Cargo bikes and longtails

A longtail or a front-loader already asks a lot of a chain and a brake. A mid-drive adds torque through that same chain. Bafang’s BBSHD and CYC’s X1 show up here because the torque figures are high and the shells can be long. They are also off-road ratings on this site unless the controller in front of you is the limited one.

What the stand looks at

• Shell width and whether the motor body hits a chainstay or a stand mount.
• Chainline across a long run. Idlers change everything.
• Brake power with a child or a week’s shopping aboard. The kit does not include a new brake.
• Rack and footplate clearance around a downtube pack.
• Spoke count on a hub-motor wheel if you go that way instead.

Pendix can suit a cargo bike that must keep its own bracket and gears, because the motor sits on the non-drive crank. Clearance on that side is the whole fit. A box bike with a low step-through may not have it.

Quote labour separately from the motor. A longtail that needs a new chain, a hanger and a bleed is three lines. Folding them into the kit price hides the bike you actually own.