Cargo or cargo bikes will save the world

We have always known it: cargo or cargo bikes will save the world! They will save us from the unsustainable excess of cars on the roads, the traffic, the smog, and the unhealthy life we are forced to lead.
And all Eurobike 2018 we had further confirmation, the world turns on the electric bicycle and cargo bike! An increasingly widespread, increasingly powerful and increasingly designer reality.

This year at Eurobike for the first time there was a Cargo Area, reserved only for cargo bikes, are bicycles capable of replacing cars even on the transport issue and, over short distances of, say, 10, even 20 km, especially in cities, towns, but also in the countryside, they can be better than a car!

Cargo bikes exist in different types and are mainly distinguished between electric cargo ships e cargo ships without engines and between the tricycles and two-wheeled cargo bikes. Another very important feature if they were initially created to transport cargo o for transporting children.
Let us look at each of them.
Most cargo bikes are electrified and it makes sense, the cargo bike is already very robust in itself, if you then add cargo and perhaps in the heat of summer, a motor is essential. By the way, at this edition of Eurobike 2018 most of the bikes, whatever their purpose, origin, weight and design were electric. This reflects the trend but also the ambition of the bicycle as a main means of transport. However, also due to cost, cargo bikes without engines are also on the market, with the possibility of electrifying them later. This is a good solution both to better cope with the costs and to better understand whether a bike without a motor is right for you.

There are 4 things to consider before buying a non-electric cargo bike:

1. The weight of the bike. The lighter it is, the easier it will be to ride even without a motor.
2. How much cargo is intended to be transported for the same obvious reason.
3. The distance and gradient to be travelled daily.
4. The price difference between the electric and non-electric version, then the ease and cost of electrifying it later.

Now let's look at the differences and patterns between two- and three-wheel cargo bikes.

Le three-wheel cargo bike, i.e. the tricycles can have two wheels at the front and one at the rear or one at the front and two at the rear.
Most 3-wheel cargo cars have wheels at the front for a number of reasons: it can carry more cargo, it is more manoeuvrable and it is definitely cooler.
Tricycle cargo bikes with two rear wheels (just like our first tricycle when we were children) have one advantage, they cost less. Another possible advantage is that they are more intuitive and easier to ride than most tricycles with two front wheels. But it is also less stable when cornering than some three-wheelers. Not to mention looking like a big kid.

So tricycles with front wheels have many advantages, they are more stable precisely because of their three-wheel structure, they look good, and they have a nice design. Of all the bikes we have seen, this is the category with the best design. Cargo bikes with three wheels at the front can carry more cargo than other cargo bikes, precisely because of their structure.
Special attention must be paid to driving, which can be of 2 types:
With tilt steering, which allows the bike to be tilted when cornering, and with straight-axle steering.
The tilt steering, which is actually very cool when you have learnt how to use it, allows you not to slow down in corners, unlike other tricycles, but, at the same time, it loses stability, a big advantage of three-wheel cargo bikes, especially if you are carrying children. We tried it ourselves, and despite the fact that we were already experienced in riding tricycles, we had some difficulties, especially when cornering. Definitely surmountable with experience, but certainly not infallible, - great stability is one of the most appreciated features in a tricycle.

Cargo bikes with straight bike axle steering. One of the absolute advantages is its great stability. Unlike tilt steering, the bike is stable at all times, when stationary, on the move and when cornering. To curve, you have to slow down a little and eventually (it comes naturally) balance the curve with a slight body movement. However, by slowing down more, this movement is not required. Personally, we find this type of cargo bike more suitable for mothers for transporting children or shopping.

Moving on to two-wheeled cargo bikes, being less stable than three-wheeled ones, nevertheless have numerous advantages. Mainly they are more slender and can pass where a tricycle will not pass, in the narrowest of places. Even the cobblestones of central streets are less of a nuisance with a two-wheeler. The main difference between the different two-wheelers is the load-carrying capacity, which can be at the front or at the back. Surprisingly, the bike with the load in the front is more stable than I thought, almost at the level of tricycles with tilt steering. There are numerous models and the bike may or may not be equipped with a basket.

However, personally among the two-wheel cargo bike, we find more useful the long tail, slim and fast, the feeling is very similar to riding a normal bicycle, with the ability to carry much more load and have better balance. Need for balance, it is most popular with men for whom the bike is a real workhorse, or with dads who can load as many as three children on the back.

There are also cargo bikes that are very similar to city bikes, slightly longer and more robust. As an advantage, there is really no difference in riding between this type of cargo bike and the city bike, and yet it is a cargo bike and can carry what a bike cannot, for example two children in the back. As a disadvantage, it can be noted that this type of bike, a middle ground between a normal bike and a cargo bike, is much more expensive. For the same price or even less you can buy a real cargo bike!

Le hybrid cargo bicycles o transformer. This category includes bicycles that can transform from a cargo bike into a trolley or buggy. They offer more or less quick, easy and practical transformation. Some are truly ingenious. Let us remind you that the first bike of this kind was TAGA BIKE, released in 2008, and 10 years later, as Eurobike 2018 also shows, it is still unsurpassed. A straight-axle steering tricycle that is always stable, it is the slimmest and lightest of all tricycles on the market. Its Bici Passeggino model transforms into a real pushchair in just 20 seconds with easy and elegant movements by a mum!