clengman

I've been doing some window shopping lately. I've been pondering the idea of going as car-light as I can and I really like the idea of a long john cargo bike. My primary use would be taking my daughter to school. I already have a tag-along for her and in nice weather I tow her to school then lock up the tag along and either ride the remaining (hilly) 8 miles to work, or put my bike on the light rail and ride a little less than three miles the rest of the way to work. The problem is it isn't really feasible in the rain or the cold. In bad weather, I generally drive to drop off my daughter then drive home to get my bike and take the trolley. I feel like a long john with a rain canopy and electric assist would allow me to make this trip comfortably with my daughter in any kind of weather.

Once I had a vehicle like that I think I could easily use it to eliminate many more car trips than just my commute/child duties.

A riese and muller or urban arrow seem like obvious choices, but they are quite expensive. I've seen a few non-motored long johns that are considerably less expensive and I believe could be fitted with a BBS02 mid drive motor. So I'm looking for a 2-wheel, front-loading, box bike (A trike won't work for me, a good part of my riding is on some high-traffic, high-speed roads. I navigate them well with a conventional bike, but I don't think a trike would be fast or maneuverable enough.). Hoping to find one with IGH drivetrain and an available rain canopy for $2k or less. Add in a BBSO2 kit and it all comes in under half the price of a premium e-assisted bakfiets.

I'm trying to compile a list of makes and models that might fit my needs. So far I've come up with one, Wike - Box Bike (or Big box bike for a little more than my budget). The problem being it comes with a Nexus hub with coaster brake so no-go for the BBS02 unless I swap for a different hub, but that's doable.

I also came across the Bakfiets.nl eCargo Classic which comes equipped with a Shimano Steps drive and NuVinci hub for around $4500, which is closer to what I wanted to spend.

Does anyone have any suggestions for other bikes to look at?