Any e-Cargo riders out there? Yuba Spicy Curry vs Benno Boost

[jcs7282]

Hey PL,

Are any of you out there riding e-cargo bikes? After borrowing a friend's OG Yuba Spicy Curry, I am pretty hooked on one for car replacement on short errands and around-town adventures with my kids...maybe even some commuting as things get back to "normal" with working at the office.

I have done some searching on here, but the PL crowd seems to favor the front bucket style cargo bikes which really don't appeal to me for my purposes since I'd ride this thing often with just small cargo (a bag of groceries, some beers, etc.). If I go for one, it'd either be a new Yuba Spicy Curry or Benno Boost. Info about either is pretty sparse out there, and to the extent reviews exist...they leave a lot to be desired. The online reviews are definitely not bike enthusiast level quality / detail.

My thoughts on both models as follows:

Benno Boost:
Pros:
-Available with choice of motors (I want a "speed" level, Class 3, capable of 28mph assist)
-More of a "normal" bike design, so should probably handle better when not being used for cargo
-2nd battery option available
Cons:
-Relatively expensive base cost (for higher level motor)
-Accessories are kind of ridiculously expensive
-Tough to find (not many dealers around)
-Wheels require 24x2.6 tires which is kind of a wonky size, may be hard to replace
-Comes with a lower-end Bosch computer

Yuba Spicy Curry
Pros:
-Relatively easy to find (compared to Benno)
-Lower cost, especially for accessories needed to carry kiddos and groceries/cargo
-"Normal" tire sizes (26" front, 20" rear)
-Small rear wheel makes carrying weight easy-to-balance
-Comes with a higher end Bosch computer
Cons:
-No "speed" level motor available
-No 2nd battery option available (yet; one is planned per Yuba rep)
-Cargo optimized design (smaller rear wheel) might be wonky in non-laden riding situations, but I don't have enough miles on one to know...


Anyway, if any of you have direct (or indirect) experience with one of these, please share it here. I am all ears...

Thanks in advance for sharing.

[nmrt]

Have the Benno Boost E.
Love it!
Do not drive my car anymore around town.
Have two panniers in the rear. Stores two weeks of groceries.
Would buy it again in a heartbeat.

[jcs7282]

nmrt, rad, love to hear it!

Any pics?

When you were buying, did you evaluate any other brands/models? What made you go with the Benno?

Any experience carrying little ones (or other heavy objects!) on the back?

Cheers
js

[jcs7282]

Bumping this up in hopes for more feedback...

Cheers

[nmrt]

I wanted a cargo bike primarily. Yes, I thought would carry my kid in the rear but that was the secondary purpose since my son usually rides his own bike.

The spicy curry felt too long. So, after a few seconds of cosideration, it was not considered. :-)

Then it was between the Benno Boost E and the Tern. Rode them both and found that I liked the larger wheels of the Bennn better than the Tern.

Now that I have the Benno, my kid will not ride his bike. Just wants to sit in the back. Bummer.

Try the Tern as well.
Oh, have you see the Benno Remi Demi? I almost bought that!

Not a photo of my actual bike, but this is how my Benno looks currently. The only difference is my bike in the rear has a seat cushion. And those pannniers are huge. As I mentioned, two weeks of grocery capacity is no joke.

Originally Posted by jcs7282

nmrt, rad, love to hear it!

Any pics?

When you were buying, did you evaluate any other brands/models? What made you go with the Benno?

Any experience carrying little ones (or other heavy objects!) on the back?

Cheers
js

[raygunner]

Awesome thread!

I have a Tern GSD that I bought for my wife. But it's kinda like if I bought my wife a bowling ball because I've been the only one riding it as she's been working from home.

I just put on a second battery which is great for long commutes but does add weight to an already heavy bike. It was super easy to throw on the Yepp seat as no adapter is needed and it's fun to ride.

My wife is about 5'4" so I think the Tern is better suited for smaller people but I'm 5'10" and it fits great as you can easily adjust the handlebars & seat.

I really want to buy an Xtracycle with a Bosch motor since I'm really digging the e-assist cargo bikes but I can't really justify it right now.

