By Mark Sutton

Benno Boost review

RATING: 4.7

HIGHS: Surprisingly agile for something so capable and genuine fun to ride, Bosch Performance Line CX motor is well-matched, High volume off road tyres open up countryside, Dual battery possible Excellent carriage options and luggage bags are very well thought out, Great price for a bike this capable, Comfortable ride

LOWS: One of those bikes where route planning is advisable down to weight and length, I’d like to see a hub gear and belt option

One of the first to get serious about the idea of carrying cargo off the beaten path, it felt apt that to get our hands on the Benno Bikes Boost for review quickly on the back of detailing Tern’s Orox, another making an impression in this emerging niche.

Really your options for serious off road cargo haulers are limited and there’s good reason for that. Cargo bikes in general require an immense amount of testing, strengthening, then testing again to get to market as a viable product. If you’re planning to take that loaded up bike off road then a manufacturer must take extra steps to ensure they put a robust product to market.

Luckily, Benno Bikes is backed up by the know-how of beach cruiser brand Electra’s Founder (now part of Trek) Benno Baenziger. With decades of design knowledge under his belt, he returned to the bike market realising the potential that pedal assist motors offered from a design standpoint. In his view, with this innovation the bicycle’s potential as a utility vehicle was greatly expanded, hence the ‘eTility’ catchphrase coined and attached to Benno’s bike range.

Benno Boost review: the headline details

Geoff Waugh

Pros

• Surprisingly agile for something so capable and genuine fun to ride
• Bosch Performance Line CX motor is well-matched
• High volume off road tyres open up countryside
• Dual battery possible
• Excellent carriage options and luggage bags are very well thought out
• Great price for a bike this capable
• Comfortable ride

Cons

• One of those bikes where route planning is advisable down to weight and length
• I’d like to see a hub gear and belt option

Features

• Compatible with up to two child seats
• Front cargo tray and longtail type rear
• Fits riders from 5’1″ to 6’3″
• 24-inch by 2.6″ tyres
• Pair of high power Supernova lights (Mini 2, E3)
• 10-Speed Deore gearing
• Comes with fenders, a kickstand and other add ons
• Fits most panniers and accessories
• Comfortable saddle with lift handle built in
• Four piston Magura hydraulic brakes
• Able to handle a trailer with adapter

Specs

Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX 250W 65Nm, GEN 3 motor
Battery: Bosch Powerpack 400Wh or 500Wh Lithium-Ion Battery
Range: Approximately 80 miles single battery 160 on dual battery
Weight:
Frame: 6061 Aluminium Alloy (regular and low-step available)
Gearing: Shimano Deore 10-speed 
Brakes: Magura MT Thirty
Suspension: Rigid

Benno Boost review: The ride

Let’s continue with a little on the motor, which aside from being the centrepiece, is in large part the reason why a bike like this can exist in the first place. In this instance, Benno has chosen the Bosch Performance Line CX, which has a torque output of up to 85Nm.

I was in little doubt that a motor with that much punch could deliver me to the summit of countryside hills while loaded up with cargo and in keeping with every other time I’ve reviewed a bike with a Bosch motor, there’s very clearly a reason why this is the brand so many premium labels turn to; once I got pedalling making the hill was never in doubt. There was one instance where the uneven dirt hill ahead of me would have been intimidating for some e-MTBs I’ve tested, but the Benno Boost powered right on up with three bags of shopping in the rear basket.

I make the comparison because to my surprise the Boost actually handled in many ways like a hardtail mountain bike. Despite its long wheelbase and load carriage capability, I found myself stood up in the saddle a lot more than I imagined, really hacking this bike around the singletrack of my local area (albeit without the shopping). The agility afforded by the 24-inch wheels, off road tyres and the geometry was unexpected, but I loved it. Instantly, this was a fun bike to ride, regardless of its utility capability. From that moment on, I was warm to the notion that this bike could be the camper’s best friend.

It’s comfortable too, which again is not a given for this kind of bike. I can see that the Benno Boost I have for review has an upgraded dropper post from KS, which also gives some forgiveness when you hit bumps in the path. That’s a very welcome feature, but not a standard one I can quickly spot on most of the builds available to buy online.

You can buy the Boost with tyres ready for the tarmac, but we prefer to spec them for greater versatility

Benno Boost – the build

It wasn’t so much a single component or feature that brought about this ride comfort, rather a sum of all parts, however. The small details on the Benno Boost, like the ergonomic grips, are extras that can really add to the experience, but that don’t necessarily come as standard on all electric bikes we review.

