derail3

Does anyone own a Yuba Supermarche front load cargo bike electric or non electric. That can talk about what they like about it and what they dislike about it. I am looking at it as a lower cost option to some of the Europe imports.

Harhir

I am not sure there are many cargo bike owners here. There is a FB group if you are on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cargobikerepublic

brianinc-ville

I'm a cargo bike owner, but mine's a Douze. For me, the Douze has been worth every penny -- I just keep telling myself it's way cheaper than a car, and I use it every single day. Your situation may vary, but if you're going to use this bike as your primary transportation, I'd say that you should pay the extra cash to get what you really want, rather than compromising.

I haven't ridden a Yuba Supermarché, but when I was shopping for cargo bikes, the fact that it only comes with a derailleur drivetrain was a deal-killer for me. I've got a NuVinci hub with a Gates belt drive on the Douze and couldn't be happier -- but again, your situation may vary.

veganbikes

Having ridden it and a bunch of other front loaders, I can say I didn't care for it. The cable actuated steering is quite sloppy and doesn't feel great. Yes a Riese and Müller Load is expensive but it is probably the nicest riding cargo bike I have been on. Full suspension and a rack and pinion steering makes for a smooth comfortable bike that I feel confident hauling kids and cargo in. I get that same feedback on their steering from other riders.

If they moved to a rack and pinion steering the Yuba would be a fine bike as it is the steering holding it back mostly. A Bosch Performance or Cargo line motor is great and the Tektro brakes used are fine enough (and more importantly have long enough hose) and the bike itself looks good with the bamboo box but the steering makes it suck. We had one on the floor for the longest time and plenty of people came in wanting that bike and left buying a Load or sometimes the Packster (and maybe some who bought mid/long tails). It wasn't that the bike looks bad or is so poorly spec'd (though a belt and a Rohloff E-14 is nice) it is purely steering that really doesn't do it well. The Packster also has less than ideal steering or at least did (I haven't tried the latest version yet only older models) but a touch better than the cables on the Yuba.

If you are only riding it occasionally go for whatever but if you plan on really using the bike save the money and go for the Load or maybe an Urban Arrow (the newer ones are nicer) or see if you can finance it with your local shop. We offer financing and it is how I got my R+M Supercharger2 and I know a lot of people who can buy that bike 5 times over in cash without blinking an eye and still finance. It has made my dream come true a lot faster and a lot more easily. Plus I with the Load I can spec it out to work best for me and I can get it natively dual battery and with different motors and drivetrains to suit my needs plus excellent warranty support.

Nachodate

It’s too bad you had the bike in your shop that long and had the steering set up incorrectly the whole time. I’ve owned a load 60 and a Bullitt and consider the cable steering on the supermarche/supercargo to be the best of them all. Once tensioned correctly, it feels just like all other steering systems, but with much better turning radius which is super helpful in tight situations.

Leisesturm

Interesting counter-opinion. I have a longtail myself but I actually see more box bikes on the road! Them or compact longtails. I would think a company like Yuba wouldn't put unsafe crap on the road, so without anything further to go on I have to admit that your position has merit. But I suppose the real takeaway is that a company like Yuba simply has too much at stake to put something unsafe on the road, period. The Supermarche absolutely can work and is a steal at the price. For me it would be worth learning the quirks of the handling.

veganbikes

I had to re-read what I wrote 2 years ago please don't eat my brains Nacho..lol (it is a zombie joke). The steering was set up correctly the tension was good we made sure of that and I believe at one point our Yuba rep at the time came by and checked it out as well, there was a little play which wasn't good. I am really surprised you like the steering on the SuperMarche more than the Load. Though minus steering if you say the ride of the SM is better than the Load I just won't believe it.

Nachodate

To be fair, I machined a linkage to connect a suspension fork to the supermarche steering pulley, combined with a suspension seatpost and kindernay IGH… yes, the heavily modified supermarche is my favorite.

But back to the steering, there’s absolutely zero play in my setup. My Load had more play in its steering with the very tiny amount of wiggle in the ball linkages.

veganbikes

I want to see that. Upgrading is my favorite flavor.

All the Loads I have ridden have had zero play and we have sold quite a few and I have ridden a good number of them some of them for longer periods. I don't own one yet but it is on the list of bikes I want badly and don't need, I already have a build sheet for it to make it the perfect bike and upgrade as much as possible. There was a thread maybe here maybe in E-bike subforms about the Load 60 and someone had done some lovely upgrades which made me want to do my own. Back then though one of my co-workers had their daughter and she would frequently come to work so we would ride after work for a while. I miss those days stupid divorces and nasty parents using children as weapons and screwing them up and stupid courts siding with someone because of their gender and not because they are a fit loving parent. But I digress.