Also, I just bought some of Tern's panniers as the Ortliebs don't work that great with the Yepp seat installed.

Interested to see the introduction of the new generation of Bosch motors on e-assist cargo bikes.

[Dude]

I have a tern GSD. We have a 7.5 year old and 1.5 year old. 7.5 year old and I go everywhere on it, if it's less than a 15min ride. Young one isn't as tolerant of the cold, but she loves it when she's on it.

I use it for almost all errands except to the grocery store (too much stuff for a family of 4). I had a weehoo attached to an old steel cx bike when we had just one kid. When she started weighing more than 50lbs that became really hard to manage and the long wheelbase made maneuvering tricky.

Functionally the tern does everything I need. I'd like it to go a little faster (tops out at 30kph) and though the range is fine for what I need, it gets about 25 miles the way i ride it. Usually charge it fully once a week, on average.

For me the small wheelbase was useful, we live near some bigger roads and Id rather ride on sidewalks with kids on the back than the road. Smaller wheelsbase is easy to maneuver, park, manage, especially when weighted with 100lbs of kids.

I have some stoker bars attached to my seatpost for the 7yr old and we use a yepp seat for the 1.5 year old. This time next year though we'll use the clubhouse. That's what I used when it was just one kid. I felt much better with something on the sides of her (sharp turn, sudden stop, etc she'd have something to grab onto/not get thrown).

all in all, it's fun and I love it. I sunk ~4500 into it all said and done. That 4500 could've bought a lot of other things. Was it worth it....i'm not sure yet. I think I would've been just as happy with a radwagon, or something a little less expensive. For me, short wheelbase was a priority and something my wife (5'4") could also ride, though she hasn't ridden it yet.

Now that I own it, i've never had any problems with it, it's functioned perfectly. No electronic issues, i get on and ride every time.

There have been a few threads about this before, you can search for Tern and they'll come up.

[jcs7282]

Thanks for all the additional replies, great to hear this feedback.

I should have mentioned in the first post, I've looked at the Tern bikes and read a bunch of the reviews (all sound great) but for my taste, the style is just not my cup of tea.

I have pretty plain aesthetic preferences when it comes to bike design (give me an old double triangle design all day long...nothing exciting!) and to that point, the Tern's aesthetic just does not agree with me. I know the design is a case of function over form, so I get it; just not something I would buy personally, as irrational as that reasoning might be!

However your points re: the Tern bring up another good point about what I like about the Benno, which is its relatively shorter wheelbase and presumably better handling when unloaded. Together my boys weigh a combined ~100-110lbs and since I won't always have them on the back (in fact, usually will not have them) I don't necessarily want to make cargo carrying ability the first/primary decision making criteria...

[sauerkbirutdivu]

I would prefer Benno Boost. This one has more qualities: lower-end Bosch computer, design, motors. But, first of all, because of the 2nd battery option available. I enjoy the theme of alternative energy and studied many extra resources about it for my university tasks. So that's my choice, according to your words about these two models.

[harryschwartzma]

I had an older Spicy Curry with the with the Currie drive system (Currie is now defunct but that's the etymology of the name).

The bike is BIG. Really big. and really heavy. It kinda sucked to ride. Probably the Currie system isn't the greatest, and the Bosch will probably give it more pep. But you should try it out before you buy.

I now have an analog Yuba Mundo and am much happier with it.

Do you really need a motor? I can easily carry a 2 yr old in a seat, a 6 yr old and a couple of days (these kids EAT) of groceries including beer for me in NYC with no motor, no hassle and no charging. Also I can park on the street with fewer worries. It's definitely a better experience than the Spicy Curry.

[Applesauce]

We have a Kona e-Ute. NLA, so I can’t really add much to the quandary… But we use the bike all the time. We live downtown in a fairly small mountain/tourist community. Studded tires all winter and we only drive to the ski hill. Proper MTB tires all summer and we don’t drive at all. It’ll carry both my kids on the longboard, totalling about 160 lbs, and groceries in the panniers. Among the best bike purchases we ever made.

Could I do it all without the motor? For sure. Would I? Not as casually, or as fast. And that is worth it. And I am a hard e-bike eschewer…for everything except townies.