Modern cargo bikes are practical. Taking the little one to nursery in the morning, doing the bulk shopping in the morning, chauffeuring the child and shopping home at lunchtime in one go; in the afternoon, the partner cycles to the sports centre with the big bag, and at the weekend it's off to the DIY store ... cargo bikes are fully in tune with modern everyday life - except for one "little thing": their dimensions! Parking, manoeuvring, handling - everything is a little more complicated than with a normal bike. This is probably one of the main reasons why mini cargo bikes or compact bikes with a transport function are now very much in vogue after the big cargo bike boom. We have limited ourselves to a length of 1.80 metres for the candidates - just under the length of a full-size touring bike. If the handling is right, you are at least as manoeuvrable in the city as with a city bike and - importantly! - only needs a parking space the width of a car. Due to the length restriction, other interesting bikes such as the rather small Muli cargo bike (see report on p. 38) fell through the filter. Important questions should be:
1. are these bikes mainly compromises?
Most bikes achieve their small dimensions with one or two small wheels. In principle, small wheels have advantages and disadvantages. Due to their smaller circumference, they wear out a little more quickly, get caught in grooves or tram tracks more quickly when they are narrow, roll less persistently once pushed on and are more easily upset by bumps or potholes. However, they are easier to accelerate and offer greater manoeuvrability - desirable in the city.
Smaller wheels also tend to be more stable than larger ones. Down to 20 inches, the negative handling characteristics of small wheels are limited. However, you don't need to expect outstanding directional stability for travelling - although our Tern comes close here. The Yoonit with its 16- and 18-inch wheels is a divisive bike: the manoeuvrability of the bike is outstanding, but the handling is quite nervous - the standard steering damper can only soothe it a little. However, the challenge for the rider is significantly reduced as soon as you have loaded 20 or more kilos of weight. Thanks to the flexible carrier with a length of 60 centimetres, this bike is best for transporting large goods.
2. how do the Micro-Cargos become specialised professionals in individual transport?
The bikes have different requirements for this: The Tern as a short longtail, i.e. luggage and weight mainly over the rear wheel, the Yoonit as a short Longjohn-like bike with load suspension over the front wheel. (Whereby the Longjohn is actually defined with luggage behind the front axle). Qio and Moca can be seen as different interpretations of the baker's bike. The question for us was whether the large rear wheel gives the Moca an advantage. However, the accessories play a key role in the broad use of our bikes: all manufacturers offer special accessories for their bikes to enable customisation and adaptation to the intended use. There are so many options available for all the test bikes that there wasn't room for them all in the test boxes. The basic decision: child or cargo transport - or both? It is not impossible to combine the two with any provider - sometimes with the same accessories; for example, Tern's Storm Box Mini with the Clubhouse seat offers the option of transporting both children and shopping. With the Qio, on the other hand, child transport clearly means a child seat, even if there are countless options for further upgrading and specialisation.
More bang in the leg
We have always tested e-cargo bikes, because small wheels alone do not make a cargo bike lightweight, and the cargo does not get itself going. Riding a bike with cargo or children without assistance shouldn't just be something for powerhouses. Our bikes are equipped with Shimano's EP6 mountain bike or cargo drive on the Yoonit and Moca, but also with Bosch Active or Performance Line motors such as on the Qio and the Tern with the Active Line. It's true that the heavier the cargo - and the Yoonit or Qio have a total weight of 180 kilograms - the more the motor has to do. The Qio with the "small" Bosch motor is therefore comfortable on flat or only slightly hilly terrain, while the Tern with Bosch Performance or the Yoonit with the more powerful Shimano drives can cope with steep climbs a little better. Basically, the local terrain should have a say here, even if the motor power is not everything. The harmonious ride of the Active Line Plus is also impressive. All wheels are unsprung, which also means that the load has to absorb shocks. The rider often absorbs less of this - when riding actively, you intuitively compensate for bumps or potholes, for example by taking the weight off your bottom. Bikes like the Qio or the Tern, but also the Moca with its wide tyres, have an advantage here. They cushion the hardest impacts and the bikes have even fewer problems with cobblestones than many bikes with suspension elements. However, it is clear that the smaller the tyre circumference, the more the bike tends to react to bumps. This is noticeable on the Yoonit and the Moca, even if the slightly wider tyre can absorb even more. Even though the Moca has been successfully designed with transport modules attached in such a way that the load is always very precisely secured. An important aspect that the Moca makers have also taken into account with special, very easy to clip on and adjust tensioning straps. Integrated adapters and guides for accessories on the luggage carrier bring advantages - especially when they can be used flexibly despite this design.
