BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Poole’s Boxer Cycles has launched a new cargo build, dubbed the Shuttle, that’s capable of carting up to four kids to school, or carrying the groceries.
Costing between £1,950 to £2,800, depending on the build kit, the Shuttle is constructed from 3mm thick aluminium and has the frame strengthened in all of the historical cargo trike weak points, notably the front pivot and the crank.
Having spent nearly a year on the road visiting existing cargo trike sellers and users, the firm built up a catalogue of ideas and complaints about the current favourites.
The trike includes as standard equipment a raincover, four padded seats with 5 point harnesses, a high quality light set and a two locking storage boxes. Meanwhile, the Shuttle’s Cargo box is made of a new type of MDF which is acetalised to make it completely waterproof – its manufacturers offer a 50 year guarantee.
Handling wise, the Shuttle’s ride is designed to be stable with its large hydraulic damper taking the bumps and twitching out of the steering. The trike’s geometry is designed with a 2 degree camber on the wheels and a 5 degree frame tilt on cornering.
"As a serious cyclist, I wanted my family wagon and ‘daily driver’ to feel as sporty and solid as my MTB and to ride like a road bike. Taking the kids to school should be as much fun as a good thrash on around the Purbeck hills," says Jeremy Davies Boxers’ MD and chief designer.
"We are very pleased with our product and our unique innovations which are designed to bridge the gap between cargo bike and car and make it ever more useful"
The Shuttle is fitted with a 250W hub motor and a 14.6Ah battery giving a range of up to 40 miles on a single charge. Boxer will shortly be offering the Shuttle with a switchable 250/500 Watt motor for use off public roads. To aid the motor on very steep hills, the bike is fitted with a 34 tooth ‘crawler gear’. To charge the battery requires just 7 pence worth of electricity and takes 6 hours.
A number of unique innovations that are available as optional extra’s for the Shuttle are descrbed as a first in the cycle industry. Controlled from the handlebars, a unique feature is the addition of a 12 volt lighting package which provides indicators, sidelights and brake lights at the same brightness level as car lighting.
Another important innovation for the Shuttle is the addition of a slide out front bumper that allows the fitment of a children’s bike rack or a pushchair/stroller rack to allow the bike.
The Boxer Shuttle retails for £2,880 for the Electric version and £1,950 for the non electric version. The optional 12V safety lighting package is £450 and the bike rack is £120. Boxer also sells a range of baby seats to carry children from newborn to 2 years with extra support.
