Specialized Haul ST (e-bike)

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I would never fault someone for doing it because I totally can see the sense in it; but man, I would never trade a Vespa for one of these!

I agree that this does not replace a vespa, I would love to own both. But for some this might be better. Say someone in NYC, this is unbeatable. Can go grocery shopping, park it anywhere, bring it inside when you are done. No insurance, no license, ect

[CDollarsign]

I'm really into this bike and considering getting one to share with my wife to commute to work on nice days.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by Dude

that 419lbs I think is total carrying capacity which would include you. And i'd also factor in additional accessories into the cost.

Even so, you'll get many good miles out of that thing. Don't get into analysis paralysis, just get it and this time 3 weeks from now you'll be glad you did.

Yes, it’s a little deceptive. They say 419 hauling capacity but that includes the rider AND the bike. The bike weighs close to 80lbs so that should still leave 180lbs for people and cargo.

The only time I’d miss my Vespa is fall riding in the canyons. Especially when the parking lots are full, I can park essentially anywhere.
If I made this move and I end up missing the Vespa, I may buy a smaller one. Current Vespa is a 300. Really nice but I could probably do with a 150cc.

[NHAero]

It's not clear to me the trade-off between no suspension fork and the motorcycle size tires. I like the step thru design, and small wheels make load carrying easier, but my Big Dummy runs 26x1.75 tires and I'd prefer as an upgrade a suspension fork rather than much heavier wheels and tires.

[nmrt]

These heavy ebikes with thick metal tubes ride very harsh. The more tire the better. A manufacturer can add a suspension fork in addition to the wide tires. However, I am not sure the suspension fork would make as much a difference as wide tires on smooth, paved bike paths and asphalt roads. I'd see a suspension seatpost in addition to wide tires as more of a cush provider than a suspension fork.

But then again, what's the harm on adding a suspension fork to an ebike. We'd be adding a couple more pounds to the overall 66 lb weight of a Benno Remi Demi.

[p nut]

Is there even a suspension fork that is set up for 20 x 3.5” tires?

I prefer no suspension anyway. Less maintenance and for the roads I’m on, don’t need it.

I had a Big Dummy as well, but even with 26” wheels, it’s just too top heavy and wiggly with a kid on the back. Tail wags harder than my morkie-poo sitting by my 3 year old at dinner.

[Dude]

3.5" tires at 28+mph loaded with 50lbs of groceries and an adult probably makes more sense than adding a suspension fork to that bike...is my guess.

[dvancleve]

I suppose my only dumbish question is, can that thing actually be pedaled like a "normal" bike (and would it be tolerable) or is it really an e-moped? Reading the webpage for it, not much pedaling/shifting related stuff is mentioned.... Doug

[catchourbreath]

Fully pedalable bike, can add the throttle (to 20mph) has gears, microshift bits.

[shadco]

Should have been able to ride one yesterday but our Rep’s van was iced in and he couldn’t fit it in his Subaru.



.

[catchourbreath]

We built ours today, hope to ride it tomorrow.

[Minion]

Originally Posted by p nut

That bike looks good, too. I don’t know what the advantage is between rear wheel vs mid drive?

I do like that the Specialized has a 772wh battery. The Benno on sale has a 400wh. The Spec also has a 419lb weight capacity. And better network of dealers (for maintenance or issues).

But I’m all ears on what the better bike would be. Size and utility of bikes like this seem more and more appealing. Wife and kids could ride it, too. (Won’t let them touch the Vespa).

I've got a tern GSD and would say, the biggest difference is Bosch. Reliability and ease of service is both very, very good, I would not like to be stuck in Specialized's ecosystem of spare parts if they decide not to support this bike in the future - the motor and controllers do not look like Brose to me, I would say they are Chinese manufactured and licences to Spec. Typically that's been something I avoided in the past.

Also tyres that size are probably going to be more difficult to come by? Schwalbe make cargo bike tyres but nothing that size, so Spec may be your only option. If you don't put 3.5in tyres on, your supplied kickstand is going to be wonky af.

Aaaannnnddd, Suspension. It's great on an bike, there's no two ways around it, especially if you carry kids. They are just not as responsive or manoeuvrable as a standard bike, you can't just flick it out of the way to avoid a pothole or whatnot. Plough all the way.

Rear wheel drives are a bit more of a ball ache to change a flat on, and shifts the weight of the motor away from under the rider. There is also a bit of lag in the bike picking up your input from the pedals, compared to centre drive. A lot of rear wheel drive bikes are normally at the cheaper end since they can be fitted to frames with less modification or specific design than a centre drive, so I'm not sure why when Specialized designed this thing they did it around a rear wheel drive. These are quite nitpick things anyway, compared to some of the other stuff.

Also worth considering is the range of accessories, Tern really do quite well on this. We got the tern because we could fit a kiddie seat and 2 panniers on, we've since added a large front rack which has made carrying stuff a heap easier. The Specialized accessories look a bit, Ikea-ish, I'd not buy those hard plastic panniers ever.

I bet it's fast though.