A partial car substitute? Trek’s new cargo bike, reviewed

As I watched a few berries I had just carted home roll gently down my driveway and into the road, it was hard to escape the sense that my plan to use nothing but a cargo bike for two weeks might have been overly ambitious. Several weeks filled with Canadian wildfire smoke and tornado warnings later, it was pretty clear that I had greatly underestimated the complexities involved.

The e-bike I used for my testing, the newly introduced Trek Fetch+ 2, is very good, and it readily hauled whatever I asked of it. But using a cargo bike is very different from any other biking experience I've had—and that's saying something, given the large range of bike styles I've now had the pleasure of sampling.

So this review will be divided into two parts. In the first, I'll talk a bit about the cargo bike experience; if you already know what that's like, you can skip ahead to the second half, where we'll go in-depth on the Fetch+ 2.

Hauling cargo

While we've looked at a very competent electric cargo bike before, that review was focused on the bike itself; it didn't say much about the cargo bike experience. But that experience is distinct. More than anything I've ridden so far, a cargo bike is a specialized piece of equipment. It's easy to take a mountain bike on roads or roll a folding bike down some gravel, and it will likely be a pretty good experience. But a cargo bike isn't amazing at anything other than what it was designed for.

The extend rear rack with two cargo panniers attached. It can also be topped with seating for two children.

Credit: John Timmer

That's because cargo bikes tend to be long—long enough to fit both the rider and a cargo area. And the wheels have to be on opposite ends of this length: one free of everything else in front so it can be turned to steer and a second placed where it will support much of the weight being hauled (either the rider or cargo).

An obvious consequence is that the handling isn't great—not dangerously bad, but not as responsive or enjoyable as you'd expect from a bicycle. But there are less obvious consequences as well. To handle that large separation between the wheels without the sort of flexing that would lead to fatigue and failure, the frame has to be pretty rigid. As a result, you really feel any bumps you hit. This was especially obvious for me, as I've been riding several suspension bikes this summer. But it was even apparent in comparison with my road bike, which is not noted for being especially flexible.

The cargo capacity also means that the bike is relatively wide. Although the cargo area probably doesn't extend past the handlebars, it's very strange riding a bike that needs equal clearance along its entire length, and I found I was always extremely conscious of that limitation.

While the Fetch+ 2 can handle a lot of cargo, there are limits to its capacity.

Credit: John Timmer

Put all that together and you end up with a bike I wouldn't want to use for a ride unless I absolutely needed its cargo-carrying capacity. In fact, if all you need is a couple of items, it's probably better to throw on a backpack and take a regular bike to the store. A cargo bike is the first hardware I've tested that really only makes sense as a second bike.

Cargo as a lifestyle

"Ah," you might object. "Building two bikes still has just a fraction of the environmental impact of one car." And that's absolutely correct. But that only works if the cargo bike lets you avoid buying a car entirely. And that's where the wildfires and tornado warnings come back into the picture.

My grocery shopping tends to be a single big trip on the weekends, and then I'll make small supplemental purchases during the week if necessary. Over this past summer, there were a fair number of hours every weekend where it would have been unsafe to get on a bike—rain too heavy to see clearly or smoke too thick to breathe deeply.

None of this is to say a cargo bike can't work for my shopping trips. It easily swallowed up the contents of one of my typical weekend trips to the grocery store in the back panniers alone. But you need to be flexible enough to make those trips when the weather allows and be willing to bike in conditions that might be wetter or colder than you'd want. Otherwise, you'll find yourself wishing for a car.

The two cargo bins (shown here with a white foam insert) mean the rear of the bike is quite wide.

Credit: John Timmer

Over the long term, even a car plus a cargo bike can be an environmental win, provided it lets you avoid a sufficient number of trips with the car. But that requires a serious commitment to using the bike whenever possible. The environmental calculations get more flexible if you're part of a couple and the cargo bike can let you avoid buying a second car. Most cargo bikes, including the Fetch+ 2, have an option for a seating bench that lets you add kid-hauling to the cargo-hauling. (I did not have any kids to test this with, but a neighbor has a similar design he says is fantastic for the purpose.)

