Longjohns/bakfiets
 

Ive been shopping for a front loading cargo bike to replace my xtracycle. In the past several weeks ive been lucky enough to take the following bikes for test rides, all of them while carrying my kids.

Metrofiets standard

Bullit with bionix electric assist

Cetma Largo with electric assist

Mydutchbikes.com longjohn bakfiets

I've ordered a Cetma.

More details to come, and ill add ome more info for anyone interested about my rest rides as well.

What electric motor is on the Cetma?

He didnt tell me the brand but it was a rear wheel hub motor. It was actuated by a button only, unlike the bionix which gives a boost while pedaling if you want it to.

I'm envious that you were able to find so many different models to take for test rides. Even the more commom Xtracycle/Big Dummies are a rarity around here :(. I look forward to following this thread :)

CETMA rules! I replaced my JoeBoxBike with a CETMA last year and haven't regretted a second of it. I'd be even more excited if I had electric assist. :)

How long is the wait these days?

My testing went similarly. I have Cetma #2 and I have been riding it hard for years now. There have been some improvements to it since I got mine, and they make a great bike better. I upgraded my fork last summer to the newer diameter tubes and it improved it significantly.
Mine is getting an overhaul and a repaint in the spring to clean up the scratches from scraping against rocks and concrete.

So what are your impressions on the cetma and bullit? Differences? We're going thru the same decision process now for our kids.

I, too, would be interested in comparisons between the CETMA and the others, especially the Metrofiets and the Bullitt.

The bullit is built for speed, and I found the handling a little nervous. I also found that it damped out no vibration, transmitting it all into my arms and bum. I also have a strong preference for step-through frames on this type of bike.

I've since tried the bullitt and a workcycles bakfiets, as well as the edgerunner and I own a big dummy. The workcycles rode very much like a Dutch bike, stable, heavy and for me it feels slow. It wants a very upright stance. If you like Dutch bikes you'd feel at home. My wife liked it I didn't.

The bullitt is light for a cargo bike. It's a bit squirrelly at low speeds but handles fine after you get a few minutes with it. My wife, who isn't an experienced cyclist, got the hang of it after a few minutes. The frame is more rigid (overbuilt) but that works for me, I'd probably run lower tire pressures than they had it at. I'm tall enough that the top tube was low enough to step over. Think slightly higher than a mixte rather than a diamond frame top tube. After a bit it just feels like riding a bike. According to Barb at the shop, some people get it right away, some struggle with the steering but its not dependent on cycling experience.

We really liked the bionix assist. It feels very natural, reducing the effort you put in rather than giving a push. Level 1 felt like riding an unloaded bike when the kid was in the box. They weren't sure that they could fit the bionix system on a different longjohn. We liked it enough that we're probably going to get a bionixed bullitt this spring.

I am pretty sure that you can put a bionx on the cetma as well. I think Marla Streb has one on hers. I definitely wouldn't run down the bullit, but I definitely find the cetma to be more comfortable and, counterintuitively, faster than the bullit. I have never found any cargo bike particularly hard to ride.
The workcycles bike was what made me know that I needed a cargo bike. It is very accessible and easy to handle. I did not think that it was slow, but i did find that it discouraged me from putting too much effort into pedalling, in the end, it wasn't sporty enough for me.

That says it better than I did. Every bike seems to have the speed it likes. The workcycles stasis speed is slower than I'd like, most dutch style bikes are like that. You can go faster but they don't like it, more to do with geometry and rider position than weight of the bike.

In contrast the bullitt the stasis speed seems more like a road bike. I didn't get a chance to try out a Cetma. And overbuilt works for me since we'll be putting 400+ lbs on the bike regularly. And the narrow box works pretty well for what we need. But everyone has their own needs.

I am glad you understood. Hopefully you get to try a cetma. It will carry a lot. I have had up to 350 pounds plus 180 pounds of me on it.