This bike I was sent rolls on customised 2.6-inch ‘Big Betty’ tyres from Schwalbe, though you may find many builds come with a more urban-ready tyre as standard. This tyre was originally developed as an enduro and downhill tyre, but comes adapted here to suit the purposes of the Boost. The characteristics of the tyre count for a lot though, with a big bold tread making them excellent for traction and grip, while the tread is open enough that they also do not attract muck if the conditions are damp. They are as good as a perfect match and they make a big difference to this bike’s handling. As I say, this tyre isn’t necessarily the standard spec, but the Boost is customisable to be either and urban or a countryside hauler.

When it comes to cargo off bike handling is also important and here Benno delivers full marks on the robust kickstand deployed and of course you have Bosch’s walk mode too for times when a push and walk is needed. There is one inescapable problem you will encounter with almost any cargo bike that is built to carry quite as much as the Boost and that’s the infrastructure in the UK. Having encountered one impassable swing gate that could not be navigated I was more careful to plan my route thereafter. That’s no fault of the bike, of course, just a pointer if you are considering buying a cargo bike.

Sometimes UK infrastructure makes cargo biking needlessly difficult

Benno Boost: how is it as a cargo bike?

Really one of the pleasantly surprising things about the Benno Boost is that, considering the high capability and versatility, the price is not so out of reach that it will put off a serious could-be cargo biker. The accessories aren’t bad value either and I was rather pleased with the quality of the bags in particular, with each offering versatility in their use thanks to an array of velcro and clips.

For the most part I just did shopping trips by bike, but there are a dizzying array of ways to use this bike, which Benno best illustrates on its Boost page. At the upper end of its ‘eTility’ capability an illustration is showing four children along for the ride courtesy of an available trailer adapter, the large rear basket with footrests and rear wheel protection. Added to that is a front loader basket that has a bespoke bag that I found myself using just as often as the rear capacity.

The racking is robust too. What’s increasingly noticeable in the cargo bike and especially longtail space, is that the bike designers are really working hard to make the quality of the accessories match up to the main bike, rather than considering them an afterthought. In Benno’s case I know from speaking with the Founder that he has had bikes in the hands of Swiss mountain rescue, among others, so a low-quality product won’t cut it.
Really one of the pleasantly surprising things about the Benno Boost is that, considering the high capability and versatility, the price is not so out of reach that it will put off a serious could-be cargo biker. The accessories aren’t bad value either and I was rather pleased with the quality of the bags in particular, with each offering versatility in their use thanks to an array of velcro and clips.

My use was a lot more pedestrian, but there was not an occasion where I was lacking capacity to run errands. The expandable bag that folds out from the rear basket had more than enough volume for a week’s shop and you have plenty of mounting points to secure a load down with bungee cords or similar.

The large volume and flexible bag is a very worthwhile accessory to have for shielding your shopping

Final thoughts and the competition

I can’t pick out anything I dislike about the Benno Boost, which is rare, normally there’s at least one small gripe. If I’m being picky, my falling out of love with derailleurs is going to come into play. Nowadays I much prefer a hub gear and belt drive and I can’t help but feel that a bike like this in only a few years time will come with a mid-motor and gearbox all in one; albeit it will then cost a fair bit more up front.

Really, then, it comes down to how the Boost weighs up on price versus its competition and there’s no shortage of that. Some that spring to mind are the Tern Quick Haul Long for a more urban tilt and the more beefed up Orox (subject to our review here) if you’re looking at something yet more capable than the Benno Boost for off road jaunts.

For me, the Benno Boost is probably going to stand in its own space for a while as the quality, but affordable entry to lugging your camping gear into the wilderness and I have to say, I can see high appeal in owning something like this, if only down to its sheer versatility. It really can do it all.

…

Content retrieved from: https://www.cyclingelectric.com/reviews/benno-boost-review.

The post Benno Boost review appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

The post Built for Life – Sneaker-Kultur trifft auf urbane Mobilität appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

The post Built for Life – Sneaker Culture Meets Urban Mobility appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

Boost 10D – Anthracite Gray

46er 10D – Bone Gray

The post Built for Life – Bike Access Fly Fishing appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

HAUL YOUR GROCERIES, ACCESSORIES, KIDS, AND FRIENDS WITH THESE ELECTRIFIED CARGO BIKES.

