Electric cargo bikes have become a very useful and reliable urban vehicle for urban commuting. However, to achieve these qualities they are usually heavy and cumbersome, which makes it difficult for some cyclists, especially those of smaller stature and corpulence, to handle them easily. Trying to solve these drawbacks, Tern has created the BND (New Bike Day), an electric cargo bike with a low and short framewhich facilitates handling, eliminating some of the problems of conventional models.
“For the average cyclist, the NBD will be an incredibly easy bike to ride and one that is also wonderfully suited to crowded urban environments,” says Tern director Josh Hon. However, Hon adds that what they’re really proud of is “the special features we’ve added for riders who aren’t part of that average.”
The Tern NBD is specially designed for cyclists of shorter staturewho often have difficulty finding comfort on most bikes on the market, for those of Olderwho may not have ridden a bike for a while, for those who may have physical or balance problemsor for those who simply they feel intimidated for the size and weight of the average electric bike. All of them, the NBD “will be surprised by how easy it is to get on board and handle it.”
The company considers that in this sense the NBD is unrivaled among the bicycles on the market. The height of the step is 39 centimeters, which makes getting on it really easy for any cyclist. But in addition, it also makes it easier to put your feet on the ground when the bike stops.
Tern offers it in two variants: S5i and P8i. The first offers better benefits. It has a weight of 23.4 kilograms and has an electric motor Bosch Performance located on the bottom bracket hub. With a power of 250W and an output torque of 65Nm assists the cyclist up to a speed of 25km/h in Europe (20 mph in the US). The battery is also from the German supplier, a Bosch PowerPack 500 (500 Wh capacity) that offers an autonomy that depending on the cyclist, the load transported, the orography of the terrain, the level of assistance demanded and the weather, it can offer between 51 and 118 kilometers autonomy with each charge. The S5i includes a strap Gates Carbon Drive which requires virtually no maintenance, an internal hub transmission Shimano Nexus 5 speed and Magura MT4 hydraulic brakes.
The variant P8i It looks very similar, although its weight is 23.7 kilograms. The engine is a Bosch ActiveLine Plus that with the same power 250W generates a torque of 50Nm, complying with the same assistance conditions in terms of assistance speed set by the regulations. Its battery is a bit smaller, since it is the Power Pack 400 (400 Wh capacity) whose autonomy is between 54 and 108 kilometers. In this case the transmission is by belts with an internal hub change Shimano Nexus 8 speed and hydraulic disc brakes also Shimano.
Both models support a gross weight of 140 kilograms with 20 kilograms of cargo in the front rack and up to 27 kilograms in the rearwhich is also compatible with most child seats, allowing users to do without the car for something as common as taking the children to school.
The wheels, in both cases, are of 20 inches with Schwalbe Big Apple tires. They include front and rear lights with SplashGuard fenders, an Abus frame safety lock system and dual kickstands.
The suspension seatpost and Andros handlebar stem they can be adjusted to fit a wide range of rider heights, between 147 and 190 centimeters. Both can be fold to be able to transport the bike inside a car. It also has a clever vertical parking system patented by Tern to keep the bike standing on the rear wheel for those who need to get into it, for example, in an elevator.
All this array of features and components Both variants of the NBD will arrive at bike shops from the first quarter of 2023. The price of the cheapest version will start in 4,000 euros.