So overall, a cargo bike can definitely be swapped in for a car in many situations and give you all the benefits that come with cycling: fresh air, a bit of exercise, a lower environmental impact, and more. But it will probably require both a bit more planning and the ability to switch plans on the fly if you're truly using it as a car replacement.

Trekking with groceries

Let's move on to the review portion of things. What does Trek bring to the genre? The Fetch+ 2 has a fairly standard design for a cargo bike, with a compact bike in front and a very long rack extending back to the rear wheel. The aluminum frame is heavily braced at every joint, with an extra tube in each of the bends. There is absolutely no hint of flex in this bike, which is impressive given its size. The downside is that you feel every imperfection in the road, and bad pavement can be extremely jarring and noisy, as the extra-long chain needed to reach the rear wheel bangs into its cover. (That said, the cover is effective, and the chain never bangs into you.)

The bigger problem with the rough ride is for your cargo. Trek provided the Fetch+ 2 with its panniers, which are made of hard plastic. They're robust, fit a lot of cargo, and thoughtfully include holes to allow water out should you ride in the rain. But they also are very effective at translating the bumps to whatever you're carrying. I ended up cutting up some foam that a different e-bike shipped in and lining the bottom of the pannier with that to cushion my groceries. But even with the foam in place, I rode very carefully when the bike was fully loaded with cargo.

That mostly worked well. But I got confident once I made it all the way home and hit the ramp from the street up to my driveway hard, bouncing a carton of berries off the back. Fortunately, I didn't make the same mistake twice.

The Fetch+ 2's kickstand keeps it stable even when fully loaded. Note that the entire kickstand is located within the loop of the chain.

Credit: John Timmer

The bike's wheels are on the small side, but that didn't make any noticeable difference in its handling. More noticeable was the fact that when the wheels were fully inflated, they had a rounded cross-section, meaning not a lot of wheel was in contact with the pavement. This caused the bike to frequently stray from the vertical; it tended to rock slightly from side to side as I pedaled. While it was a little odd at first, the roll never threatened to be anything more than slight.

Despite this tendency, the bike was remarkably stable. As long as I roughly balanced the cargo on each side by eye, I had no problems with the bike tipping over, and it was easy to keep it upright when stopped at traffic lights. Trek has also carefully designed a kickstand for the bike with legs on both sides of the rear wheel, keeping it stable when parked, even if heavily loaded. When not in use, the kickstand neatly tucks under the rear panniers.

Another very nice feature: The seat post telescopes over a huge range thanks to two separate extendable segments. These let it stretch enough to give my long legs a comfortable pedaling distance. And since the seat post is tilted backward, extending it moved the seat away from the handlebars, providing more space for larger riders. This was very nice, given the relatively small amount of space allocated to the bicycle portion of things.

Overall, Trek did a nice job with several aspects of the bike design to make it comfortable and stable. But the riding experience is dominated by how rigid the frame is. Careful route planning and riding can help you avoid poor pavement and minimize the issue, but it never goes away entirely.

Power play

Powering all 30 kilograms (nearly 70 pounds before rider or cargo) with only your legs is possible, but it's not especially enjoyable. The bike has a 10-speed rear cassette and a responsive Shimano Deore shifter, so finding a gear that gets you moving is a snap. But a cargo bike is probably the best-case argument for electrification of any class of bicycle I've tested so far. And Trek has made some good choices when it comes to powering the Fetch+ 2.

Bosch's cargo system is designed for bikes like this.

Credit: John Timmer

The first is the bike's Bosch electrical system. Bosch is a technology leader in this space, and its hardware is used by various high-end bicycle manufacturers. The company's Cargo Line of systems is built around a 600-watt motor that can deliver up to 85 Newton-meters of torque. The latter figure is on the high end for e-bikes and can definitely start things rolling even when the bike is heavily laden with cargo.

It also uses a torque sensor to determine when to deploy that power. These tend to be more expensive, but they respond better to whatever the rider is doing. The alternative, a cadence sensor, simply checks if the pedals are moving, which can result in a lag before the motor kicks in—you need to turn the cranks far enough for the sensor to be triggered. A torque sensor, like the one used in the Fetch+ 2, picks up on the force applied to the pedals as soon as they start turning, which cuts down on the lag dramatically.

