My wife and I have went exploring our neighborhood and some surrounding areas on the Xpedition. The Xpedition is a great ebike so far, no complaints from me. But one day my wife saw me watching a video on the Urban Arrow Family and now she wants to try one. Of course I'll be the pilot and she'll be the passenger but her interest in it is: Enhanced comfort for her and being able to see everything. I never use the "T" word on the Xpedition so I don't care about loosing that feature. I also understand how to properly use a mid-drive motor. The fun part has been trying to find a dealer with a demo. Yuba also makes a front loading cargo ebike but no one has a demo model in my area.
Wife wants to try out a Urban Arrow.
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Slaphappygamer
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Aptos
Instead of looking for a dealer to demo a bike. Could you rent a bike from a place? You may find some tourist place that has ebike rentals.
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
We usually move a few UA's a year, all Cargo drive units though. The R&M Load family is by far the most popular though, different price point. I'd also encourage looking at the Cube Cargo model too, they're bringing an Enviolo equipped one in the states now. The Yuba is the least popular and folks didn't care for the ride quality compared to the others. Front loaders in general do have a bit of a learning curve, but you get used to it pretty quickly.
Are you just hauling her around?
Just hauling the wife. She's around 125ish and on the short side, so I think she'll fit okay in the front. I'm sure I'll find other dumb things to haul. I did carry a Porsche transmission on the floor of a Vespa once. I had to disconnect the rear brake pedal on the way because the transmission would shift forward, pressing the brake pedal. All the reviews I've seen say Urban Arrow Cargo Line. Pay the extra for the extra power up front. Never considered a R&M for some reason.
I'm lazy and hate projects, but you make a very valid point. I could learn all about ebikes in the process. I've never seen a front loader conventional bicycle for sale OR even seen one in person.
Jeremy McCreary
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
If your wife happens to read that, better watch your plate. Women who kill their husbands tend to use poison.
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AvalancheRun
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
On a test of the Spicy Curry we found that stability was lacking a little. Didn't inspire a ton of confidence. Love the name and general vibe of it.
I have not ridden anything else in that size class. R&M load is popular, and I would probably go that route, but at the same time $10-15k is a bit nutty. Makes you wonder what kind of margins they have on those products.
My wishlist would probably include full suspension, cart, wide tires, non-integrated battery, low center of gravity design. Urban Arrow looks really nice.
PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
The thing to do with the Urban Arrow is to fill the bathtub with ice and beer. The little rear wheel on the Curry makes it feel unstable. A friend could not balance his wife on the back of one. Some bathtub bikes have two wheels in front for greater stability. Here is a sweet curry that I made spicy. I got it from a company employee who purchased it wholesale with her employee discount when Yuba was based in my town.
I was unaware that TREK has the Fetch+ 4. I have a very good TREK dealer near me, actually 2 good dealers. Price is the same as the UA so test rides would be in order, and if the UA dealer also sells R&M I might take one of those out as well, or should it be tho$e. Honestly, I don't have a issue paying for quality to an extent. I discovered Propel has a dealer in Delaware, gives me a reason to visit some moped friends and a retired co-worker as well.
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
The Trek will certainly give you an idea of how a front loader can ride but they're not all created equal. Not by a long shot, IMO. The Trek is also overpriced compared to the UA or Cube FWIW. That said get some saddle time on them and go from there. The R&M's are a very "premium" product with the most options out there. That said the UA and Cube are fantastic options for their price points. I think the Cube would be the most comfortable as it's a bit wider up front, similar to the R&M Packster.
What Porsche transmission, 915 or something older/light weight?
m@Robertson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
One thing I think you will find striking about the UA when you see it in person is its truly enormous size. Not so much in length, although that is considerable, but in height and width. The cargo tub is enormous. Now, this can be seen as both good and bad. The bad is its a behemoth with all of the caveats that you would expect from all that size and weight, both in performance and manhandling. UA's are indeed popular as frontloaders go, but I've heard bad things from people - who also own different bakfiets-type bikes and thus have a comparative frame of reference - who characterized their ride and handling negatively.
The good is it can carry a lot, A UA Family is rated for 275lb in the cargo bay, a 275 lb rider and 55 lbs on an optional rear rack.
A second bit of good news is its tank-like construction is amazing for the passengers in the box if you get hit by a car.
But the bad news is handling. Myself personally I ride a Bullitt and it is made expressly with the idea of being nimble. With handbuilt custom wheels, its good for well over 500 lbs spread out amongst its cargo bay, my 230 lb self and rack. That lesser load rating seems like a lot but if you have ever tried riding a 500+ lb bike, its a handful; although the nature of a frontloader makes the effort seem trivial compared to trying the same system weight in even the most capable longtail. My record is in the ballpark of 550 lbs.
The good is it can carry a lot, A UA Family is rated for 275lb in the cargo bay, a 275 lb rider and 55 lbs on an optional rear rack.
A second bit of good news is its tank-like construction is amazing for the passengers in the box if you get hit by a car.
But the bad news is handling. Myself personally I ride a Bullitt and it is made expressly with the idea of being nimble. With handbuilt custom wheels, its good for well over 500 lbs spread out amongst its cargo bay, my 230 lb self and rack. That lesser load rating seems like a lot but if you have ever tried riding a 500+ lb bike, its a handful; although the nature of a frontloader makes the effort seem trivial compared to trying the same system weight in even the most capable longtail. My record is in the ballpark of 550 lbs.
That Cube front loader is cool looking! Yes, I intend to do a good, long test ride. Maybe she wont be able to climb into a front loader, or she'll get stuck trying to get out. Only a good long test ride will reveal anything negative.
Brendon, I don't recall the model number of said Porsche but here's some details. My old roommate bought a "Sportsman class" ex-club racer Porsche from a cocaine dealer who laundered the drug money thru a motorcycle store. The car was a early 80's front engine model and the transmission was between the rear wheels, power from the motor was transmitted to the rear via a torque tube, kinda like a fancy drive shaft. The cars prior racing history and my roommates lack of Porsche income made us learn how to work on it. Honestly it was a pretty reliable car overall.
Brendon, I don't recall the model number of said Porsche but here's some details. My old roommate bought a "Sportsman class" ex-club racer Porsche from a cocaine dealer who laundered the drug money thru a motorcycle store. The car was a early 80's front engine model and the transmission was between the rear wheels, power from the motor was transmitted to the rear via a torque tube, kinda like a fancy drive shaft. The cars prior racing history and my roommates lack of Porsche income made us learn how to work on it. Honestly it was a pretty reliable car overall.
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
Ah, sounds like you had the transaxle from a 924 or 924s, very cool!!
All of the front loaders have center stands making them very stable for the passenger to climb in and out. It's a little awkward the first few go arounds but it gets easier!
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