Tern Quick Haul P9
£3,100 Compact cargo bike with a wealth of options
Weight 23kg (one size) Frame Aluminium Fork Steel Gears Shimano Alivio 1 x 9 (44, 11-34) Brakes Shimano Hydraulic disc Wheels 20in Kinetic comp rims on Shimano hubs Ebike system Bosch Performance CX, Bosch PowerPack 400 Finishing kit Lights, mudguards, rack, 20x2.15in (ETRTO 55x406) Schwalbe Big Apple Performance Line tyres, Speedlifter 150mm extension stem, Tern low-riser bar, Velo Comfort saddle
TERN’S SMALL-WHEELED compact cargo bikes are ever popular thanks to a versatility that means you can adapt the bike using Tern’s huge range of accessories to make a machine that can carry huge loads (up to 70kg on the Quick Haul range), children and dogs. The downside has been that Tern’s highly rated HSD and GSD bikes come in at prices from £3,600 up to a huge £8,400 – and that’s before you add the accessories you’ll need to build your perfect cargo companion. Thankfully, the new Quick Haul range has a more compact design and a much lower price, starting at £2,900 for the D8 model.
The heart of the bike is a very clever compact frame with a low-slung design
that makes it easy to use for a wide range of riders. I’m 6ft 2in and happily fitted the bike, as did my partner who’s 5ft tall. Along with a quick-release seatpost, there’s a very neat Speedlifter stem that lets you adjust the handlebar height by up to 150mm in an instant, which makes it much easier to swap between riders too.
The frame holds a mid-mounted and low-down Bosch Performance motor, with the Bosch external 400Wh battery sitting low at the rear. Worried about how to store the bike? The extensive rear rack system is designed to enable the bike to stand on its end. You can use the Speedlifter stem to turn the bar independently of the front wheel too, which reduces its stored width.
The Quick Haul is quite a peppy bike to ride. The Bosch motor has plenty of torque (a claimed 65Nm) and the eco, tour, sport and turbo modes have distinctive differences between them. The bike has plenty of range too: in my testing I got an average 46miles/75km per charge with 1,969ft/600m of elevation in that distance. These are very impressive figures for a cargo-carrying bike with 20in wheels.
Doing a good Tern
The handling is absolutely first rate. The steering is light and, for quite a long bike, it feels very agile, slotting through bike-path gates and between urban street furniture with great balance and fine, swift responses. Though do be aware of your extra width if you’re using the wide Transporteur front rack and a rear Soft Crate, as I was throughout testing.
The ride quality is superb. The bigvolume – we’re talking 2.15in – Schwalbe Big Apple tyres squash lumps, bumps and ruts with ease, so I never considered that I’d need the suspension fork on the more expensive HSD model. The supple Velo saddle meant I didn’t need padded shorts, even on the longest rides, and the shapely grips took care of my hands well too.
The Shimano gears and brakes are fussfree and the nine-speed drivetrain means easy climbing, especially when backed up with Bosch power. The gearing also means you can roll along at quite a lick and take full advantage on the descents too.
The excellence of the Tern bikes, however, is the ecosystem of accessories that you can use. There’s a huge range of options on racks, packs, crates, bags and panniers to help you get the exact bike for your own individual needs. If you want safe seating on the back for your child, no problem, and you can even add a stormproof cover to keep them dry. Need a hardy crate to move goods or hefty equipment round town? Tern covers you here too.
I wanted a large front rack and rear box for commuting to the office with test kit during the week. For the weekend I wanted a safe box for riding with my dog. Tern had me covered with a combination of the Transporteur front rack (£160), QR mount (£25), rack-extending Clubhouse Mini (£155), Dog Roof Mini (£100, and it comes with a pet safety harnesses) and Soft Crate Mini (£90). I also added a frame-mounted Glovebox (£60) for a couple of bike locks. That does mount up, with my six extras adding £590 to the total. However, even at £3,690, it’s still cheaper than Tern’s premium bikes.
Through extensive testing of the Quick Haul, it has proven a superb commuting companion, carried the two-person weekly supermarket shop with ease, transported my dog on rides out to walks in the country and even brought home bags of compost, bedding plants and other supplies from a garden centre.
Like its pricier siblings, the Quick Haul provides a genuine replacement for a car. It can carry huge loads, has more than enough range for the longest commutes – with the compact Bosch charger fitting in the Glovebox. And though practical beyond all else, at its heart it’s still a bike and it’s great fun to ride. I’m smitten with the Tern and I’m seriously considering buying a Quick Haul, as it has slotted into my daily life since it’s been on my testing schedule.
Verdict
A genuinely viable car replacement, versatile, well made and great to ride
“The Quick Haul can carry huge loads, has enough range for the longest commutes and it’s great fun to ride”