BY DAN CHABANOV AND TARA SEPLAVY, Published: Mar 10, 2023

Losing riding time to run unavoidable errands sucks. Luckily, electrically assisted cargo bikes make it easier to go car-lite or to ditch driving altogether and pedal (almost) everywhere. The latest generation of these bikes are more customizable and offer e-assist and modular mounting systems, making today’s bakfiets and longtails increasingly viable trade-ins for your gas-guzzling SUV. The United Parcel Service and disaster relief managers across the globe use cargo bikes to transport goods where cars can’t go, and it’s freeing to breeze by traffic in the bike lane with a week’s worth of groceries packed onto your ride. Whether you’re picking up supplies or furnishing a room from Ikea, there’s a good chance that the perfect e-cargo bike for you is on this list.
[…]

BEST COMPACT CARGO

Benno Benno RemiDemi 10D

$3,900 at REI

Cargo Bike Layouts

Domestic and international cargo bike popularity has exploded in the past decade, says Xtracycles founder and longtail cargo bike pioneer Ross Evans. There are generally three main styles of cargo bikes: long tail, front loader, and the bakfiet. There are also trike varieties for riders needing to transport very-heavy loads or more than two children. The longtail cargo bike is the most agile and lightweight, and it transports cargo or passengers on an extended tail section behind the rider. A front loader places its payload in front of the rider, generally on a low-slung platform adaptable to suit many needs. Last is the bakfiet style bike with its large basket (typically in front of the rider) for carrying cargo or transporting multiple passengers.

To Electrify or Not?

To make sense of the recent cargo bike boom, look to e-bikes. “Electricity and cargo bikes go together like PB&J,” Evans says. Schlepping hundreds of pounds on a bike is great if you’re looking for a workout. But e-cargo bikes like the Tern GSD and Benno Boost E use pedal-assist electric motors with more than 50 miles of range to make cargo bikes more accessible to riders who want the convenience of a car in a bike-sized package. The tech comes at a price, however. E-cargo bikes tend to be pricier than their non-electric counterparts, but unless you live somewhere completely flat (and even if you do), we think an e-cargo bike is still the way to go. The vastly improved usability, carrying capacity, and range of e-cargo bikes save you money in the long run by being more effective car substitutes (versus non-assist bikes that requires more effort to ride).

Accessorize to Fit Your Needs

Once you’ve purchased a cargo bike, you’ll want the right accessories to maximize its utility. Start on the manufacturer’s website: Brands like Tern and Benno sell panniers, racks, and child seats to match their cargo bikes. Alternatively, if your style is more “dump it and go,” bakfiets like the Riese & Müller Load 60 use a single spacious box that’ll fit all your stuff (there are still seat belts for your kids, though). The best way to figure out which style or bike you prefer is by getting out for a test ride.

Approach an e-cargo bike and accessory purchase the same way you would if you were buying a car. Try and test as many options as you can. Prioritize your most common cargo needs. While it can be fun to think aspirationally, getting a bike that’s perfectly suited to your daily needs will mean you use it more often.

How We Tested

These bikes have been thoroughly tested and vetted by Bicycling editors. We used them to fetch groceries or take kids to school, riding them as often as possible to find out whether they can replace our cars for daily use. We also interviewed the product managers who build these bikes and compared them to competitors in the market. Have a question about one of these rides or why a cargo bike you love didn’t make our list? Let us know in the comments.

BEST COMPACT CARGO

Benno RemiDemi 10D

Benno Benno RemiDemi 10D

$3,900 at REI

There’s something great about the clean design of the RemiDemi 10D that makes you want to take it everywhere. Customize it with accessories like a front rack or panniers, or even a child seat (it comes stock with a big-ass rear rack). It’ll quickly become your go-to compact e-cargo bike for running errands, zipping around at the beach, and even commuting when the time comes (it gets up to 62 miles on one charge). You’ll encourage friends and family to “go ahead, take it for a spin” because you want to share the joy it brings. And with its extremely low standover and stable balloon tires, it’s easy to ride for almost anyone. You might not notice at first, but you’ll come to appreciate its integrated lights and the fact that its wheelbase is about six inches shorter than a typical cargo bike (a space-saving feature), but also one that makes the 10D that much easier to maneuver.

Dan Chabanov
Test Editor

Test Editor Dan Chabanov got his start in cycling as a New York City bike messenger but quickly found his way into road and cyclocross racing, competing in professional cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and winning a Master’s National Championship title in 2018. Prior to joining Bicycling in 2021, Dan worked as part of the race organization for the Red Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, as well as a freelance writer and photographer.

