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Yuba Bicycles, a top-selling cargo bike label in the US, now has a European home with eLastenrad.
The agreement between Yuba and eLastenrad, which will sell both direct to consumers and to dealers, comes at a time of growing cargo bike sales in both Europe and the United States.
“Yuba has popularized cargo bikes in North America, which had no tradition of this type of bicycling when we launched in 2006, so we know that our bikes will be popular in Europe which has a long history of using bicycles for work,” says Yuba founder Ben Sarrazin. “What sets our bikes apart from other European cargo bikes is that they ride like normal bicycles and are affordable.”
The founders of eLastenrad, Philipp Walczak and Thilo Gauch, bought their first cargo bike in 2012—a Yuba Mundo. Based in Heidelberger, Germany, the company has grown from a two-person operation in 2009 to over 20 employees today. The company started by selling eBike conversion kits, but now sells a range of pedal-powered and electric cargo bikes and accessories. Lastenrad translates as “cargo bike” in German.
“We are excited about the potential for Yuba in Germany, the Netherlands and UK,” says Philipp Walczak. “Immediately after we got our Mundo in 2012 we were using it for shopping, carrying our friends and all kinds of things you can’t do on a normal bike.”
Yuba’s Mundo was named the best cargo bike by the Danish Cyclists Federation earlier this year. In 2013 Yuba won a Green Dot Award in the best sustainable transportation category. Max Delivery in New York City uses a fleet of Yuba Mundos to deliver fresh vegetables and groceries.
