid-2020 I bought my girlfriend a Tern HSD. The first few months of ownership she would fold the handlebars and load it into her Mercedes 4-door sedan, folding the rear seats. We got a set of removable pedals so that sliding the bike into the trunk would not mar the car's interior.

After four or five months of riding she was confident enough to bike right out of our garage and riding to our destination, dispensing with putting the bike in the trunk of her car.

By the way, @Scramjett, if you are looking for a long-tail cargo bike, I would recommend one like the one I bought recently, the Yuba Spicy Curry AT (all terrain). It has a suspension fork and a suspension seatpost, knobby tires, support for 28 mph, and a strong Bosch Cargo Line motor. Whichever cargo bike you get, make sure it has a strong motor. Some cargo bikes, including the Tern HSD, do not have a sufficiently strong motor to climb hills and haul passengers or stuff. My girlfriend loves her HSD, but I wish I had bought her the GSD which now comes with the Bosch Cargo Line motor.

 

[Scramjett]

By the way, @Scramjett, if you are looking for a long-tail cargo bike, I would recommend one like the one I bought recently, the Yuba Spicy Curry AT (all terrain). It has a suspension fork and a suspension seatpost, knobby tires, support for 28 mph, and a strong Bosch Cargo Line motor. Whichever cargo bike you get, make sure it has a strong motor. Some cargo bikes, including the Tern HSD, do not have a sufficiently strong motor to climb hills and haul passengers or stuff. My girlfriend loves her HSD, but I wish I had bought her the GSD which now comes with the Bosch Cargo Line motor.

Thanks for the info. The Spicy Curry AT is definitely on my short list. I’ve seen and read that the 20” rear wheel is good for stability when carrying loads and I figure my kids would have an easier time getting on and off. Plus, it could be great bike for some light off roading, maybe bike packing if I ever get into that.

Yes, the weaker motor on the HSD is one reason why I’m leaning more toward the GSD, plus it’s a bike that my wife can ride if I can convince her to give it a chance. The only reason I hesitate is because I will only need to commute once a week now (working from home 4 days a week going forward) so the need for a bike that fits into a car is not as great anymore. It would be great as an extra ride on vacation trips though.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Thanks for the info. The Spicy Curry AT is definitely on my short list. I’ve seen and read that the 20” rear wheel is good for stability when carrying loads and I figure my kids would have an easier time getting on and off. Plus, it could be great bike for some light off roading, maybe bike packing if I ever get into that.

Yes, the weaker motor on the HSD is one reason why I’m leaning more toward the GSD, plus it’s a bike that my wife can ride if I can convince her to give it a chance. The only reason I hesitate is because I will only need to commute once a week now (working from home 4 days a week going forward) so the need for a bike that fits into a car is not as great anymore. It would be great as an extra ride on vacation trips though.

Most folks that pick up GSD's and HSD's just flop the bars down and load into the back of their car/SUV of all sizes, as previously stated. You might want to check out the P9 Performance, it hasn't gotten much news but is a pretty neat model from a bang for buck perspective. It's basically the P9 with the more powerful Bosch Performance motor. We're expecting ours in later this month, excited to see the Limon color!!

 

[Bicyclista]

Most folks that pick up GSD's and HSD's just flop the bars down and load into the back of their car/SUV of all sizes, as previously stated. You might want to check out the P9 Performance, it hasn't gotten much news but is a pretty neat model from a bang for buck perspective. It's basically the P9 with the more powerful Bosch Performance motor. We're expecting ours in later this month, excited to see the Limon color!!

I will be interested to see if you find the motor strong enough for climbing hills with a passenger or a heavy load. Bosch makes no less than six variations of their Performance Line, some capable of 65Nm and some of 85Nm of torque. My girlfriend's HSD S+ has a Bosch Performance Line motor that produces 65Nm of torque, and I found it to be weak compared to my Yamaha PW motor (75Nm, if I remember correctly) and my Bosch Cargo Line motor (85Nm). According to Tern, the P9 Performance has the 65Nm motor. Here is a listing of the current Bosch motors. Scroll down to see the torque ratings.

Since there is no industry standard on how to measure and report torque numbers (or power numbers for that matter), it is very hard to compare motors between brands. The only way the consumer can tell is by riding different brands with different motors, an impossibility for most people.

 

[Scramjett]

Hello all,

Thanks for the great feedback! I’m thinking I’ll go with the Tern GSD. It’s very pricey but it has an integrated frame, high load rating and the Bosch Performance Line motor with 85 Nm of torque. There also doesn’t seem to be too big a difference in the fold down size. Both seem capable of fitting into cars with handlebars folded down (laying down for a car, standing for an SUV).

I’m probably going to wait for the California eBike rebate/voucher program first before I get it though.

Thanks again!

 

[Bicyclista]

Hello all,

Thanks for the great feedback! I’m thinking I’ll go with the Tern GSD. It’s very pricey but it has an integrated frame, high load rating and the Bosch Performance Line motor with 85 Nm of torque. There also doesn’t seem to be too big a difference in the fold down size. Both seem capable of fitting into cars with handlebars folded down (laying down for a car, standing for an SUV).

I’m probably going to wait for the California eBike rebate/voucher program first before I get it though.

Thanks again!

Congratulations! The Tern GSD is a good choice. Small correction: according to Tern, the GSD comes with the 85Nm Bosch Cargo Line motor, not the Performance Line. The Cargo Line is biased towards low-end (slow cadence) torque as opposed to speed. Here is a Bosch video that explains the difference.

 

[Scramjett]

Congratulations! The Tern GSD is a good choice. Small correction: according to Tern, the GSD comes with the 85Nm Bosch Cargo Line motor, not the Performance Line. The Cargo Line is biased towards low-end (slow cadence) torque as opposed to speed. Here is a Bosch video that explains the difference.

Oops
Thanks for catching that! I’ll check out the video.