Tara Seplavy
Deputy Editor

As Deputy Editor, Tara Seplavy leads Bicycling’s product test team; after having previously led product development and sourcing for multiple bike brands, run World Championship winning mountain bike teams, wrenched at renowned bicycle shops in Brooklyn, raced everything from criteriums to downhill, and ridden bikes on six different continents (landing herself in hospital emergency rooms in four countries and counting). Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Tara spends tons of time on the road and trail testing products. A familiar face at cyclocross races, crits, and bike parks in the Mid Atlantic and New England, on weekends she can often be found racing for the New York City-based CRCA/KruisCX team. When not riding a bike, or talking about them, Tara listens to a lot of ska, punk, and emo music, and consumes too much social media.

Content retrieved from: https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a25054215/best-cargo-bikes/.

The post The 10 Best Cargo Bikes Will Let You Go Car-Lite or Ditch Driving Entirely appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

The brand’s newest cargo bike is capable of carrying plenty and features front suspension for a smooth ride

The 46er is a rather unique electric cargo bike in that it is the same length as a regular bike.
But as Benno, the American manufacturer, says, that is about the only similarity. 

We have had a chance to see the Benno 46er in real life at the recent CoreBike show, and are going to be getting one in for a review soon. But before we put the bike through serious testing, let’s have a look at what it promises to deliver.

Benno 46er – cargo carrying capacity

We’ve already seen Benno bring out compact cargo bikes, such as the Benno RemiDemi 9D – but the 46er adds some more cargo capacity, without stretching the bike’s length so much. With a wheelbase of 1198mm, the 46er is 56mm shorter than the brand’s Boost e-cargo bike.

Despite the compact look, the 46er can carry a bunch of cargo – up to 190kg, to be precise (including the rider). This can be distributed across the bike, with the front rack taking up to 10kg and the rear rack up to 60kg.

While the front rack is not too big in size and  best suited for something like a basket or small bag, the rear is where this bike boasts heaps of versatility. The rack can be transformed to carry a variety of things, from dogs to kids to panniers and even surfboards. Benno offers a host of accessories that you can fit on the bike to customise it to your needs.

The rear rack can be equipped with a child seat, or when they grow up, a set of ‘side loaders’ (they’re basically footrests) and rails, or you can also opt to carry just cargo by attaching panniers to either side of the rear wheel.

Benno 46er – technical details

Benno has really taken innovation to another level with the 46er, saying they “ditched convention and added capability” – starting with the wheels, which on the 46er are different sizes. The front gets a 26” for comfort and control, and at the back, the 24” lowers the centre of gravity and should offer more strength to the system.

The 46er is running on a top-of-the-range Bosch Performance Line CX e-bike motor, offering 85Nm torque, paired with a 500Wh battery that should offer a range of up to 80 miles. That can be doubled with the addition of a second battery, as the 46er can be made into a dual-battery system.

> Best electric bike motors 2023 – everything you need to know

In terms of componentry, Benno has equipped the 46er with a Shimano Deore 10-speed groupset, completed with Magura MT Thirty brakes (four-piston at the front, two-piston at the back). The fork is a Suntour SF18 MOBIE 25 and offers 75mm of travel to dampen down any bumps.

As mentioned before, the 46er is available with an abundance of accessories, and these also include a kickstand. The bike comes with a set of integrated front and rear lights, so those are always going to be attached when you need them.

The 46er is only available in one size, but Benno says it should suit riders from 5’1” to 6’3” because of the adjustable seatpost and step-through frame geometry.

Check the full details of the 46er on Benno’s website.

Content retrieved from: https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/news/benno-s-46er-is-an-e-cargo-bike-no-bigger-than-a-normal-bike-4353.

The post Benno’s 46er is an e-cargo bike no bigger than a normal bike appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

Benno Baenziger, 57, upended the staid bike industry with his breakthrough Electra and Townie models.

By BRUCE HOROVITZ | 02/16/2023

Benno Baenziger, the guy who created some of the best-selling bikes in America, never particularly liked to ride bikes. Really. So he designed one that even he would use.

Now bike enthusiasts globally are so enamored with the Electra and Townie bikes that he designed that they’ve even created Facebook (FB) pages that worship them like a two-wheeled effigy.

Baenziger, who founded the Electra Bicycle Company 30 years ago, is already on to the next thing. These days, he’s busy creating what he hopes will be the first electric bike that can also carry a serious load of cargo — and still look pretty cool getting the rider from place to place.

