Speaker 1: E-bikes. There's hardly a bicycle brand out there that doesn't have an e-bike in
its range, usually for different reasons. You've got the e-mountain bikes to help
you go up trails faster, the e-road bike to help you go further than you usually could,
or perhaps this e-cargo bike like this that's used to transport kids to school,
deliver goods for your business or move heavy loads from A to B without the need of a car or
van. The question is, just how much can they do? Are e-cargo bikes the future of urban mobility?
Regardless of what manufacturer you're looking at or what style of bike you're going for,
there's going to be one name that keeps cropping up, and that is Bosch, the German multinational
engineering firm has been constantly developing its line of e-bikes drive units for 10 years.
Today I get to show you what one of Bosch's latest motors can do. To help demonstrate this, another
German brand Ca Go is sent over the FS200 Ca Go version, a mass 250-liter capacity, dual battery
system, pneumatic stands and yes, you guessed it, the latest in Bosch's Cargo Line motor.
Now, Ca Go has told me that this bike is easy to ride, that anyone can do it. Well, that's just
as well because I have never ridden a cargo bike in my life. A lot of people would get put off by
them because they're quite big, but that's the point. This bike is designed for all people,
shapes and sizes in minds, so I'm going to put that to the test. First off, I'm going to get my
helmet out and have a practice. [music]
Speaker 1: Right now, I've got some practice out of the way. I need to put this bike through its
paces and to do so I've decided to help out at FoodCycle. Now, FoodCycle is a charity
that combines surplus food, kitchen space, and volunteers create three-course meals
that they can distribute to people suffering with food poverty or social isolation. Now,
I quite look forward to trying to fill this to the absolute brim because I'm meeting up with Andy,
a volunteer to hopefully show that I'm worthy to be part of his team. I better get a move on.
[music] Speaker 1:
I decide to ride from Barth where the office is based to Bristol, where FoodCycle is. It's a super
scenic here in the Southwest of England between two bike-friendly cities using old railways. What
better way to start a day? Thankfully though, I've got a full day ahead and I've got a motor to help
me. I'm hoping it's going to take the edge of any of those steep columns or hills. When I arrived,
I was greeted by Andy and he briefed me on what we were going to get up to today.
Andy: When the other people turn up, we're going to go and put some trailers on the
bicycles, and then we're going to go to several different shops around Bristol,
collect loads of food and take it to somewhere called National Food Service. They're going
to cook it up and distribute it to needy people. Speaker 1: Sounds amazing. I've got myself a bike,
but I don't need a trailer. Andy: Are you sure?
Speaker 1: Yes. Oh, I'll just show you this. I think this could be the perfect
machine for the job. I reckon I could get around what? 80 kilos,
100 kilos of food in there. Andy: Maybe more.
Speaker 1: Challenge accepted. Let's do it. [music]
Speaker 1: We've arrived at the first collection point, this lovely grocery
store. We're just loading up and I've already got a fair bit in there. Some more raspberries.
That's the first load, I think we're onto the next one. I feel like I'm cheating. I'm wearing
trousers and the others are wearing shorts, but it's probably because they're putting a
little bit more effort in than I am since I've got an engine to help me. Thank you, buddy.
Now it says worth mentioning that this food has gone past its sell-by date, meaning the shops just
can't sell it. Instead of it all going to waste, they donate it to FoodCycle. All the food is
perfectly good to eat, just not to sell. The shop owners seem to be super friendly and they're doing
their very best to find the best products they've got. As you can see, as much food as possible is
going in our crates. To be honest, I can get a lot in that vast bucket I've got in front of my bike,
but fair play, these do the job, don't they? Now, I've been hauling things around for a
while now, so I think it's about time that we take a good look at the specs of this very bike,
starting with the main event of the cargo box. Now, this is a 200-liter cargo box and can carry
up to 250 kilograms, which is absolutely colossal. Now, a lot of thought has gone
into design and construction, creating a safe and stable load area. The plastic used is called EPP.
It's a shock-absorbing plastic widely used in the automotive industry for the crumple zones. Now,
you can get two child seats in there as well with five-point seatbelts. The great thing is,
it's been crash-tested too, so I want you to know it's safe.
Now e-bikes come in all shapes and sizes with different components and motors to suit. Some
have their motors in the rear wheel, others in the front wheel, but this Bosch unit is mounted in
the middle, low down with the cranks. Why is that important? Well, it means the weight is kept nice
and central helping to keep you well balanced even when you haven't got a load to carry. The
performance Cargo Line motor here gives you enough power to not have to worry about hills or pulling
away from a shop with all that weight. For those who don't know that 75 newton-meters a torque.
What's more, are the batteries, which are also mounted nice and low in the cargo hold to keep you
nice and balance. If you want to go further, you can add a second battery right next to the first
one like I've got here, giving you an approximate range of 125 kilometers. If you're going at a new
e-bike with Bosch's latest MY21 Cargo Line Speed or Performance Line Speed motors, they come with
85 newton-meters of torque, even more oomph for those Hills. Some of the previous generation
motors can be upgraded with a software update so check in with your local bike shop for more info.
As well as more power, the update will also provide more dynamic adjustments.
This is meaning more power allocating, so when you're starting off or when you're just getting
going. It also boosts that acceleration when you're fully loaded. All that will make bikes
like this easier and stress-free to ride. You might be thinking all that technology
would be a bit of a hassle, more maintenance to perform dealing with all the chains and all that,
but this bike uses Gates Carbon Belt Drive, which instead of using steel and oil, it uses
carbon fiber and a Kevlar belt, which needs no oil at all. This means not only is it quieter
than a chain, but it doesn't wear out as much and it's super clean, so you won't get oil on
your clothes or legs. It's also got a nice little tensioner which helps keep the belt
nice and tight without any fiddly adjustment. Now, something I've never seen on a bike before
is cable steering, but with that kind of set up, it allows the bike to turn at 90-degree angles.
For a big tank like this, being able to turn in 90 degrees and maneuver in small spaces was actually
ideal. Enough of that. I reckon it's time to get this baby back on the road. I would say
I'm fully loaded now, but it's amazing because actually the weight is distributed really well
and I'm still able to really control the bike even with such a heavy load. Right, onto the next one.
[music] Speaker 1: That is a lot of food.
This is our load. We've been to about six shops around Bristol and to be honest, I'm pretty happy
with it. We've got everything from onions, oranges, pears, bananas, mushrooms, lemons,
grapes. I'm just speaking to the guys over there, just wondering what they're going to cook out of
it, but it seems like we're going to have a lot of fruit cakes, banana cakes, that kind of thing.
What I've come to realize is what a bike fitted with one of these motors can allow you to do. I
spent the day riding to Bristol and back around the city without even breaking a sweat and I was
wearing trousers on a hot day. The same can be said for a city bike fitted with a motor or an
e-mountain bike too. They open doors to people, and that's just brilliant getting more and more
people on bikes. Is an e-bike the perfect urban utility vehicle? After today, I reckon I'd say
so. I hope we start seeing more and more of them on our streets, keeping things clean, and green.
My day has come to a close where I've been helping out FoodCycle. I just want to say a massive, thank
you, I'm going to get their names right, trust me, Sophie, Andy and Sharon. It's been absolutely
incredible learning a bit about how FoodCycle works and being able to take this around for the
day. I've enjoyed it. Have you guys enjoyed it? Speakers: Yes.
Speaker 1: If you guys enjoyed it then make sure you give this video a big thumbs up and
I'll see you in the next video. [00:09:44] [END OF AUDIO]