Specialized Globe Haul ST
ToolsI ended my cargo bike search with a Specialized Globe Haul ST. It's basically replacing three other vehicles: A car I seldom drive if I can help it, a more traditional e-bike, and a Yamaha TW-200 motorcycle (about which more later).
I went into the search thinking in terms of long-tails, but the Haul won me over because it's a bit of a hybrid between the "cargo" and "utility" categories, with a huge amount of capacity if you add the front and rear bucket-style panniers and put storage on the front and rear racks. It's rated for 419 pounds of carrying capacity (you included).
With the hard panniers, it's a cargo hauler. Without, it's more of a RadRunner style demi-moped. The shorter wheelbase lets it handle a little better when you're not in hauling mode.
I bought the stock model and added a front cargo rack and rear pannier adapters (which will accommodate the soft Ortliebs I already have for commuting) plus a pair of Coolcave bucket-style hard panniers for groceries. I'm waiting for a MIK adapter to arrive so I can stick it on a jumbo 24l milk crate and use that as removable storage on the front rack (which comes equipped with a MIK receiver).
This is my third e-bike, and it had the best onboarding experience so far. It came with a pair of torque wrenches (and all the points you'd torque on the bike are labeled with the proper torque) and a wrench with enough reach to deal with the rear wheel. The manuals are clear and useful. There's an app that can act as a dashboard if you have a phone mount, and that can also remotely PIN-lock the bike's electronics. It's clear from the little magazine that comes in the getting started box that Specialized is trying to make the bike feel accessible.
I mentioned that it is replacing a Yamaha TW200. I love my little Yami for quick runs to the grocery store or other short errands. It's nimble, with big tires that soak up the crappier streets in Portland, and light enough to balance it hands free between my legs at long lights. I bought it thinking I'd also take it out on trails, but that never happened.
So as I thought about buying a cargo bike, part of what I was thinking was that I wanted something as fun as the TW200 that could support my bomb-proof Givi Dolomiti top case. The Givi is super tough, locks to a base bolted to the cargo rack, and lets me do a few errands at a time because I can lock stuff in it knowing nobody is getting into it before I've checked out and headed back for the street. Al also noted that it can hold two bicycle helmets with a few other things, so it's nice for tying up and not having to carry a bunch of bike paraphernalia around.
That made my first project, on return from River City Ebikes, getting that Givi onto the rear rack, and hoping it wouldn't look too big or more weird than I'd care for.
I had an existing Givi monokey base from an abandoned motorcycle project, so I just had to pull it off an old rack and figure out how to bolt it onto the rack. It went on pretty easily, with just a little overhang on the sides, and a neutral enough amount of rise that I can still strap things onto the rack if I take the Givi case off. It's also narrow and high enough to keep from interfering with the pannier rails.