His leadership mantra all along: the best product is always something you make to satisfy yourself — never to satisfy others. “If I solve a problem for myself, I’ve probably solved a lot of other people’s problems, too,” said the 57-year-old bike design guru.

Build Something You Love

Building something Baenziger himself likes is how and why he created the original Townie bike while still at Electra. “I asked myself: How could I make a bike that a guy like me — who doesn’t like to ride bikes — would feel good about riding?”

Answer: Make it comfortable and easy to ride — and ultimately add an electric assist. The rider sits upright on the Townie (not crouched) and the bike rider’s feet can comfortably be set on the ground. As for the bike itself, well, it’s super snazzy-looking. And easily customizable. Electra upended the bike industry, putting comfort and style first, prompting most bike makers to scramble to keep up with similar designs.

Baenziger, who grew up as a skateboarder kid in Berlin, Germany, succeeded beyond his wildest wheeled vehicle dreams. He moved to San Diego in 1991 because, he said, “I thought there was a spirit in Southern California for free thinking, open-mindedness, and new inventions.”

That’s precisely why, along with Jeano Erforth, he co-founded Electra Bicycle Company in Encinitas, Calif. in 1993, and sold all of 300 bikes the first year. When they ultimately sold the business to a hedge fund in 2008, they sold an impressive 60,000 bikes that year. When bicycle juggernaut Trek took over Electra in 2014, the Townie became a top-selling bicycle in the nation.

See A Larger Role For Your Invention

Baenziger never much liked bikes. At least not the ones he had as a kid raised in Berlin.

He had to pretty much ride a bike or skateboard to get anywhere. He wasn’t impressed with the options, either, when he co-founded Electra. And he’s still underwhelmed now with most choices. And that’s fueling his drive to again make something better of Benno Bikes. Benno Bikes is a company Baenziger created 10 years ago to design an e-bike that can lug around real-world cargo — say, four bags of groceries or two small kids — and still look like a head-turning vehicle.

He thinks e-bikes are the next wave. They have empowered millions of people to ride bikes for transportation — not just for sport. The transition has taken many years. When Baenziger started Electra, it wasn’t even an electric bike company. It mostly made cool city bikes and cruisers. It wasn’t until 2010 that it started making electric cruisers. Two years later, Baenziger sold the business to a private equity group that then sold the company to Trek. By 2015, Baenziger founded Benno Bikes.

He’s still working on this project along with 10 other design employees who literally live in 10 different time zones.

He sees this as just another shift. From his ocean-view home in Del Mar, Calif., he says that he already rides his Townie more often than he drives his car. He rides it to the gym to work out. He rides it to the store to buy groceries. And he rides it to the ocean to catch some waves with his surfboard. He rides the bike because he knows it’s the right thing to do for himself and for the environment.

“We exposed non-biking people to the experience of riding a bike because we made a product that was not intimidating and didn’t ask much of them,” he said.

Start By Asking “What If?”

Baenziger leads by first asking himself this single question: What if?

No one knows that better than Kevin Reed. He was the first Electra dealer in the country, helped design the Townie and ultimately was hired by Electra as business development manager. “Benno leads by always thinking outside the box,” Reed said. It was Baenziger, he says, who was among the first to imagine bike designs more as art. “People just fell in love with his designs,” he said.

But Baenziger didn’t stop there. He introduced multiple colors to bikes and created bikes that people actually wanted to ride, says Reed. Baenziger “didn’t just make a better riding bike. He made it attractive,” he said.

Don’t Focus On The Money

While Baenziger is now a multi-millionaire, for his first 10 years at Electra, he  says he hardly made any money. He recalls earning an annual salary of about $15,000 per year. “My accountant told me I didn’t have to pay taxes because I was living at the poverty level,” he recalled. “That went on for years — and 90% of people would have given up.”

He didn’t. He persevered.

Perhaps that’s because he makes no differentiation between work and play. “Everything I do is meaningful to me,” he said.

The best way for any leader to persevere, he says, is to not act like a big shot. By that, he means success is all about respecting and appreciating those who work under you. “Try not to be a boss,” he said. “Don’t treat them like they work for you. Treat them like partners. They don’t work for me. They work with me.”

Keep People You Work With Motivated

Success as a leader requires constant motivation of workers. The best way to do that, he says, is to throw light on the bigger picture of what the company is trying to achieve and also show how important they are in achieving it.

“My goal has never been to sell more bikes,” he said. “It’s to get more people to ride bikes. I’m working for a company that’s trying to make the world a better place.”

That’s why, he says, he has never hired an employee who was “just looking for a job.” Rather, he says, he only has hired people who share his vision of making the world better.

