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It hasn’t yet been made obvious, but I’m a huge fan of electric cargo bikes. Cargo bikes are traditionally cumbersome but electric assist makes them a viable option for folks to replace trips they’d otherwise make with a car. Trek seems to agree with the release of the Trek Fetch+2 and Fetch+4 electric cargo bikes.
These two cargo bikes both feature a Bosch Cargo line drive unit as well as assist up to 20 mph. Both also feature integrated Abus locks on the rear wheel, integrated lighting front and rear for safety. Both e-cargo bikes also include kickstands, and plenty of integration with their Bosch drive systems. Both bikes clearly have an emphasis on families with small children, and that bears out in the feature set.
After that, however, the Fetch+ bikes tackle carrying cargo in two fundamentally different ways.
Trek Fetch+2
There are two ways to carry tons of cargo. If you’re in the United States, you’re more likely to see a longtail cargo bike. A longtail is just that, a bike where the rear end is longer than normal. This allows for more carrying capacity, especially for a pair of small kids or one large, possibly adult kid. Folks more often than not tend to remark that compared to other cargo bikes, a longtail rides more like a regular bike.
The Trek Fetch+2 is a longtail cargo bike similar to the likes of a Tern GSD. It features 20-inch wheels front and rear, which should aid its overall maneuverability. It has an integrated rack in the back that Trek says is good to carry up to two kids. Gear changes are provided by a 1×10 Shimano Deore drivetrain.
Carrying kids is done through an available Family Kit. This retrofits seat pads on the back of the bike, alongside a bar/cage thing for noodly kids to stay in place. Additionally, cycling-specific child seats like a Thule Yepp can be bolted to the rack itself, providing a more secure riding experience for smaller kids.
The Fetch+2 also features options for front and rear pannier basket options.
Overall weight capacity is a max 440 lbs, which includes the rider. Trek quotes a range of up to 65 miles per charge out of their 500 Wh battery.
Trek Fetch+4
A front loader cargo bike is sometimes called a ‘box bike’, or the Dutch translation, a bakfiets. A front loader cargo bike places the weight ahead of the rider ensuring the entirety of the weight is between the two wheels. That box up front means your handlebars control the front wheel by means of a linkage underneath. The advantage here is a flat loading surface that makes it easier to carry people, dishwashers, or whatever else you can think of. It also allows the rider to see what kids or their loads are doing as they ride.
The Trek Fetch+4 is a front-loading cargo bike, similar to the likes of the Urban Arrow Family now Yuba Supercargo. The Fetch+4 uses a 20-inch front wheel and a 27.5-inch wheel out back. Rather than a standard geared drivetrain, the Fetch+4 uses an Enviolo internally-geared hub paired to a Gates belt drive. Belt drive bikes are increasingly common for cargo bikes due to their low maintenance and long-term durability.
Trek claims up to five kids can be carried with the Fetch+4. This can be done in myriad ways; the Fetch+4 comes with a pair of forward-facing child seats with belts. More can be added through an optional child seat adapter, bench configurations, and a child seat mounted to the rear rack.
Trek also developed a rainfly to ensure your kids, gear, or combination thereof are dry when you reach your destination. No word on how dry you’ll be should they need the rainfly, however.
Overall weight capacity is a sturdy 551 lbs including the rider. One bit to note is that Trek says Fetch+4 weighs in at a fairly substantial 75 kg or 165.35 lbs. In comparison, an Urban Arrow Family weighs closer to 51 kg or 112,436 lbs.
Trek quotes a range of up to 86 miles per charge out of their 750 Wh battery.
Stay tuned for a review; CyclingTips’ own Troy Templin will have the chance to put these two cargo bikes through their paces soon enough. visit trekbikes.com for more information on how Trek is trying to make fetch happen.