Cargo bikes: true greatness means flexibility
Adjustability is key: Small cargo bikes or compact bikes are often ridden by the whole family - or a flat share. What counts is a good fit for everyone. Each of our bikes is suitable for a wide range of riders, with smaller people sitting in a comparatively sporty position on the Qio, while the other bikes are ideal for relaxed to balanced riding positions. The handlebar adjustment with a quick release is available on all bikes with a version of the Speedlifter or a comparable product, it is easy to use and quick to handle. All seat posts are also fitted with a quick-release fastener, some even with a scale on the seat post, so that everyone can adjust their saddle height without having to try it out repeatedly. Very useful!
The Moca plays it safe: although its seat post is just as flexible to handle, it cannot be pulled completely out of the seat tube and is therefore theft-proof. If the bike also has the rotating height adjuster (e.g. Speedlifter Twist), it can be turned into a narrow bike, just as narrow as from pedal edge to pedal edge. But even then you can go further: Folding pedals like those on the Moca or Qio reduce the parking width by another 15 centimetres or so. However, the Moca has a disadvantage when riding: two different concepts are used here: With the Tern you have a wider set-up, the Moca also offers very specific individual use (see the toolbox). the pedal is not folded at the height of the pedal axle, but by a separate folding joint in the actual pedal. Effect: The Q-factor is increased. With these folding pedals, you have your feet further apart when pedalling, which initially seems unusual. If you are sensitive or have joint problems, you should first try them out for longer distances to see if they suit you, otherwise switch to other pedals.
Switch and control
With the exception of the Tern Quick Haul, all of our test bikes change gears with hub gears - very sensible in terms of ease of use and low wear. Although the five gears in the Moca hub are not fully convincing in terms of range, a powerful motor with customisable support levels (up to eight) helps. A very good solution for a cargo bike! The five-speed hub in the Yoonit offers more shifting comfort - and less wear and tear (belt drive); here, too, the motor support can be customised via app, with electronic shifting at the touch of a button or semi-automatically, for example by engaging the lowest gear when stopping. Eight gears in the box make the Qio suitable for both city and touring and thanks to the belt drive, they can be used with very little wear and tear. On the Tern, the 9-speed derailleur, which has disadvantages in terms of handling and wear in the city with lots of stop and go, is probably due to a favourable base price. For more shifting comfort, Tern has bikes with a very similar range of use in its programme - then for somewhat larger budgets.
Only one can stand on end
The Tern also makes parking an event: by parking horizontally on the rear rack (even with the box mounted), you gain even more space. Or, the other way round: you can also park your mini cargo bike where there is actually no room for a bike. No one else can do that. And there's none for this variable box, which can be used both for transporting children (with seat and back cushions, as fitted in the test) and for shopping. This and many other details characterise the Tern Quick Haul as a classic, particularly flexible concept: You buy the basic model and customise or specialise as you see fit with the accessories that make sense for your particular purposes. This also explains why this basic bike is the only one that is not supplied with a double kickstand: It is not necessary for some purposes, and the bike is cheaper without it. It is a must for transporting children, and if you have this option in mind, Tern offers a very stable and height-adjustable two-legged kickstand for 125 euros. The Yoonit concept is similar, albeit less broadly based. With the Smart Carrier we used plus a special bag, you can easily stow a lot of things, even longer loads. The Family Carrier turns the bike into a children's carriage with two seats inside, with additional space for some shopping. There are many options. This also applies to the Moca - for example, the Auer Toolbox - which can accommodate everything from anglers to tradesmen.
Conclusion: Compact cargo bikes in the test
How compact would you like it to be? The transition to a real cargo bike is fluid: our compact e-cargo bikes are family or shared bikes for a society in which almost everyone is constantly transporting something - even if it's just a briefcase. The more relevant the transport function and the larger and heavier the goods, the closer the bike should be to a cargo bike. The Qio and the Yoonit with its long cargo area represent the two poles of compact bikes, with a broad but very sensible compromise between everyday and cargo bikes in between. Be sure to look at the respective accessories - the most important point in customising a bike to your own needs! Our reviews of the individual bikes can be more of a guide than usual, because the benefits of each bike depend too much on your own needs; they are also very close to each other. Decide to a large extent according to your concept and individual area of use, and the drive equipment should certainly also play a role.
The compact cargo bikes in the individual test