In that way, he says, Benno Bikes is much like Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company whose founder essentially donated ownership of the entire company — worth $3 billion — to a trust whose mission is fighting the effects of climate change. While Baenziger says he’s not ready to give away his company, he is giving away his personal labor and hasn’t taken a paycheck since he started Benno Bikes almost a decade ago.

Have A Cause That Drives You

What’s driven him to do all this?

In part, he says, he was motivated by growing up watching his father uncomfortably give up his personal dream of being a musician in order to work for years as a bureaucrat at the Swiss embassy in Berlin. “That gave me the spirit to not compromise and (also) push through,” he said.

He’s also learned to hire people who he says are “smarter” than him — and to step aside and let them do their jobs. “You have to know your weaknesses and strengths. When you find weaknesses, you must find the right people to fill these voids to make you complete.”

Always Plan Your Next Act

Even after forming that team, Baenziger can’t stop thinking about his next bike.

Within the next five years, he hopes to create an entirely new category in the bicycle industry which he has dubbed “e-tility” (like utility). This type of bike will essentially be like what an SUV is to cars. It will ride very comfortably. It will carry a lot of stuff. And it will look super cool.

“I got back in the industry because I wanted to be part of the e-bike revolution,” he said. E-bikes are not quite defined yet as a category. By creating the Benno bike that looks great, rides great, and carries cargo, he hopes he is creating the industry’s new standard.

In the meantime, he can’t keep from fixing whatever needs to be fixed. Even if it’s just a small bakery owner’s distressed Townie.

He recently walked by a bakery where an older Townie was parked outside. He noticed that the handlebars and seat were all wrong. Without telling the woman who he was, he offered to fix her bike — and asked her to bring him whatever tools she had. She obliged, but as she was watching him fix her bicycle, she uncomfortably asked: “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Baenziger still doesn’t know how to answer that question. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t stopped trying.

Baenziger’s Keys

• Co-founder of the Electra Bicycle Company, which sells the top-selling and emulated bikes: Electra and Townie.
• Overcame: The biking industry’s initial reluctance to cater to comfort and style.
• Lesson: “Everything I do is meaningful to me.”

Content retrieved from: https://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/benno-baenziger-electra-inventor-plans-to-turn-the-bike-world-on-its-head-again/.

The post Electra Inventor Plans To Turn The Bike World On Its Head, Again appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

The post PODCAST ‘Etility’ – What Electric Bikes Offer with Benno Baenziger, Founder of Benno Bikes appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

All Things Bike

For whatever reason, cargo e-bike discussion is raging across lots of the internet this week. We’ve loved these machines for years now and still love the Benno Boost. […]

I was twenty minutes into the first ride on my new Benno Boost E a few months back, when a car with road bikes on its roof drove past me slowly and yelled “Cheater!” It was the first of many snide comments I’ve received while pedaling the bike through San Francisco. “Manpower forever!” a fixie rider bellowed while retaking me after I passed him on a park bike path. “Use the car lane, a$$%*#!” a slower rider cursed while I passed them in the bike lane. “You should learn to ride a real bike though,” a fellow cyclist told me after we’d chatted about e-bikes while we unlocked our neighboring bikes outside a grocery store one evening.

While there have been plenty of positive comments too, the negative ones from cyclists are confusing though not entirely unexpected. Probably some are meant in good fun. But I think they mostly stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of an e-cargo bike like my Benno Boost. This bike didn’t replace another bike in my growing stable of pedal-powered craft in the garage. It’s replacing my car.

The bike has also fundamentally changed how I experience living in an urban area for the better.

I’ve ridden a bike here in San Francisco since the first day I arrived, more than a decade ago. It can be a fabulous way to get around the city. But the hills are no joke. To ride from one neighborhood to the next can mean arriving an exhausted, sweaty mess. Crossing the entire city is a workout, a physical experience that is best planned for with a change of clothes, water, and a snack. Which can, of course, be part of the charm. Plenty of people make cross-town rides on conventional bikes in SF every day, of course, and I was once of them. Like, as recently as three months ago.