Torque sensors are also better at integrating the motor with your pedaling at lower levels of assist, since they can back the motor off enough to ensure you're exerting yourself a bit. The Fetch+2 offers five levels of assist, all accessible through a simple and compact controller on the handlebars. Instead of a display, the controller's LEDs change color to represent the amount of help it's providing, from an eco green to a "let us handle this" red.

The bike's control system lets you know what's going on via colors and gives you some control over the phone app.

John TImmer

The bike's control system lets you know what's going on via colors and gives you some control over the phone app. John TImmer

Your phone here! If it can charge wirelessly, it will, so keeping the screen on won't drain your battery.

John TImmer

Your phone here! If it can charge wirelessly, it will, so keeping the screen on won't drain your battery. John TImmer

The bike's control system lets you know what's going on via colors and gives you some control over the phone app. John TImmer

Your phone here! If it can charge wirelessly, it will, so keeping the screen on won't drain your battery. John TImmer

The color of the display here reflects the level of assist, as indicated by the color of the LEDs on the controller.

John TImmer

The color of the display here reflects the level of assist, as indicated by the color of the LEDs on the controller. John TImmer

The app has a dedicated screen for the bike's status and updates.

John TImmer

The app has a dedicated screen for the bike's status and updates. John TImmer

The color of the display here reflects the level of assist, as indicated by the color of the LEDs on the controller. John TImmer

The app has a dedicated screen for the bike's status and updates. John TImmer

Bosch also provides a smartphone app, and its position as an industry leader really shines here. The app connected with the bike on the first try, alerted me of firmware updates, and generally showed me what I wanted to see with no hassles. When connected, it also responds to buttons on the controller, letting you change screens on the display without taking your hands off the handlebars.

Trek provides a phone holder in the center of the handlebars. It's designed to provide a secure grip that doesn't seem to stress the phone or accidentally press any of its side buttons. Better yet, it will provide wireless charging for any capable phone you place there, drawing power from the bike's battery.

That sort of careful design is also a feature of the 500-watt-hour battery. Trek builds its removable batteries with an integrated handle that makes carrying them a snap. I have an outlet where I store my bikes, so until now, this didn't seem like a major plus. But the Fetch+ 2 is so bulky that I couldn't figure out how to get it anywhere near that outlet. So I simply kept the charger in my home office and popped out the battery whenever it ran low, which gave me a new appreciation for the carrying handle.

The only thing that seemed amiss about the electronics on the bike is the fact that the light comes on whenever the bike is powered on. It's not a problem, and it could potentially help with visibility, but it seemed a bit strange on bright, sunny days.

Cargo vs. car

The downside of a high-quality bike from two industry leaders like Trek and Bosch is that you have to pay for what they bring to the table. For the Fetch+ 2, there's a hefty $6,000 cost of entry—and that's before adding essential items like the rear panniers (another $180). For a bit less than that, smaller companies offer alternatives that have a similar hauling capacity but are much better bicycles or dedicated cargo bikes with fewer features at a far lower price. In Trek's (and Bosch's) favor, the company's size means the Fetch+ 2 will probably have a very long serviceable lifetime. The company's retail stores have also become nearly ubiquitous features of the suburbs, so any issues that require service can be handled conveniently.

Note the bracing on the bike, such as the extra bar above the crank cover. While it limits stresses and flex, it makes for a rough ride.

Credit: John Timmer

The Fetch+ 2 is a great cargo-hauling bike, but that also means that it's not an ideal bike for pretty much any other purpose. And it's possible to get a decent used car for its price, which can always do a bit more—haul more people, more cargo, and so on. The bike offers a lot of positives, like exercise, outdoor time, and a far lower ecological footprint, but it definitely leaves you at the mercy of the local weather conditions. And if you have a family to lug around and buy groceries for, there are likely to be regular situations where the bike will require more than one trip to do what a car could.

I'd say that the most important question is whether you can make a cargo bike work for you. If so, you can debate the Fetch+ 2's trade-offs among features, service life, and price.