A Swiss ski patrol unit’s custom Boost. Photo: Benno

But the right e-bike completely changes that experience. It simultaneously shrinks the distances between destinations in an urban space while opening it too, reminding the rider they’re pedaling through a natural space, even if one with lots of people and buildings and cars and bikes. This bit of alchemy, spinning a regular bike commute into gold, is produced, simply enough, with the bike’s motor, and in the case of the Benno Boost, the bike’s easy-riding design. By removing just enough of the physical task of riding a bike through hilly terrain, an e-bike lets the rider forget they’re on a bike, to a degree. A daunting climb, a stiff headwind, nothing fazes, really. It’s a subtle thing, and one I hadn’t expected, but rounding off the edge of physical effort opens the rider to their surroundings because you’re not thinking of the effort. Trees, houses, the sky, the sights, the smells—everything around you leaps into your awareness in a way I have never experienced on a conventional bike. I feel more present, more connected with my surroundings. And totally horrified I ever traveled these same streets confined within a car.

Of course, that’s where people yelling “cheater” come in. But a cargo bike, like the Benno Boost, is meant to be a cheater, in a sense, because it’s built to take over urban or suburban or, heck, some rural tasks, from a car. That’s the whole point.

Reviewing the Benno Boost E

I sprung for the base model Benno Boost E, a Class 1 e-bike powered by the Bosch Performance Cruise drive. The 250-watt motor produces a maximum of 65 Nm of torque and has a top assisted speed of 20 mph, though you can pedal as fast as your legs can push you; the motor simply switches off at 20 mph. The bike comes with a rear cargo rack that’s rated to hold 90 pounds. I added footrests for the rear rack to accommodate a rider (my infant daughter, eventually), and to support the floor of large bike bags. I also bought a burly front rack that can hold 55 pounds. Benno makes their own bags, and I purchased one, the utility pannier, which can swallow 30 liters worth of whatever: groceries, backpack, wetsuits, camping gear, dogs, you name it.

The motor is relatively quiet.

These foot platforms are add-ons.

The frame is a very sturdy aluminum with a steel fork to soften the ride up front just a bit. Benno designed the bike around its 24-inch wheels which keeps the bike very nimble and playful feeling. The wheelbase is just 73 inches, shorter than most longtail cargo bikes, so it rides pretty much just like any standard commuter. It’s heavy, at about 60 pounds, but that’s lighter than larger e-cargo bikes I comparison shopped. Plus, the relatively short wheelbase means it fits in my garage, unlike cargo bikes with big cargo boxes up front or a tail that’s twice as long.

Power is put to the ground with a 10-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain. With the motor engaged, you have 5 settings: Off, Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo. There is not a hill in San Francisco that the Turbo setting does not laugh at. I’ve stuffed my pannier with 40 pounds and pointed the bike straight up some of North Beach’s steepest hills, cable cars groaning their way up next to me, and it’s still a relative breeze.

E-cargo bikes can be massive, heavy, unwieldy, and an eyesore. The Benno is none of those things. I’ve read before that Benno Benzinger, designer of the bike, didn’t like the look of any available e-cargo bikes out there, finding most of them dorky. So he made his own. That’s apparent here. When I’m not getting yelled at by purists, I’m getting strangers complimenting me on the bike.

Ego-boosting is merely an ancillary benefit, however. As I’d hoped, the bike has absolutely replaced my car for driving anywhere less than 7 miles, which is a cross-town drive in San Francisco. I’ve reduced my driving by 65 percent just by owning this bike, and I can get that number down with another accessory, a surfboard carrier; the Carver model apparently bolts right to the Boost. Grocery store runs, hardware store trips, quick jaunts to the Marin Headlands over the Golden Gate Bridge—it’s all easy and fun on a bike like this.

There are campgrounds in Marin within 10 miles from my apartment, accessible only by fireroads which I’m planning to ride to in the new few weeks. It fits on my car’s bike rack, so I’ve driven it to fireroad-accessible backcountry lakes in Northern California and zoomed out to hard to reach places with ease. This would be a phenomenal bike touring system if you planned to recharge accordingly.

The computer is small, waterproof, and intuitive.

The battery pack unlocks with a key and fully charges in three hours.

Which brings me to range. It’s actually enormously difficult to calculate because it depends entirely on how hard you pedal and which settings you use. But I ride it every day, usually covering 5-10 miles, though sometimes more, and I charge the 400 Wh battery bike every other day. A conservative estimate would be 25 miles per charge if you live in a hilly place, and 40 if you live somewhere flat.

I’d never really meant to buy an e-cargo bike, or any kind of e-bike, by the way. But I’d bumped into parents dropping their kids off at my daughter’s daycare who were riding them. I researched bikes, found the Benno, went for a test ride, and was hooked within a mile. Within moments, the concept of driving short distances is immediately rendered absurd. The e-cargo bike can be a revelation, in the right situation, and for an adventurous city dweller, it’s about as good a solution to transport as it gets.

The bike is not cheap, however. The base price is $4,000. A model with a more powerful motor can reach 28 mph, but costs another $1,000. But when thought of as a more fun version of a car, it’s a bargain.

All bike photos: Housman

Content retrieved from: https://www.adventure-journal.com/2022/10/meet-the-benno-boost-e-a-cargo-e-bike-that-can-replace-your-car/.

The post A Cargo E-Bike Can Replace Your Car appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.

Folks, today I’m looking at an e-bike explicitly designed to be as practical as possible. Whether you make deliveries or always carry around stuff with you, keep reading and find out more about the Benno Boost 10D, as it might prove to be a suitable choice for you.

13 Sep 2022, by: Mircea Mazuru

After graduating from design school, Benno, the founder, moved to San Diego and co-founded the Electra Bicycle company in 1993. After working there until 2010, he went on to create the bike business bearing his name.

Recognizing the power of electrification, he decided to implement it in the Benno Bikes design. He also saw an opportunity in the utility e-bike market, as regular e-bikes offer little to no utility, and full-size cargo bikes are too big and hard to maneuver. This led to the birth of a new e-bike category he calls Etility, where agility meets true utility.

And that became the inspiration for the company’s entire range of products. Among them, you’ll discover the Boost 10D, offering the riding capabilities of a non-cargo bike and the storage options of one.

Before I go into detail, I just want to let you know the Boost costs around $4,500-$5,000 for the base model, so it’s quite pricey. Let’s see what this amount will get you.

Benno Bikes claim that the e-bike can carry more than 3x the load of a typical bike. Using a 6061-aluminum alloy frame and a long wheelbase design, the Boost is made for you to move stuff around on it. It weighs 30 kg (66 lbs.), but it can carry an impressive max gross weight (including the bike and rider) of 200 kg (441 lbs.).

Different versions of the Boost are available – Performance, Performance CX, Performance Sport, and Performance Speed, and you can also choose if you want it regular or step-through. If you’re from Europe, you probably know about the current EU e-bike regulations stating that the max speed a motor can assist you with is 15.5 mph (25 kph). That’s why Europeans only have access to the first two models. The last two versions are meant for the U.S., Switzerland, and New Zealand markets, and they boast a top speed of 28 mph (45 kph).

A Bosch mid-drive electric motor powers the Boost. You can choose between a 400 Wh or 500 Wh battery for the Performance and Performance Sport versions, which will provide 250 W of power and 65 Nm (45-foot pounds) of torque. Of course, why have a utility bike if you can’t go for long with it? The range is not a problem as the 400 Wh battery offers 25-75 miles (40-120 km), and the 500 Wh one provides 30-80 miles (50-130 km). If that’s not enough for you, you can opt for the dual battery option available for the Performance Speed and Performance CX, which will ensure a range of 50 to 150 miles (80-240 km), depending on which mode you’re riding in.

Oh yeah, about that, you have five riding modes and you can cycle through them by using the Bosch Purion On-Board computer. What’s more, the e-bike comes with custom 24″ (61 centimeters) Benno Dual Sport tires and a 10-speed Shimano drivetrain to assist you in all riding conditions. It lacks a suspension system, which might prove tiring after longer journeys.

The bike features some design elements that make it more practical, but its true usefulness emerges when customization comes into play. The stock bike’s only cargo element is the rear rack, but many accessories can be added to the Boost. You have the possibility of choosing from dozens of configurations to adapt the ride to your lifestyle. Just keep in mind that all accessories are extra and you have to pay for them.

For instance, let’s say you’re a parent and prefer taking your kids to school or kindergarten with a bike. You can easily add two child seats in the back and even attach a trailer if you need more seats for your family. Or perhaps you need to make city deliveries involving heavy packages; there’s a solution for that too. You can add a variety of racks, trays, bags, and others to create the Boost that best suits your needs.

All in all, I believe the Benno Boost 10D is a fantastic choice if practicality is the name of your game. It provides enough range for even avid city dwellers, and you’ll fit most of your belongings on it. The only downside I see is the price; it already seems a bit high, excluding all the extra accessories you can add to it.

Editor’s note: This article was not sponsored or supported by a third-party.

Content retrieved from: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-benno-boost-is-a-versatile-utility-e-bike-with-a-bunch-of-customization-options-198514/.

The post The Benno Boost Is a Versatile Utility E-Bike With a Bunch of Customization Options appeared first on Benno Bikes LLC.